New Achievement Unlock: Berry

Aku adalah sejenis bangsa yang tak suka handbag. Walau pun aku seorang perempuan sejati. Designer handbag? Lagi la aku tak pandang. Pada aku buat ape nak pakai handbag mahal-mahal? Handbag biasa aje dah cukup kan?

Lagi pun aku dah tak rasa 'ekslusif' tu. Ramai sangat dah pakai LV, Chanel, Guess, Coach, Gucci and jenama ape-ape lah on the street. So aku memang takda rasa nak pakai designer handbag. Sampai lah aku patah hati dengan past relationship. Aku buat almost everything yang aku tak suka nak buat. Like color my hair? Eh, aku boleh buat benda tu semua kalau aku nak. Just that aku je yang tak nak. And for me, takda ape yang best pun pasal colour rambut. Biasa aje. Dan aku tak rasa aku nak colour lagi. Aku nak biar dia original colour. Cukup lah sekali aku try colour. Kurang-kurang aku pernah buat benda tu dalam hidup aku kan?

Dan, ya aku start pakai make up. Aku start bersiap kalau nak keluar rumah. Before this aku tak heran kalau baju aku tak iron. Kalau aku nak keluar, 5 minit sebelum tu aku baru keluar toilet. Semua tu aku tak kisah. Sekarang aku jadi manusia yang sangat kisah. Aku akan make sure aku bersiap paling kurang pun 30 minit sebelum aku keluar. Kalau takat muka aku ni, macam-macam aku tepek. Cuci-toner-serum-moisturiser-sunscreen-bb cream-powder. Ha, kira la berapa layer aku tepek kat muka aku ni.

So, Berry adalah cinta pertama aku dekat handbag. Berry dapat nama sempena colour dia. Yep, aku memang suka colour handbag yang tak cliche. Kalau boleh aku nak colour yang jarang orang nka pakai. Kalau hitam, chocolate tu ramai sangat kan pakai. I prefer something unusual. Like, Berry! Kali pertama aku nampak Berry adalah pada 22 October 2015 dengan Kak Ibah. masa ni kitorang jalan-jalan kat Alamanda. Maksu kan pakai bag ni. Braun Buffel. So, sebenarnya usha kan handbag untuk maksu colour merah. So masa ni aku dah nampak Berry dan aku suka sangat! Tapi, tak mungkin aku jatuh cinta dengan designer handbag. Kan? aku just amek gambar Berry dengan satu handbag yang possible untuk maksu beli, colour merah.

Aku just nak tau perasaan aku terhadapa Berry adalah genuine ke tak. Atau sekadar pass-by feeling or not. Ya, perasaan tu genuine. Aku siap buat gambar Berry jadi wallpaper lagi. Masa ni dah terkenang-kenang dah dengan Berry. 9 October 2015, aku baru je swipe credit card untuk scan kepala. kalau betul aku nak beli pun, aku kena tunggu next cycle. kalau tak, tu gali lubang kubur sendiri namanya!

Weeks after, I had lunch with Aunt Bee and Aunt Geok. AKu cerita pasal Berry dekat Aunt Bee. Dia selalu je supportive. Hahaha...dia cakap, go for it. Reward yourself. Yelah, aku mana pernah beli barang untuk diri sendiri kan. Aku kerja siang malam, 7 days a week. And I really should reward myself. Aku cakap, nanti kalau kali-3 aku g tengok Berry, aku mesti beli Berry!

Then, 10 November, aku pergi Alamanda lagi for bowling session with #creepycrew. Aku buat detour, masuk Braun Buffel and guess what? Berry dah takda dekat Alamanda!!! Sedih sangat. Diorang dah returned to HQ 5 days after first visit hari tu. Oh, Berry adalah last season punya collection. Dah setahun lebih dah dia kat outlet Alamanda. Aku tanya SA, Berry memang dah abes ke macam mana? Ada tak store lain carry lagi? Dia cakap, Berry masuk Tebrau punya outlet. Tu dia, Johor sana. Aku tanya lagi, kot la ada KL outlet yang still carry? Yes, ada! Empire Subang. Aku mintak diorang reserve kan. And they can only reserve it for 3 days. Dan hari ke-3 adalah hari Jumaat. Aku mintak dia hold sampai Sabtu. Sebab aku tak free hari lain. Ibu is coming down as well. So, sedang molek lah kalau aku nak bawak dia berjalan pun hari Sabtu tu.

Balik, aku dok fikir. Tanya Fuad kot dia free boleh teman aku g amek Berry. Bila aku cakap aku nak pergi hari Sabtu, dia cakap jalan situ memnag jem yang ampun, tiada maaf bagimu. Aku cakap kalau lepas Jumaat? Lagi la jem. Jadinya, change of plan, aku g amek hari Jumaat, 13 November 2015 pagi.

Dah sampai sana, tak kata nak beli Berry je. Aku beli jugak baby sister dia. Same colour purse. Nama Kelly. Aku ada try a few design. rasa-rasa untuk Berry dapat kawan tu adalah tinggi. Tunggu lah aku simpan duit dulu baru boleh beli hat lain.

Feeling dia lain sangat bila pakai Berry. Hahaha..ke aku je yang perasan lebih? Beli barang leather ni nak kena jaga lebih. Hari tu aku dah masuk kan dia ke spa. Pastu aku rehatkan dia seminggu. Lepas ni rasa dia masuk spa dua bulan sekali. nak jaga kualiti material dia.

Reminiscence the past

Today, 2 years ago I was in OT hall. Waiting for my dedicated team to take over my body and extracted the tumour out.

Dr. Lim did the general anaesthetics on me. It was bright fluorescent orange liquid, injected through a huge syringe. The amount? A lot! as I can remember it's nearly fill up that syringe. Dr. Chee, (my neurosurgeon) is nowhere to be seen yet. My last words are "Dr., my private part is very itchy!" I heard Dr. Lim responded, "It's ok, that's...." And I dozed off. That's all I can remember.

Fast forward, I heard someone called up my name. I can see 2 figures standing right at the end of my bed. That voice asked me, "Do you know who is that, Suriani?" Of course. I called them with a low voice but enough to be heard, "Darling..." "Aunt Bee...". They nodded. "Do you know where are you now?". With confident, I replied back, "I...C...U...". Minutes later, Ibu, Abah and Juwer are already in the room. My other family members came later into that small room covered with an off-white curtain.

During my 2 days stay in ICU, I throw out countless times. Barely eat anything and allowed to sip  a small amount of water at a time. But, being me who always drank litres of water per day, few sip is not enough. I'll greedily sip more than I'm allowed to which end up with another throwing session. Poor nurses have to clean up after me many times per day, even it's in the middle of the night. 

Stayed in Bed 7B, Ward 765 Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur after the observation time is over for post recovery. Family and friends came to visit. I am truly blessed with the support system I have. Adibah and Tapau who are among the first to came after my "check-in". Fattah and Boy came at that very night and bring TOTO for my parents and sister who stayed overnight before the surgery. And Fattah brought over the newly washed TOTO from the dobi!  I remember Aini came with her huge belly to visit. Azhar who has business trip came to drop by and bought two slices of Dome cake, which obviously I can't eat! My so called "students" came with balloons and we joke around like we were in UTP. Ina G., who I met during a running event came with a bucket of Famous Amos cookies and got fine because she parked illegally at Alamanda. My dear Sue Lin came and they go wow at your beauty!! My other schoolmates who came and bring nice flowers arrangement. Wei, bile lagi nak kasi wehhh??? Athi and Halim who came and visit at home. Imani was a little girl. wearing a set of clothes I gave her. She can run like a champ now! Athi asked me a question that is not asked by others. Thanks Athi for the reminder. 

2 years later..

I sat on my chair and doing office work. I managed to earn my own money and pay the bills. I am 90% back to normal. I can drive, I can run. I can do almost all of the things I used to do before the surgery. Just that I can't do a few things I planned to do like diving, bungee jumping. Too dangerous for me and not good for my health. Sometimes, I even forgot that I am not 100% normal like others.

It was a topsy-turvy ride for the past 2 years. Those people have grown up. Some are now a mother/father to kid(s). Some are pursuing their dreams in a different country. Some already found their partner and building their small family. Some are still by my side and some are not. Whenever you are now, I pray that Allah will grant you with His utmost blessings. Thank you for being part of me. Thank you for believing in me and made me fight this illness. I couldn't repay you in this world. I hope He will in thereafter...

There are a lot of words of encouragement I received during this critical time. Generally, it's to lift up my spirit and fight this time-bombed illness. If you're being tested by him, go find yourself. Only you know what you want in your life, how you want your life to be. You're in charge of your happiness, not others. OK? Believe me, time will heal. Give it some time and you'll be ok. 

Here to more months and years to come!!!