ARASHI RANKING

Haa! Looks about right.. Obviously Jun will be first. And dorky Sho is second. Aibaka comes straight after that. I dun really know bout Ohmiya, which is why they tie. But all of them together are just AWESOME!

Rank	Arashi Ranking Favorite (Top) to Least Favorite (Bottom)

Taken from: http://j-excite.com/arashi-ranker/

Since I haven't blogged for a while, just wanted to rant for a bit about Channel V's Battle of the Pop - Japan vs. Korea (http://www.channelv.com/rde/v/3564_3565.htm). Both Arashi and DBSK are in the semi finals (Arashi vs. Ayumi Hamasaki and TVXQ vs. Kat-Tun) and by the looks of it will be facing each other in the finals. Aaargh!! I so dunno what to do because both are my ichiban. TVXQ rocks but Arashi is just too irresistable. I think I'm gonna vote for both of them and just leave it up to fate to see who wins. I'll be a happy fangirl either way. Hee~ But too bad for the group that lost.. But, I still love both!! My head's still in a mess until all of this is settled, though... Time to go to listen to some good ol wholesome Arashi songs... And JaeChun's latest offerings: Color~Melody and Harmony~ Oh, by the way congratulations to them for their Oricon wins for both the single and DVD. You guys keep rocking! Also, not forgetting congratulations to Arashi for having their show on Golden Time. That's a HUUGE deal!! I really hope Arashinki will be in the Kouhaku this year. Wouldn't that be great?.... A fangirl's dream will never end.. Hahaha...

10 YEARS AND COUNTING... 1999-2009

HAPPY 10 YEARS!!

No, this is not a post on Arashi... But, how can I let this golden opportunity go to waste? Happy10th anniversary once again to Jun and the gang.

Now back to the REAL post...

I was lying on bed one night thinking when it suddenly hit me that I've been living in Setiawangsa for 10 years now. We moved from Taman Kamariah in 1999. That got me realizing that it has also been 10 years since I met my friends from Desa.

Our first 'official' reunion

Moving from Gombak to Setiawangsa was a HUUGE change for me. I had to enrol in Desa because at that time Setiawangsa was only three years old and wasn't fully equipped for upper secondary students. Whilst in Gombak, I rarely talked to boys, even in my own class. I think I never saw a reason to. Plus, I was in the Arabic stream class which kinda meant that my class was the more 'religious' one compared to other normal classes. But interactions between sexes are given more leeway in Desa. I was somewhat taken aback at first but slowly got used to it.

I think this was our first 'unofficial' outdoor class trip

I remember sitting down next to Shahida on my first day there. I definitely lucked out because we clicked on some levels and if I remember correctly, she was always the one next to me all the way to the end. Not long after that, we had our own little group. It started out with just three of us. Akak (me), Adik (Shahida) and Abang (Arep). But it soon gathered momentum and we had other 'siblings' like Kak Long (Faiza), Abang Long (Sabri), Tok Wan (Radhwan) and Abang Lang (Firdaus). I still call Arep Abang and address myself as Akak with Shahida.

Our only trip to Sunway

One memory that I will always remember is when we were re-decorating the classroom. I don't know why, but I always seem to be appointed to be treasurer, whether in Desa or in Gombak. So, we had to go to Kamdar and find drapes, look for paint together and find wordings for the top wall. That all culminated one Saturday where all of us gathered to paint the classroom. The class looked beautiful when we were done and we managed to win several 'keceriaan' awards.

With Shida

The other was when we had this canteen table placed right at the back of our class. It was supposed to be a 'discussion' place or a 'reading' corner of sorts. But we would end up sitting there even during classes. I loved the roundtables we had and when we were arguing out a problem or just plain laughing together. Sadly, the table got taken away (on my day off!!). It was hilarious how some of them called to break the news to me. Cho Chweet...

Hanging out with them was fun. Being a librarian, I had to stay back for a few days. If I'm not mistaken, there would rarely be a day where I would be home at 2.00pm. I always had tuitions or duties or other extracurricular stuff to do. Me and some other classmates had tuition in Kasturi and we would go there together after having lunch. Luckily, the year I moved in was the year the LRT PUTRA started operating. So going to town was no problem. Even my first train ride was with Shahida and a couple other friends. I was involved in Puteri Islam at the time and coupled with my librarian duites, that kept me quite occupied.

When SPM was looming near, we would cram together. Going to each other's houses to study. We stayed up lated just doing our Add Maths. We were sort of inseparable, me and my little group... After SPM, we would still have things to do together. Some of us took MUET classes in UM. Some took driving licenses. Some found part-time jobs. It was the time to find your direction in life.

Now, everybody is on their own path. Some are married with children. Some are busy with their own careers. Some are furthering their studies. Some have since moved to a different state. We still meet on the occasional wedding or open houses. I've lost contact with some of them, which is a shame.

I always wanted to have a reunion just for us, but couldn't find the time for preparations. We've had two reunions, not counting my open house and it's nice just chatting and catching up with each other. I hope they are happy wherever they are and whatever they are doing. Like Tohoshinki said.. "Let's get together!!"

AidilFitri 1430 H

Sadly, now it's time to say goodbye to Ramadhan and welcome in the joyous month of Syawal. For some reason, Aidilfitri this year seemed a bit lacklustre for me. Maybe because I'm getting older and the joy of Raya celebrations has worn off. Plus, I no longer am the one receiving the Duit Raya *sniffles* It didn't really help that I was be working soon after the celebration.

1 Syawal

I woke up amidst Mama's cries for Husna to get ready. I slept at about 1.00am the previous night, which makes me the earliest to hit the bed. I was actually intending to take a nap to be a little bit more energized for the raya cleaning but ended up sleeping for real. As I was getting my bearings, everybody else was also just stirring to life. I heard Abah go inside the boys room and said something to Zaim. Then, all of us shifted to full gear to get ready for Solat Aidilfitri. By the time I got out of the shower, Mama had left. So in the end, I went to the masjid with Husna. Because we were late, we had to pray outside on the cold , wet floor (because it was raining earlier in the morning). I'm a little embarrassed to say this but we didn't wait for the khutbah this time because we felt so uncomfortable and decided to go back home.

Mama and Abah had to be at the Istana by 9.45am. Zaim sent them there. So, whilst waiting for Zaim to return, me and the others lounged around and had the usual raya breakfast fare: nasi impit, rendang ayam, kuah kacang, masalodeh and soto. He returned earlier than we thought, which made me and the girls scramble to get ready. Before I forget, the theme for this year is Red for the Girls and Off-White for the boys. Why red? Because I wanted to have a Cassiopeia Aidilfitri. Hee..

As we were on our way to Nenek's house in Gombak, Mama called. They've finished their business at the palace. So we agreed to meet them at Gombak. It turned out, Nenek was at the kubur and nobody was ready yet when we got there. Once again, we took our time eating the spaghetti, laksa johor, and when Nenek got back, she made her cho umaei mihun hailam. Cik Ros and clan arrived shortly after which is when the house increased in volume significantly.

First up is the raya and duit raya part. We took turns in giving the money, starting with Nenek. I got some from her, Alhamdulillah. Then, it was the uncles, aunties and us. We also had a session just for our family. Next is the photo op. Not much though. Just a picture of all of the girls (except for Nani) on the staircase, reminiscent of the good old days.

We made our way to Tok Mat's house, Nenek's younger brother and had the mecchha umaei soto. Even after we've filled our tummies almost to the max, me, Husna with our two cousins were practically finishing off their supply of pineapple tart which is delish. Who can also forget their candy. We forgot to make one this year so we sneaked some out, with permission of course.

We split up with the rest at this point and went to the studio in Sri Gombak to take our Aidilfitri family photo. We felt a bit out doing this because we didn't do it last year. It felt somewhat new. And it was also the first time I'm standing right smack in the middle of the group. For the past years I was at the extreme left of the picture, which consequently allowed me to show off my baju raya. None of that tis year. Then we also took some passport pictures with the 'mengiring' pose. Haha.. Alang2...

Abah wanted us to see the house at Pinggiran Gombak, so that was our next stop. We took some pictures there while the younger ones do their thing... At last, we headed home for some RnR. But not before we took some group shots even though we were SOO tired. We just haven't had time to take a picture of the five of us together.. So...

We were out again by 8.30 that night and headed to our usual destination for Raya night: Nek Long;s house in Kota Damansara. We were the first ones in our group to get there. So, once again we had ample time for picture taking. Then, we sat ourselves down and enjoyed their raya offerings. all of it (sotong sambal, sate ayam, rendang) were heavenly. The next stop was supposed to be Mok yah's (Abah's younger sis) house in Shah Alam but we found out that they have all gone balik kampung. What else could we do but head home..

2 Syawal

We woke up quite early because we wanted to go visit our grandfather's grave that morning. Afetr we recited the Yassin, we cleared the area for a bit and then, we went to Cik Ros's house . We spent quite some time there. I even managed to sleep for a good half an hour. We took our time eating at her house. I helped her out a bit at the kitchen. And guess what she brought out for desserts? Baskin Robbins icecream!!

We went to Nenek Salmah's house together. I think we were the first ones there because they were just bringing out all the food. Because I had my tummy full at cik Ros's house, I ate a little bit later than everybody else with a smaller portion. Just having a taste is OK than not eating at all, right?

Next stop: Home! We were going to Kuantan that night and none of us have packed. Aish.. We said goodbye to the house at about 5.00pm. At first, we wanted to stop by Tok Long's house but we got a call that he wasn't home. So we stopped at the Burger King off the MRR2 and bought some food for the 3 hour trip. We made a brief stop at the Temerloh RnR for some hot drinks and bathroom break.At first we played Michael Jackson's songs then, Abah played the Cinta Bollywood Cd. Ah, Bollywood. How I've missed you... We checked in our room at about 9.00pm. The others ordered a late dinner while I quickly changed and went to sleep. Dunno why, but I felt soo tired...

3 Syawal

The hotel only gave us 2 breakfast coupons, which Zaim and Zaid used. Abah bought some nasi minyak for the rest of us. The first agenda for the day is: shopping! Haha. Mama wanted to have a bit of massage so we decided to shop while waiting for her. And guess what I found? mirotic Concert in Seoul CD! And there's even a free file that comes with it!! Ureshii!! We also bought (pirated) DVDs of Haeundae and JiHwan's Secreat Agent. Husna bought me some drinks and Huda wanted to buy some Kenny Rogers. So we 'tapau'ed some Mac'n'Cheese and Whipped Potato. Yum!

We checked out of the hotel and made our way to Sungai Ular where our uncle, Pok Mat lives. He is Abah's eldest brother and has not been feeling well lately. I dunno why, but once again we managed to sleep at his house. Lunch was simple kampung fare, nice..

We made our way home at about 5.00pm. Although the weather was not looking too good, we managed to reach home at 7.45pm. After a bit of unpacking, it's time to hit the sack! But, not after my daily dose of Korean drama. I'm totally into "The Man in The Vineyard" these days. I've seen the ending sometime last year (I think) and it's too cute!! Oh Man Seok and Yoon Eun Hye make a very good pair.

4 syawal

Actually, Mama and Huda were already working that day so we didn't go to any house to 'raya'. Instead, the rest of us went to KLCC. First, we were at the Maxis Centre. Zaim and Abah took a while to settle their business. Then, we had lunch at a Sundanese restaurant. It was OK. I found an Arashi 10 year commemmorative photobook and couldn't resist not buying. And there was also on e little booklet on Jun. Best!! That's basically the highlight of the day..

Hmm, I dunno why but Aidilfitri this year has something totally lacking. We only went to a few houses and spent the rest of the time shopping and sleeping. quite disappointed, I a because this is supposed to be the only time where we could meet relatives and friends that we usually do not meet. If it were not for occasions like this, I doubt we will ever get the chance to see them..

I found this on soompi and thought it was cute. Don't credit me!

QUOTES FROM THE ALCHEMIST

The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is written by Paulo Coelho and was first published in 1988. It follows Santiago, a young spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfill his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic. The book was originally written in Portuguese and has since been translated into 67 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.

I just finished reading The Alchemist by Paolo Coellho recently (thanks Ayang!) and there are a few quotes that I think are worth sharing...

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

"Dreams are the language of God... if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand..."

"It's the simple things in life that are most extraordinary."

"When someone sees the same people everyday, they wind up becoming part of the person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want him to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

"A person's destiny... It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny... The mysterious force ...a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet; whoever you are, or whatever it is you do, when you really want something; it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth... to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"...people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of."

"People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being. Maybe that's why they give up on it so early, too. but that's the way it is."

"when each day is the same as the next... people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day the sun rises."

"That's the way it always is. It's called the principle of favorability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck... Because there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success... Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor being severely tested... The darkest hour of the night came just before dawn."

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil in the spoon."

"I'm like everyone else- I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."

"Everything in life is an omen... Learn to recognize omens, and follow them.. Never stop dreaming..."

"Every blessing ignored becomes a curse."

"...there was a language in the world that everyone understood...it was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired... There is a universal language, understood by everybody, but already forgotten... Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.."

"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision."

"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being."

"Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected..."

"People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want."

"...I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man... Because life is the moment we're living right now."

"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur."

"The future belongs to God and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings.. Each day, in itself, brings with in an eternity."

"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving."

"... this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect."

"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dream and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say..."

"People are afraid to pursue their most imporatnt dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."

"One of life's simple lessons.. when you possses great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."

"Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time."

"Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That's where your heart is, and that's where your treasure is."

"Life is generous to those who pursue their destiny."

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”

Reading the book made me think about what my dream and ultimately what my destiny really is. Sadly, till this day, the answer evades me. I have a lot of things that I want to do, but somehow I don't know whether I should pursue it or not. And I don't know whether that really my destiny.

I know that courage is imperative to make your dreams come true and also to be able to accept the changes that comes along the way. Some people might just be content with only dreaming, as they take it as their means to go on living their mundane lives. Am I becoming like that? The expectations of society is too much a burden. I found myself thinking recently, what am I doing with my life? To the point where I was actually wishing to take a break friom it all and just go someplace. In search of the true me.

In general, people are scared to take chances because they are scared of the "what if"'s and are prepared to lead ordinary and unexciting lives which are comfortable. In short the fear of the unknown drives people away from fulfilling their true destiny. We are all confined in this thinking that everybody should be living the same life. Go to school, get a job, get married, have babies.. But is that all there is to it? When do we start enjoying our life? What about our passions? When do we start to realize that everybody has their own path and no one ever walks in the same direction. Some might make the right decision but some might take the longer path to realize their dreams. And is it ever too late to start chasing your dream? Questions questions...

Anyways, back to the book. Seeing that it was quite short (I managed to finish it in one day), it was a pleasure to read but I found the ending a bit confusing.. Maybe I'm not enlightened enough to find the meaning behind it. However, it did raise questions about the direction and what I want to do in my life, as discussed earlier.

Wanna go on a vacay with the boys..