My Latest Obsession

They say, "a picture is worth a thousand words..."

I totally agree...

Its time to let my new gadget do the talking for me...

I've been Facebook'ed!!

Yes... I have to admit that I've been neglecting this blog for quite some time. Coupled with the lack of ideas on what to write, much of my free time was spent on Facebook.

Yes, I am addicted to this Facebook stuff.

I used to shun these kind of things. Friendster was one of it. Seemed like teenager stuff to me... Definitely not suitable...

But when an old college mate invited me to join Facebook, I decided to give it a try...

I've been hooked since... Darn it!

Changing Circumstances

Its been a while since I last updated this blog. No excuses - been lazy and busy...

Well, actually, I don't have anything much to say this time... Virtual mental block I would say...

I mean, I've got no issues with my bosses or my new employer, no major problems with my colleagues that requires "blog therapy".... Work's fine, has kept me pretty busy...

I suppose people get "creative" (read: philosophical & poetic) when they are oppressed or are somewhat depressed with their situation. In my case, having "you-know-who" as my ex-boss really got those literary juices flowing. Hence, this blog ended up as my outlet, my "blog therapy"... I was craving to write every other day to "release" all those toxic negative "ions" which would have otherwise destroyed my sanity if not let loose.....

But for the past few months, it was rather difficult for me to come up with points to write in this blog. I suppose when you are doing pretty ok, kept pre-occupied with work, you have nothing much to say.

Coupled with the fact that internet access is rather limited at my new workplace (strictly for work and business related websites) updating has been limited to weeknights or weekends, those times when I'm tired and want to spend time resting with my family.

Circumstances have indeed changed for me. So I suppose now I've got to find new ways to get those literary juices flow back again...

Otherwise, this blog may become obsolete in the not too distant future...

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan

Ramadhan is back.....

Its a time for self-reflection. A time for performing the required ibadah of fasting from dawn to dusk.

Anyway, Ramadhan this time has established a "first" for my small family.

My eldest son, Eimran is currently being trained by my wife to start fasting.

His teachers at playschool have also taught him the "Niat Puasa"...

So on the night before Ramadhan, he said to his mother: "Mama, Eimran nak niat puasa...."Sahaja aku puasa esok hari, Thursday.... di dalam bulan Ramadhan.....kerana Allah Taala...."

We smiled at his exactness in the "niat"...

He managed to fast until 5pm on the first day...

The sight of his sister eating ice cream was just too much for him to bear...

Malaise of Malaysians v.1.0

I know its a rather common, oft-discussed topic. But I just would like to get this off my head.

I've observed this for the past 5 months whilst taking the LRT for my daily commute to/fro office. That there will always be some impatient, rude, kurang ajar Malaysians who like to jump the queue, ignoring those people who have been patiently lining up to wait for the train.

This observation applies to all Malaysians regardless of ethnicity. From young school kids, young employees, even middle aged ladies too. These queue jumpers with straight faces simply cut in front of you in order to get into the train. They just forget about other people. I see this everyday.

Now, why do I bother? Well it bothers me that some people still lack the courtesy & manners even after 50 years of Merdeka. That perhaps our educational system, be it formal or informal have somehow failed to teach these people the importance of ethics. That perhaps their families or communities have failed to educate them well the importance of having good manners. That despite those government campaigns in the media, people still misbehave. Where did it go wrong?

This observation on queue jumpers also applies to road users. We also see and have to tolerate this unruly behaviour everyday. I remember an online survey conducted on rude behaviours of Malaysians and on top of the list were queue jumpers!!! I also remember a TV advert recently regarding the unruly behaviour of a small boy whilst on the way to the store buying a bread was admonished for teaching the young the wrong kind of behaviour.

To me, one's behaviour is a reflection of one's inner self. It reflects that some Malaysians like to take the easy way, the short cut to get to what they want. These ignorant people are willing to disregard the interest of others in order to achieve their self interest. And I'm sure this will then "branch out" in other dealings they make, cutting queues again in order to get what they want.

Its a pretty sad state of affairs which we have to endure day in day out. I think some people already accept it as a norm. I believe we should never tolerate such behaviour.

For some Malaysians, they still have a long way to go. 3rd class mentality is still prevalent.

I pray that my kids won't do such things.

A Proud Moment for Ayah & Ibu

25th August 2007 shall go down in the history of my family as the proudest moment for my parents & my wife....

It was during the 23rd Convocation Ceremony for IIUM that 3 of us 8 siblings graduated together. Myself #1, my brother #5 and my sister #6. Indeed ayah & ibu were beaming with pride & satisfaction. They made lots of sacrifices for all 8 of us when we were small. And now they are reaping the fruits of their labour...

And most importantly, my wife for her never-ending support for the 2 years 6 months of my studies. Thank you dear for everything, for appreciating my ambition in life, for taking care of the kids during those weekends when I had to go to every saturday afternoon & sunday morning classes . If it weren't for her constant reminders, I might not have finished some of my assigments. ;-)

Link

Pics from Kuching

Some pics from my recent Kuching trip...

Let the pictures do the talking...
















At the Sarawak pottery shop...















Meow... meow.....

















View from the Sarawak River Cruise ship...

Penat

I am so tired... Slept almost like a baby last night... From 9PM to 630PM.... Didn't even bother to have dinner...

I knew this travelomania thing is going to have an effect on me & my family... Having been on the road for the past 2 weekends has taken its toll on me... and my kids too...

Even my daughter lamented that I should not go outstation anymore and demand that I spend more time with her... "Papa balik la cepat" she said the 4 year old on the phone on Sunday night whilst I was in Kuching over the weekend. "Bila papa nak balik nih", she lamented again... Even the 1 year old Ihsan starts joining his sister by shouting few words which I don't have a clue what they meant.

Well, thank goodness I am back and will not be travelling anymore... at least for the next 2 weeks....

I had already planned a family getaway this Merdeka Day with some close friends...

Now my daughter cannot complain that she is left behind & papa not around.... :-)

Travelomania 1.5 - A Prequel to Part 2 and Part 3

I'll be travelling again this weekend, up north. For my division's team building event. All 100+ in-house lawyers of my company and several subsidiary co's will be congregating in this resort up north.

And then, the weekend after, I will be travelling again to East Malaysia to attend a conference on behalf of my division. If only I can bring my wife & kids....

My wife is indeed not very happy. "Asyik kena tinggal je..." she said... I can understand her unhappiness of being left behind without her abang by her side. Not easy to take care of 3 bubbly kids on your own, without a helper a.k.a maid. We've been maid-less after the 4th maid caused problems late last year. So we decided to raise our kids, maid-less. It's been tough but we are coping...

Apparently, my wife will be exacting her "revenge" by having to attend her company's team building course in Pahang next month for 3 consecutive weekdays. I'll be left behind to take care of the kids. "Pandai-pandailah abang jaga anak-anak ye.." she said with a grin...

Hmmmm....

Travelomania

I think I have traveled to Kertih, Terengganu more within the past 2 months than my past lifetime... 3 times so far to be exact...

There was a time before that I wished that I would get a job where I get opportunities to travel a lot, see places other than KL. Well, I finally managed to get my wish this time...


I recently got back from a very tiring day trip to Kertih.

Check-out from home: 6.30 am
Check-in back home: 11.30 pm

18 hours

The day started with a mad rush to KL Sentral at 6.30 am to catch the ERL to KLIA. It was at this moment that I cursed on those who planned KLIA to be in Sepang. I really missed Subang airport.

Then I had to queue at KLIA for the boarding pass for my 9am flight to Kuantan. There was an unusually long queue that day unlike other days - sigh -. Then, to my horror the MAS lady at the counter said that my name was not in the system despite having a ticket given to me by the travel agency. I was numb at that point. Speechless. Didn't know what to say at first. Then I asked her to check since I already have a ticket.

Immediately I thought - Oh Sh*t... this is not one of those days.... Here I am about a hundred kilometres away from home for a business trip and my name is not listed in the passenger list.

Being the cool guy that I was ;-), I just waited for the lady to check her ticketing system first. Maybe there was a system glitch somewhere. After standing at the counter for 10 long minutes, she finally gave me the boarding pass and asked me to confirm my return flight, just in case. Phew!

Since I was 1 hour early, I took the liberty to browse thru books at the book shop. For the first time in my life, I bought 2 books at the airport bookstore in order to kill time in the plane. I was somewhat seduced to buy 2 books since they were giving 20% discount if you buy 2 books. I'll talk about the 2 books in another post about my ambition of being a voracious reader...

Anyways, after boarding the plane, no "funny" incidents happened until plane was about to descend upon Kuantan airport to land about 50 minutes later. The plane was a bit unstable and was swaying from side to side, trying to stabilise itself before landing. And this continued until I can clearly see the sides of the runway. It was one of the scariest moment of my life as I felt that the landing might be a rough one. When the plane touched down, it bounced a bit and the pilot braked real hard to slow down the plane. At that point I was really relieved.

So, in order to get to the Kertih office, I had to take a cab. It costs about RM100 for the 2+ hours ride from Kuantan to Kertih. The other alternative to get to Kertih is from Kuala Terengganu, which is 30 minutes more than Kuantan-Kertih. Hence, Kuantan seems to be a better alternative.

When I went to get my ride, to my horror, the cab that I got this time is the same cab that drove me to Kertih for the earlier 2 trips. Why you may ask was it a horrifying moment for me? You see, the cab driver had a serious BO problem. (BO - Body Odour). I almost vomited in the car last time around. What could be worse, I said to myself this time. However, to my surprise, the BO didnt bother me much during this trip. Probably it was because my nose had gotten used to the BO already...

I finally made it to Kertih after 2 & 1/2 hours with a stop at Kemaman to have an early lunch. Since my meeting was at 3.30, I went to see some colleagues there. Managed to see the Admin Manager by chance who asked me to join him for lunch. A very nice chap, very friendly. Lucky for me to have him around. Had my solat afterwards before proceeding to the meeting.

Anyhow to cut the story short, after the meeting ended at 6pm, my colleagues and I immediately rushed to KT airport. We had to catch the 9.20PM flight. It was one of the longest ride I had taken for the day. Luckily the scenery of the Terengganu seaside was soothing. We got to the airport on time, had our dinner and off we flew to KLIA... I managed to get home at 1130 PM. Thankfully, the weird cab driver who drove me home didnt do anything funny. He was mumbling to me that the last time he went into the kampung area where my home is situated, he was terrified when he got lost and could find his way out. Well, he shouldn't be a cab driver in the first place if he's not good in finding his way!

It was a relief getting home. I'll definitely avoid this kind of day trip, given the choice. But somehow, I think there might be more out-station trips to come...

Hope I'll get used to it... this travelomania thing.....















By the way, thats me and my boss when we recently visited a plant. Ada rupa macam engineer tak? hehehe...

07.07.07

A special day for my sister...

She got engaged that day...

Just a step away from the bliss of marriage...

He finally left....

I just heard through my wife last night, who happened to read Ayu's blog that my former boss had left my former company. At first I thought, well its about time he left. I've heard speculations of his move even before I left my former company. And so it was indeed true that he was heading to company X. Well, good for him. At least he secured a better place for himself...

I don't want to comment further about this man. I've had enough talking about him. I mean here is a man who had terrorised my waking hours at work for almost the entire 2 years 6 months I was there.... enuff said....

As for a friend who left my former co to Company X, he must be scared shit-less...I mean who would've thought that your former boss would join you in the new company as your boss again... Damn!!!

Goodbye Henry...

It was time to move on, I suppose...

I used to not really like football. I thought it was a boring game. Though I can kick the ball & dribble, I was never good at it myself. I preferred to play basketball. During that time, Micheal Jordan was the icon of the NBA.

Anyhow, my view of football & EPL changed when I saw my favourite 3 players: Henry, Vieira & Pires played with the Arsenal. I became a Gunner after that till this day. They played beautiful football. It was always exciting to see them play. I would always look forward to the weekends when the EPL was in season. I'd even wake up in the wee hours of the morning to watch them play in the Champion's League.

Then one by one, they start leaving. At first it was Vieira, then Pires, it was just a matter of time Henry left... It became a reality on 24th June 2007. Henry signed for Barcelona, the very club that has been tempting him for the past season.

Players move on, football clubs move on, fans have to move on... Lets hope Wenger made the right move this time...

Thats why I like football as a sport. It is akin to life itself, full of ups and downs. And when someone whom you adore as a fan, as iconic & influential like Henry leaves, there is that feeling of sadness & uncertainty. A typical Malaysian football fan would switch allegiance. I won't, I would just add another one - Barcelona.

Besides, my MU fan brother (who thinks that MU is probably the best club in the world) would have the last laugh against me...

No way, I'm gonna let him have that!!!

Its been a while....

Yeap, its been a while since I last blogged. Things have been happening at a fast pace for the past few weeks.

Work, assignments, agreements to be reviewed have been coming my desk & my inbox relentlessly. The fact that I am a new staff also does not seem to alleviate the tasks assigned to me. My boss seems to have this false impression that I don't have enough work simply because I am new and don't have a specific portfolio yet. So, he likes to call me and get me involved in all my department's activities and projects. Sigh....(Stop whining, Uda! It was you who still wanted to be in this corporate world! Just get on with it....)

Well, when you are new and under probation, I suppose the most logical thing to do is just everything that comes your way. And when you're confirmed, u can start to show your true colours... hehehehe....~with an evil laugh~

Its been 3 months & 3 weeks at the new place. I felt like I've been here longer. Now I feel more settled in at the new place... The initial 2 months was a bit relaxed, getting to know the place, the people, the system and the pace.

Now, the pace is picking up. Last week, I had to accompany my boss to Kertih. Today, I'm on the way to Kertih again for business. Heck, I've been to Kertih more this month of June than my past lifetime. And this is going to happen again since I take care of companies in Kertih. Oh well....

Think I better make a move now, lest I miss my 1710hrs flight....

Till later...
16:40hrs
McDonalds KLIA
en route to Kertih via Kuantan

Abang Bomba...

I had a taste of what its like being a fireman or "Abang Bomba" during the induction course... at least for 2 hours or so... During the last week of our last practical training, we had to undergo a fire safety briefing and practical session.

Which suddenly brings back old memories.... The last time I handled a fire extinguisher was when I was 13 years old. It was not a pleasant thing for me to remember as I almost burned down my mom's kitchen.... Yes, you read it right, I almost burned down my mom's kitchen stove and the whole kitchen. And this was in the US of A when my father was pursuing his studies...

For some reasons which I can't really recall, I was trying to cook something in the kitchen of our rented house in Dekalb. My mom was not at home at the time, most probably away buying some groceries with my dad and I was feeling kinda hungry (yeah, now I remember!!). So I decided to go to the kitchen and try to find something to eat.

I think I wanted to fry some eggs, started to turn on the stove and put the frying pan on the stove. Whilst beating the egg, I didn't realise that there was a "kain buruk" near the pan (normally used by my mom to wipe the stove) that had caught fire. When I saw the "kain buruk" on fire, I jumped and panicked like a chicken...

Lucky for me, there was a fire extinguisher near the kitchen (may God bless whoever put it there!) and I instinctively pulled the pin and started spraying the stove with the white powder.

The result.........well..... the fire was gone and my mom's kitchen was like Santa's Wonderland.... You can imagine how shocked my mom and dad was when they got home that day....Well, I leave that to your imagination....

A hungry 13 year old who thinks he knows how to cook and handle the kitchen stove is indeed a recipe for disaster!!! Alhamdulillah, I survived, thanks to the fire extinguisher.....

Well, I never thought I would have to handle the fire extinguisher again....

And this time around, about 20 years later, I get another opportunity, this time around, in a controlled environment.



As u can see here, they just had to brief us in the scorching Terengganu sun. Man, it was hot, especially wearing those thick coveralls. Luckily there were some trees to provide us some shades....



Here is yours truly, testing the fire extinguisher, to see whether its working before i put out the burning flame... it better be working... or else... wearing the thick and heavy fire retardant suit is also not something easy in the hot sun....




Here we go!!! "Spray the flame, spray the flame....!!! Sweeping motion, sweeping motion" - shouts the trainer!!!....



"Fuh...lega...dah padam pun...."

In the end, it was almost like second nature for me, to use the fire extinguisher that is... hehehe....

Thanks to the experience I had some 20 years ago....

DSCN0925, originally uploaded by Pak Uda.

This is not a DIGI advertisement. I repeat..... We are not the fat yellow people.... And the green ones are not from Maxis either!!!

This one of the many pictures taken during a recent 3-weeks Induction Program I attended. Its a picture of my group taken after our practical lessons on fire safety & fire extinguishing practical session. There's more pics to come....

Indeed it was a very fun & enjoyable experience, learning new things & stuff about a totally new industry for me... (Not so fun for Mak Uda though as she had to take care of my 3 kids for 3 weeks all alone). Thanks honey, for your patience & understanding. I love u so much!...... :-)

I also felt like a fresh graduate, just out of university. With almost 95% of the participants new staff who are fresh grads, I had a rather easy time to blend-in with them.

For last 2 days of the course, we had to wear these yellow (and some green) coveralls for practical workshops at my company's Institute of Technology in Batu Rakit, Terengganu. For a moment, I felt like one of those DIGI people.

For the record, even before DIGI had their yellow people, the off-shore and onshore technical and plant staff had to wear these yellow coveralls. Why yellow? Well, nobody bothered to ask the instructors but I suppose its because the colour is striking and makes it easy to find you in case of an emergency.

In the end, I gained new knowledge and experience, got new friends and boosted my confidence in working at my new workplace.

Its Been A While....

Its been more than 4 weeks since I last posted an entry in my blog.

Well.... I've been busy and a bit lazy too....

Busy adjusting to the new workplace, new things to learn and unlearn, new environment, new colleagues, busy attending a 3-weeks induction course for new staff in Bangi & Kerteh. And I have no time to blog at the office like I used to.

And to write in the evening after coming home from work is simply not something easy to do when you're tired, with 3 small kids and me wifey needing your attention . Being maidless since late last year meant that both of us have to do our daily household chores on our own.

And there also the laziness factor due to the lack of motivation and ideas to write something.... Can't gripe about a tyrannical boss and the company this time around....Darn it!

Anyway, just would like to thank my friends (Leilanie & Ayu) for your practical suggestions on how to overcome my newest "problem" - my inner demons. I seem to prefer Leilanie's suggestion though.... Ayu, pls come up with a better suggestion next time! And please, no more Voldermort..... My life is a much much better & pleasurable without him in my mind....



With Spiderman 3 out this week, I can relate to his problems of facing his own inner demons... (che wah!). I mean the man has got his own intra-personal issues. I think everyone has their own inner demons to deal with.... What is important is the will-power to confront and overcome these inner demons..... And please don't tell me the ending of Spiderman 3 as I've not seen it yet. Tickets are so hard to come by these days....

Oh yeah, I've decided to have a new background template. The previous background template somewhat reflected my mood back then. It was simple in layout, dark, mysterious yet colourful. Perhaps there is a psychological interpretation to this....

I've decided to liberate my inner self from old baggages, old bitter memories and some of my inner demons (there are still some inner demons left to do battle with) and come up with a more refreshing yet simple and no-nonsense background.

Its time to get on with my life and enjoy it to the fullest..... Its time to truly move on....

New Problem - The Revelation

There have been interesting speculations in the comments section regarding this issue of my newest enemy or problem.

Well, let me be straight on this matter. This new "enemy" or "problem" that is causing me trouble here is actually not someone else here at my new workplace. It is not my new bosses nor any of my colleagues here. In fact, they seem to be a bunch good people, who have yet to cause me any real problems.

Ok, let me be honest. The real enemy or problem here is actually me, myself. The man himself!!

I am the source of my problems at the moment. I am the enemy to myself. I am the one who is hindering my growth here.

Why do I feel that way? Its because everything is so different here and I feel that I'm not adjusting as fast as I could. And then there this bad habit that keeps cropping up. I get sleepy whenever I review contracts, I even dozed off couple of times in meetings, I get lost when people discuss with me, I don't wake up early enough to get to work on time (my boss comes to work by 0715am every morning), I don't revert to my clients as fast as I could, I forget important principles of law, etc etc etc... I know I can do better and I know I have yet to give my all....

I feel that in order for me to move forward in this organisation I need to change my attitude, my outlook, my paradigm, how I do things in relation to my work. Change for the better...

And I seem to bring with me old baggages, negative attitudes, laziness, inactive (vs proactive). Its time for me to move out from my comfort zone and get back into this. I suppose all this takes time to set in. I have been so used to a certain way of doing things and now I've got to adjust to a new way of working. The work culture & ethics are definitely different here...

Thats why I declare myself the enemy to myself..... If I don't improve and change my attitude for the better, chances are I will just be another ordinary staff.....

Spiderman

I was having a meeting with some colleagues at Level 58 at about 3.45 PM when we noticed that police helicopters were circling our building several times and sirens were blazing downstairs.....

We were quite anxious as to what was going on.... Suddenly images from 9-11 came to my mind...

Only when I surfed the net, I found out that the police were trying to catch "Spiderman" who was perched outside level 60 of Tower 2.

Here's the story: http://www.lensamalaysia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4132

New Problem

I have a new problem. This problem makes my work a bit more challenging. It makes my learning curve at this new place a bit slower... Whenever I try to focus on my job, this "person" disturbs me.... Its driving me nuts... I just can't find a solution yet on how to deal with this new "problem"..... I call it my newest "enemy"....

The View

One thing's for sure, I truly enjoy the view from up here - a bird's eye view of KL. Here are some amateur snapshots I took from my office.

Thats Tower 2!

Tower 2 again!

KL-Ampang Elevated Highway, Jalan Tun Razak, Datuk Keramat side..

KL Tower, Menara Maybank

Ambank maaa... At Jalan Yap Kwan Seng

Megan Avenue... and KUB who?

Good ol' Kampung Baru....

Jalan Sultan Ismail- Jalan Ampang Intersection

I hope to take more photos when I have the time...

New Beginning...

1st March 2007 was the starting point of my next quest in the working world...

There were mixed feelings on my 1st day at the new place... Its the same feeling I had when I joined a new school. Excited, anxious, worried and nervous... I remember when I was small, my family used to move around alot. From Melaka, to Genting Highlands, to Bloomington, Indiana, to Dekalb, Illinois, then back to Melaka, then to Batu 11 Gombak, Lembah Pantai and so on.... So my siblings & I changed school quite often.... Somehow, its like de ja vu all over again....Its the same feeling that had enveloped me that morning...

Had to wake up a bit earlier as the office hours start at 8am and I had to take the LRT too, after all these years. And I tell you, the morning rush hour is no child's play. Now I know how a sardine feels like.... Taking the LRT in the morning is definitely not a walk in the park and surely not for the faint hearted....Everybody was really rushing, walking very fast.... I really have to get used to the pace....

Anyhow, I arrived at the lobby on the dot - 8 am... The security was tight at this new workplace. I grimace at the fact that I have to go through the daily security checks . But then again, its a necessary hassle to ensure the safety of the folks inside the tower.

The first day went well. I felt like a "Jakun" (no offence to the Jakun people out there! Its just a common expression for "rusa masuk kampung") The office was impressive and modern. The HR people gave a short briefing and showed me around my floor. My cubicle was already prepared for me (yeah, cubicles again!). The PC was up and running, save for my email & telephone extensions.The colleagues were nice, most importantly the bosses seemed like reasonable men. I have to report to 2 bosses this time around. Both are serious people but are nice and calm. They seemed to focus on the work and deliverables rather than petty, unrelated stuff.

Finally, I get to get a sensible boss..... In fact I got 2 sensible bosses. Now its just me and the work. No more worrying about the bosses' temperament..... Its just about getting the job done... And the work is not going to be easy, its a totally new area that I have to deal with - engineering contracts, oil & gas related contracts, petrochemical jargons like feedstock, vinyl chloride monomer, hydro-chloro-carbons, bla bla bla...

Oh God, I feel like a fresh graduate just out of law school. I definitely need to boost my confidence. Need to do alot of reading. I wish they had an Idiot's Guide for Oil & Gas business. But with few old friends around, I think I should be ok. They invited me for lunch. We finally meet after all these years. I have to thank my friend, Mus who recommended me for my present posting. He's a true friend indeed. Good friends are hard to come by these days. Appreciate them while you can. Appreciate your family more too because they will always be with you, through thick and thin....

The first day ended well. I hope & pray that the coming days will be good as well, if not better....

Its time to move on...

I need a new blog template....

This one seems ok for now.....

Any suggestions?

Between Obsession & Addiction

For the past week, I spent my lazing time by watching this thriller TV series called Prison Break. Yeap, I watched the entire 22 episodes of the first season and all the 17 episodes of Season 2 for 5 days (all 39 hours of it). Just couldn't stop watching it as it was very addictive to find out what happens next. In fact, I slept only 1 hour last Sunday just to finish 5 episodes. In between doing household chores, I would sit down in my study room and watch the series on my laptop PC.

Anyway, after watching Season 2 finish, I am looking forward to Season 3. If you like crime thrillers, American political conspiracy action dramas, this is the series for you.

Bidding Farewell - Part II

Its been a week since I last said farewell to my colleagues at my previous workplace. Now I'm serving my time, finishing off my leave before joining the newco in March.

Anyway, my colleagues organised a farewell party for me on my last day. I was really touched by their warm gesture. Thanks Alena, Fidd, Ida Maxis, Kak Lin de MC, Shakri de' Croc, Aszahari, Ayu, Jaffni da Brother, Aishah, Kak Berri, Kak Ita, Kak Aziah, Azman Sains Selangor (not Alam Shah!), As, Hanum, and all those who chipped in.... I am really really grateful for what you did.... I can only say thank you from the bottom of my heart.....May Allah bless you guys...

I also would like to thank those who organised the 1st joint farewell for Afandi, Evelyn and me a week before. I am a grateful man for the kindness that my colleagues had shown. Thank you people!

Anyway, my boss was not around during my last day as he was outstation on business. Not that I miss him or anything, but I didn't get to properly say goodbye to the man who brought me into this roller coaster ride with for the past 2 years and 5 months. I must say I am grateful to the man for the "wonderful" "rich" "insightful" experiences that I had under his supervision. In a nutshell, as my colleague Susan would say all the time, I must admit that I had learned a lot from him on what it takes to become an effective worker in a corporate environment. Set aside his famously notorious temperament, slave grinding ways and occasional ruthlessness, the man has taught me on how to effectively negotiate. He is a true negotiator, negotiating all the time with you, which makes him annoying at times. But thats him. You can't change the man, he is what he is. You either live with it or you leave.

However, for the past couple of months he seemed to have mellowed down a bit after one of his key people, Afandi joined me and Evelyn, another colleague tendered our resignation recently. With the disposal of the company to another entity by our parent company and the anticipated restructuring of the management of the company, I suppose he is feeling the heat that his post is no longer secure. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that he has his exit plan, in case he needs one. A little bird says that he seems to have one already. Thats for me to know and for those interested to find out.

I also suppose one of the reasons I started blogging was because of him. As a friend puts it when I asked her why did she start blogging, she said it was her therapy. It is an outlet for her to express herself, her frustrations, anger and joy as well. True enough, I felt a sense of satisfaction when I blog, when I let out my frustrations, anger, mostly because of the man. He makes my life "colourful" I suppose. Otherwise, life would have been boring at the office.

Because of him, I would always do my intelligence work every morning, checking up on his diary for his daily schedule and for the week. If he is busy, then he is most likely not to call me and interrogate me. If he's in the office all day, chances are, he will call you to check up on what you are doing. I also check on the "weather" with the PA - whether it is "stormy", "cloudy", "raining" or whether the "sun is shining and the birds are singing". That would determine whether it is the right time to see him or not as the weather can change dramatically without notice and without reason.

Which keeps me on my toes most of the times. You must always be prepared before you meet him. Otherwise, if you didn't do your homework, expect the worst. And sometimes I let my guard down and get caught with his tongue lashing for being slack in my work. But thats him. He just wants to see work done at whatever cost. Of course there are many ways to get things done, and most would prefer coaching and guiding rather than shouting and lashing at you like you are an incompetent & stupid buffoon.

When he is nice, he's really nice. Like a father figure. He sure has a way with words. For those who don't know him, they would've thought that he was an angel. But, wait till you work under him. Then reality will bite & chew you for good! Love the man, hate the man!

But don't get me wrong here, I don't hate the man's guts to the core. I used to but I've come to accept that he is what he is. Of course he can be nicer in his approach. If he didn't have that famously notorious temperament that changes faster than the weather, his slave grinding ways and occasional ruthlessness in getting work done, I would think that he would make out as an excellent leader. But I suppose that is wishful thinking.....

Anyway, that is enough about the man. What do you expect me to say when almost 70% of my time at the old workplace is spent working with the man. And I must thank him for the memories....both bitter and not-so bitter ones.... Thank you doc!

Well, enough said......Life goes on and I need to move on.....

Bidding Farewell - Part I

16 February 2007 was the last day of work for me at my present workplace.

After working at various places for the past 8 years, I would have thought that it would not be emotionally difficult for me to bid farewell to my colleagues on my last day of work.

Well....its not as easy as I thought it would be....

Priceless...

Getting a job at ...... = exhilarating....

Finishing my MBA after 2 years & 6 months continuous study.... = satisfying....

Finishing my MBA in time for me to join the new company = priceless!

Its D-Day!!!

Tonight and tomorrow shall represent the penultimate days of my MBA study for the past 2 years and 6 months.

Its my last semester and its the final exam days for my last 2 papers...

I've taken leave since last Tuesday to study.......

May God help me... But God will help you when you help yourself first....

Just hope I will remember what I have read...

Between Family & Work

I had my last appraisal session last Monday with my boss. It was the best appraisal session I ever had at this place. Its ironic that people seem to be nice to me when I had already decided to leave.... Oh well, I suppose you need to resign in order for people to be nice to you. Perhaps only then they realize how valuable you are to the company.....Too late for that now!

Anyway, he gave me a few of his "words of wisdom". The one which I remember most is something about family and work. He said that I seem to favour my family more than I do about my work. He said that though it is a matter of my personal choice, he viewed that there will have to be trade-offs between the two and I can't have the best of both worlds. He said that if I were to favour my family more than work, I may not go far in my career. I will just be another ordinary employee.

But if I were to favour my work more than my family then he viewed that I may go far in my profession. Although he acknowledges that my kids are still very young and growing up, he said that if I want to go far in my career, I may have to make some sacrifices on the family side. He admits there are trade-offs but he suggested that since I'm going to the new place with a new corporate environment and corporate culture, it is about time that I should reconsider my position in order for me to succeed in the future.

Perhaps there are some truth in what he said. I listened to his "advice", taken with a pinch of salt, of course. All I can say is that his situation is different than mine. You can't compare apples with oranges. Similarly you cant compare a 50+ year old COO (with more responsibilities & higher paycheck) whose wife is a full-time housewife with grown up kids already in college & secondary school than a 30+ year old executive with a wife who is also working and 3 small kids to take care of, earning just enough to pay the bills & make a living in KL....

Indeed it is true that I favour my family more than work at the moment. I have my reasons. My kids need me as they are in their formative years and are very sensitive of their surroundings (prone to get sick). At the same time, I have my studies to contend with. As far as I am concerned, my family come first, work is secondary. Employers don't really care about my family. They will not take care of my family, they will not bring my wife or kids to the clinic if they are sick.... I have to do that. No two ways about it.

I intend to prove him wrong! I will show him that family and work can be balanced and you can become a top performer in your chosen profession. It will be a tough thing to do in the present capitalistic & materialistic world..... When every company wants to achieve sky-rocketing revenues and profits... Hence the employees will be pushed harder to work and earn more for the company, in order to achieve their ambitious targets. All this is done at the expense of the family....

I anticipate that it will be difficult task, this balancing act....But it is not an impossible thing to do...

21.01.07 - Arsenal 2 Manchester United 1

I was screaming alone (like a mad person) at 1.50 AM, in the wee hours of last night when Henry scored a last gasp goal..... A perfect goal from a perfectly timed header, delivered from perfect cross.... What a goal! What a looney I am... Thank goodness my kids didn't wake up!

For a while, I thought Gunners were going to lose, playing in an eeriely striking resemblance of their early season form - pathetic, lethargic, no motivation to win the ball, no hunger for winning and always trying to play that perfect passing game without any goals...Finally they have shown that they have the desire to win...

I enjoy watching the Gunners play. I am amazed by the intelligence of the coach, Arsene Wenger. I make it a point to watch all the games they play, eventhough it is in the wee hours of the night (which my wife could not understand why). Frankly, I never expected that I would enjoy EPL. I used to shun football & EPL. I used to wonder why do people get obsessed with Man United, Liverpool, Newcastle and other EPL teams... Now I know why....

To me, EPL, in a way, is a reflection life. It has its fair share of drama & emotions, week in week out. There is the passion for the team you support, the joys of winning, giving it all you got, having faith in your team, leadership, stress management. It also has its fair share of sad memories, the pain of losing games, getting injured, getting knocked out of a crucial cup competition and then bouncing back and winning games again. All the emotional sides of the human being are being displayed in this sport.

It also has its fair share of gossips and drama, conflicts between the coach, the management & the players. I can also relate all these to various aspects of my life such as work and my personal performance. The best thing is about sharing the joys of winning with another Gunners fan and the stories....

As for the victory against MU last weekend, it was a priceless victory indeed, against an arch rival... An arch nemesis.... Both Gunners and MU have rich traditions and their fair share of rivalry from the years. That is why I enjoy the EPL so much.....Go Gunners!

Selective Memory

How many of you have come across bosses with selective memory?

You know for certain that you have given them a particular piece of information/document but later on, when they are in a tight situation, they "conveniently forgot" that they ever received that info/document!

And suddenly you are in the spotlight with a goatie under your chin a.k.a Mr. Scapegoat!!!!.....

Well, today I know another boss who either consciously or subsconsciously practices selective memory...

Well, Thank God I'm leaving this ecosystem.... It seems to have a very toxic culture....

I pray that the new ecosystem does not practice that as well!!

Or is it the norm these days for bosses to have selective memory.

Is this true?

"Big People talk about Ideas..."

"Mediocre people talk about Other People..."

"Small people talk about Themselves..."

Stormy Weather Up Ahead....

Just as the east coast of Malaysia is bracing for rainstorms & floods, I am bracing myself for 5 weeks of hectic schedule as this is my last semester. 2 subjects to go, 2 assignments to complete, 1 full fledged research paper yet to be done, 1 mid term exam to study and 1 group presentation due this weekend has my nerves wracking.....

Aside from the occasional viewing of Arsenal games, there will be not be much activity for me and my family....

My priority now is to complete all those tasks the best I can as I'll be finishing my masters, with the final exams in the 2nd week of February. All weekends will be spent to complete the above academic chores and to study......

After that, I can't wait to become a FREE man!!!!! 2 years & 6 months of "bondage" to my knowledge pursuit..... Nevertheless, it is worth every single penny of my spent EPF savings....

The timing seems just nice as I will be joining the new place by 1st March. By then, I can focus 100% on my new job as I will not have to worry about classes and assignments anymore....

I hope my wife and kids will understand what papa is going through at the moment....

Indeed, it is going to be stormy in the next coming weeks....

But thereafter, the sun will shine!

More on Toll!!!

An interesting yet shocking piece of info on the Toll issue.

Click here:
http://www.jeffooi.com/2007/01/for_whom_the_tolls_toll.php

I think we should all thank Dr M for his contribution as well...

As for Samy Vellu, I wonder how will he wriggle himself out of this controversy!

Thank you Pak Lah! Thank You Samy Vellu!

Thanks to the government of the day, my daily expenses have increased. The increase in toll rates at LDP have increased my daily toll expenditures from RM2 (return trip) to RM3.20 for a similar trip (a difference of RM1.20 per day). You multiply that into say, 25 working days - an additional RM30 will have to be spent per month, which works out to be RM360 per year for those having similar situations like me.

You may think it is marginal but other consequential impacts are not yet taken into account. For example traders & businesses may blame the increase in transportation cost as an excuse to raise prices of goods. There might be an increase in the Consumer Price Index of essential goods. Some of the essential items that I need to buy for my family such as infant milk formula, diapers, baby food and other groceries have increased by 2-5 ringgit.

No doubt the government is trying to lessen the impact by reducing the road tax charges recently. But whether that will have a real impact on the net disposable income of ordinary people out there seems to be very marginal as road tax is renewed on a yearly basis.

Expenditure is going to be a bit tight this year.

C'est la vie!

2007

Yep, 2007 is here! Good bye, 2006!

2006 has been an eventful year for me & my family.

Lots of significant events and memorable moments had taken place.

Ihsan's birth, my own house, my latest job offer...among notable ones...

There were also forgettable moments....

Eimran's & Ihsan's stint at the pediatric ward & the sleepless nights that followed, a road accident near Batu Caves, mental torture at work, not so good results for 3 of my MBA papers

Anyway.....I am glad that the Almighty has extended my stay on this forsaken earth .....for me to take care of my family... Alhamdulillah... Praise be to Allah Almighty.....

New year resolutions?

Well, let truth be told, I've never truly, really, seriously had any new year resolutions over the years. It all sounds too cliche to me. Though I subconsciously had some resolutions in my mind, no concrete & systematic plans were executed to achieve such noble intents.

Nevertheless, I've learned now that not having resolutions is like travelling without a roadmap. You will be left wondering where you are going or heading to. Surely you must have a certain destination. By having a roadmap, you will then know whether you have reached your destination.

But reaching your destinations may not be the end of the journey. Life as we know is a continuous journey. Until the Angel, Izrail calls you, that is. Not a second too early, not a second too late....

In the meantime, after I have finished my assignments & term papers, I shall consider my new year resolution as "still under construction".

On second thought, I think my 1st resolution would be to complete my last MBA semester in one piece and pass my exams !!! Yeap, this is the final lap of my MBA marathon for the past 2 years, 6 months. I can see the finishing line already....

What are your new year resolutions?