Sunday 31 October 2010

Wedding Milestone: Engaged!

Home smells like jasmine yesterday, it still does actually. Whilst my new room has a strong smell of bunga rampai. *sound: vinyl scratch rewinding* CHOPPPP..!! New room? Yes, my mom told me that I can already move my things into the guest room of which my elder sister used as her marital chamber... I guess, it'll be the tradition of our family -- each bride-to-be in this family shall decorate this room and share it with her husband on their first night together. Whoopeee~*

Hello Lovelies,
I'm officially Razi's fiancé =)

And it feels SO AWESOME okay! Can't wait to be officially his wife pulak. *wink-wink*


Other than feeling SO AWESOME, I feel..
  • Relieved - especially when you planned your engagement day and it turned out just fine. You faced all of the attention given to you from the moment you walked out of the room until the ring is placed on your finger. Yela bakal ratu sehari has to practice to be comfortable with all the attention, right? At least one event done, three more to go (solemnization, bersanding and bertandang).
  • Excited - because you're ONE STEP CLOSER to getting married to the person you love.
  • Starting to feel a bit stressed - you'll need to consider A LOT OF THINGS when preparing for your wedding. Kalau nak banding dengan E-day preps, memang macam langit dengan bumi!!
  • Worried - because nobody knows what will happen before you reach the point of marriage. I pray that nothing bad will ever happen to the both of us.. Darah manis kan?
Basically it's all mixed feelings. I can't really justify what it feels like to be engaged. Besides, different people may view things differently right? =)

By the way, sorry for not updating this blog. (Nasib baik Sayangku Razi rajin post and replying comments =D )
I'm being secretive at work about my wedding plans. I'm a new staff so I don't want to get caught writing an all-about-wedding entry. Takut kena buang sebab nanti kena mintak banyak cuti. Haha~* But some of my colleagues know about me getting married, so I'm not surprised if the news spread even to the other side of the building. =p

I replaced the engagement ticker with our wedding ticker! Yippppieeee~* At the moment, it says: 8 months and counting.

P/S: I solemnly swear that I'll post some photos of my E-day soon when Kepep the photographer finishes with them k? Till then, have a great week ahead!

Saturday 30 October 2010

Today is THE day!

Haha. tgk tajuk da tau. semangat lebey :P

Malam menjengah
Hati meresah
Menunggu-nunggu fajar menyerlah
Fikiran mencelah
"Takde papelahhhh!" :P

Pak Andam gua Francisco The Magnifico akan tiba beberapa minit lagi...

Siyesly, excited sgt nk share ngan korang gamba2 hantaran.. tapi nnt spoil aa surprise, kan?

Oklah.. ni utk tatapan pembaca budiman (chewah!):

<-- gambar tak berguna langsung
















Ha-ha-ha!

Ye aaa...

Mana leh bitau...

Tak puas ati? Nak gambar lagi? Nah!



Ni lagi takde kaitan* -->
















Selamat menyambut Halloween!
(if sue ada mesti ckp "potong gila! x romantik trus")

Saya yang sengal (sebab tak dapat gayut dgn Suzie mlm ni :( boohoo),
Razi the Zombie

*gambar cupcake masa jamuan kt ofis td laa

Friday 29 October 2010

Counting moments and killing time

As I'm writing this, Suzie's already on her way to my office* . And it's raining (should have bought her that cute lil red rain coat at Elle last time, dammit!) I'm sure she's thrilled right now..she's all set up for a manicure treatment at our usual spot, and I'll be joining her later =)

*Haha.. if she ever read my final comment on the previous entry this evening she would definitely say,"haha jakun! seronok la tu.. seronok la tu"

I'm hitting this keyboard basically coz I wanna kill time. Just another hour to go. It has been a week full of boredom at work(but not after, haha!).

What about you guys?

Hehehe. Err.. umm. What should I write now huh?

Hmmmmm

Aaaa

HA!

No. Not that. That's like.. totally.. no.

Umm..

(I guess I write more bcoz of anxiety rather than boredom. Am i.. am i.. nervous?) <-- u turned green when u nervous, right?

Nevermind me.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the works of Anne Avantie (well, I'm not. Where have I been all this while? :P). I'm lovin' her designs.. they are so fan.ta.bu.lous



(at the time of writing, the www.anneavantie.com's server has exceeded it's bandwith limit. Can't show you the exact ones that I like right now. It was there the other day. Pfft)

Ok ok.. i know they are a lil o.t.t but then it's for marriage right? What better excuse can you have.. what other valid license for you to actually dress up LIKE THAT? *drool drool*

[are you in agreement with this? I'm sure Suzie's not :P]

If only I have the means to get her one of those..

++++++++++++++++

On the other hand, we're gettin engaged.. wooo! This is so awesome.. <-- poyo nak mam

Okay..she's almost here..gtg..till later!

Thursday 28 October 2010

A lil' sneak peek

As promised, here are some piccas for your viewing pleasure (err, not really :P):





Haha, talking bout being seriously lazy :D

(ek eleh.. baik tak yah)

FYI, that's my side of the story. Don't ask me about Suzie's; she's been insidiously secretive about her dowries(Sue: ala. biarlah. mak kata surprise!) The only thing I know is the theme and the color (so as to not screwing a good E-day -- coordination, right?)Hope those pix will do the talking! =) Will give you more micro-updates like this soon.

Roger and out!

Monday 11 October 2010

Misteri 10/10/10 <-- entry basi hahaha

TAHUKAH ANDA?

  • Semalam dua bas telah terbalik di Lebuhraya PLUS berdekatan dengan Simpang Ampat, menyebabkan kehilangan 12 nyawa dan lebih 40 orang lagi cedera. Kemalangan ngeri ini telah menyebabkan gangguan trafik yang bukan kepalang selama berjam-jam lamanya, sehingga menyebabkan polis terpaksa mengambil langkah menutup jalan lebuhraya di kedua-dua arah dan trafik dialihkan ke tol Alor Gajah untuk yang menuju ke utara dan Pedas untuk yang berhaluan ke selatan tanahair. Boleh dikatakan kemalangan sebegini ngeri yang melibatkan dua bas, sebuah van dan tiga kereta ini amat jarang berlaku.

  • Perjalanan yang sama melalui lokasi kejadian menjadi bertambah pelik dengan kehadiran sekumpulan lelaki yang menaiki kenderaan Exora bernombor plat XXX YYYY yang berkelakuan sumbang dengan mengganggu keharmonian perjalanan yang sudahpun sedia terganggu dengan cuba menggoda wanita-wanita didalam kenderaan lain dengan pujuk-rayu bodoh dan menunjukkan isyarat-isyarat seolah-olah mahukan nombor telefon bimbit mereka. [Penulis dan enturaj antara yang menjadi mangsa. "Pelik doh, lama dah aku drive tak penah kena cmni"- Miza (bukan nama sebenar].

  • Semua ATM yang digunakan penulis sewaktu di Batu Pahat sama ada kehabisan wang atau pun mengalami kerosakan apabila giliran penulis menggunakan mesin tersebut. Yang tambah menghairankan, kedai-kedai yang dikunjungi penulis juga mengalami gangguan teknikal dan tidak dapat memproses transaksi menggunakan kad kredit*.

  • Lebih ajaib apabila seorang jejaka yang selama ini selesa berpakaian kasual dan sepanjang hidupnya TIDAK PERNAH memakai baju melayu lengkap dengan samping dan songkok secara TIBA-TIBA berpakaian lengkap, awal pagi ini.

ten ten ten....

**********************************************

Hahaha. Saje bikin panas. Bikin heboh. Bikin kecoh <-- eh, macam rap plak. Too Phat masih hebat!

Ok. Ok. Let's get to the point:

The above stories are all true (well, almost). The man who actually wears the complete Malay traditional outfit from top-to-toe is my man, Isuzu because he's finally getting married. And guess what? Yeah, you know that already. I'm the -- wait for it -- BEST MAN!!! Whoohoo. It was legendary.

("Lelaki Terbaik", talking about upping your own ego, haha!)

As promised, I will now explain the experience to you; my observations and understanding of the whole wedding ritual. Job scope and some criterias will be added, as well.

[i] Background

I think it's better if I lay out the details of this wedding; it's cultural context, flows and other quirky stuffs and observation. Let's get to the bottom of things:

1. The bride and bride groom's family are very traditional. The former is from Javanese ancestry and has a very profound Java overtones. The latter is from Negri Sembilan and is famous for it's Adat Pepatih.

2. The Malays of Javanese origin are not homonogenous in its cultural observation and as such are not uniform in practice. Yet, they do share some commonalities between, say, the community in Sg. Besar and the ones in Johore. For example, they both still speak the dialect. And some of them do live in a close-knit community; the uncle being just next door, and even second-cousins are all within walking distance from each others' home.

3. Each of the Malay states have their own customs and practices; some are more restrictive than the other, and even then are not exactly observed unanimously. The bride, Dayanah hails from Batu Pahat. Johore, as often understood, stand as the Malay par excellence when it comes to customs, particularly Melayu-Riau traditions: it's accent, religious understanding, cultural practice, etc. However, they have a unique set of customs Marriage-wise and it can only be found here. I will explain more on that later.

To be continued..

P/s: we've been MIA for quite awhile, and we're sorry for that. As you can see from the ticker, the day is almost upon us and preparations are being made as we speak. So, hold on, dear readers. I'll try to come up with a few entry now and then (Sue is busy with her work, pelamin, dowries, and the list goes on. Tuan rumah lah katakan! I, on the other hand, will come to her house leisurely.. jalan melenggang woohoo!)






Sunday 10 October 2010

Progress Report: D-I-Y Hantaran and Doorgifts

How's your week so far, lovelies?

Mine's a bit hectic, considering our E-day is just around the corner. (Sampai tak jadi pegi Pameran Pengantin tu... Boleh bayang tak betapa sedihnya saya? Wuuwu~)

Mak and I are busy decorating dowries (hantaran-hantaran) -- whenever we find the time, we would sit down; and mix and match some stuff, also pintal-pintal some artificial flowers with my own bare hands. Whenever Mak is tired, I'd get into my room and start punching my TQ tags. HAIYAAaa~ Simua pun bikin sakit tangan punya kije lo!

Anyway, we're almost done with the dowries. Just a few more left and we still have to add up some final touches before the actual day arrives. Since Razi could read this entry, I have to save the photos showing the progress of making them later -- after 30 October 2010. =D But here's the theme color:
Pucat kah? Tak "pop" kah? Lantak la... Asal saya suka! ;p

Sue: Musya... By all means possible, jangan sampai sama sangat pulak theme colour kita ye. I dah chop ni duluu.. Nyeh nyeh.. *sticks tongue out and crosses eyes* YA ALLAH, buroknya muka aku!!
Razi: *bunyi cengkerik*
(Sebab tak tau respon dia lagi. Hahaaa)

In one of the dowries, we're going to put (more or less) a dozen of cupcakes. My eldest sister is going to sponsor those, yay! She gave me this link: Sweety Yummie Cupcake and asked me to have a look on which design I like the most. I remembered she ordered some cupcakes from this website to celebrate Mak's and her husband's birthday. It was truly oh-so-yummie-in-my-tummie! Hehe~*

And have a look at this Sweety Yummie Cupcake's design of 2-tier wedding cake. Simple and sweet, just the way I like it!



Tangan ni rasa macam gatal je ni nak cuit bunga-bunga kecik tu. Cute sangat!

And I almost forgot: TQ tags sudah habis ditampal! Pasni nak potong itu riben banyak-banyak...


P/S - At the moment I'm writing this, "2 weeks and counting.." can't stop echoing in my head. Don't worry, this is not a panic attack. I'm still keeping myself together. *heeeeee grins*

Tomorrow's mission:
Buy E-day hijab and material for veil.
(ya, saya tahu - sangat SANGAT last minute! Tapi asal siap, kan? ;-)

Thursday 7 October 2010

Review: Zila Ziman Makeup Class... by Suzie the MUA Wannabe!

I wanna do my own makeup on my engagement, so I decided to sign up for a MAKEUP-101. I've done my survey online and Razi and I came to a conclusion that Zila Ziman's makeup course was the most pocket friendly. Plus I've seen the photos of her previous makeup class, which includes photos of her studio -- it's very evenly lit up. And I've always like to be in a small group of students, to maximize the amount of focus given to each student.

Yadayadayada~*

Now, now... As promised, this is a review on the makeup class I attended last Saturday. It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Makeup Class Aidilfitri 2010
conducted by
Zila Ziman
2 Oct '10 @ 1oAM - 5PM
Zila Ziman's Studio, Damansara

(Photos courtesy of Zila and Azwan)


There's so many things I wanna talk about but I'll start by using the above photo as a guide. Or else, I'll end up with a super long entry! Haha

Clockwise from top-left:
  1. This is Zila Ziman. She's once a B2B blogger (she blogs here), now happily married. Come to think about it, I came to know about this class from her blog. After seeing her face-to-face, I can see that she has got one of the BEST complexion I have EVER seen. Unlike me yang ada jerawat (and parut jerawat as a bonus!) serata muka.
  2. Next, these are products and tools used in class. The products are from Kryolan, M.A.C., Bobbi Brown, Revlon, Maybelline, BodyShop, etc... Rambang mata tengok semua ni... Bestneee jadi MUA!
  3. Hi, it's me! I was putting eyeshadow base on Asmaa's eyes. She did my makeup, I think Kak Asmaa is a natural artist... Plus, she's got such beautiful features. Jealous sangat! On the background, you can see Thirah (Zila's younger sis) doing Liyana's makeup.
  4. Azwan took this photo at the end of the class, with us holding our certificates, masa semua dah santek-santek belaka. *Hihi*
  5. Zila Ziman's studio. It looks so cool, right? Well, it's cooler when you get to see it in reality. The room is SOOO evenly lit up, which is SOOO important for makeup!! Azwan made all this for his wife. Aww.. Sweet kan?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

At the start of the class, we were given a set of papers that has a list of essential tools (different types of makeup brushes and other tools) with pictures on them! Nanti nak buat reference senang... These are necessary for professional makeup (ya, bukan mekap cikai-cikai ye..). Then Zila introduced us each of the tools and explained their usage.

Afterwards, she started a demonstration on Thirah. (Tengok kulit dia pun cantik jugak. Memang ada gen kulit cantik kot? Zelesss...) What I like about Zila's touch is that the outcome looks more natural compared to the works of most MUAs I've seen. Tak caye, tanya Razi... Dia lagi fussy tentang makeup dari Sue tau. Cantik sangat...

When you observe how a MUA does his/her work, it looks so simple. Well, it is kinda simple and easy. But only once you've practiced over and over again; and gained a lot of experiences, of course...

Just after the demonstration has finished, there was a Q&A session, which lasted for a few minutes because obviously we didn't have much to ask -- we haven't even gone through the practical yet! Hihi. Lepas hands on je terus tanya macam-macam.

Right after lunch and Zuhur prayers, kami mempraktikkan apa yang telah diajar. She pointed out heaps of useful tips and tricks during practical session...

The BEST part was we get to play with her tools. Semangat kemain masa makeup.. Tapi ada jugak gelabah-gelabah because it's our first time kot! ;p I screwed up one time sebab nak cepat. I used a concealer brush as a lip brush. Hehehe~ Maap ye Ciku Zila...

It was an invaluable educational experience for me. For only RM250, I get to experience all of the above and Ciku Zila siap cakap: "Kalau ada apa-apa soalan, email jela." Thanks to her, sekarang dah berangan nak become a MUA someday. Perhaps I'll start with my own circle of friends first. Haaa~ Siapa nak jadi mangsa pertama aku? MUAHAHA...

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Kisah Bapa, Anak dan Keldai

Hai kawan-kawan!

HaisSSs.. (tiru pelat Razi.. Hehe) Sue ni mimpi apa tulis dalam BM pulak?! Haha..

Saje tukar mood. Selama ni tulis dalam BI sebab tiap-tiap hari cakap BM je dengan semua orang, bila nak praktikkan ilmu BI yang dipelajari? Kalau tak guna, lama-lama karatlah..

Okay, bila baca blog B2B pasal persiapan majlis perkahwinan, semua (atau hampir semua) sebut pasal apa mak ayah, makcik-makcik, tok nenek, jiran selang 20 rumah cakap pasal majlis kita.

Masa mula-mula bercinta dengan Razi dulu (ceh macam lama sangat je bercinta), dia pernah cerita kisah ni pada saya. Tak tahulah apa sebabnya, tapi pendek kata mungkin saya terlalu risaukan apa orang lain cakap pasal saya.

Sekarang saya mahu kongsi cerita ini dengan pembaca blog ni... terutamanya untuk para B2B.


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Suatu ketika dahulu, sebelum terciptanya kenderaan berenjin seperti motorsikal, kereta dan keretapi, manusia menggunakan haiwan berkaki empat seperti kuda, keldai dan unta sebagai pengangkutan.

Pada suatu hari, seorang bapa yang sudah tua bersama anaknya yang berusia 10 tahun pergi ke pekan untuk menjual seekor keldai peliharaan mereka. Bapa dan anak tersebut berjalan kaki sambil menarik ikatan keldai yang hendak dijual itu.

Semasa dalam perjalanan, mereka terserempak dengan dua orang pemuda kampung itu. Mereka terdengar perbualan pemuda kampung itu...
“Bodoh betul bapak dan anak itu, ada keldai tidak mahu ditunggangnya”.

Si bapa tua tadi pon memanjat belakang keldai bersama anaknya. Mereka meneruskan perjalanan dengan menunggang keldai bersama-sama.

Tidak lama kemudian mereka terserempak pula dengan sekumpulan makcik-makcik yang sedang berbual-bual di tepi jalan. Mereka terdengar makcik-makcik tersebut mengata...
“Tak berperikemanusiaan betul bapak dan anak itu, keldai yang kecil itu ditunggangnya berdua...”
(Photo Credit: Kevin Kelly and Source: Click here)

Terdengar kata-kata itu, bapa yang tua itu pon turun dari keldai itu. Bapa tua itu meneruskan perjalanan dengan menarik keldai yang ditungangi anaknya.

Selepas itu mereka terserempak pula dengan sekumpulan remaja yang sedang bermain guli. Mereka terdengar perbualan remaja itu...
“Teruk betul anak orang tua tu, tak patut disuruh bapanya yang dah tua menarik keldai tu...”

Si bapa terus menyuruh anaknya untuk bertukar tempat. Si bapa menunggang keldai dan si menarik keldai yang ditungganginya. Mereke pon teruskan lagi perjalanan.

Sampai di satu simpang, mereka beselisih dengan sepasang suami isteri yag sedang berjalan kaki. Si bapa tua terdengar pasangan itu bercakap sesama mereka...
“Kasihan budak kecil itu, tidak berhati perut bapanya menyuruh anak yang masih kecil menarik keldai yang ditungganginya..”

Mendengar kata-kata sinis itu, si bapa tua turun dari keldai dan berjalan kaki bersama-sama dengan anaknya seperti mula-mula mereka keluar rumah.

Sebelum sampai ke pekan mereka bertembung dengan beberapa orang lagi yang bercakap-cakap tentang perihal mereka. Tetapi si bapa dan anak itu tidak menghiraukan cakap-cakap orang itu. Mereka tetap meneruskan perjalanan mereka dengan cara mereka sendiri.

Akhirnya mereka sampai ke pekan dengan senang hati, tanpa mempedulikan kata-kata orang di sekelilingnya.


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Jadi, tanyalah diri korang sendiri, majlis yang korang buat ni majlis siapa? Nanti muka siapa yang monyok dan tak berseri kalau dah asyik kena ikut cakap orang lain je?

Ambil iktibar dari kisah diatas dan renung-renungkanlah... (ceh macam Ustazah pulak. =p)

Sekian.

Monday 4 October 2010

Mekap-mekop dan Gubah-gebah

As I'm writing this, my darling Suzie is attending her course on makeup at Zila's. (Takpe kan yayang?) Since we love the idea of having a hands-on approach on everything (because of both fun and economic reason :P), why not D-I-Y all the way, even makeup right? So instead of spending some more money on some MUAs, better invest it in some education, no?
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" - Confucius
"Hire a woman a makeup artist and she will look great for a day. Teach the woman to make-up and he (the boyfriend/spouse/partner) will die waiting for his whole lifetime * "
hahahaha
* - due to prolonged duration from sayang-jom-kuar till the actual start of the date

Ok-ok stupid joke. I know. Moving along...

I know I've been neglecting this blog for quite sometime. Been very busy, with work and Ramadan and then Eid; with the preparation and everything. <-- alah, ke alasan je ni Razi? C'mon admit it: u're a procrastinator! :P (hey, that made it two of us, Suzie! Talking about being soulmate huh? (albeit in a bad way)) So, while she's busy with the M.A.C. set and some Bobbi Brown brushes, why don't I keep you -- dear Readers -- busy as well. Nak? nak? (kalau nak tengok before-and-after pictures, then you guys have to ask her yourself k?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All right. The engagement is approximately 684 hours from now, and yet my hantarans for her is still in its conceptual stage. I've a few options, but in order to make this event more eco-friendly (and also pocket-friendlier that way :P) I managed to actually gather up all wedding-related stuffs from my relatives; to see whether some of them still reusable or could be deconstructed and remix into something new. I admit that I don't have much at my disposal right now, but you can never know how a little bit of creativity could save a lot of money :D (effort too!) So here's a sneak peek of one that I really like (sorry gamba burok; pki fon camera je):






Razi:
Honey, i concur with you. We better get ourselves a good DSLR lah


Sue: Kan i da ckp.. lama dahhh







[DISCLAIMER: The final product might be different altogether; you know with the oh-tu-tak-cantik makciks and baik-buat-camni kakaks]


My plan is quite simple for the gubahan hantaran:
  1. Dig up the old stuff (completed) -->
  2. Go to SSF with my fellow Pak Andam, Francisco The Magnifico (hahaha toksah la nak Google plak. I know that's a bombastic name but he's not established like Nas Great Idea) to take note of things and their price -->
  3. Go to Nilai 3** If they are found to be really cheap than I'm gonna bag them all mwahahahaha -->
  4. End of journey

** - Suzie actually just went there the other day with my in-laws <-- kalau Suzie ada skang mesti dia ckp "amboi amboi, blum pape da panggil shentu? Perasan!" and I'll answer in a hip hop manner "SSap Mak! Ayah!" (ada beran ke ckp cmtu in real-life en. Razi? :P) She said actually sama je. Ada yg even mahal daripada kat sini.

If you want to know what will be in those trays, stay tuned. (might leak a few pix later, hehe)

Now, now. Where am i? Sheesh. This always happen. Dah la dulu punya entry pun dok lamaaaa dlm draft. Ni kena lagi. Haih

Oh, ok. baru ingat.

I'm the designated Best Man for my bestie, Isuzu. His will be on this coming 10/10/10 and I'll be in Johor starting from the 9th (don't miss me that much my dear!). I'm hoping that the experience will give me more insights into the whole procession, and observations that I'll make could help me in avoiding the same pitfalls (if there are any). For the moment I was only briefed to wear my full prim and proper Baju Melayu with the Songkok all through the day (hahaha, the very thought of it makes me laugh. Never once wear the full attire in two straight hours, let alone the whole day -- dengan songkok plak tu. Mati aku!) Plus, I might have to wear something that could hold a lot of envelopes -- apparently I'm entrusted with keeping the whole "toll" expenses along the whole majlis, heheh! Will write the full report next week.

Roger and out!

P/S: Baby, I know I owe the readers that little story of which you've already photoshopped the pix -- I'll finish them later aight?

This entry is actually written on the noon of 2nd of October 2010 as a surprise but due to his abovementioned friend's arrival to pick him up to go to an open house, the author had to save the entry first and had only been finalized just now.