1st day back from leave & I feel so sluggish. Lots of files on the table (concealed from photo view) and I've been sneezing since morning. JLo said I was allergic to work. I think so too.

My phone rang twice around 9 am just now. It's as though they know I'll be back in office today so they wait by the phone, and just when 9 am strikes, they call. 1 was a complaint lah, tapi nasib baik the other one was a neutral one too. Since I started this job, I've developed an irrational fear of answering telephones. Which is why, I don't pick up calls from any unfamiliar numbers on my mobile phone. Private numbers, lagi jangan haraplah.

So the lemau. Arghhhh....tak laratnya. Bila nak 6.24 pm ni??!

.....

The weekend was good though. Some family time ( I learnt how to tie the pink plastic string bila tengah bungkus berkat), some time with friends (his, actually). Then Sunday I spent the day bonding with MIL (hehehe), cooked a meal for us, watched Twisted & Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Best jugak.

But today....is just...slow. Mak just sms-ed to ask how my 1st day at work has been like. No prizes for guessing my reply.

Time to fresh up..I can't possibly mope around like this till evening right? (Though I'd love to).

Drilling has stopped. Am seriously so happy.

I have to masak nasi & goreng sayur. Actually I feel like cooking some kailan, but my mom seldom cooks kailan. I'm trawling suria's recipe link for kailan recipes. Yang ada, vietnamese kailan pulak. Susah lah, must use cuka all.

Today, orang from NEV datang. Dorang nak check nyamuk, or any breeding. Apparently, my neighbour has been hit by dengue. Another one who lives 4 blocks away has been hit too. Penyakit menular...tapi penawarnya, hanyalah doa & usaha.

Cepatnya dah Thursday. Tadi ada office number telepon but I didn't pick the phone up. Ishk, melampau pulak.

3 facts about our honeymoon you don't know (but are about to know in a second)

1. I went to Parkway Parade at 3 pm to purchase a pair of sporty sandals. At 5 pm, AH rang me to say that the flight was at 8 pm and *not* 10 pm as I'd had thought! With a flash, I headed to the money changer, then walked real fast towards the taxi stand. I got home by 5.15 pm. AH was in our room, looking cool, while I apologised profusely for my bimbotic behaviour. We made it to the airport on time.

2. I didn't wear my wedding ring coz I was sure I wouldn't be able to cope with the added responsibility of ensuring my ring was on my finger at all times. To save me the extra brain power, I left it at home & wore 2 cheapo rings instead.

3. We snapped a photo with the Maldivian schoolchildren. One of them asked me for $1. I just smiled at her, but didn't give her the money. Till now, I still regret not giving her that dollar.

The Maldivian fever has subsided for me (Dah tak termimpi pasal Maldives lagi!) I scanned some photos on Sat but didn't have any more space for it at multiply. If anyone's interested, go see naqia@fotopages.

:)

Someone's doing some renovations & the noise...argh, annoying. Kacau je aku nak rilek.

I think I'll have to cook today. Dah berminggu seh tak masak. Lepas duty..ehhe..

AH has gone to school. I'm alone at home, with Tok. Think later, I might wanna pop by the little shop for a massage.

Tomorrow I'll go back to office for a few hours to complete my report. Urgh, starting to think about work already.

haiz..napa lah tak boleh post ni?

It has been lovely here...the sun, the sea...the colour...

And being here with AH...it's so surreal!

But too bad, I've run out of batteries for the digital camera...it's my main regret...I didn't bring the charger thinking the plug wouldn't fit..but the pins here are exactly like the ones back in Sg.

Sighs..but that's alright, at least I've managed to shoot enough yesterday!

testing...

Packing's almost done. AH left for school this morning...I hope no technical glitches arose for him.

I'm quite excited for the trip. The last time we travelled together was in winter 2002, and that was also my last trip to anywhere. Pray we'll have a safe journey, insya-Allah.

But before I go, I'll mop the floor, and prolly do another load of laundry. It feels good being at home.

We went to Bik Non's place last night after work. In office clothes.

I was casually asking whether they had any albums for me to see, sekali tu AH's cousin said, "Ibu! Kak Nani nak tengok gambar!" I was like..aiseh, spoil reputation aku yang tak kepo langsung ni.

I'm glad I asked that actually, coz we (everyone!) had a good time flipping thru the old browning photos, laughing at rambut ding-dong, baju seksi, make up tebal, really huge Box-like cermin mata. Very nostalgic. And the notes that came on the front page of the albums were hilarious too ...with all the olskool spelling.

I asked to see his Allahyarham father's photo & I saw him, standing there, looking helpful, looking similar to my AH. Sometimes I do wish I got to meet him, but I know he's in a better place now.

I saw Mama (my MIL), looking confident and beautiful (as she still does now) & I felt quite fascinated at her talents. She was a Mak andam, you know, and her make up, was really vogue for the 80s standards.

I saw AH, as a 10 yr old, looking really adorable. Yesterday when he wasn't looking, I looked at him many times, for minutes & I saw the 10-yr old look in him. And I wondered, Wow...this guy, was once that cute child, that adorable kid who was so loved as a child. And now he's all grown up, and he's my husband, ready to begin a whole new life with me.

That's mainly why, AH, I persuaded you to bring yr SLR to Maldives. The memory may stay forever, but physical reminders won't hurt, ey? :)

In 2000, when we were in uni, I discovered that the ring Mak gave to me was missing.
Searched high & low for it & when I couldn't find it still, I sat on a bench infront of the hostel (kebetulan, bench tu betul2 in full view from his room). When he saw me sitting all alone at the bench, dia pun turun lah.

When he found out I lost the ring (I nangis sikit..sedih la katakan...), he came up to mine & mona's room. Together with mona, shikin & myself, we turned the whole room upside down. Carik bawah katil, belakang cabinet...anywhere you can think of in that little cubicle room of ours. Pon tak jumpa2 jugak...

Then guess who found it?

Me, Myself & I...

I found the ring, in my bathing glove! Yep, hehehe.
The whole thing turned out to be so hilarious, semua ketawa pecah2 perut seh..!

5 years later.....

We got married. And both of us hold on to our precious rings. Then last Friday, he found his ring missing (gee, such irony). Like dejavu, the whole searching episode repeated itself. Carik high & low, bawah katil, bawah sofa cushion, kat washing machine....tapi tak jumpa2 jugak.

Saturday came & passed by...Sunday came...still no sign of the ring.

Life went on as usual (duh!) & we went on the sembah2 thingy. Sekali tu, his face suddenly lit up when we reached his uncle's place at Yishun. His ring! He'd put his hands in his pocket...and realised his ring was hiding there after all!

Dua2 happy. We're even now, both with stories of our rings.. :p

Percaya tak, kita belum pegi sembah2 tau.
But we've made it to my nyaii's place & to his granny's place.
That'll do for now.