Preett! Time's Up!

It is 12 noon and I declare the above contest officially CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who took part. Please check that your name is listed in the One Day I will .. List of Contestants at the bottom-right part of this blog. Do inform me if I have not listed your entry there.

As a special gift to all those wonderful people who took part, please accept this small gift from us :)

<center><a href="http://thehidayahstory.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Blog Badge" src=http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5056/approvedcopy.jpg" target="_blank" /></a></center> 

Good luck! to everyone :)  

May Allah keep my Abah safe

I'm running late for a seminar (Journal Club) right now but I just wanted to post this news.

My father will be going for a spinal surgery (operation) this morning at 10 am. I pray that Allah will keep him safe throughout and have a speedy recovery. I wish that I could do more, but for now all I have to give are my prayers and my love.

Last Day! Last Day! (Almost)

Sorry folks, I only have time for a short entry this morning (have to rush to the lab). So I thought that I should remind everyone that TODAY is the LAST DAY! The "One Day I will.." Contest will close tomorrow (30th June) at 12 noon. (For logistic reasons I cannot extend until midnight.)

Click the picture for the rules and regulations. Don't miss out on your chance to win vouchers worth over RM100 :)

||A LITTLE EXTRA||

I was so touched to recieve this award from a famous blogger (well, he's gonna be famous soon, I'm sure) darkbatman. Please refer here for the proper way to receive this award. 

I want to pass this award on to several blogs that really Wow! me. 3 impressive photoblogs by amazingly friendly people Allergyc & Fizee, Chybee and Farah.Another photoblog that I'm gonna add to my must watch list, TK. And to Tieha who proves that you can also tells amazing stories with pictures (even if you didn't take them yourself).

The New You! Giveaway by The Honeybunch

The new ME! I can drive!

There was a young lady not long ago,

Who was so sad and full of woe,

So many places beckoned from afar,

Alas she could not even drive a car,

"All the drivers out there on the street,

Are the worst that you could ever meet,

I cannot survive in such a world,

I'm just too scared if truth be told."

So day by day she remained as such,

Because conquering her fear proved just too much,

Her liscence gathered dust year by year,

Yet still she could not overcome her fear,

Until one day she was forced to take the wheel,

And brave the roads with nerves of steel,

So many obstacles paved the way,

 But she persevered until today,

 

 Now quite a skilled and wonderful driver is she,

(By now you'd guessed that the girl is me),

Now zooming off in my shiny Stream,

I'm driving off to chase my dream!

PS: I got my liscence in 1998, I have only been driving for around 1 year.

This is an entry for:

 

Amazing prizes are sponsored by these amazing people:

• Triple Colour Life
• Loving Minerals.com
• Nabila House
• Khazis Boutique
• The Green Pocket
• Zara Shoppe
• HoneyB 

Contest ends 30th July. Hurry!

The Fourth Estate by Jefrrey Archer (Book Review)

I'm a big fan of Jeffrey Archer. Usually, his books don't disappoint me. This time, I wasn't so sure.

Basic plot

The story of 2 men from totally different backgrounds, Richard Armstrong born to poverty and Keith Townsend born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and their epic struggle to control the world's leading newspaper empires. It's a story of how deception, greed, lies and cunning are the steps to "success".

What I liked about this book

As usual, Archer manages to weave an inticate and complicated plot with endless twists and turns. Character development is very good and the reader actually grows up alongside the main characters, from their childhood until their golden years. I love all the cunning and underhanded ways that these men use to make sure they win at all cost.

What I disliked about this book

Akin to Katie Perry's song "Hot and Cold", that was how I generally felt about the book. Some parts were simply gripping, leaving me reluctant to put the book aside. However, there were also parts that were too mundane and technical (mostly about technicalities and legalities of the newspaper business which I know were necessary but a bit long-winded) that almost made me stop reading.

A quote I liked from this book

"You know, you shoud marry her.. whatever her name is."

So, basically, this book took alot of patience and perseverance to get through the boring bits but it was definitely worth it in the end.

Rating: 3.5/5

||A LITTLE EXTRA||

One of the best things about blogging is all the new friendships that are formed on a daily basis. Thank you to my new friend Tieha for this wonderful award :) (For the proper way to recieve this award please refer here). http://darkbatman.com/

I would like to pass this award to these old and new friends who have made this blogging journey a great one.

~Darkbatman, Keen, Nana, Smallkucing, Sufee~

There are so many other good blogger friends out there (you know who you are).. but I'm saving you for tomorrow. Jeng Jeng Jeng.

Peri-Peri Happy Birthday at Nandos

Last week we carted ourselves off to Shah Alam to surprise another UKM Wondergirl for her birthday. Seri has unfortunately had to defer this semester of her Masters due to some personal problems so we have missed having her around. She's currently working at a KFC in Shah Alam.

We braved the heavy downpour and ended up at SACC Mall, Shah Alam. Our destination? Nandos! As usual we split up to secretly buy a birthday cake and I was left to distract the birthday girl. So we decided to order for everyone:

• Nandos Starter

• Nandos Platter (sorry I don't remember the real names..hehe)

Anyway, the Nandos Platter is 1 WHOLE chicken (flavour mild peri-peri), 2 bowls of rice, 1 bowl of coleslaw, 1 bowl of salad and 1 bowl of potato chips. The starter had chicken wings, chicken sausages, chicken kebab and pita bread with a special peri-peri dip. I loved the chicken, it was juicy and full of flavour (I seriously prefer Nandos over Kenny Rogers) and the servings were more than enough. All the add-ons were really good especially the chips (I love big fat chips) and coleslaw. The chicken sausages were slightly spicy and superb. I think mild peri-peri was just the right level of heat for all of us. The ONLY thing I'm not to fond of at Nandos is the peri-peri sauce (so weird since it's their signature feature). Don't get me wrong, I love it as a marinate for the chicken, I just need the old fashion chilli sauce to dip!

The girls also bought 3 different cheesecakes instead of a birthday cake for Seri. Black Forest Cheesecake, Butterscotch Pecan Cheesecake and Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake. As you all know I'm not a fan of cheesecake but the girls assured me that all were awesome especially the chocolate one.

 I wish Seri all the best and Happy Birthday. I hope that she will overcome all adversities (last week her newly bought laptop was stolen by one of her housemates! -unfortunately she couldn't prove it). She is a wonderful daughter and an amazing eldest sister to her siblings, I pray that Allah makes the road easier for her.

||A LITTLE EXTRA||

For the first time, my Alexa Ranking has made it below 1 million (hooray! Lower is better right?) and PR is at 1 (despite the wonky widget that occasionally shows it at 0). I sincerely think that blogwalking is a major part of it. Thanks to Y@d@m for giving me this BW award. (for the proper way to recieve this award please refer her blog).

I would like to pass this award to all the wonderful blogwalkers who visit and read my blog everyday. So, if you were nice enough to read until the end, I present YOU with this award. Yes, YOU! Thank you.

Picture me tagged!

I'm up to my neck in debt right now. Blogging debts! Hehe. I owe Syigim 4 tags.

Ok, just to mess with her head, I'm going to do the hardest one (and the only one in which she did not mention me by name..ahaha). Then I'm gonna have to ask to halal-kan the other three.. can ah? Please???

Begin the pictorial tag:

"it's harder than it looks! copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. if the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. you cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question."

1. What is your name?

H-I-D-A-Y-A-H

2. A four letter word?

~HELP! Tags!~

3. A boy's name?

~Harry: I heven't read all the books or seen all the movies~

4. A girl's name?

~Heidi: I love watching Project Runaway~

5.Occupation?

~Handyman: Nice to look at ..oh and useful too~

6. Colour?

~Heliotrope: Learnt it from a Pixar short cartoon~

7. Something you wear?

~Handcuffs: Well, not me personally~

8. Food?

~Hamburger: I need to eat less of these~

9. Something found in the bathroom?

~Hair: Ewwwww!

10. A place?

~Hawaii: I love tropical islands~

11. A reason for being late?

~Hungry: Eat first work later~

12. Something you shout?

~Hurry Up!: We're late coz we stopped for food~

13. Movie title?

~Home Alone: Keep the change you filthy animal~

14. Something you drink?

~Hot chocolate: Yum!~

15. A musical group?

~Hanson: Mmmbop.. anyone else old enough to remember them?

16. Animal?

~Horse: I would love to learn how to ride~

17. A street name?

~High Street: I miss Edinburgh~

18. A type of car?

~Hot Rod: I want I want!~

Since this is such a hard tag (hint hint), I want to pass it along to anyone who is willing to take up the challenge. You! Yes, you!

*all pics were googled

Yousof won second place in The Kids Fun Time Contest

Alhamdulillah. Yousof won second place in The Kid's Fun Time Contest organized by SimfoniKasih.net. Thanks to Sakura Rals and Ayah Rizqi.

The winning picture:

~Click on pic to see the full entry~

Can't wait to see the prize. Will update when it comes :)

Lazy laptop viewing review: Alexander (2004)

I am a fan of epic/historical movies (my favourites are Gladiator and Braveheart) so recently I watched this one called Alexander. Lets get the details over with first.

Title: Alexander (2004)

Director: Oliver Stone

Stars:

~Colin Farrel: Alexander~

~Angelina Jolie: Olympias~


~Jared Leto: Hephaistion~


~Val Kilmer: Philip~


~Anthony Hopkins: Old Ptolemy~


~Rosario Dawson: Roxane~

Basic plot:

Ptolemy narrates the amzing life and loves of Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia and ruler of most of the known world. From a young age Alexander dreamt of of being truly great. Domineered by an ambitious mother, Olympias and always hungering for attention from his father, Philip, he grew to be more than that, he became a legend. His ambition and fearless propelled him to great heights but was also the shackles that dragged him down. His love for his best friend Hephaistion and his wife Roxane only served to add coal to the fire.

What I liked about this movie:

• The acting is superb. The cinematography is breathtaking.

What I disliked about the movie:

• There are times when the movie became a bit slow and it was hard to keep track of all the players esecially with all those ancient Greek names to remember.

• Beware of nudity. The 'first night' scene between Alexander and Roxanne. Seriously, that woman's breasts were bigger than ripe watermelons! I can't believe it's the same girl from MIB II.
  

• Call me homophobic if you will but the "love" scenes between Alexander and Hephaistion had my skin crawling even though they were nothing more than long-winded love talk and a lot of hugging. Nothing can make me feel good about same sex love/lust.

A quote I liked from the movie:

"The dreamers exhaust us, they have to die before they kill us with their dreams"

Rating:

3/5 (All in all it was a good movie, it just fell short of the mark)

*all pics Googled

||PICK OF THE DAY||

I check my nuffnang account daily (regardless of the small amount that currently awaits me). I do get curious about my options but like Eryqazz, I think I'm gonna stay loyal and true. Check out his thoughts on it.