I caught The Two Towers of the LOTR trilogy last night on HBO. Although I've seen it before, I made a point to see it again 'cos I just love the whole fantasy feel of the movie (gotta get the DVDs!!). Breathtakingly gorgeous cinematography. Very moving music. The elves are very pretty and ethereal. Love them! Cute and endearing hobbits. Gimli the drawf offered much comic relief (which is very much needed amidst the darkness of the movie). Can't say I like the humans much. Filthy and sorry lot they are ... heh ;). Well, except *some* humans ....

Anyways, my memory was jolted back to the time when the first movie was released. Someone told me that my Adam looked like Legolas (huh? really??). I thought it was pretty amusing so I told him and he was like "Whhaa??? No way!! If anything I think I look more like Aragorn than Legolas". Granted at that point he had waistlength reddish-brown hair and a scruffy beard and moustache (and he's always looking scruffy, being a big tough guy and all). I kinda agree that when he's scruffy (and manly *ahem*) he looks alot like Aragorn, but if anyone notice his (pretty) elfin features, he does resemble Legolas (uuurrggghhh, he's gonna kill me for this!). Anyways, you be the judge ;) ...




.................... out!

Jewel mused @ 11:59 AM | | Permalink

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What do you get when 7 girls meet (some for the first time) in a nice arabic-themed cafe? Ummm ... exotic drinks (I had a gorgeous one!), apple flavoured sheesha, cute waiters, belly dancing music, henna AND giggles all around! Heh! The giggling was hilariously infectious, especially when/after the sheesha was passed around. Whoooooo .... *high on apple flavoured fumes* ...

Me and Red got together with these fine ladies on Wednesday: Herda, Elista, Princess, AngelBaby & Ogy. I got to know 2 of them, Herda and Princess right here in Blogworld and had made insinuations to meet up for chats, drinks and henna (what else?). Glad to have found that opportunity finally and boy I had a blast! These gals are gorgeous, funny, crazy and giggly. Ladies, it was a pleasure! We should do it again sometime .... SOON!

Will post henna piccys later ...

Ohh, and the sheesha is great :) ... whooooooooooooooooooooo .... I smell like smoked apples ... whooooooooooooooooooooooo ... *skips off singing to herself* ......

Jewel mused @ 11:48 AM | | Permalink

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More Bizarro comics here

Jewel mused @ 10:49 PM | | Permalink

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I had an early lunch with mama and big bro today. I got mama her bowl of fried fish noodles and proceeded to the Japanese stall. YUMS! I feel like some Japanese today. I got myself the chicken cubes and egg don (rice) ... I'm hungry! FEED ME!



After gorging myself with that, I strolled casually over to the dessert stall and got ... YES! Chendol and Nata de coco and fruit cocktail on ice ... Oooohhh LALA! Heavenly delights for a hot day! Dig in mama and bro! It's on me ;) ...



And finally, since mama's kitchen is closed on Sundays, I decided to get some food for dinner ... hee! I'm greedy! Nah, I'm just forecasting .... hehe! My choice? Langkawi handmade noodles .... ban mian. YUMS!

Jewel mused @ 10:45 PM | | Permalink

This morning we visited abah's grave. It was a beautiful sunny day. A little too hot for my liking but well, it's better than rain. The rain threatened to dampen our plans but the clouds cleared up when we got there. The sky. Such beautiful perfect blue .... so gorgeous, Masya Allah! I don't know why but I find the cemetary extremely peaceful and calming. It's quiet and the air seems still. No tall buildings in sight. All you see is rows and rows of tombstones. And the perfect clear blue sky. A little gentle breeze, if you're lucky. And Mr Sun burning happily down the back of your neck. Sometimes you can hear the cry of a bird from the distant forest. It's very peaceful and calming there.

I miss my father .... and as long as I could move, I'll visit his grave.

Jewel mused @ 8:51 PM | | Permalink

I met my hennaphilic partner today for a little chit chat and henna session (what else??).

The best part about having like-minded female friends is that we could talk and talk and understand exactly what the other person is talking about. Men can be very dense sometimes .... (no offence to all men ;)).

I did a simple Indian style pattern on her working hand ;). But she's a shy model. So when's our next session, darling?? Anybody else want to join in? *ahem* yes, this is an official invitation to henna-loving people out there ;) ...


G'nite for now ......... out!

Jewel mused @ 12:22 AM | | Permalink

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*ahem* I should officially call this blog a henna blog. Any objections? No? Good! Let's move along to another great henna story ....

I did a bridal gig yesterday for a lovely lady who emailed me after stumbling upon my humble blog via Hana (ummm ... I can't afford to get you diamonds Hana darling ... fondue can? brownies? something ... errmm ... cheaper?).

She settled on a floral pattern for the top of her hands and something more "modern" for her palms and feet. Her very warm and friendly family kept popping into the room to watch all the action ... and made very cute suggestions (how about a dragon up your back? how about a design on your face?). Very charming and hospitable people *beams* ... I like!

Anyways, let's just let the photos tell the story. Enjoy!







............. out!

Jewel mused @ 10:45 PM | | Permalink

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Nah, I've just been VEDY busy ....

Jewel mused @ 2:05 PM | | Permalink

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Amir turned 3 months on 14 Aug 2004. Everytime I see him, I fall deeply in love with him, over and over again. It's simple, really. He's not only adorable. He's an absolutely good-natured baby. He giggles and coos at you. He smiles and grins. He baby talks and gurgles. And his dimples are to die for. *sigh* ... it must be wonderful to be a mother. To have one (or 4) of my own ... what a gorgeous thought ...




On a sweeter note, I grabbed some brownies on Saturday (yeah yeah I've been consuming way too much sugar ... so shoot me). I love these brownies from the Brownie Factory ... especially the fudgy wudgy ones .... YUMS!

Indulgence of the week .... Amir and brownies .... yeah, go me! ;)

.................... out!

Jewel mused @ 11:45 PM | | Permalink

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Photos of Rouge's bridal henna I did on Thursday.

I'm expecting to get some "after" pictures (aka pictures of the stain). I really hope I get some *looks at hana expectantly* :) ...

For the uninitiated, these photos were taken whilst the paste is still on the skin. Henna stains in hues of reds and browns, not black.

Jewel mused @ 10:55 PM | | Permalink

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I had the pleasure of meeting two lovely ladies, Rouge and Hana last night. Rouge is getting married tomorrow and I am her "official" henna artist (heh!). Hana is her good friend cum chief bridesmaid cum unofficial reporter of the wedding (heh!). I met these fine ladies right here in the blogworld. Since I started blogging last June, I've communicated with and met some very wonderful people and I feel very blessed :).

Anyways, the bride contacted me back in May 'cos she saw my work on Ezayu (the lovely owner of the main photo of hennaed hands on this blog) and she wanted the exact same pattern. Yay!

I know I've said this before in one previous entry .... but I'll say it again (just to humour myself). These two ladies are freaking T-I-N-Y. Miniature people. *sigh*. I feel like a half-giant, lumbering around like a dull dinosaur ... yadda yadda yadda ... ok ok, I'm big-boned! There!

Differences in size aside, these girls are gorgeous, funny, bubbly and *ahem* witty ;). I had a blast, doing my favourite thing and getting to know them. And I'm glad they both like the henna!

Thank you ladies for the great company. I hope that we will have many more of those :).

I'd like to post photos of the henna but my digicam is sulking (kinda). Will post them tomorrow. Or check out Hana's blog, she beat me to it and posted photos ... AND .... she takes better ones too ;). You're da bomb lady! *hugs*

.......................... out!

Jewel mused @ 11:37 PM | | Permalink

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Heh, since I have alot of the great-staining henna paste on hand and some free time (and the desire to beautify myself), I did 2 more hennawork on 2 different parts of my body.

Enjoy!

Jewel mused @ 5:28 AM | | Permalink

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The henna stain is super dark and super gorgeous! I love it! If the colour can get this dark on my tanned skin, it would be super lovely on fair people *big happy smile* ...

Jewel mused @ 6:49 PM | | Permalink

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I took pictures of my new "toys". Here ya go ... my new cast iron dumbbells! TA-DAH!


This is a 20kg (~40lbs) pair. I'm happy to have found these 'cos the last pair I saw costs about $100+. I got these babies for $59 .... WOOHOO, go me! Bringing them home was a bit of a problem 'cos they are too damn heavy for me to carry all at once. So I carried one and a shop assistant helped carry the other one to the taxi stand. Phew!

I think they are good for sometime 'cos I don't even know if I'd be able to lift up to 10kgs! I'd be happy if I could get to around 6 - 8kgs (~12 - 16lbs). Don't worry, I won't turn into a female version of Arniewhazisname. I ain't got male genes y'know. But I DO want killer arms and a toned physique. Weight training does the trick!

Just did my cardio workout and I feel good!!! Ok, will update later, I'm going to the beach! WOOHOO!

Jewel mused @ 10:15 AM | | Permalink

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Nothing happened yesterday that was worth updating ....

I did my workout this morning and felt great! I know I haven't been updating about my workouts lately but don't worry, I've been faithfully following Tony's bootcamp *grins*. I'm right in the middle of my fourth week and I feel alot stronger and fitter. At least now I don't wheeze like an asthmatic hippo during his cardio routine. And I am proud to announce my latest fitness acquisition ... new dumbbells! Real looking ones too (no more sissy plastic gay-coloured ones). I'll talk about those later with pictures of course! *proud smile* ...

I'm just gonna post a picture of my latest henna doodling. This is a design by Erfan Mahlodji from his book, Desire 1 which can be found on the Henna Page. I just love how elegant this pattern is. I love the way the sparse central motif contrast beautifully with the rather busy and intricate finger patterns. In any case, I'm hoping for a great stain. I did another pattern before this but decided that it sucked so I washed the paste off. Upon closer inspection, one could notice the ghost of a pale orange stain underneath the paste. And the paste was left on for about 10 mins or so. Here's to a lovely dark stain! Bisowarha!


...................... out!

Jewel mused @ 11:45 AM | | Permalink

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Looking forward to a long weekend!

I like this song .... does anyone else? *grins*

OK, it's quite apparent that nothing interesting happened in my life today so I'm forced to resort to meandering drivel.

In any case, have a great weekend everyone!

Oh, my lovely mama made "kacang phool" a few days ago and it was gorgeous! People seem to like looking at pictures, particularly of food .... so here it is! Enjoy!

* Kacang phool is a gorgeous dish (of Arabic origin) made from mashed broad beans (kacang parang) cooked in spices and curry powder. Add a sunny side up egg, some sliced chillies and diced onions and tomatos and you're good to go. Ohh, enjoy it while its hot, with warm toasted bread on the side. YUMS!

Jewel mused @ 11:17 PM | | Permalink

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I often wonder why I'm so big and tall. My parents are average sized local people. So are my grandparents and great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents ... etc etc.

Last Monday I met two really petite ladies ... I mean they are REALLY truly freaking petite. Heck the two of them make one of me .... *blink*. Walking next to them makes me feel like Hagrid (the half-giant in the Harry Potter books for the uninitiated) towering above them and lumbering along like a dull dinosaur. I'm 1.67m (~5'6") ... I know I know, I'm not *THAT* tall compared to the "clothes hangers" that strut down the high fashion runway but in appearance I usually look taller and bigger than the average girl of my kind.

When I visited Indonesia many years ago, I remember looking back at curious faces staring unblinkingly at me and my siblings. No no, we weren't wearing an alien suit or anything like that (though we might as well have, the way they were staring at us). Nor do we have tentacles sprouting from our faces. They were wondering (lots of head scratching in amazement going around) why these 3 people (me and my siblings) look so much like them but so so different at the same time.

"Kok tinggi-tinggi banget anak-anak ini ya?" (translation: Why are these kids so tall??)

They look at my parents and couldn't believe we came out of them (well, my mom that is). Wherever we went people stared at us. I was beginning to feel like the Queen Mother the way the crowd parted silently when we walked through it. To make things worse, my siblings and I communicated in English all the time.

"Waduh, kulitnya kayak orang Indonesia tapi cakapnya lain banget!" (translation: Wow, they look like us but they speak such a different language!)

We were at the more rural parts of Indonesia where alot of people don't really speak English. To those locals, hearing some big, tall punks who looked local and yet speak a strange language was bewildering and amusing at the same time. Needless to say, we were the butt of many an Indonesian joke ... most of them we couldn't even understand. Har har har ... we laughed stupidly with them ....

Don't get me wrong, I love Indonesia. Beautiful countryside, wide open spaces. Gorgeous blue skies. Bright twinkling stars. Clouds swirling lazily on top of majestic mountains. I had a wonderful time there seeing for the first time, alot of things I've never seen before. It was memorable and sweet .... and the Indonesian people? Hospitable, kind, gentle, helpful, giving ... very beautiful people.

Anyway, I digress.

I asked my mom once why we are bigger than alot of people and she only shrugged and said "Maybe 'cos I added eggs in your milk when you were babies??". Hmm ... can't prove that theory.

I've always like my height and built (nobody dares bully me HAHAHA!) so I'm not complaining here. I started thinking more about it only after my date with Red and Ezayu. Gosh, those two are freaking petite! When I take group photos, you can be sure that I stand at the back (unless I want to be the only one in the photo ... hyuk hyuk). When asked to describe myself, I'd say I'm big-boned and tall. I'm heavy as a rhino too no matter how thin I "look". Losing weight to me has got nothing to do with kilos and pounds ('cos those don't matter). I know I'm thinner when my clothes fit better and I "look" trim and slender.

Blame it on the genes?? But whose? My parents? Nah, they are average sized people. Maybe aliens bonked our heads when we were conceived, thus transmitting their super-lanky uber-special genes? Too lucky, how can that happen to all 3 of us? I guess I could keep guessing .... but for what?

I'm thankful that Allah has made me the way I am. Everyone is special in their own unique way.

And well, good things DO come in big sizes too y'know *winks* ...

................... out!

Jewel mused @ 5:46 PM | | Permalink

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Let's clear this up once and for all shall we? Hana, I did this specially for you, dahling *grins*

Jewel mused @ 1:44 PM | | Permalink

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I met up with Red & Ezayu on Monday for fondue and henna. Being fondue virgins that they both are, their eyes light up like a Christmas tree when it arrived. And I don't blame them at all.

A tray bearing a white pot filled with luscious melted Belgian chocolate *droolsville*, a plate full of fat, droolsworthy cubes of ice cream in assorted flavours, another plate of cut up bananas, strawberries and green apples and a small pot of chopped nuts (what kind? peanuts? who cares, looky at the chocolate!!!). Oh yeah, not to forget spears and little spoons to ... err ... attack the ice cream and fruits with. We were all salivating but we restrained ourselves for a little photo-taking (Ayu, hurry!). Then the 3 of us went right into battle. The ice cream was wonderful and the chocolate, just fantastic! It didn't take long for us to wipe everything off the tray (yes, we even scooped the chocolate with the little spoons and licked everything clean ... hee!). Greedy greedy girls *chocolate grins*

So ladies, shall we do it again?? Red you can't be a sissy and quit on us ... and for the last time, the chocolate is NOT spiked .... (scaredy cat you!)

......................... out!

Jewel mused @ 11:35 PM | | Permalink

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Jewel mused @ 12:29 PM | | Permalink

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