Dan calon-calonnya adalah…*drum roll please…*

Updated:
Matchmaker # 4: Finally, she reported (after almost a month) that my email add had been safely delivered to the intended person. Hmmm...are we back to the Snail Mail era??

Matchmaker # 5: Same as above, she told me (after a week) that my no had been pass over to the concerned sister ONLY...

Aiyoyo!!!At this rate we're goin' & mind you - my AGE..I might as well *censored!*...

Matchmaker # 7: The person who is, perhaps, reading this..well, maybe it's YOU! or YOU! or another YOU! Whoever lor...
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Foreword:
I’ve been reminded again and again by people from near & far (in terms of their blood ties to me), now that The End is near, my focus should be to find myself a calon suitable for marriage & to settle down nicely. Kacang je??
__

After almost (& only) 3 months at a new workplace (& everything), here is the list:

1. A day before I was scheduled to travel up north for long-term permastautinan, my sis informed me (but it’s supposed to be a secret still) of effort by her & hubby to match me with the hubby’s superior’s wife’s brother who is still single at the ripe of after-40. The reason being he was busy finishing his Ph.D before and now busier with climbing the corporate ladder (I did peep into his online organization’s chart – for the sake of ‘research’ ok). According to my sis’s hubby’s superior’s wife who acts as The Concerned Matchmaker, he wants someone who can cook exactly like his mom. As if…*lets not go into that murky water*. Anyway, my sis told her that while I’m far from being called a master cook but definitely no one will go hungry with the things that I CAN cook. So, the other side asked for my pix & phone no…and thus the waiting begun...(I hate this) only to be told in passing after a month & a half later that he’s not interested in me. Or marriage (am not to sure). No harm done.

Psst! He even rejected a woman who is rich enough to own & send him a heli to pick him up for a date. Wow!!

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Be more selective. Only introduce those singles that are earnestly looking & wanting to pursue marriage. Tak semestinya ada sijil tinggi pun.

2. During the early days at my new workplace (and way before that Mimpi Ngeri episode) one of my colleagues who is not only satisfied in enquiring the details of my single status, she kindly mentioned of a bachelor in her residential area who is a friend to somebody yang ada bau2 bacang to her and immediately asked for my permission for you-know-what lah. After much hee-haw & in between, I found out that the guy is way younger than me (well, Im in my mid 30s in case you’re wondering, born in mid 70s vs the guy’s mid 80s – must be that I look young eh? Woohoo!) who has a degree, currently unemployed but seeking to further his study.

By this time, the mimpi ngeri had started…with another guy lah.

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Only those yang dah baligh ya. Terima kasih.

3. May be I should honourably mention a still-single colleague whose office is just next door to mine. This is dangerous territory indeed but I need to mention it here as I spoke to him already & very direct too about the fact that others in the big office are pointing towards both of us together AND he should never feel uncomfortable in our daily dealings simply due to that cakap2. Apa, depa ingat ini mcm cerita filem P.Ramlee ka? Boleh senang2 pecah dinding tengah tu? Abis tu klu dah gaduh, bertukang pasang balik time tengah malam? Hehehe…
Well..
A. I’m not interested in office romance & subsequently inconvenience,
B. he’s younger a bit.
From snippets of conversation with others:
C. Person One said he’s taken.
D. Person Two told me the circulating gossips about Person One and him and Person Three who had told her that he’s not taken.
E. Whatever lah...sebeno2nya, The Spark is not simply there. No electricity. No chemistry. Should I mention here that we've met like a couple of years before?

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Please be reminded again to avoid unnecessary inconvenience in office surrounding.

4. Due to efforts taken to evade the mimpi-ngeri-person, I had to change my no (& get a new phone too- long story there! And sorry, mak only get my hand-me down but from now on we can chat daily & have no worry hehehe) & reconnect with old friends in the process of updating the said-no. Im not using the free service of blanket/mass sms of my new no since Im still keeping the old no (that against the telco rule) & wanna dissing out some friend’s no. So, this junior friend of mine is surprised (Gasp!) that I’m still single (singlehood is The Theme for today’s entry so bear with me) and excitedly jump on and proposed to me her hubby’s varsitymate who is also in my current neighbourhood & ‘telah banyak kali frust bercinta, habis beribu ringgit dipermainkan oleh wanita’. I give her the consent to pass over my no & also my email. However, I was silenced by the fact that he’s only hitting 30 or so this year! At least she has my no kan?

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Again, yang cukup umur sahaja ya adik.

5. Another concerned colleague (definitely female hehehe) recently dropped by in my room & closed the door (what a significant thing to do! A sure sign of hot gossips ahead) before we had our chat. Straight to the point, her previous neighbour (she knows the whole family, even the skeletons in the closet) and the sister is looking for a candidate for her divorced brother who is a medical doctor (Gasp!). When I asked, the reason for divorced being…I can’t recall already – must be nothing extra-ordinary! They have a 9 yo daughter together…
After my own spats with divorced guys, while I hold nothing against them, I need the reassurance that the tie between the couple has really been severed. Or at least the Ex-wife has remarried (if not dead).
Don’t want to risk myself in being The Orang Ketiga.
Don’t want to hurt myself like before when they did get back together.
It hurts so...
So, I readily jot down & passed over my no & email and still waiting to this day. It has been more than a week so what am I supposed to think?

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Kesiankan kami ibarat menanti buah yang takkan gugur. Hehehe…another thing, tak semestinya same qualification kan?

6. Latest, as of yesterday morning – my immediate neighbour, a happy couple & much blessed with a recently born 4th baby - the wife told me that the hubby mentioned my good name for this guy they’d recently discovered to be divorced (gulp!) during family fathering. He must be their relative then. The reason for divorced stated as the ex-wife tu ‘ada yang tak betul’ – apakah??? My plus point, according to her, is that the mother of the divorced guy is a somebody or sumthg so we can definitely hit on each other. We, as in me (not that Im a somebody yet) and his mom? Hmm..

Note to the concerned matchmaker: Apa2 aje lah..
__

So, an average of two candidates per month – not bad at all huh? Plus another one which is not worth mentioning lah.

P/s: Oh, should I mention about The Blast From The Recent Past who simply appear online again one fine day & acted so blasé as if nothing has had happened between us?? He whom I’d an Out of Body Experience looking down at myself lying broken on the floor, feeling so cold with hot tears streaming down my eyes…I’m still hurting.

Never ever again!! *insert the loudest hand claps here*

Weekend Adventure..

Senja, Kg Pelek

P.Jerjak, from Bkt Jambul

Treacherous pathway

What's waiting for you up there...

How to put up caption for each pix? Thanks to Marzuki@dilarangmelarang for the relevant info!

Juicy details - part I

(Released only after certain lag period/embargo)

This entry is dedicated to Manal & others coming from my previous lair - since I promised you guys the so-called juicy details! Hope this is worth bloghopping eh?

As usual, my comments in the brackets.
____

rad: Salam perkenalan. Got your no from dating***.com I’m rad, A/S/L.
guy: Name/A/Location: from bangsar kl work in puchong
rad: Already checked out your profile (duh!). Busy working? ...
guy: …I cuti today just finish main golf (Oh!!)
rad: Handicap? Business or pleasure? …..Any criteria that you’re lookin’ for?
guy: I was married to English but negro so someone who has same sex taste if you know what I mean
rad: Oh. Geddit. You’re outta my league. Thx neway n have fun!
guy: Ok thanks too take care

AND THUS

Take home lessons for today:

First, I thought, “OMG!!!!! What have I done?” I’m never gonna do this ever again.
Second thought, that guy is the most honest man I’ve come across so far. Eventhough, he’s still openly admitted to carry a torch for his ex-wife (by way of comparison - unlike someone I used to know who will vehemently denied this at first only to concede at a later date, at what price? Humph!!).
Third, at least he’s not lying by omission, or trying to cheat/deceive me! (yes, unlike that other person I know) Sorry, I cudn’t help myself from comparing all the guys shortly featured (pun intended) in my life so far.
Forth, most important here - adik-kakak sekalian jangan ikut ye perbuatan yang tidak elok ini! Online dating & yang sewaktu dengannya is real bad!!

Do you (yes, it's YOU!) read me???

Prologue: My hands are tied - my decision is final & muktamad! (InsyaAllah)
"Pls do not contact me anymore for whatever reasons - saya dah minta maaf & halalkan segala so samalah di pihak awak. 0-0.
If gangguan diteruskan, tindakan susulan akan diambil. Terima kasih."

My final words -
"Segala apa yg pernah saya cakapkan atau kita bincangkan sebelum ini (tentang marriage, kids & future - bleh!) adalah dengan sendirinya terbatal memandangkan ianya berlaku di bawah andaian anda seorang lelaki bujang. Pls la, jgn nak kata saya kejam - sila bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya pada anak bini di rumah - percayalah you won't have time to luahkan kasih-sayang pada sesiapa yg lain pun. Besar harapan saya semoga kehidupan rumahtangga anda laki-bini dapat kembali pulih berpanjangan serta diberkati & dirahmati Allah. Hanya maaf yang saya pinta serta salam pada isteri anda."

Note: Read the 'in brackets' as my comments/thoughts.
______

Thus, I'm really annoyed when you continue to harass me indiscreetly - talk abt bein' friends & professional and such!

BF's fb status: "den nak gak kat budak tu...tak kiro apo nak jadi, jadilah. den tak buleh nk lupokan dia. hatiku dah dicuri sejak 1990-2009 nih!!!

Comments by same circle of frens (hopefully they're NOT in-the-know):

T:... tergelak aku tgk si BF ni ... sakit angau ....
BF: den x dayo la bro... tlglah carikan ubatnya T ! aduii yaiii...(eh, bini dia tak baca ke??)
Y: hantuk palo tu kek dinding BF...
S: sapa la gerangan gadis yg diangaukan tu????
Y: malang betul gadis idaman BF ni... hahahhaha
W: BF...aku tak sangka pulak macam ni ekau yo. Cumo satu yo den nak kato...jika ekau raso layak dan berkemampuan... silakan tapi jika ekau dah kaji other factor yang menjurus pada kesusahan....lupakanlah BF...Dalam dunia ni, pada satu satu peringkat dan situation ada benda yang kita kena let go saja...just let go saja. (Ni dia cth lelaki sejati - bagus!!)
T: aku setuju dgn W .... sokong ... sokong ...
BF: adui yai...patut ehhh korang sbg member den sokong usaha den ni nk mengelakkan kebanjiran kaum hawa kek atas dunia ni yg lum nikah, tp sebaliknya pulak yg berlaku. den dah kaji bondo ni dan den raso den leh absorb (Whadda heck???), so apo ditunggu lg? teruskan usaha dan berserah kepada Allah. itulah gadis impianku sejak dari ku remaja @ 15 tahun.
Y: mak ai... lamo botol kau ngidam yo BF... dah reput dah tu
BF: den pun x tau la bro n sis, what was happened 2 me. actually, it was in a sudden ! aiyoyo... i can`t 4get her.
BF: tu la pasal bro Y. alamak aii.........den ni xdolah ensem tapi manis tu adolah skit2. hehe. si dia tu masih steady weii...lum reput lg bro !
Y: duit dah cukup lom... meh den tolong pinangkan... bab2 buek masjid ni den suko
T: huuhhh!! parah2 ... lepaskan je la Bro... org tak sudi ...
BF: duit??? dah ado ha! x bleh la bro T. den x bleh lepaskan dia, kehadirannya semula telah membuka pintu ati ini utk melepaskan cinta yg sekian lama dah tertutup !
____

Interframe: giler...eh, u belum jawab lagi soalan i ..eh isteri dia tak baca ke?
rad: I think sama ada his wife f/time hswife bz dgn anak2 or jenis yg cudn't be bothered anymore like - apa lah malang aku dpt suami gatal padahal anak dah bderet - kot?

____
Followed by a flurry of smses/msges to & fro moi including:

Makcik baca T punya status…
rad: I've nothing 2do wid him anymore other than as exschoolmates! I blk bilik td n monitor updates, terus sakit jiwa! Malas nak tunjuk reaksi like blok dia terus..
F: Yang peliknya ngapa dia nak tulis sume benda tu kat status update. Mesti org tertanya2. pas tu terlalu berterus terang. Kat email tu awak kata dia mintak jgn citer kat sapa2.tapi dia yg lebih.lg satu saya geram part yg nak kurangkan kaum hawa kat bumi ni yg belum nikah.
rad: Cz dia tau I aktif fb. X pnah bls sms or msg fb dia. Dia nak provoke tu! Tu psl I diam mls nak blok or anythg. Jaguh kpg you. W tu best- kasi direct je sebiji! Agak2 anak bini kat rmh tu dah ckup terjaga ke? Ingat kita2 ni desperate sgt ke? Nauzubillah..doa la jodoh kita yg baik selain mcm dia!

A: Memang! Sakit ati. Menyampah bila dia n yg lain buat statement mcm tu. T n W mmg cool. Dia ingat kita ni heran sgt ke dgn statemt dia yg kononnya mcm bagus tu. Eee rasanya nak je cakap kat dia. Gi keliling dunia n tengok sekeliling dulu la. Then baru fikir nak buat statement macam tu ke tak. Bengong la dia tu. Sori rad. Emo pulak.
rad: Yezzaa..dia mmg perasan bagus – lebih tepat lagi, JOBO! My sis dah cek *insert workplace* tp geng dia tlg coverline. Klu dia lebih2 sangat, tau la apa yg I nak buat i/Allah! Sama2 kita doa semoga dia cepat taubat n ingat a/bini kat rumah – bukan nak hina tapi dia baru masuk gomen dgn s*m so mampu ke? Alim mcm ustaz ka? Pun tidak la kan!!!!

____
P/s:
I've been warned by my 'supporters' - never respond to him directly. And V said, just report abt him to her Inspector-cousin who is staying around the corner from my place!!

Penang has it all..Part II

Note on Cheah Kongsi's architecture:
The veranda or balcony followed British architecture on the ground part, Malay in the middle and Chinese for the top/roof.

What's for lunch?

Jangan ada dusta..

Nota: Saya tak pandai nak berkata2 terutamanya dalam merungkai apa yang telah terjadi - ada byk perkara yang bakal dikongsi nanti. Maka, bait2 puisi & prosa berikut diambil & disesuaikan dgn keadaan.

Dewi Yull - Jangan Ada Dusta (feat. Broery Marantika)
Moi:
Ketika pertama kujumpa denganmu (dalam mukabuku)
Bukankah pernah kutanyakan padamu...(status perkahwinan)

Dan kini semua yang kau katakan padaku
Jangan ada dusta di antara kita...

He said (sepatutnya):
Semua terserah padamu aku begini adanya
Kuhormati keputusanmu..

Moi (sebelum terlewat):
Apapun yang akan kau katakan
Sebelum terlanjur kita jauh melangkah
Kau katakan saja...

Dr Arjuna - Oleh Maskiah Masrom, Harian Metro 18 Mac2009

"Cinta itu keikhlasan, cinta itu pengorbanan. Wanita sanggup berbuat apa sahaja atas nama cinta. Tetapi lelaki juga tidak harus mementingkan diri. Lelaki juga perlu ikhlas dan perlu berkorban. Jodoh pertemuan kan di tangan Tuhan. Kalau sudah tiada jodoh terima sahajalah. Pasti ada hikmah lain yang menanti."

"Mengapa tidak boleh berdusta dengan wanita yang belum dinikahi tetapi dibenarkan berdusta kepada isteri? Bukankah berdusta itu satu dosa?"

"Wanita yang belum dinikahi tidak boleh didustai. Mereka perlu diterangkan keadaan sebenarnya sebelum membuat keputusan berkahwin atau tidak. Walaupun berpoligami itu diharuskan namun tidak ramai wanita yang sanggup menerima suami orang. Ada yang hanya mengetahui mereka bermadu selepas berkahwin. Ini merupakan satu penganiayaan."

No need to go to China lor...coz Penang has it all! (part I)

La Mansione Bleu - bits of trivia:
The 'guy' built it with full understanding of good feng-shui like (to attract Qi or chi):
1. we must be able to see the sky from our door steps. so that is why he bought & built a row of one-storey building right in front of this mansion - so nobody can built a higher building in front of his mansion & block his view of the sky!
2. rain water falling inside the household compound is considered as wealth in abundance
3. To build a strong fortress, the house must sat on a hill slope & facing the water front - the 45 degree angle of the mansion is such that Penang Hill served as the backbone!
4. blablabla..

I say, that 1 1/2 hour guided-tour (at the cost of rm12 per head) was worth it!

Lagi lawak yang tidak diingini terjadi...

My eldest bro's flight to Jeddah departed very early this morning (I was in lalaland & far away up north pun). Mudah2an umrahnya diberkati & dirahmati Allah. Since it looks like everyone is going for umrah these days (Lollies' family too and my BIL next) so I think it's appropriate for me to share this incident.
____

Soon after my ayah passed away i.e. after the iddah period, we (another bro, wife, sis & me) started to make plan to bring mak for umrah & ziarah. Walaupun mak masih dalam kesedihan, hopefully the umrah will let her feels differently ( i dont know what exactly but we needed to do something la kan)..

OK - flash forward to the actual umrah days.

Scene: The 2nd Umrah's Saie between Safa and Marwah
Kaki mak was in critical condition (this was pre-total-knee-replacement-operation)- it was painful for her to walk now, even during the tawaf.

So we had a short meeting at the starting point. My bro will continue the saie with his wife & my sis (the mutawwif was around only for the 1st session). As for mak, we commissioned the service of one of the (teenage) kids available there to help push the wheelchair (too bad we didn't know or enquire about the free wheelchair service available at somewhere inside the Mosque & did it ourselves).

The instruction to me was simple: Stay with mak at all time!! So off they went.....

Here is the logistic: the pathways for normal able-bodied persons and the less-abled are separated in both direction.

Note: Saie between Safa & Marwah is actually to remind us of pengorbanan Siti Hajar berlari2 ANAK di antara Bukit Safa & Bukit Marwah utk mencari air bagi Nabi Ismail AS yang masih kecil dan kehausan.

So, what did the boy who were pushing mak's wheelchair do? Yeahaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Full throttle down the one hill until the upclimb of the other...Round One! (faster finished one customer, more money for the day)

Repeat in the other direction for Round Two!

Again, and again until the 7th rounds!!!

Just imagine what happened to me - pretty much breathless in trying to keep up!

My bro & sisters were no where in sight. I don't want to leave mak with a (kid) stranger. So no choice for me really. Thanks to Allah, I was still keeping to my routine of jogging alternate days that particular year - enough stamina to run...

My only consolation at the end was that my bro said I did a good job of looking after mak!

But, they did saw me running to keep up with mak & they laughed!!!! LOL