Long Long One

Saturday, 5th March 2005

Of all the months for crew scheduling to play games with my roster.

Of all the months to get over 90 flying hours which means more pay but very few usable days off.

Of all the months to take me off a Singapore duty flight.

This freaking month.

The month before my wedding. The month I need to get to Singapore with Azim to do our bridal studio shots. And the month Hot Tai-tai Shireen and posse are making their way down to this Arab metropolis.

Shireen darling, I have been taken off my impending Singapore and will be sent packing to Moscow (which, I hear, is snowing constantly with temperatures falling way below freezing point!). So no, my favourite tai-tai, I will not be able to see you before your three-week holiday but I will promise promise promise to see you in Dubai.

Zurich greeted me with footsteps in the snow and numb fingers. And Zurich greeted me with a phonecall from Azim, frantically informing me that we have to reschedule our photoshoot for I will be leaving for Moscow earlier than rostered. And will hence be taken off my Singapore flight. With desperation apparent in our inner souls due to the sudden accelerated passing of time, we have planned to fly back to Singapore as SOON as I touch down in Dubai after my Zurich. Azim will be having three days off while I have two before my Singapore flight. Which allowed us the days we planned to have our bridal studio shoot with Abang Yunos from Theme.

*toot*

Not gonna happen. I numbly called Abang Yunos, at 1.30pm Zurich time which meant that it was about 9.30pm Singapore time, which meant that I held a liability of disturbing him at home where he might be frolicking with his four kids. And so the as the phone beeped, I held my breath.

But true to form, he was very accomodating and very nice and very helpful and very patient and I am eternally gratified and seriously indebted. After painstakingly confirming with Fatima Mokhsin for the12th, now he will have to call her again for me and reschedule us for the 17th and 18th. And he obligingly offered himself for anything else I might need. Above everything else I need, the one thing I don't need is for my very-highly recommended photographer to give up hope on me and break up with me a month before my wedding. And I told him so. And he promised no. Phew.

And so on the 17th and 18th, I am bound for Singapore with Azim, not on duty but on passenger ticket and I hope, by then, I will be looking to have my bridal studio pics done by the 20th April, no waiting. InsyaAllah.

And my wedding cards will be ready by the 20th of this month, InsyaAllah. I am worried that I might not get them sent out in time. If not, as I've said to Mahd, my blog will be my hearye, hearye, my media vehicle and my wedding invite. Though I doubt the nenek-neneks and makcik-makciks will log on so that target audience shalt be dealt with by my nenek and my close aunties and of course, mummy dearest.

So that's that. Anymore glitches? Hold up. No more,please. I've got too much too soon now. My wedding ring has to be resized (coz I think I am losing weight!) and both his and mine have to be engraved but we have not decided on what to engrave. I have just cleared up the buffet dinner glitch coz our guest count does not allow the food to be served in the suite so I am having it in the Ritz's poolside restaurant. So the wedding card printing was halted while I reworded the invite and so the date the cards are done will be delayed for a few days. But the nikah, with the dulangs and all will still be in the suite, InsyaAllah and the pelamin will be in the suite for photographs and such.

So while I slowly exhale, give me some more room to breathe.


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Postscript Entry:
I was looking through some of my posts before and I realize that due to my lack of blogging decorum, I have not answered the questions bloghoppers have posed to me on my message system. At this point, I take a moment to apologize for my blogging churlishness and shall try, to the best of my memory of who asked what and said what, to reciprocate honestly.

So from the questions and comments that I can remember...

Ninie (this is a very outdated reply!!), no we do not have couple-coded flights after our nuptials in Emirates because we already have the generic option, regardless of marital status, to bid for flights we want on the dates we want with the person we want or buddy-bid with any other crew, which would not apply to bidding for specific flights but to inform Crew Scheduling to roster duplicate rosters for the two crew requesting for flights. And yes, Azim and I do plan to stay in Dubai for as long as God allows me to. Tu aje.

Norida, yes, I am very close to TG aka Abang Gee aka Abang Tahar for he was my mentor during my days in Ria and saw me through thick and thin. The pics you saw in my Fotopages were taken in Dec 2003,right before my big Dubai depature and sadly, I have not met him since due to time's cruel effects. But yes, he told me he is getting married in December this year, InsyaAllah and yes, I have met the blushing bride-to-be, before they got engaged, but no, I cannot and will not say who she is for I am not at liberty to do so. Anyway, she's not part of the media spotlight and I respect that for she would then appreciate keeping a low profile of herself at this time. And yes, I used to run a lot in secondary school and I still do. Nak feeling athletic prowess, lah kan?!

Natasha, I have no idea what coffee you are talking about so specifics please? If you are talking about the coffee Emirates Airline serves onboard in Economy, then allow me to get you BETTER coffee from Nairobi, when I have a flight there. But if you mean Arabic coffee, I can also get you that but any particular coffee label are you talking about? But if you really insist on the EK aircraft coffee, I can and will bring it to you. I am not a coffee drinker but I do take pains to know about coffee coz Azim is a coffee-holic (bini mithali lah katakan...kan Rini kaaaann??) so bring on the coffee questions!

Jewel, I do not know Mastura but thanks for letting me know she exists. I am trying to start a network of Singaporeans Malay/Muslims in Dubai so it's good to know! Is her husband still flying for EK?

Shireen, no minyak Barbie for you! Nanti bukan anak yang main Barbie, mak pulaakk..heheh. And I would strongly suggest against getting your little girls a Minyak Barbie. Nanti ada nightmares!

To all who really think I am like a doll (regardless of Jap dolls, Blythe dolls or voodoo dolls), I will take your comments as compliments and say merci many many. Though on most times, I only feel like the Bride of Chucky doll and on certain times, like a Spawn figurine.

Farhana aka FRHN, no I have never tried Roaccutane. Do not lose faith in BML. It was my skin saviour from the effect of zits. And a lot of other people's saviours too. So stick with it,babe. InsyaAllah.

Passerby...see above. That is my weapon. BML. When I was in Mediacorp, stress (more so personal relationship stress than professional!!) and late-nights in the studio caused me to break-out constantly but not anymore after I started using it (now I sound like a cheesy informercial!). But I do still have bad days especially when I have not slept well and when my period that month is on a hormonal overload or when I take too much heaty food. Another saviour is cooling Chinese herbs like boiled white fungus with rock sugar and kundur. Works like a charm. Also, my Chinese friend Ferris boiled some Chiness sinseh gross grass herbs with some gross leaves which tasted like old socks but after one swig, my period-induced skin cleared up the next day.

Fishah (and might as well, Mardi and Izrina and SK and Nurul Asy and all decade-long galpal posse) I did not abandon you lovelies. Aku cuma tak nak kacau korang coz I was thinking you all might be busy and plus, I will kacau korang to an overkill nearer to my wedding date. Plus, I need to know which of you can make it to the Ritz by 4pm or 5pm on the 20th of April coz I need my bridesmaids by my side before the nikah and all. And I need to know how many bridesmaids I will really have coz I need to make bridesmaid's corsages. Please text me and let me know. Or let me know on my blog. Lagik senang. Masih sayang korang. No less.

Oh and being my bridesmaid tak banyak hal. So don't worry.

Shoe, some years ago, I would have married you. Heh. And it was YOU who made me fall in love with the Ritz-Carlton, when we went there for some drinks and some jazz. So there's the extent of your impact now. Could have been a larger crater. Tapi takpe.

Tirah, thanks for your tip tapi kaaaan....I have to use Ritz catering and my pelamin and decor for the suite will be done by my grandaunty who insisted on doing it. Since she only does this wedding decor thing sporadically as it is just a hobby and her taste is immaculate, I have to use her, no excuses. The wedding dinner buffet will be held by the poolside of the Ritz and the decor there all must be done by Ritz or else they will kick my ass or feed frogs to my guests. But I am sure my fellow brides-to-be who bloghop would take note of your suggestion. Thanks.

Twinks, fellow bridester...I do not have engagement pics coz I did not have a big bang engagement. An important event that I have kept to myself for a long time, Azim proposed feeling-Mat Salleh style in April 2003 in Equinox on the top of the Westin on our birthdays (cheesy but overwhelming). Malay-style merisik and discuss hantaran and making it official between my family and his was done in December 2003 at home and then later at the hospital where my late father was warded. No sitting pretty with pictures and all like you lorr..so no engagement pics. Oh but I do have one pic taken by the waitress at the Equinox that day in April 2003 so that will count as my one and ONLy engagement pic. Which I will scan in and upload here. For you aje.

Anonymous Ver 1.0, I am still in touch with Wardah and she came to my father's funeral with her mother and nenek although she had to rush to work. Good friend, she is. That's why still in touch.

Anonymous Ver 2.0, whoever who badmouths me, I let them say what they want to say and do what they want to do. Even Mother Theresa once had critics, so the hopelessly flawed ones like me cannot be spared no matter how many white doves I let fly and white flags I hold up. And even if you did not take the time to to let me know, I would have known somehow. And I already did, someone already told me personally before your message. :) If you read my Friendster testimonials, my friends call me Reuters for a reason. And out of all the crap they deludedly label me with in their testimonials, that Reuters tag is one thing I willingly vouch for. :)

Anonymous Ver 3.0, we did have a small Malay community in Crescent Girls' but the smaller the better, I say. We became lifelong friends. My PSLE aggregate is more than a decade old now. I think I lost my cert too so I would rather not discuss it. Heh.

This is getting to be too long post so I must be at my wit's end with boredom. And also because it is now too effing cold in Zurich to go outside and prance again. Anyway, I just plan to go for short walks by the river that runs through Zurich so that can be done tomorrow. By the end of this trip, if I vow and actually practice shopping celibacy, I would then save my Swiss Francs allowance. That is like 500 bucks for doing nothing for two days.

That can go into the wedding fund, no?

To the bloghoppers aplenty who leave me a message and I keep mum sometimes, it is because I am floopy and slightly bimbotic so please forgive me. But I appreciate the comments, nonetheless and thank you for the kembangan compliments. Yes, I even appreciate the not-too-pretty messages from closet-lezzies who are actually secretly in love with their married galpals. Heh.

*looks out window and watches snow and slowly drifts away*

A snowflake just landed on my window sill and I can roughly make out its lovely tiny icicles. How I yearn for my Ixus now. Guess my camera phone will do for now. All 900 000 pixels of it.