Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ramadan Kareem



May the spirit of Ramadan illuminate the world and show us the way to peace and harmony.
May Allah shower his blessings on us all during this Ramadan and always, InshaAllah.

Selamat Menyambut Ramadan to all Sembang readers, family and friends.

Sent from my iPad

Friday, July 22, 2011

Bot Chat

This morning a colleague introduced me to this chat tool. I went right on chatting and the following exchanges took place.



Me: Selamat pagi.

Cleverbot: Selamat pagi kat awak juga sayang :).

Me: Awak sayang saya?

Cleverbot: Saya sayang awak :).

Me: Dah makan?

Cleverbot: Makan apa?

Me: Dah sarapan pagi ke?

Cleverbot: Dah makan juga.

Me: Kelakar lah awak!

Cleverbot: Di sekolah la.awak belajar dekat mana?

Me: Kenapa jawap macam tu?

Cleverbot: X la.

Me: Awak marah ke?

Cleverbot: Tak sayang.

User: Awak tak rindu saya?

Cleverbot: Tak.

Me: Kenapa tak rindu?

Cleverbot: Saya cakap saya sayang awak.

Me: Polis cari awak lah.

Cleverbot: No, isn't true.

Me: You have committed a crime.

Cleverbot: Love is never a crime.

Me: But I don't love you anymore.

Cleverbot: Not you and I.

Me: I have found a better person in my life.

Cleverbot: You don't have a life.

Me: There's so much happiness in me now.

Cleverbot: I know how Tuning died.

Me: How did he die?

Cleverbot: He died of age.

Me: How old was he?

Cleverbot: How old was Gary, are you asking?

Me: No how old was Betty Ford?

Cleverbot: I don't know, girls think I am ugly.

Me: Are you a girl or a guy?

Cleverbot: Girl.

Me: Not a guy?

Cleverbot: Me not a gamer? Really?

Me: What music do u like?

Cleverbot: Rap, Hip-Hop, Rock, R&B. You?

Me: Jazz.

Cleverbot: Are you lame?

Me: No, I'm a dame!

Cleverbot: Yes.

Me: Do u think I am pretty?

Cleverbot: Yes because I said so.

Me: Thank you sayang.

Cleverbot: You are welcome.

Me: I gotta go. We chat again later.

Cleverbot: So are you nice?

Me: Bye.

Cleverbot: Say it like you mean it.

Me: Bye bye darlin <3

Cleverbot: Hello hello hello.

Me: Over and out.

Cleverbot: Roger.


If you went on reading the conversation trail and thinking what on earth was I doing "flirting" online with Mr Cleverbot....waittttt a minute!! Hang on to your horses before you go tazkirah-ing me.

My chat partner was a computer program called Chatterbots, okay. This latest chatting AI was designed to have conversations with humans. They use some form of artificial intelligence to learn how to generate better dialogue over time.

Its developer Rollo Carpenter has developed this chatterbot which learns from the most chaotic and difficult conversationalists: internet users.

My verdict - talking to Cleverbot is a little like talking with the collective community of the internet. And it’s just as horrific, funny and is definitely a boredom buster during those dry days when not a single drop of brain juice insight.

So, is the bot clever? Try it at Cleverbot.com

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Supir Yang Setia

A couple of years back when a few of us girls visited Bandung, we got little adventurous and moved around town in the public transport called Angkutan Kota. The school van like transport was not only cheap, but also in abundance. We never had to wait long for one.

We were couple of years younger than and keen to explore and experience life just like the locals. This trip however, we - both Muni and I decided we should do our trip in a santai manner. We wanted to rest and relax and enjoy the three days we were there. Hence, a supir (driver) was necessary.

I have been recommending family and friends if they ever needed transport arrangements when in Bandung or even Jakarta, do try out this guy - Pak Termizi. It was through my sister that I got to know him. She has used his transport services and had no complaints on him.

About two weeks to our departure, I texted Pak Termizi asking if he was able to make transport arrangements for us. He responded in less than two minutes saying that he was more than happy to oblige our request. A quote was given and we agreed on the rates. Package was for hotel and transport during our entire stay in Bandung.

Happy....got that settled.


There was a short wait for our supir after arrived at the Bandung airport last Sunday. I texted Pak Termizi and he said his supir was on his way. In less than 5 mins our young supir was in sight. He took care of our luggage and he drove us to our hotel in Cihampelas.

When we arrived at the hotel, I spotted Pak Termizi as he came running to greet us. Wahhhh the old guy whom we saw in kurta like attire last time is now all so smart looking in pressed shirt and tailored slacks!! A certainly more corporate look now, and both Muni and I were impressed. And he carries a Black Berry too!!!

We checked in and did our solat and in no time we were all set to hit the shops. It was then Pak Termizi told us that HE will be our chauffeur for the day and he would be driving us around in his own BMW. Fuhhhlamakkkkk....how lucky can one get ya!!

Jadi tante-tante sangat lah suka hati nya.

"Mau ke mana Ibuk, " asked Pak Termizi.
"Pasar Baru..." cried both Muni and I simultaneously.

And the rest of the story??? Alhamdulillah, everything went fine. Agenda nya apa lagi lah kan.....shop.eat.shop :))

Our appreciation goes to those behind the scene who helped make this trip possible - our families, the financiers (ehemmm u know who u are lah kan), and not forgetting our supirs who obligated to our needs and requests during our trip.

Enjoy bangetttt deh!!!

This beemer of Pak Termizi's - leather seats with very dark shades all around. That night when he dropped us off at the hotel, other guests (Malaysians...he he) gave us this "wow" look yang memberi maksud "wahhhh...siapa kah mereka ini??? Datins???"

Heh...heh....kasi chance lah kami perasan yea!!

This bus carried tour groups from Malaysia. There were like 3 of them lined along the road. Bandung was packed with Malaysians and Singaporeans doing pre Ramadan shopping that weekend.

Kebayas...so many of these in Pasar Baru, a favourite and very famous (amongst Malaysians) shopping place in Bandung. We, however had to leave the kebayas only for the feasting of our eyes. Mana boleh pakai kebaya dah....obscene and akan mengganggu ketenteraman awam lah if we did kannn...*wink*

Too pretty to resist...so we got juga lah for friends yang berpesan.

Other stuffs that we got.....

More stuffs.....adeiii tak larat nak angkat dah. Sila di panggil-in Pak Supir nya!!

Tired...so we checked into this spa....bliss after being kneaded by expert hands of the masseuses. But not before some gentle reminder from our supir.

"Pak...kami mau spa ya."
"Bisa ibuk..."
"Tapi ibuk sudah solat?"
"Ohh...kami solat jamak aja pakkk..."

You see our supir was also concerned over us melaksanakan tuntutan agama. Alhamdulillah....

Our favourite...the nasi padang with its spread of dishes yang penuh whole table. Soooooo.....sedappppp the ayam panggang and daging dendeng!!!

Makan lagi.....the rice was wrapped in banana leave giving that ahhhhhh aroma.

Rumah Mode - an all time favourite FO of visitors to Bandung. We arrived here early but place was not opened yet.

Our supir, Pak Dadang said this to us. "Masih awal ibuk. Lagi foto-foto ya di luar. Saya mau dhuha sana dekat musolla." Ohhhh.......terkedu sebentar ibuk-ibuk nya!!! We all so gung ho nak ber-shopping, supir nya lagi gung ho nak menambah saham akhirat.

In the end, we ended up having latte at the cafe while waiting for the FO to open.

At the end of our trip, our juta-juta rupiah was reduced to only hundreds. Our luggage was pack to the max, but didn't exceed the 30kg limit...fuhhhh what a relief!!

One beautiful lady distributed this little pamphlet on our way out. She was promoting her slimming parlor. Ummpppp very interesting kan....next trip bisa di coba ya. Mana tahu, pergi nya ber-blouse longgar tapi pulang nya ber-kebaya ketat!!! (read: dream on...)

Sent via Kay's Berry

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Tumirah On Leave

Someone asked me one day, "Who is this Tumirah? I've been hearing so much about her. Tumirah this...Tumirah that....etc." I won't say who asked, but gosh, Mister, you sure are one ignorant soul.




Okay, for purpose of setting the record straight, Tumirah is ME lahhhh. Me - the person who doubles as the maid the moment I arrive home after tugging and battling deadlines in the office. And Tumirah has been around since the whom-I-thought-tali-silaturahim-akan-berkekalan-selama-lamanya-maid left like 2 (or was it 3??) months ago.

And now after the many dreaded weeks of washing, cleaning, scrubbing, ironing, Tumirah is taking a break. Tumirah nak gi berehat (laaa gi lagi, bukan ke baru hari tu dok go jalan-jalan??) Penat tau and urat-urat dah bersimpul-simpul.

So, where is she heading??

Puasa is approaching, raya will follow suit. Jadi agak-agak where is Tumirah's so called nak berehat venue?

Mana lagi....sini lah :)

RT, RT, RT....that's what's gonna occupy Tumirah for the next couple of days. Coming together with her is Sutinah, an equally industrious corporate dame.


Let's hope there is no repeat of this lah kan.
But didn't someone cite this quote last time "Shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist".
So how??

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Keep Calm


"Aku menanti kamu setiap hari
Aku menunggu dari Isnin, Selasa, Rabu, Khamis setiap hari.............."

Yes, the weekend is here. Am gonna try to keep calm, just as instructed *wink*
But.......ahhh tak pe, tunggguuuuuu....... *big grin*

Friday, July 15, 2011

Aksi di McD

Ku perhatikan cara berjalannya. Adapnya amat tertib sekali. Pakaiannya kemas - color coordinated dari tudung hinggalah ke sepatu yang tersarung di kaki kecilnya itu. Dari pakaian yang dikenakan, agak tidak silap jika membuat tekaan beliau pernah menjadi wargakerja samada di sektor awam atau korporat.

Jangka ku umurnya agak lewat sudah, mungkin sekitar 50an. Kulit sawo matangnya sudah agak dimakan usia dan garis-garis umur kelihatan di bahagian leher dan mukanya. Tapi saiz badannya teramatlah comel - boleh saja ku melebelkannya "petite". Mesti awet muda, itulah tekaan ku.

Buat beberapa ketika dia menoleh ke belakang seolah-olah mencari seseorang. Siapa agaknya yang ditunggu? Apakah teman atau saudara terdekat? Segala gerak gerinya hanya ku perhatikan dari jauh, dari meja makan ku yang tersorok di belakang patung Ronald McDonald itu. Aku pasti dia tidak langsung perasan perbuatan ku itu. Kata orang "it's rude to stare" tapi kali ini aku memang tidak dapat mengalih fokus dari wanita yang sedang kusyuk tercegat di tepi pintu masuk restoren makanan segera popular ini.

Tiba-tiba sahaja wajah muram beliau bertukar menjadi ceria. Senyuman terukir di wajahnya. Sambil berjalan pantas, beliau bergerak ke pintu masuk restoren. Ku lihat berjalan ke arahnya, seorang pemuda berbadan sasa, kelihatan six packs nya dibawah t-shirt ketat yang dipakai.

"Fuhhh....macam model mamat nih," Itu lah yang mula-mula datang ke fikiran ku. "But, tak kan lah kot.....macam anak dia je budak lelaki tu...issshhh tak mungkin!!" Dengan pantas ku tepis tanggapan yang menusuk minda apabila ku lihat si pemuda memberikan kucupan mesra di pipi wanita tersebut. Mereka kemudian intim berpimpin tangan menuju ke meja yang berada di sebelah belakang.

Ku cubit lengan ku untuk mempastikan aku tidak bermimpi. Tapi memang betul apa yang ku lihat tadi kerana ku perhatikan banyak mata lain yang turut terpukau menyaksikan brief interlude mereka berdua tadi.

Fikiran ku mula ligat meneka apakah yang sebenarnya berlaku. Reality check ku mengatakan - ini Malaysia kan, bukan New York.

Ohhh sungguh tak tercapai akal ku, jika apa yang berkecamuk di minda adalah benar.

Apakah....??
Bagaimanakah....??

Ku perhatikan mereka berdua buat seketika lagi. Perasaan curious ku pada awalnya bertukar kepada rasa mual. "Chiss sia-sia je puasa siang tadi dan malamnya tertengok pulak.....!!" Sudahlah, tak kuasa ku meneruskan tontonan perilaku mereka lagi. Dengan pantas, ku capai tas tangan ku dan angkat kaki untuk beredar dari situ.



Ohhh apa nak jadi pada bangsa ku???

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

My YELLOW Weekend

Yellow it was, the color of our t-shirt for the group's last weekend retreat in Cherating. Like there was no other safer color, yes? Guess if our event was held in the KL area, all 40 odd plus of us would be hauled onto a police truck.

Thank God it was an away event.

We have planned for this retreat some time back. However, work commitments came in the way. Tender submissions, deadlines and others pretty much had the committee revising the event details several times. Upon much deliberation, we finally came to an agreement that the retreat to be held from the 8th - 10th July (which so happen to coincide which the big rally in KL).

I almost didn't make it. No thanks to the horrible migraine I suffered the night before. Faris had to drive me to the office that day while Mommy washed down painkillers that worked miraculously at keeping my head from banging over the weekend.

Tried the famous ikan patin during lunch at Temerloh R&R

A few of us, the committee members went in Boss' car, whilst the rest sat with equal comfort in the 40 seater cruise bus. Our destination was Holiday Villa Cherating.

To sum it all up, we had a great time - lots of fun carrying out planned activities games with the whole team. We also got down to some serious business - strategizing ways on getting the company striving towards greater excellence.

A pose just after arrival at Holiday Villa Cherating....work was obviously away from my mind :)

The beautiful Cherating beach

At sunset Mommy had that tad guilt tangle in her for not being with Nissa over the weekend :(

My group - the YELLOW BEES and we came out the best group overall...yeahhhh. Tengok lah siapa yg in the group kan...ehemmmm

The YELLOW ladies...imagine if we had gone out in the streets of KL in this color tee!!

Kat Cherating boleh lah posing pakai like this.....


Where we had our lunch on the last day....Warung Aziz Satar in Kuala Kemaman. Good food!!!

And cheap too....

Sent via Kay's Berry

Friday, July 1, 2011

July


July wishlist
*come home early from work
*catch up with house work
*try new bake recipes
*finish reading the Twilight series
*more time to myself -spa, facial etc
*prepare for Ramadhan
*and go for a quick RT maybe.....