Mrs Exclusive

"That's awfully sticky"

2009-09-09T23:37:00.003+08:00

This just goes to show even further that sometimes you can't just trust everything you read in Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poklen

If it weren't so derogatory, I would probably find it funny. On second thought, maybe not.

"I was working with luminous fish...and I thought, hey. Loom."

2009-08-26T20:49:00.006+08:00

It's a Ramadhan miracle! I am finally sitting down to update my blog.

Now let's start with the stuff that I have missed out like a gazillion years ago: my 'new' fish tank.

It was what you can call a 'follow-up' of my first tank, which is much smaller. After a few months learning the basics, I announced to the husband that I am ready to tackle a bigger and slightly more demanding tank. And as it has been a dream for him to decorate a bigger tank (since the small one only offered such limited space) he responded in equal enthusiasm.

So along we went to the aquarium shop and ordered a 3 ft by 1 ft by 1 ft tank. The two-day wait to get the tank ready proved to be quite difficult for me to handle. So when an intrusive phone call woke me up on that unGodly hour of that fateful Friday morning, and the number showed suspiciously Bunut-ish (the area of the aquarium shop), a 'ding' in my head said "TANK!". When I answered, sure enough, the comforting Filipino lady's voice saying "Your aquarium is ready ma'am", sent me straight to heightened excitement.

Abandoning all restraint, I woke up the hubby vigorously, and due to my urgency, I am sure that was the reason why he didn't resist the interruption to his sleep. We got up and got ready, and set out for an 'adventurous' day ahead of 'fish-tanking'.

Any good aquarist would say to me to never, ever buy fish on the same day you are getting your tank. But as much as I know that, I still couldn't resist. Thankfully, I can say now that all my fish have survived and the 'deaths' in the tank are caused solely by another rookie mistake. I do digress, but perhaps on another blog, eh?

So the whole day is basically setting-up-the-tank day, with dinner with my siblings somewhat squeezed in in between. And to the joy of both me and the hubby, here it is, the glorified tank!

No More Delays!

2009-08-21T01:52:00.002+08:00

I am just going to have to skip through all the other important things that happened in the month of August -including my birthday (!!) - to give way to the announcement that I have finally bought a new camera for myself. *exhales* there! I feel so much better.

Updates soon! :D

We have to take in nourishment, expel waste, and inhale enough oxygen to keep our cells from dying. Everything else is optional

2009-08-06T15:15:00.004+08:00

I wish it is so. No wonder Sims characters have wishes after wishes after wishes, continuously expecting and trying to achieve something, and still left unfulfilled. Took me a while to realize that they are actually resembling real life characters more than I think they do. Now that I think about it, maybe that's why I can't seem to sustain my character as well as I should have - especially not when I can't even organize myself in real life...tsk...

Speaking of which, days of relaxation and late mornings are now upon me. Well, at least I hope so. The third (and last semester) has commenced and I think I survived the first week. There is a great deal to celebrate when my role is changed again, from being the teacher to a teach-ee, the speaker to the speak-ee and the worrier to the worry-free!!! So here's to the last semester as a student...

Fish Night Lights

2009-07-22T22:12:00.005+08:00

I. Would. Absolutely. Kill. For. One. Of. Those.

Speaking of fish, one of my Neon Tetras died. As if the weekend ending isn't bad enough. In fact, it might be the end of the weekend that drove the fish to its death. Slight exaggeration.

It was devastating! I have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to sit down and look at their progress for quite a while now. I only get to have a quick look during feeding time, and a bit longer when I change the tank water. So when I actually sat down yesterday afternoon to observe the fishes, I saw one stuck at the plastic plant, already pale and bitten.

My two goldfish are also in dire need to be moved into a new tank, which I will get to by the end of the month. We went out this afternoon (details of which I will relinquish in a different entry, as it is of a much happier news) and saw a pet store in Kiulap around the Hotmart/Aneka Rasa/Ayamku area. It was awesome! The hubby saw a complete starter tank for goldfish which comes in different themes. I've set my eyes on the Pirate theme! And the store sells biological filters which I have been searching for all over the place since I started my tank!

So now, I can't wait to set up my new tank for the goldfish. Especially now that my pleco has grown a bit and is starting to attack the goldfish.

Moreover, once I remove the goldfish, there will be more space in my current tank. Hence, I can finally get those glass catfish I've been eyeing!

Picture: My current tank taken by Hajmi(thanks!). The background of the tank is kindly provided by my dear husband :D

'I don't eat cheesecake, I just think it's a good idea'

2009-07-18T13:19:00.006+08:00

Well, that's actually a lie. I LOVE cheesecake! In fact, I'm sort of eating one right now, although it is more like a choco-cheese cake. From Le Apple. Which is where I like my cakes to come from by the way. Perhaps 3-D with Cinderella decorations. Or you know, whatever.

Cakes are the bomb! I can't wait for next month, because it's my birthday, and I already got the hubby to get me a specific cake and he said yes! (well, what else is he going to say, it's for my birthday!). Plus, it's also the birthday of so many family members, which could also mean that it'll be cake-time every week. August 2009, I herewith dub thee 'Cake Month'.

Anyway, I don't just eat cakes at random times for no reason at all. Last Thursday was my mother-in-law's Golden Jubilee celebration, so we got her this cake which is shaped like a gold bar. It tasted divine~ In fact, that was what I was having just now. *drool*

Just to confirm though, I AM still fully intending to fulfill the pact I made earlier this month i.e. fitting in some awesome old clothes that I haven't been able to fit into in a while. Food is just too awesome to cut down. And I WILL make it work. :D

'I am not insane, my mother had me tested!'

2009-07-14T19:52:00.002+08:00

I'm ecstatic! I've always loved a break right in the middle of the week, and tomorrow, the exact phenomenon will occur.

I'm exhausted though. The hubby has invited his gamer mates for a night of gaming (duh) and of course, when you want to play games, gotta fill the bellies first. So they've decided to barbecue some chicken. And my part was to make some noodles. I just finished cooking and cleaning up the kitchen. I can now retire and watch The Big Bang Theory on the hubby's laptop while having barbecued chicken and mee hoon goreng. I'm so tired, my writing is abrupt.

Anyway, interesting -yet annoying- thing happened earlier today. While we were tidying up the house before the guests came (well, I was actually out getting some last minute stuff at the convenience shop nearby), three monkeys (according to the hubby) came in through our supposedly protective grill at the back and entered our kitchen. Not only that, they stole my two remaining burger buns, all of my bananas (which I had bought last night), one of the corn that my mom gave to me, dropped an egg on the floor, and God knows what else.

All I can say is, thank God I made my chicken burger this morning.

It's ridiculous!! I never thought that they would be able to slide past the grill. I'm too exhausted and hungry to rant now. Off now.

"Gravity, thou art a heartless bitch"

2009-07-13T16:29:00.003+08:00

I was looking through some old pictures (well, actually, not so old, which makes this even harder for me to accept) and I found pictures of me when I was on my final year of Uni and when I first met the husband. Seeing those, I thought "God, why did I ever think I needed to lose weight then?? I was fiiiiine!!!" especially compared to my 'condition' now.

This fits in perfectly with a pact that I made with my sister-in-law (who came back from the UK recently - welcome back!!) just a few days ago. We made a pact that we are going to try and fit into clothes that we haven't been able to 'get' in comfortably for a while. And that shall expire in August, so I got 6 weeks to look as fabulous as 3 years ago.

Of course, if I take this up with the hubby, he will deny to his dying day that I still look fabulous anyway. Tsk. It's that kind of 'motivation' and 'encouragement' that has led me astray. (If you are reading this, I think it's sweet though :) )

So here we are, to fitting into old clothes for some added good ol' self-esteem and healthier lifestyle...

Growing Obsession

2009-07-08T00:12:00.002+08:00

I guess it's about time I take up a new 'obsession' and this time, the obsession is called "The Sims 3"(mobile phone)

Why this is a big deal is because I never, ever allowed myself to get close to, never mind get addicted to, The Sims. But pride will lead to one's downfall. And I have fallen. Hard. And the fact that it is installed on my mobile phone does not help. In fact, it kind of encourages the obsession.

Anyway, playing the mini version on the phone is making me want to get the PC version, so that I can install it on my laptop and play it - all the time. And I can't wait till I get off from playing The Sims 3 on my mobile long enough for me to go out and get the game.

I have to give credit where it's due though. THANKS TO MY DEAR HUSBAND FOR INTRODUCING ME TO THIS ADDICTIVE-CAN'T-STOP-PLAYING-GOTTA-FIX-MY-TV-AND-GROW-SOME-CORN hell of a game. I love you too :)

Interesting Development

2009-07-04T12:11:00.002+08:00

Well, not so interesting for everyone else I guess, just for me. :) I love the new layout! Thanks to the hubby who made it his business right away to make sure the page is presentable. For lack of imagination, I have just decided to leave the "I love purple" description there. In fact, I think it's also symbolic of the state I am in. Loving mundane things in life, and lacking in imagination.

Let's see, what do I love at the moment? Express chicken with those awesome chips (I seem to only call Express' chips "chips" and refer to others as "fries"), Skittles! ( just realized there's a new version that is OK for me to eat, Insya-Allah) and sleeping. But I think the sleeping thing is the aftermath of my illness last week which I'm still trying to recuperate from.

MEANWHILE, many things are being left undone, for example ironing clothes, and the ever-so-growing pile of laundry and ehem, work of course. But what with the schools being closed and all, it feels like it is one of the things I can put off for the moment. Not a good idea, I know.

The afternoon (in fact, the WEEKEND) promises to be a busy one, and I kind of dread it because it does not fit in with my 'leisurely' stance / mood right now. Still, life must go on, even if I have to stock up on the Express chicken and chips and packs of Skittles in my bag just to go through the day.

On a lighter note, I have to come up with some games for the family wedding coming up, and I'm ecstatic 'cause I love coming up with games! And yesterday, we window-shopped for furniture for the house. That was so much fun, can't wait to get them in the house! Right, have to get ready to go to RTB now. Ciao!

This is Awesome

2009-07-02T16:58:00.000+08:00

I can't believe that I have been having this blog all along but never putting it to good use. I can't wait to get the hubby to make the page nicer. Watch the space...

As I am writing this, I have my two very high-spirited kittens whisking and whizzing past me, chasing each other in their afternoon play. Pictures of them will be up soon. :) The past month, the Exclusives' household has been quite busy trying to set up a nice living environment for both of them. They have quite settled in, and based on observation, are very happy (meowing only when hungry - which rarely happens, as food is always, always available). The only thing is Pepper still refuses to sleep in the basket we have prepared for her.

Other than that, everything is satisfactory. We recently bathed them, leaving them fresh and clean (as clean as they get) and Cotton's health has improved. :)

Today is a hugely uneventful and unproductive day. I haven't managed to get any work done, and I spent all day watching The Big Bang Theory (and Googling any scientific references of interest - no wonder I enjoy the TV show, probably because I can relate to them so much) and eating junk. So except for laundry and cooking lunch, it pains me to say that today, I did nothing.

Oh wait, we have a barbecue tonight, and since the return of the hubby from his seminar, my mood got better. And after feeding the fish yesterday, I thought of adding one more to my tank. I kept thinking about that today as well...hmmm....

Anyhow, time to go outside and bother the hubby. Dum dee dum~

Last Minute Ideas 4 Educators

2008-10-15T09:47:00.000+08:00

That's one heck of a long title, but that is the site that we've (me and my classmates at UBD :p) created for our Educational Technology project at UBD. The project requires us to create a site that would be helpful for any particular group of people. We need to make it all packed with resources and be as active as we can with the site to show that we have contributed a lot of material.

I was really reluctant to start it to begin with. But now that I know what it's about, I'm so very excited!! Special thanks to my hubby for creating the logo for the site, and making it look like what it is now. And now, it's up to us to make sure the site is as useful as we hope it to be.

Check it out if you're interested, anyone with great ideas are most welcome to contribute!

RAT-atouille

2008-10-14T08:14:00.000+08:00

I mean, seriously! The animation is all cute, and the story is kind of funny. But did you ever actually associate the idea of a RAT in your kitchen 'handling' all the food, and equate it to incredibly disgusting and unsanitary? I did!

But I do digress. It's just that, a similar thought occurred to me when I saw -get this- a dead rat just outside the campus's canteen. Lying there. Slightly distorted figure. With flies all over it.

I don't know if I'm horrified over the cruel sight, or over the disgusting aspect of it.

Some pre-appetizer.

Student: Revisited

2008-10-14T08:03:00.000+08:00

All those times when I whined and complained over when I would be able to do my PGCE are finally over! I am now in UBD doing my PGCE and have been so since early August =)

The truth is, all the myths about having a holiday and a break from teaching, lesson plans, markings etc are overrated. It is not a so-called 'honeymoon' period, and a holiday? More like, no holiday.(I am sure in-service teachers are reminded of the time when all their ex-colleagues began their Puasa holiday on 17th September, and ours began on 29th September - a staggering 2 weeks difference!)

But on a lighter note, not having to be in school by 7 is an incredible luxury (though it doesn't mean I can sleep in), and reversing roles is kind of fun. I get to be the audience, as opposed to the teacher. And now I remember how difficult it is to concentrate in class.... Hmmm....

Seriously though, markings are substituted with assignments and essay writing, lesson plans are substituted with preparation for discussions in class (although, granted, we rarely do this), and staybacks are replaced with the afternoon classes. I did hear I got it lucky, because some people have classes at night.

All in all, it's been a fun ride. Although we have been labeled as the troublemakers by some lecturers. It's an impulse. But learning again is a lot of fun, and FINALLY!! Those grammar things make sense! Life is great again. Till next time~

When You Get What You Wish For

2008-06-30T21:00:00.000+08:00

So it was a nice dinner with the family, but before that we (me, lovely hubby, and sibs-in-laws) went around The Mall in search of my perfect top. Well, either I have imagined that top before, or it just doesn't exist in The Mall's branch, but the point is, the top wasn't there.

Disappointed, I set out to look for a pair of stilettos I have just recently set my heart out to get.

Disappointed, they don't have my size anymore. *sigh*

But there was still light. Dropped by my dear friend's shop and found something I have always wanted to get for so long now. So at least I went out beaming a tiny bit.

Walked into shops, not harbouring thoughts of actually purchasing anything anymore. But I was meant to end the night in sheer joy despite my disappointments with the stilettos. Window-shopped and saw a bag I thought was absolutely gorgeous. I left the store telling Syaf "Will get that soon! =)"

How was I supposed to know that the bag would be in my hands a few hours later, presented to me after dinner, as a surprise (belated) First Year Anniversary present!!!!! Waaaahhhhh-weeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

To my lovely husband, thank you for the wonderful surprise. You are the best!!! I love you!!!

Walking Down Memory Lane

2008-06-29T11:22:00.000+08:00

I must be a sucker for nostalgia and love the past, otherwise I just live in memories of the past, or ... wait, I don't think I'm making sense.

But anyway, we are back in Brunei and the trip to the country where we first met was fantastic! Of course, it rained the first few days, but the weather improved.

Went to Paris, of course that was a whole different story altogether.

Went to Cheltenham to meet Mimi and visit her boarding house.
Then went to Cardiff to visit Shar.

Went back to London during the last few days of our trip. Food was great, didn't shop much, went around the bus and saw other sides of London that we hardly went through (funny story about that, to be told soon). Saw musicals, yes, plural, and they were great!

But most importantly, we went to Hyde Park, where we first met.

We went to Cardiff, where our love story unfolds and develops.

Then we went back to London, where we had spent a day together before saying goodbye on that fateful summer(night?).

We went back, and we will again. For we cannot resist the tempting invitation of the place that created and brings so many memories for me, for him and for us. The place where 'The Exclusives' first started...

My Wonderful Cardiff Visit

2008-06-29T11:02:00.000+08:00

There was a time when visiting Cardiff was as routine as going to campus. As though I was commuting between Cardiff and Exeter.

There was a time when I would catch an early train from Cardiff to arrive in Exeter so I could go to my 9am Seminar.

Or caught a train at 4.30pm, right after I finished my afternoon lecture.

Those were the good times.

No wonder it hits me hard when I am in a situation where Cardiff is....thousands of miles away from me. But I know for sure it has something to do with the good friends I have there that makes me long to be in Cardiff; that makes Cardiff like a second (third?) home to me.

And this time round, I had a chance to visit again. However short, it was worth the while, but nevertheless, upon leaving and realizing that I would once again be away from that comforting familiarity and wonderful companion of a friend irreplaceable, my tears flowed uncontrollably.

How times have passed, how friendship is cherished. Until next time...

PS: Pictures about this blog can be found here.