TGIF!

Great Friday evening I had with the boys. We went to PS Cafe at Harding Rd for dinner. Kinda pricey but the food isn't too bad...& the ambience, nice for couples to smoochy-moochy or for close friends to give a low-down of the week. In any case, you HAVE TO make a trip to PS Cafe at least once. The berry chocolate cheesecake there is a killer. :)

Took a ride in Daniel's ah-beng Chevy. :)

Daniel had fish & chips....

And so did Jamadi!

I had some Kofte curry...with basmati rice, chapatti & popudums. Yeah...all the works, baby!

Daniel always, always looks like he's faking a smile...

Then Jamadi & I thought that we just have to promote the berry chocolate cheesecake....

And our threesome dinner was done! :)

One Day in JB

Me & Riza planned to go tanning at Sentosa today. She sms-ed me last night saying her menses came & she couldn't go with me. Just as well. It was raining in the morning anyway. Then, Nik called me at 11.20 am, asking if I wanna go to JB with herself, Jamadi, Peixuan & Esabella. Since I don't really have better plans for my off, I decided to join them. I got ready in 20 mins & they were already at my void deck, in Jam's car.

So...to JB we went.

Esabella, Peixuan & me waiting in Jam's car. He's feeding his Subaru. :)

We had a good lunch at one of the warongs & found our way to...Aeon Tebrau City. It's just another huuuuge shopping centre. It's my 3rd time there.

Don't we look soooooo Singaporeans? Haha!

These 2 feeling couple only. But NOT.

It's tea & coffee break after lunch! Oh...and the gossiping.

The Melayus.

Jam was saying that...if any guy wants to marry me, he has to be prepared to get me a lifetime Starbucks membership. Haha! Sounds true enough.

This Peixuan actually changed S$250 to go JB!! She was so eager to use the money that she voluntarily treat us to popcorn, drinks & titbits for the movie. We watched a Korean movie called "Shadow in the Palace". Loads of gore scenes. Stressful.

I found another tanning kaki!

Nik went crazy at Dunkin' Donuts. I got myself chicken floss buns at Breadtalk. Halal mah!

And Jam forgot everything else when it comes to PSP stuff.

Yay! We both have dimples!

Still waiting for Jam to download his games...

This is how the Front Office girls look like when they are starving....

We still can smile though!

House of Sundanese. Delicious!

Time to pay for the parking & head home to Singapore!

And JB was never the same fun again. :)

KL Drifted

I was bored. He was as bored. So, one day, we decided to just pack our bags & head to KL for the weekend. Why KL? It's such a bustling city, like S'pore. The people are as multi-racial, like S'pore. The shopping is so-so, like S'pore. Haha...but my poor friend, Riduwan, hasn't been to KL since he was...7 yrs old? He was excited on entering Hilton KL. We went to have a sumptuous dinner at San Francisco Steakhouse at KLCC and watched Ironman after that. Had drinks at Zeta Bar. So typical of a Saturday evening. The next day, I show him around Bt Bintang area. He was insistent of having a local fare & it MUST NOT be chicken rice. (I don't get it either) And the moment we entered the huge malls, we stopped at level 3 (out of 7 floors). The weather was hot & humid. Forget shopping, we went back to Hilton & spent the rest of the day, napping & watching variety shows on the plasma tv. How Sunday-ish.

Why so lil picures? Coz stupid me forgot to charge the camera's battery & Riduwan hates taking pics! Hence, I got lazy myself too. Bleagh. Just like in Thailand last January. :)

The chicken briyani didn't look like a briyani. But the taste...shiok!

Saw this shop called Dickies at Berjaya Times' Square. *winks*

And that's how we covered our weekend in KL. I need a beach holiday SOON.

Lavanya: August trip still ok, tak?

I dream of...TURKEY!

It's been a week. The post Turkey syndrome still lingers. The memories of Ephesus & Cappadocia remains vivid. This has got to be the best trip so far! Worth EVERY single penny I burnt! I mean, Bali & Australia is nice too...but Turkey is the furthest, the first really long-haul flight (12 hours!) & the first time I was away from home for long (10 days!).

In those 10 days, I seen & stayed in the mountains area, valley, beach resort, hot springs, boutique hotel & a cosmopolitan city. Watched a soccer match (Fenerbahce vs Chelsea), indulged in intestines soup (kindly forced by Enis), went for hot air ballooning (BEST!), clubbing in Istanbul (Enis took us around & also to celebrate Frankie's birthday, Turkish style!) & settled for a movie on our last day to kill time. I don't remember doing soooo many things in 10 days. Even Liah agreed!

Oh, another wonderful memory of the trip: Liah forgot to bring her pyjamas. So I leave to your imagination on how she sleeps at night during the trip. Hahaha!

So people, I uploaded MOST of the pics to my Multiply account, as it's the most..convenient? But other than that, my Multiply account is dead. Enjoy the pics...:)

http://purplechrysalis.multiply.com/photos/album/3/TURKEY

Off to Turkey!

FINALLY. The most talked about topic between me & Liah. The first big vacation for me this year. THE one that I splurged (it still hurts a lil) my bonus on. And, THE most important of it all: I am sooooo gonna enjoy myself. Haha...My holiday destination to...TURKEY.

It was quite tough larr...choosing the right place to go. Well, we have to consider the weather (we want cold but not freezing), the budget (we are ordinary working adults after all), the time (given the current nature of our jobs, we can't take leave in certain part of the year) and our interest (lucky me & Liah has similiar taste!). After our Australia trip together last year, we talked & dreamt of going to Barcelona or Rome next. Alas...it was rather a short notice for me & her to really save THAT much of a money, we came to a point to go to Turkey instead. Not implying that Turkey is cheap, but for the number of days we are going, it's definitely worth it. For now. Insyallah, I still wanna go to Europe Europe sometime. (Damn...Sze Luan is going in May & she didn't tell me earlier!)

Heh...my colleagues & friends are more excited than me. They been asking if I finished packing, if I have enough cold wear & of course, the most frequent remark: "Turkish men are good looking! Bring some home!". Like they are some kinda Turkish delights. Oh well...I am looking forward more to the historic sights & culture.

It was Maria's birthday party last week. I know I am suppossed to upload the pics! Geez...I'll do it when I come back? Sorry Suliana! Been busy larr. With work & all the crap in the world.

Anyway, I'll be back only on the 14th April. Need to get back to packing now (Last minute packing brings excitement!). Take care peeps. Spring season is kicking in in Turkey! Yummy~

Incubus-ED!

When you're tired, just remember...there's a shoulder to sleep on.

That's Brandon! He reminds me of Ananda Everingham. Hehe...

Pausing for a breather?


First song


Saosin was awesome too!

Work has been busy the past few weeks. I felt especially crappy yesterday & I only left work at 3.30 am! Tanglin was telling me that, before we go on a holiday, we'll get all the s**t in the world first. Boy, she's right. I soooo cannot wait for next month. Sighs...

Anyway, what made me excited today was the fact that I gonna watch Incubus! Ok, ok...I know you people still can't believe your eyes, ears and whatnots that I, Norain Ahmad, am listening to Incubus. Honestly speaking, I didn't really know much about them or their music. Since Suliana wanted to go & from the way my guy friends hyped so much about Incubus...I thought, why not? Well....the show turned out great! Saosin did the opening act & they were cool too. Brandon Boyd sang very well... It was unbelievable that I was swaying (head-banging sounds over larr!) throughout the performance. Suliana was ecstactic when Brandon took off his T-shit, leaving a singlet on & finally being half naked on stage. I was surounded by many good-looking mamats (who don't look like those typical Mats, of course). Oh yeah...not forgetting Sufyan's friend who looks like my ex-boyfriend. Hahaha! For a brief moment, my bimbotic sense was telling me that...it isn't bad to listen to a band like Incubus after all. Haha! Roll your eyes for all I care! But yeah...I've always love alternative. Why didn't I discover Incubus earlier? I must have been in Venus.

After the show, I met Hamsa & Riduwan. They were both drenched with sweat! Yes...the performance was VERY good. More to come!

P/s: Incubus is definitely better than My Chemical Romance. *winks*

The Leap Years

It's 29th Feb. I watched the movie The Leap Years with Saiful just now. Haha...come to think of it, I haven't go out with him....since the last 4 yrs too. I even joked with him when he drove me home, that I don't wanna see him only once every 4 yrs. I've known him since good, old IRC days! Gosh...he still looks the same after all these years.

Apparently, on this day..when a woman proposes to a man, he can't refuse. It's a tradition of the leap year. Hmmm....

Best Sunday of the Month

I realise I was supposed to upload the pics for the Bangkok & Pattaya trip...but I really, really didn't take alot (only about 10 shots?) & the ones I took were like self-obsessed kinda pics, which I don't think you'll be interested in. Hah! So I guess, you won't see any of it in the blog after all.

I haven't been up & about, besides the random dates I fixed myself with. Haha...don't get me wrong here. Not that I wanna sound desperate or I've nothing better to do than to go out with the opposite sex whom I barely know....but since I'm very much single, why not? It's fun to getta know people from different background. Whatsmore, the last guy I got to know & met was like 2 weeks ago...& he's rather impressive. *winks*. Before you jump off your seat & wonder if I'm gonna be attached soon, relax yah. My marital status remains the same. Call it unfortunate..or fortunate. Up to you. :)

Since I'm off on a Sunday, I thought of going to the S'pore Airshow with Suliana & Sofyan. The tickets were sold out though! Well...I only tried to purchase the tickets at the last minute, serves me right. Hence, I asked the couple if they wanna go to Ikea instead, coz I'm looking for a coat hangar. Not to hang furry coats but to hang my bags. :) Fizah then called to check if I wanna join her & Maria for dinner at her place. In the end, it's a gathering of good friends & their partners (except for me who's partner-less lor).

I like every Ikea outing. Always dream of having this & that from Ikea..

Tea time at KFC. Starving!

We 4 girls supposed to cook together...but in the end, it's Fizah who did the cooking while we stood by, chit-chatting. Haha!

Oh....I enjoyed "distributing" the food when it comes to any meals. I was given the task to mix the pasta well...just in case there's a difference of taste (Fizah cooked 2 separate rounds).

Maria was in charge of stewarding. I took over after dinner. If Siti, Justin or Wayne remember, I was also the one who did the washing up after a potluck session years ago. :)

While Suliana just entertained us...& "arranging" the dishes. How helpful indeed! Haha!

I think it was like world cuisine, you know? There's otak-otak, fried chicken wings, char siew beefballs, chicken vegetable soup & aglio olio prawn pasta! Yummy yummy...

We watched Borat on dvd after dinner & had a good laugh. Hassan, Sofyan & Wan weren't in the pic coz they were having smoke break in the kitchen. Dessert was Marble Cheesecake which I bought (not baked!) from Polar's. :)

We looked at Fizah's Spanish honeymoon pics...

And then I asked her about a particular country which she had been to...& insyallah, I plan to go with Liah in April. :)


After Borat, Wan, Suliana & Maria insisted to watch a scary movie..like Shutter! Honestly, I'm not into horror shows but they really wanna make me watch with them. Luckily, Hassan saved my life...coz he wanted to watch a football match instead (he's the MAN of the house worr, so he's the decision-maker). We spent 2 hours watching an intense match between Tottenham & Chelsea. Hahaha...it was a great Sunday. We should do this often. Now I need a partner too. *winks*

And oh....INCUBUS: I'm soooo coming to see you all!

The Final Installation

Let me announce...the arrival of my 3rd birthday present: A lovely Gucci tote! I bought it when I was about to depart Singapore at DFS Changi Airport. So...this year's presents are indeed a bash! Haha...

P/s: Will try to update a bit on my trip to Bangkok & Pattaya. Didn't take much pics...busy shopping & partying larr. :)

The Other Gift

The second birthday present is coming in a few hours! So exciting! And too bad...really too bad that dearest Edward couldn't make it this time around. *sighs*

Edward: It's ok...it's alright...I'll celebrate for you day & night, yah! Enjoy your time slogging at Oscar's. Hahaha!

Till then...Sawadeekap!

The Presents Saga

I'm turning 25 soon! Gosh...that's like 1/4 of a century already! 5 more years & it'll be the big 3-0. For the past 1 month, I've been thinking of ways to celebrate my special day. A trip overseas? Get THAT Gucci bag? Tiffany's jewellery? Girls' famous best friends...READ: DIAMONDS? Well oh well, I decided that the birthday prezzies gonna come in 3 installments.

First, it's this lovely Michael Kors' Ladies Chronograph timepiece. Didn't really cost me a huge bomb larr....still affordable. :) Was thinking to get a Guess ...but realise it's too common & kinda "exaggerating". Armani's too much of a man & I already have a couple of DKNY watches. I was looking for something that's LIKE a bling bling..so I settled for this one that has Swarovski crystal bezel. It was really a love at first sight. :)

Stay tuned for the upcoming 2 birthday treats! 25th birthday worr...so I shall spend it all in glory. Hahaha!

Welcome 2008

Another year has passed...just like that. If you ask me how has 2007 been for me, I'll say that it was one roller coaster ride..& I couldn't wait to move on to 2008. :) I think I'll even name the year 2007 as my prosmicuous year! Looking back...everything was worth remembering. Let's see:

-I travelled the most in 2007. I stepped my foot in Bali, Melbourne, Sydney, KL & Phuket. Each destination brings back great memories. I even went for my first solo trip overseas (Well..KL sounds overseas enough!). Hopefully, I get to visit more places in 2008 & travelling alone proves just as much fun!

- Attended the most number of weddings in a year. From my 2 cousins, my colleagues (Ayu, Tini & Catherine), my friends (Charlene, Hamizah & Sandra) to Maria's very own elder sister...gosh...that's a total of 9 weddings! And people already started asking when's my turn. Sighs...wait people, wait. I haven't even met The One. :)

-Made lotsa new friends. Go on dates. Make merry. Dinner gatherings. Catch up with my kakis. You all know who you are. Thank you...for being there for me through my ups & downs. Without my dearest friends & colleagues, I bet it will be harder than I can imagine it will be. Started year 2007 with a bad note..& I'm glad I end it fantabulously. :)

-Work took a slight change & I get to lead my team on shift basis. It's indeed a career progression & though stress is always there..the "kids" getting on my nerves...I do enjoy what I'm doing SOMETIMES. :) Maybe the new year has something bigger in store for me.

-Changed my image quite a bit. More outgoing, more happening. I'm still grounded, don't worry. I dyed & permed my hair for the first time in my life. People are saying I look better when I'm single than when I was attached. Hahaha! I pamper & treat myself well. Got a laptop, did more spa sessions, shopped alone...& I feel so happily independent & self sufficient.

In short, 2007 was really one hell of a year. I guess...God put me to a test & I'm glad I manage to survive. It's a case of...what doesn't kill me will make me stronger. :) I hope...in 2008, life will just get better & may happiness be with me. Insyallah.

P/s: Oh, I MAY stop blogging altogether..or won't update as often anymore. It's been 2 years now..time to "retire". Hehe....

The Solo Shopping, Walking & Eating

I tried to wake up early for breakfast, but I just couldn't. Slept till 11 am, got ready & head out to Bt Bintang area. I read about this bistro cum bakery called The Loaf. It's located at Pavilion. Last night, with the help of Hewlett, I was checking out the map of Bt Bintang online so that I know how to make my way to Pavilion. I took the monorail to Bt Bintang & I just use my instincts & the rough recollection I had from the map. Pretty easy. :)

I saw The Loaf almost immediately. Gee...if you happen to like bakery items (I love bread so much that I did consider marrying a baker!), you'll find this place simply irresistable! I thought Bread Talk is wow already...but The Loaf beats them hands down! The bread spread is superb...looking at them is enough to make me drool! I tried their grilled chicken sandwich. Thought of bringing some buns back to Hilton to enjoy (feeling afternoon tea) but seeing how hot & humid the weather is, I guess better not. The Loaf is a must try if you go to Bt Bintang! I had my sandwich al-fresco & I tell you, I feel like I'm in Italy. Haha..it's good that Pavilion is situated on the other side of Bt Bintang, more of the atas area sort of.

I actually walked from Pavilion to Lot 10 to Sungei Wang & to Berjaya Times Square! I've heard about how huge Sungei Wang is & thought of taking a look myself. The shops there are like hundreds of those at Far East Plaza & the layout of the shops is like Queensway's. You can just walk around aimlessly & be totally lost. So much that I felt claustrophobic. If people like Liah & Suliana go to Sungei Wang, I bet they'll be sooo lost that they cry. Hahahaha! I just realise KL has many HUGE shopping malls. Mid-Valley, KLCC, Pavilion, Berjaya Times Square, 1 Utama, The Curve. These malls have big walkways too. That means, KL is very generous with land! Haha...well, Malaysia do need to make use of their land. S'pore will be so glad to buy some if we can!

The Christmas decorations in the malls are nice! It's better than those we had in Singapore, hokays! And KL Tower actually has beautiful lights that changes colour every now & then in the evening. Good good, shall admire the view tonight.

Going back from Bt Bintang to KL Sentral was another chore. I thought of spending my last evening in KL by "hibernating" in my room. I ordered room service, ate by the glass panes potraying KL's bright lights & blasting MTV. Gorgeous. :)

P/s: Thanks hor Helmi, for giving me the wake-up call yesterday. I appreciate the father or rather, obek figure in you. Hehe!

The Luxury of Being Myself

I finally made it. Not too far...in fact it's just next door. I'm blogging in the comfort of Hilton KL on level 24. I just need to go somewhere alone. So I bought the coach tics, booked the room & packed my bags. Oh...with Hewlett in tow. :)

Suliana screamed at me coz I only told her I'm going to KL for the weekend just yesterday. My folks are more concerned about the monetary terms...saying that I'm wasting my hard earned money. My friends thought I have nothing better to do. But best of all, one of my colleague, Jacqueline, named the trip incognito! Like wow...haha!

I took the coach down to Corus Hotel before boarding the Rapid KL to KL Sentral. The check-in process at Hilton took some time coz apparently they cancelled my booking as it's non guaranteed. I looked at my watch & told the Malay receptionist, "It's only 2.30 pm and I thought non-guaranteed bookings are to be released at 4 pm?" You see, as much as I try to be nice on my off days, some buggers are always testing my patience. When I asked her what exactly happened, she politely told me that everything's fine. *rolls eyes* How fine can it be when you have to make like 3 phone calls before you allow the guest to check in?! She assigned me a nice room on the 24th floor, facing the city. So, I guess there's justice after all.

I freshen up a bit & even had time to paint my nails! I decided to walk around KLCC for awhile since it's pretty early still. I got bored coz there's nothing much to shop & thought of going to Bt Bintang instead. I was shocked when part of the KLCC LRT station was blocked coz there were too many people at one time! We had to wait for a few minutes, before we're allowed to enter the station. And waited another 20 minutes coz I couldn't board the LRT! I just head back to KL Sentral instead of dropping by Bt Bintang. It was THAT hard to go back!

Anyway, I bought the famous chicken rice from The Chicken Rice Shop for dinner & ate it in my room. Now my blog name makes sense....safe in a crazy world. *winks*

The Updates

I sincerely apologise for the slack in updating the blog. I know I owe you guys certain pics & owe others certain stories but I just got lazy these few weeks. So, to avoid further disappointment, let me warn you that I may not update this blog that often anymore. Hmm..the past 2 weeks I've been working (what else?!), meeting up with friends & attended 2 weddings! This month alone, it has been 3 weddings. Goodness! It's a happy goodness larr...

Had dinner & movie with the Conrad girls last 2 Saturdays. (Even though Sue & Liah have left...I'll still categorise them the Conrad!) Pasta Waraku quite shiok! Too much can be jelak though...

Hamizah's wedding was nice! She looks soooo pretty. I mean, she has always been jambu anyway. It's the "in" thing for lilac I think. Tini's wedding theme was lilac too. I also want! Haha!

Sandra's wedding was on Monday. I wore a bright turquoise satin top with a short black skirt. Turns out..the "sisters" were wearing THAT shade of blue too. Haha..cantik all of us. I'm so happy for Sandra. Hitched at such a young age some more. :)

I've never been to Sentosa...on a Tuesday, just to have lunch. Trapizza was good...but there're better Italian fare elsewhere. Been wanting to try Michaelangelo's! Anyone keen? I shall try asking Sue...since we both love Italian cuisine. :) I had my sweet cravings fixed by Ben & Jerry's, before heading to town to watch The Kingdom. The duh-est thing that could happen to me is that I lost my card holder! I was so pissed with myself. The card holder was given by Liah & I had the Conrad ez-link card & my staff ID in it. How careless can I get? Damn...

And I went to...Changi Airport Terminal 3 just now! Happening can?! It is huge, it is classy & it is cool! I can't wait to board my first SQ flight & departs from the all new terminal! Haha...I even sms-ed Liah about my plans. So, if things go well, insyallah...I'll drop by Terminal 3..sometime soon. :)

It seems that I'm sharing you the above stories like...for the sake of putting up the entry, right? I told you...I'm lazy to even log in to Blogger now. Maybe it's time for me to "retire"? Haha! We shall see how it goes...

Shiok Week!

First & foremost, must extend my congrats once again to Ali & Kartini! They got hitched last weekend & I'm so happy for those 2! I used to think how alike they are to me & someone but oh well...things are just not meant to be & ...I thank God for that. Anyway, Tini looked sooo radiant....she's sure one lucky gal. More weddings coming up. Hamizah's in 3 weeks' time. Hidayah's turn next year. Best larr!

I caught the Vienna Boys in concert last Monday! Got free tics from Mr Grafe, met Syah after work & head down to Esplanade to watch them, 4th row from the front some more! The boys are sooo cute, I wish I can bring one home with me. Haha! The performance was superb & I wanna watch them again next year. :)

Went out with Hamsa just now. I waited (again!) for him at Eunos after his shift & I told him to decide the place for dinner as I was too lazy to think. He wanted to bring me to Fisherman's Wharf but it was packed with people! He had cravings for fish (I don't know why) & we thought..Fish & Co at Dhoby Ghaut then. I think that outlet is closed for whatsoever coz it was really dark. In the end, we settled for Manhattan Fish Market at Plaza S'pura. It was his treat! Good good...I'm broke anyway. Haha! I've been wanting to get a new ring for myself ever since my Swatch one gave way. I decided on a stainless steel ring, with "wires look-alike" stuff in the middle. Hamsa had his eye on another design & he got one for himself too! We forgot about watching movie coz the timings sucked & we just sat down outside The Cathay till 1 am with our dose of Starbucks. Nice.

Looking forward to next weekend. Girls' day out, people. :)