Hari Yang Sengal

Hari ini aku masuk ofis. Macam sengal. Kerja bertimbun-timbun. Aku seorang yang bermati-matian. Sengal. Dengan kesihatan yang kurang memberangsangkan. CLK versi kecil yang meragam, buat aku mengamuk pagi tadi. Sengal lagi. Siap kau, CLK. Kami sudah berbincang hendak jual CLK sekarang dan beli CLK baru. Muahaha!

Aku serius mau tukar kerja. Pada awalnya aku teragak-agak sebab kompeni tabur janji-janji manis. Masa depan yang cerah. Trip overseas. Gaji naik. Pigidah! Tipah tertipu lagi. Trip overseas tu sudah kensel. Aku dah agak pun. Dan sengal lagi. Macam-macam alasan dieorang kasi. Dan macam-macam sebab lagi menghasut fikiran aku untuk memecat kompeni sekarang pada tahun depan. Dan tahun depan tu besok! Tak sabarnya!

Ho-ho. Alang2 bercerita pasal sengal, teringat meeting di JB itu. Memang sengal tahap dewa. Dia panggil buat meeting dengan vendor. Tapi semua dia harapkan aku sediakan. Dalam meeting pulak dia asyik main SMS. Kalau ikut hati, aku baling je handphone dia kat luar. Aku memang dah lama makan hati dengan dia. Dulu dia tak macam tu. Dulu banyak benda aku belajar dengan dia dan aku respect ngan dia. Tapi sekarang. MACAM SENGAL! *jerit sekuat hati*

Probably More Excited About A Couple of IKEA Stuffs Than I Should

To begin this ramble, this posting is where I make a love confession with a swanky, practical foreigner from Sweden. The name is IKEA. It's a long-lost, twisted love, born out of my endless desire to put everything in a context and a context into everything. Well, basically, I have a psychology condition which is called 'compulsive obsessive nature to be organised.' (read about it here and here). Therefore, when I found out IKEA has all the solutions to an organised life, I fell madly, deeply in love with it. So much so that I am short of naming my kid IKEA. Ikea bin Junaidix. How totally rowks!

Recently, we decided that our store room required a massive spring-cleaning job. I am too ashamed to post the 'before' image of our store room because it was really cluttered and untidy. Boxes stacked haphazardly. Some boxes were in too poor conditions that the contents were half-spilled on the floor. Most boxes were overflowed with things. Raincoats on the floor because we have nowhere to put them. Some files and papers were also placed on the floor. There were many paper bags containing wedding door-gifts lying around. In short. It's. Total. Chaos.
The solution to this problem? A complete tour of the IKEA store where I found these two useful items that change my life the store room's look:

Habol, Box with Lid (left)

Portis Hat Rack (right)

With mountain-high enthusiasm, we reached home and immediately set to de-clutter the store room. Our stuffs were divided into three categories - junks, items rarely used and items used more often. Junks were thrown out. Rarely used items packed in one of the box (top) and labelled according to whose items they belong to. Those rarely used are stacked at the bottom. Items used more often are placed at the top of the stack.

The results:


Ok, so it may not look pristinely tidy because the boxes are still stacked haphazardly but papers bags are no more on the floor, little items stored away in boxes which no longer overflowed. We have made 70% progress on improving the tidiness. I am hoping to save enough money to buy a racking system (also from IKEA) to solve the stacking problem.

Next:

This is by far, the solution that delighted me the most. No more raincoats on the floor! No more helmets lying around! No more jackets on the sofa / on the bed! The world is now warded off evils, corruptions and environmental problems!

This feeling of achieving tidiness is why I never fail to be excited at the sight of IKEA.

A Romantic Table for Two

Chalet, Equatorial Hotel
Trump sangat baik hati.
Dia belanja makan malam untuk aku dan Suami Terchenta.
Di Chalet, Equatorial Hotel.
Sempena ulangtahun perkahwinan kami.
Makaseh Trump!

Jadi, semalam kami keluar untuk sesi makan malam yang romantik. Tepat pukul 9 malam, kami muncul di depan pintu restoran. Tukang jaga pintu bawa kami ke meja untuk dua orang. Ada lilin seperti yang diminta. Ada muzik romantis jugak. Kami sangat teruja (dan sangat kekok! Bukan hari-hari kami makan di tempat yang eksklusif ini!). Buktinya, orang lain sebok berbual2, kami berdua sebok amik gambar. Muahaha! Memang sangat jakun! :p

Chalet, Equatorial Hotel
Hasil tangkapan gambar kami


Menu
Kami duduk. Pelayan datang, bawak menu (dalam Bahasa Inggeris & French). 10 minit kami terkial-kial baca menu di bawah cahaya lilin. Gila! Telur ikan (caviar) harganya RM700! Ini telur ikan ke atau telur dinasour? Buat 10 saat, aku terasa mahu memesan caviar, tapi aku rasa Trump mungkin tidak akan rasa murah hati untuk bayar sebanyak itu. Haha.

Suami Terchenta - Pakej Krismas
Juice - Mango juice
Starters - smoked salmon, fresh oysters, sup cendawan
Main course - Steak (tak tahu nama)
Dessert - Mango pudding, cinnamon-orange sherbet, iced chocolate ball
Hot drink - Tea

Aku
Starters:
- Raclaitte Valaisanne (traditional melted swiss cheese with baby potatoes and homemade pickles)
- Sup 'Crème de Champignons de Forest' (Cream of Wild Forest Mushrooms served in a Giant Roll)
Main course - 'Filet de boeuf' (tenderloin steak, medium)
Dessert - Gâteau au chocolat (chocolate cake), cinnamon-orange sherbet, iced chocolate ball
Hot drink - white coffee

My Verdict:

Starters >> boleh tahan, aku suka sup cendawan yang diletak di dalam roti bulat itu. Tapi Raclaitte valaisanne itu buat aku muak lepas sesuap dua.
Hidangan utama >> Dagingnya sangat liat! Menyesal order tenderloin! Sepatutnya order rib-eye atau sirloin sahaja. Tapi kuah steak (gravy) itu, not bad. Aku cuma dapat makan separuh sebelum aku surrender.
Dessert >> Aku boleh kasi rating 3/5. Not bad jugak.

Suami Terchenta's Verdict:

Starters >> uwekk!
Main course >> mmm...
Dessert >> Too sweet.

Sambil menikmati kopi panas, 3 orang pakcik yang bermain alat muzik datang ke meja kami.
'Would you like some song?'
'Erm...' saling berpandangan, 'please play some romantic music for our first year anniversary.'
Pakcik-pakcik itu terus mendendangkan sebuah lagu dalam bahasa Swiss dan lagu 'Everyday I love you'!

Sebelum kami balik, pengurus restoran ambil gambar kami dan berikan sekuntum bunga ros untuk kami.

Wah, seriously, ini ialah the perfect dinner date! :) Mungkin tahun depan kami boleh datang lagi ke sini...

Atau INI KALI TERAKHIR KAMI KE SINI.

Bila tengok bil dinner kami, kami terus mengubah fikiran.

Satu makan malam yang sangat expensive... sama dengan bayaran ansuran kereta kami sebulan.

Nasib baik Trump yang belanja. Sekali lagi... 1,2,3!

TERIMA KASIH, TRUMP!

Photoshop Tutorial: Layer

On dee83's request, I'm going to show how to create this layered image:


Step 1 - Open 'New...' in Adobe Photoshop and set background content 'Black'.

Step 2 - Open selected image, copy-n-paste on black background layer. Name it as 'Layer1':












Step 3 - Choose Layer1. Click 'Layer' > 'Layer Style' > 'Stroke...'













Step 4 - In Structure area, set Size '8' (depending on how thick the frame you want it to be), Position 'Inside', choose Color 'C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=0' (also known as white).












Step 5 - Duplicate image, twice (by clicking on image, then press 'Alt'+click).













Step 6 - Tilt images at the back at different angles: (Click image to view larger)













Step 7 - Arrange the images accordingly. Then, using Rectangular Marquee, draw a rectangle underneath top-most image, and paint it white using Paint tool:













Step 8 - Type a title inside the white rectangle. Tadah! Siap! :)


Our Hari Raya Celebration

Early in the morning, after solat Hari Raya, this conversation ensued between a husband and a wife:

Wife: Which do you choose? Cooking (laksa Sarawak) or washing the toilet?
Husband (considering): Cooking.

Hubby headed to the kitchen, prepared to cook. Wifey went to the toilet, armed with detergent and stuffs. Hubby called out, 'Dear, what is supposed to be put into this pot?'

Wifey gritted her teeth and called back, 'Just read the instructions on the packet!'

2 minutes later, they switched roles. Wifey cooked, hubby scrubbed the toilet.

1 hour later:

Wife: Dear, help me make thin omelettes by whipping one egg at a time. Make 3 eggs, ok.
Hubby (nodding): Got you.
(Hubby whipped the 3 eggs together and fried them all in the pan)
Wife (big eyes and murderous look at hubby): Why did you fry all of the eggs together????
Hubby (looking wise and satisfied with himself): The pan is big enough to fry all 3 eggs.
Wife (looking not so satisfied): I. wanted. thin. omelettes. Grrr...

What an amicable start to the Aidiladha celebration.

So this was how our celebration looked like:

Some of the feast prepared, and some given by our next door neighbour (photo courtesy of Kak Retna)

From left: Topek, Fysal and Mr Shai (photo courtesy of Kak Retna)

As Fysal helpfully pointed out, our special menu was laksa Sarawak. Hubby prepared everything, and I merely helped to prepare the gravy :p (photo courtesy of Fysal)

Our Hari Raya guests (photo courtesy of Kak Retna)

Thank you to Kak Retna, Shai, Fysal & Topek (who drove all the way from Perak and Tanjung Karang) for coming for Hari Raya visit to our house and helping us to finish off the laksa :) Thank you also to Shai who came with lemang Pak Ali and the delicious serunding.

In short, we are certainly very happy to welcome guests to our house. Hopefully, we get to host more eating sessions at our home for more friends. Check out Suami Terchenta's blog from time to time!

Lastly, it's not too late to wish 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha' to all my blog readers.