When I got up this morning, it felt odd that I didn't hear the hungry purr outside the bedroom door. It felt odd that I still peep around to see if there is any dead mouse that you normally bring home after your nightly hunts. It felt odd not to see your fur on the dining table and it was even more odd that I kept wiping the table clean even though it had stayed clean overnight.
I want you to know that I still open the back door in case you're hungry. After so many years together, it is hard to break some habits.
I miss Ketaq...
Ketaq came into our household in mid-2006. He was not Ketaq then...he was Noah. A handsome arrogant American Curl-Ear Long Haired breed. He was the Noah who lived in an apartment. It took him a good two weeks before he came out from under Isya's bed...and took him another one month to familiarize himself with our home, garden and of course with Ketum.
Ketum was only three months old when she knew Ketaq. Somehow Ketaq immediately assumed the role of a big brother to Ketum. When Ketum couldn't jump across the drain..it was Ketaq who pull her to other side.
After a while, Noah became Ketaq. A more appropriate name for a cat who loved to jump around in the bushes, catching small mice and lizards and napping under the mango tree.
Ketum loves Ketaq. Tumbling together across the living room became their daily routine. Every morning they would fight over their food and it was Ketaq (being the big brother) who would always gave in.
The morning of 3rd March 2009, Ketaq did not come home for his breakfast. Ketum waited and waited by the door. I didn't think much of it because the cats would sometimes miss one or two meals. By night time, it was begiining to seem strange. Sebab Ketaq ni kuat makan....
All of us went looking for Ketaq. So many possibilities were played out in our minds....kena curi ke? Kena gigit anjing ke..? Sesat ke..?
For two days and two nights, we searched for Ketaq.
Yesterday I looked for him again...then I saw his lifeless body. From the state of the body, it appeared to have been dead for quite some time. I couldn't get to him then because he was in the neighbour's compound, which meant I had to wait until they all come home from work to pick up the body.
I remembered feeling numb because he maybe a cat but he was always "around my legs" that the thought of being able to walk without the fear of tripping suddenly became... odd. I went back home and started digging a hole in front of the house...in the hot sun.
When Opi and Isya came back from school, they saw the hole. Opi immediately knew but Isya got a bit upset that I didn't continue looking. She told me that it was wrong to assume that Ketaq is dead. Initially I didn't have the heart to tell her that I have already found Ketaq...but I believed she needed to know.
I buried him in front of the house. Isya put flowers on his grave and Opi put some bricks around it. In side the house, I put away his water bowl and threw away his litter. The house seems...different.
This morning, Ketum still waits for Ketaq a.k.a Noah...
It takes time...well I still unlock the back door....
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tougher times ahead
Not eough with the no increment announcement...the higher devil made an announcement of a company-wide pay cut!
On a global level, there will be a cut between 2.5% - 20% on the base pay, and a review will be made on the benefits as well. We, on individual basis will be made known of the exact amount once the country-level review is finalised and announced.
Aku sakit jantung lah camni!!
Firstly, I've been living on base + allowance. The allowance is enough to pay for the house...well nama dia pun, housing allowance, kan? I bilang2, with the worst case scenario if I kena 20% cut...walaupun semput teramat, tapi boleh lagi lah. However if they take away my allowance....plus the paycut...then I bebetul need to relook at my expenses.
My dispensable income is not big. Tolak all the commitments like rumah, kereta, kids' insurance, duit untuk mak abah, duit van sekolah....takde banyak pun my dispensable income (read: duit bergembira)....so how?
Even now, I am being very careful with my lunch money...not more than rm5.00/day. No more Secret Recipe lunches or after meal teh tarik. Minum air kosong....no fruits after lunch.
I use over-the-(pharmacy) counter skin care like Olay and Nivea. No more Clinique...and jangan harap lah I nak pakai SKII. I share lipstick with Isya...hasil ehsan her Nenek's trip to Avon. I hardly shop for clothes, and I really mean hardly as in one baju every 3-4 months.
Opi and Isya pun pakai Reject Shop or from Petaling Street.
You tell me now...mana lagi I nak potong when the pay cut takes place??
I know of the saying "when one door closes...thousands more open", tapi right now everything is so bleak sampai screen laptop ni pun macam nampak tak nampak...camne nak tengok???
On a global level, there will be a cut between 2.5% - 20% on the base pay, and a review will be made on the benefits as well. We, on individual basis will be made known of the exact amount once the country-level review is finalised and announced.
Aku sakit jantung lah camni!!
Firstly, I've been living on base + allowance. The allowance is enough to pay for the house...well nama dia pun, housing allowance, kan? I bilang2, with the worst case scenario if I kena 20% cut...walaupun semput teramat, tapi boleh lagi lah. However if they take away my allowance....plus the paycut...then I bebetul need to relook at my expenses.
My dispensable income is not big. Tolak all the commitments like rumah, kereta, kids' insurance, duit untuk mak abah, duit van sekolah....takde banyak pun my dispensable income (read: duit bergembira)....so how?
Even now, I am being very careful with my lunch money...not more than rm5.00/day. No more Secret Recipe lunches or after meal teh tarik. Minum air kosong....no fruits after lunch.
I use over-the-(pharmacy) counter skin care like Olay and Nivea. No more Clinique...and jangan harap lah I nak pakai SKII. I share lipstick with Isya...hasil ehsan her Nenek's trip to Avon. I hardly shop for clothes, and I really mean hardly as in one baju every 3-4 months.
Opi and Isya pun pakai Reject Shop or from Petaling Street.
You tell me now...mana lagi I nak potong when the pay cut takes place??
I know of the saying "when one door closes...thousands more open", tapi right now everything is so bleak sampai screen laptop ni pun macam nampak tak nampak...camne nak tengok???
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
F***!!
...The demons just announced that there will be no increment this year.
Bonus???
"We are still waiting words from the top, but don't keep your hopes up."
Yessshhhh........................
Bonus???
"We are still waiting words from the top, but don't keep your hopes up."
Yessshhhh........................
Monday, February 02, 2009
Perfect Sanctuary
My dream home....
1. Surrounded by lush greens and have my mornings greeted by the chirpings of birds and cooling mist.
2. Not see my neighbour while I sip my nescafe outside the house.
3. Not see my neighbour when I am out and about outside pulling weeds, buang sampah or just stare into nothing, in my torn t shirts and shorts.
4. Still in a gated community, especially after the double break-ins last year. Preferably gated with electric fencing so I don't have to spend too much on grills. I don't have to keep looking over my shoulders whenever I see shadows.
5. Fruit trees! Loads and loads of fruit trees.
6. Dekat dengan sekolah.
7. Tak banyak kereta lalu pasal I want the kids to be able to cycle around without me having to yell every 5 minutes "tepi...tepi...kereta nak lalu!!".
8. Not in KL town. Tak nak all the traffic.
9. Not too far off from KL. Still nak gi weekend jalan-jalan.
Best kan? Dok angan-angan camtu....
Sebab, to be honest I really thought my dream sanctuary is truly an angan-angan. Mana nak dapat lagi tempat camtu?
Until....one day....we dropped by Planters Haven.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The minimum specs for each property:
- land area is one acre
- minimum pokok buah ~ 20 trees
- build up - 5300 psf
Other lavish stuff:
- Clubhouse with swimming pool
- Stables for horses
- Gated community with 24/7 security
- Massive area for pool/bbq party
Sigh....if this is not a "dream property", I don't know what is....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dulu-dulu, seronok punyer daydream. Now bila dah tau tempat camtu exists....isshhhh.....naik demam pulak thinking of the price.
But then again, this is the beauty of daydreaming. It creates a cita-cita and the drive to improve oneself.
Nothing is impossible. Some things are highly improbable, hence the daydreaming.
One day...
1. Surrounded by lush greens and have my mornings greeted by the chirpings of birds and cooling mist.
2. Not see my neighbour while I sip my nescafe outside the house.
3. Not see my neighbour when I am out and about outside pulling weeds, buang sampah or just stare into nothing, in my torn t shirts and shorts.
4. Still in a gated community, especially after the double break-ins last year. Preferably gated with electric fencing so I don't have to spend too much on grills. I don't have to keep looking over my shoulders whenever I see shadows.
5. Fruit trees! Loads and loads of fruit trees.
6. Dekat dengan sekolah.
7. Tak banyak kereta lalu pasal I want the kids to be able to cycle around without me having to yell every 5 minutes "tepi...tepi...kereta nak lalu!!".
8. Not in KL town. Tak nak all the traffic.
9. Not too far off from KL. Still nak gi weekend jalan-jalan.
Best kan? Dok angan-angan camtu....
Sebab, to be honest I really thought my dream sanctuary is truly an angan-angan. Mana nak dapat lagi tempat camtu?
Until....one day....we dropped by Planters Haven.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The minimum specs for each property:
- land area is one acre
- minimum pokok buah ~ 20 trees
- build up - 5300 psf
Other lavish stuff:
- Clubhouse with swimming pool
- Stables for horses
- Gated community with 24/7 security
- Massive area for pool/bbq party
Sigh....if this is not a "dream property", I don't know what is....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dulu-dulu, seronok punyer daydream. Now bila dah tau tempat camtu exists....isshhhh.....naik demam pulak thinking of the price.
But then again, this is the beauty of daydreaming. It creates a cita-cita and the drive to improve oneself.
Nothing is impossible. Some things are highly improbable, hence the daydreaming.
One day...
Friday, January 09, 2009
PAFA
Perkara Asas Fardhu Ain - PAFA
Yup...the very same that will be tested on UPSR candidates = Opi!!
Thank God for the beauty of internet, I managed to have a "book" on what will be tested, which ones will be done on amali basis and what to memorise. But as a parent, I am still risau with all these examination's requirement. So he has PAFA....he also has PEKA, ntha apa maksud the acronym la but someting gotta do with some Science projects. This part I tak worry sangat cause (from what I googled), the 'projects' will be given some time to prepare at home. Which directly translated to ..... Mummy will be doing the test/experiment/project. But then again, we cannot be too sure about all these....
Coming back to PAFA...I looked through all the 13 Kod...very basic, the very fundamentals of Islamic knowledge like mengucap, rukun Islam, rukun Iman, sembahyang and so on. Semua orang Islam patut tau, betul tak?
Apparently not.
Case in point - we went to KLCC on Friday 9th January 2009 as Hubby wanted to buy himself a pair of working shoes. His requirement very simple - basic and comfy....nothing fancy, nothing grand. So we went around to a few shops and at around 8:15pm, we stepped into Z*ra for Men kat lower ground floor.
Baru masuk, tengah dok belek2 some stuff, tetiba Hubby came and grabbed my arms "jom, let's get out". Aku pun blur2 lah and then Hubby turned around to one (melayu) male SA and told him off....
"Hey...kenapa letak the sign to say pig's lining tu kat belakang kasut?! You all should letak kat depan so muslims do not have to tersalah pegang"
The SA just smirked, shrugged off and turned around as if nothing happened.
Hah...tu dia...that set off my pissed-off mode lah...aku pun apa lagi, terus pusing balik to the SA and said, "you jangan turn your face away, show some respect to my husband. He's talking to you and oh...stop pulling faces at me!"
I stormed off to the counter, demanding to talk to the manager who conveniently was not around. Don't they all??
The female cashier (also a melayu) listened to my story and tried her damnest to explain.
"Akak pegang dalam ke luar kasut sebab yg pig's lining tu kat dalam aje, kalau pegang luar...takpe...tak salah.."
I was stumped for words.
Are you trying to get technical with me???
Kulit babi hukumnye HARAM. Period.
Peduli apa aku kat luar or kat dalam.
The point is - you guys put the sign at the back. Why??
I give up.
There is a very good reason why PAFA is mandatory..............
Yup...the very same that will be tested on UPSR candidates = Opi!!
Thank God for the beauty of internet, I managed to have a "book" on what will be tested, which ones will be done on amali basis and what to memorise. But as a parent, I am still risau with all these examination's requirement. So he has PAFA....he also has PEKA, ntha apa maksud the acronym la but someting gotta do with some Science projects. This part I tak worry sangat cause (from what I googled), the 'projects' will be given some time to prepare at home. Which directly translated to ..... Mummy will be doing the test/experiment/project. But then again, we cannot be too sure about all these....
Coming back to PAFA...I looked through all the 13 Kod...very basic, the very fundamentals of Islamic knowledge like mengucap, rukun Islam, rukun Iman, sembahyang and so on. Semua orang Islam patut tau, betul tak?
Apparently not.
Case in point - we went to KLCC on Friday 9th January 2009 as Hubby wanted to buy himself a pair of working shoes. His requirement very simple - basic and comfy....nothing fancy, nothing grand. So we went around to a few shops and at around 8:15pm, we stepped into Z*ra for Men kat lower ground floor.
Baru masuk, tengah dok belek2 some stuff, tetiba Hubby came and grabbed my arms "jom, let's get out". Aku pun blur2 lah and then Hubby turned around to one (melayu) male SA and told him off....
"Hey...kenapa letak the sign to say pig's lining tu kat belakang kasut?! You all should letak kat depan so muslims do not have to tersalah pegang"
The SA just smirked, shrugged off and turned around as if nothing happened.
Hah...tu dia...that set off my pissed-off mode lah...aku pun apa lagi, terus pusing balik to the SA and said, "you jangan turn your face away, show some respect to my husband. He's talking to you and oh...stop pulling faces at me!"
I stormed off to the counter, demanding to talk to the manager who conveniently was not around. Don't they all??
The female cashier (also a melayu) listened to my story and tried her damnest to explain.
"Akak pegang dalam ke luar kasut sebab yg pig's lining tu kat dalam aje, kalau pegang luar...takpe...tak salah.."
I was stumped for words.
Are you trying to get technical with me???
Kulit babi hukumnye HARAM. Period.
Peduli apa aku kat luar or kat dalam.
The point is - you guys put the sign at the back. Why??
I give up.
There is a very good reason why PAFA is mandatory..............
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
When your heart and head collide
Yesterday after school and while I was "working from home", I peeped into Purse Blog and stared (drooled???) at Anya Hindmarch's Cooper.
Tetiba Opi kata "nape mummy tak beli aje....beli lah...then you'll be happy"
Somehow his statement caught me off-guard. Why don't I just save my money and buy the bag. It costs around RM4,500.00.
Can I buy? Yes I can save that much money.
Will I buy? Hell no!!
"Opi...you tak paham. If ever I managed to save up to 4K pun, I would prefer to put that amount in your education funds. Kan you nak pi study overseas? Sekarang ni susah nak dapat scholarship so I need to save up for both you and Isya. Tun Mahathir kata the most important achievement is education".
Opi shrugged off and said "then nape mumy beli PS2 for us? Kan boleh simpan duit tu?"
"Tu lain...iisshshhshh"
Maybe one day when you have kids you'll understand. I hope you do. When the time comes...remember me. If I belum tua sangat lagi nak bawak Cooper....beli kan untuk your mummy.
Tetiba Opi kata "nape mummy tak beli aje....beli lah...then you'll be happy"
Somehow his statement caught me off-guard. Why don't I just save my money and buy the bag. It costs around RM4,500.00.
Can I buy? Yes I can save that much money.
Will I buy? Hell no!!
"Opi...you tak paham. If ever I managed to save up to 4K pun, I would prefer to put that amount in your education funds. Kan you nak pi study overseas? Sekarang ni susah nak dapat scholarship so I need to save up for both you and Isya. Tun Mahathir kata the most important achievement is education".
Opi shrugged off and said "then nape mumy beli PS2 for us? Kan boleh simpan duit tu?"
"Tu lain...iisshshhshh"
Maybe one day when you have kids you'll understand. I hope you do. When the time comes...remember me. If I belum tua sangat lagi nak bawak Cooper....beli kan untuk your mummy.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Another first day @ school
First days are usually chaotic, tiring, upsetting, annoying and simply a test of patience.
My patience.
Not the kids.
Not my hubby.
Just me...
Waking up earlier than usual...preparing toast breads and milo in my half-awake state of mind...ensure the kids are prepared (that is not an easy task especially after 6 weeks of tido lambat/bangun lambat luxury)...
This year, Isya is a..urm...reason for me to tarik nafas panjang . That girl is Ms Perfect. Semua kena cantik. So she took her time mandi, pakai baju, berus gigi (twice), tie her hair up, pakai perfume (yes...perfume).....
Penat.....
By 7am...we were off to school. The another sets of bebenda memenatkan minda...
Fighting for a parking spot proved to be quite a challenge on the first day.
The teachers cukup suka lengthy ucapan. They started from 730am....right up to 930am!! No kidding!!
Penat...
Ngantuk..
And by the by....my boss only bagi half day aje...the other half kena work from home.
So here I am...mengadap my laptop...in the midst of explaining some cost breakdown...
Penat....
Ok....surround myself with all things positive......
Penat babe!!
My patience.
Not the kids.
Not my hubby.
Just me...
Waking up earlier than usual...preparing toast breads and milo in my half-awake state of mind...ensure the kids are prepared (that is not an easy task especially after 6 weeks of tido lambat/bangun lambat luxury)...
This year, Isya is a..urm...reason for me to tarik nafas panjang . That girl is Ms Perfect. Semua kena cantik. So she took her time mandi, pakai baju, berus gigi (twice), tie her hair up, pakai perfume (yes...perfume).....
Penat.....
By 7am...we were off to school. The another sets of bebenda memenatkan minda...
Fighting for a parking spot proved to be quite a challenge on the first day.
The teachers cukup suka lengthy ucapan. They started from 730am....right up to 930am!! No kidding!!
Penat...
Ngantuk..
And by the by....my boss only bagi half day aje...the other half kena work from home.
So here I am...mengadap my laptop...in the midst of explaining some cost breakdown...
Penat....
Ok....surround myself with all things positive......
Penat babe!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Awal Muharram
My new year resolution will be the simplest....
I want to surround myself with all things positive!!
I want to apply the 80/20 rule
...with every 20% of negative incidents
... you have 80% of positive things that you're blessed with.
I want to surround myself with all things positive!!
I want to apply the 80/20 rule
...with every 20% of negative incidents
... you have 80% of positive things that you're blessed with.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Shopping Rampage
Cancelled vacation = ~rm1,000.00
The elated faces of my children & hubby = PRICELESS!!
We got ourselves these beauties....
A brand new PS2 to replace the stolen one. I still tak maafkan those blardy robbers just took this way from the kids.
LG Cookie - touch screen phone for hubby.
Unnecessary taxi ride to KLIA = ~RM100.00
Shopping rampage = ~RM2,000.00
The elated faces of my children & hubby = PRICELESS!!
We got ourselves these beauties....
A brand new PS2 to replace the stolen one. I still tak maafkan those blardy robbers just took this way from the kids.
LG Cookie - touch screen phone for hubby.MAC Studio Fix for me...hehehe. I wanted kononnyer to buy the Chanel Teint one tapi the SA kat Isetan KL macam tak nak layan I jer. Maybe I don't look like those mak datin or even potential buyer. Too bad b*tch...
And for me again....Crocs Mary Jane in Dark Brown. Tu la pasal...I dok gelak kan Dodek pakai kasut ni. Best gak this shoes, very the comfy.
And for my girl, Isya...
All in one day. But at least we came back home happy. Thats the most important thing....be happy!!
Our Year-end Vacation
Thursday 18th December 2008
Hotel - checked
Flight - checked
Taxi to KLIA - checked
Cat Food - checked
Luggage all done - checked
Yep...ready to go.........
Friday 19th December 2008
530 am - Got up, showered and cleaned the house...ye la nak tinggalkan rumah for a few days...
600 am - Kejutkan semua....Hubby, Opi and Isya. As always...Isya jumped into the shower first since she will take ages to get ready anyway.
700 am - Taxi came
Mak ooi...bila sampai kat KLIA, panjangnyer line! Takpe...during school holidays memang camni so mengenangkan nak bercuti, so we queued up without much protests from the kids. I rasa pasai depa too excited kot.
830 am - Finally we got to the counter. All was a breeze until....
Counter lady : Can I see the children's birth certs?
Hubby : Erm...we don't have them..we normally never bring them around
Counter lady : Then Im very sorry cos it is the policy, we need to see the birth certs else we cannot let you in.
Hubby : We have been travelling but we've never brought the certs...why now??
Counter lady : tak tau la masa dulu2kan...maybe you all lucky but I cannot let you in...
v
v
v
{...a lot of words were exchanged during this time..}
v
v
v
v
{...you can imagine the words...}
v
v
v
v
That was it....
We couldn't change the flight because all the flights were full for the next 4 days before Xmas. All the $$$ for nothing. All the anticipation for what again????
Isya controlled her tears...and that broke my heart. Maybe sometimes it is easier if she just wails out her frustration. Just don't look at me with those unshed tears...
Opi just couldn't speak. His face was all red with emotions. His hands were clenched.
Hubby tried his best to call the hotel to cancel the booking, but because it was too short a notice, they still charged him the hotel cost in full. Then he turned quiet...very quiet...too quiet...aiyayayayya..........
1 noon - I switched on my laptop and started a full-blown search of all the hotels, starting from Johor. Still berkobar-kobar. You need to be in my shoes to know the feelings....Isya sat very close to me, peeping at the screen...hoping for the vacation.
The suitcases were still unpacked...
The leftover excitement was still in the air...
High hopes between the kids...they played and laughed and occasionally looked at me, in case of any good news...
230 pm - Hubby came back from Friday prayers. For me...still no luck. I tried all the hotels. From the mid-class to 5-star hotels...from Johor to PD to Cameron to Penang. All fully booked!! Even the boutique resorts were fully booked. Damn...banyaknyer duit depa ni!!
630 pm - This self-appointed travel agent officially closed shop. The tear dam pun pecah. Isya started crying. Opi locked himself up in his room. I blur.....
730 pm - Our spending rampage began....
Tu la pasal.. the wallet hath no fury like a spoiled vacation plan.
Hotel - checked
Flight - checked
Taxi to KLIA - checked
Cat Food - checked
Luggage all done - checked
Yep...ready to go.........
Friday 19th December 2008
530 am - Got up, showered and cleaned the house...ye la nak tinggalkan rumah for a few days...
600 am - Kejutkan semua....Hubby, Opi and Isya. As always...Isya jumped into the shower first since she will take ages to get ready anyway.
700 am - Taxi came
Mak ooi...bila sampai kat KLIA, panjangnyer line! Takpe...during school holidays memang camni so mengenangkan nak bercuti, so we queued up without much protests from the kids. I rasa pasai depa too excited kot.
830 am - Finally we got to the counter. All was a breeze until....
Counter lady : Can I see the children's birth certs?
Hubby : Erm...we don't have them..we normally never bring them around
Counter lady : Then Im very sorry cos it is the policy, we need to see the birth certs else we cannot let you in.
Hubby : We have been travelling but we've never brought the certs...why now??
Counter lady : tak tau la masa dulu2kan...maybe you all lucky but I cannot let you in...
v
v
v
{...a lot of words were exchanged during this time..}
v
v
v
v
{...you can imagine the words...}
v
v
v
v
That was it....
We couldn't change the flight because all the flights were full for the next 4 days before Xmas. All the $$$ for nothing. All the anticipation for what again????
Isya controlled her tears...and that broke my heart. Maybe sometimes it is easier if she just wails out her frustration. Just don't look at me with those unshed tears...
Opi just couldn't speak. His face was all red with emotions. His hands were clenched.
Hubby tried his best to call the hotel to cancel the booking, but because it was too short a notice, they still charged him the hotel cost in full. Then he turned quiet...very quiet...too quiet...aiyayayayya..........
1 noon - I switched on my laptop and started a full-blown search of all the hotels, starting from Johor. Still berkobar-kobar. You need to be in my shoes to know the feelings....Isya sat very close to me, peeping at the screen...hoping for the vacation.
The suitcases were still unpacked...
The leftover excitement was still in the air...
High hopes between the kids...they played and laughed and occasionally looked at me, in case of any good news...
230 pm - Hubby came back from Friday prayers. For me...still no luck. I tried all the hotels. From the mid-class to 5-star hotels...from Johor to PD to Cameron to Penang. All fully booked!! Even the boutique resorts were fully booked. Damn...banyaknyer duit depa ni!!
630 pm - This self-appointed travel agent officially closed shop. The tear dam pun pecah. Isya started crying. Opi locked himself up in his room. I blur.....
730 pm - Our spending rampage began....
Tu la pasal.. the wallet hath no fury like a spoiled vacation plan.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Pening Lalat
I’m writing this as part of my de-stressing program.
At this time (15:12 on 10th Dec 2008) I believe my brain has frozen. Can feel my eyes water…not sure … tears of weariness or just due to staring at my laptop screen for too long a time.
I penat lah. The team I’m managing used to be staffed with 8 people. Now it is down to 4, including moi. So that simply means I have to take up a lot more crap load. The management is still freezing intake of new staff, and yet they are loading us up with more crap.
My only solace is back home. So I dumped all my office worries somewhere in between Cyberjaya and Nilai…usually dekat the Dengkil highway.
On another note…masa my house got broken into, some of the people here collected some $$$ to buy my kids a PS2. That was in August….sampai la ni, tak nampak batang hidung! Bukan lah I nak kepoh cos its all duit kutipan hasil ehsan orang tapi…camne I nak mintak ek?
Thing is next year, Opi will sit for his UPSR (read: no more games) so I (or Opi) would like to have it now during cuti sekolah. AT least bagi lah budak tu some enjoyment sikit before kena kurung buat kerja…
So I wrote this down to the guy’s IM:
> sir..dont know how to put this down
> but is there any news on the PS2?
> cos my son gonna start his UPSR next year and he has only 2 weeks left of freedom
Takde reply….
Haiyah…
Some people….
At this time (15:12 on 10th Dec 2008) I believe my brain has frozen. Can feel my eyes water…not sure … tears of weariness or just due to staring at my laptop screen for too long a time.
I penat lah. The team I’m managing used to be staffed with 8 people. Now it is down to 4, including moi. So that simply means I have to take up a lot more crap load. The management is still freezing intake of new staff, and yet they are loading us up with more crap.
My only solace is back home. So I dumped all my office worries somewhere in between Cyberjaya and Nilai…usually dekat the Dengkil highway.
On another note…masa my house got broken into, some of the people here collected some $$$ to buy my kids a PS2. That was in August….sampai la ni, tak nampak batang hidung! Bukan lah I nak kepoh cos its all duit kutipan hasil ehsan orang tapi…camne I nak mintak ek?
Thing is next year, Opi will sit for his UPSR (read: no more games) so I (or Opi) would like to have it now during cuti sekolah. AT least bagi lah budak tu some enjoyment sikit before kena kurung buat kerja…
So I wrote this down to the guy’s IM:
> sir..dont know how to put this down
> but is there any news on the PS2?
> cos my son gonna start his UPSR next year and he has only 2 weeks left of freedom
Takde reply….
Haiyah…
Some people….
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
This is life
We just came back from a gorgeous vacation in Club Med and continued on to Legends Resort with Jim Bob and his brood last week...
sigh...
Vacation is always too short. Despite the late nights, makan fest all the time and sun burning in the pool...vacation is always way too short.
Now I am in a 5-hour marathon teleconference with folks in London, trying to close a contract negotiation. This is what they meant with cost cutting..haha..rather than fly me to UK, they would rather have a teleconf, which is generaly translated to longer hours of discussion because it is quite difficult to handle intricate contract nego with NetMeeting.
All I can think about is another vacation.....
sigh...
Vacation is always too short. Despite the late nights, makan fest all the time and sun burning in the pool...vacation is always way too short.
Now I am in a 5-hour marathon teleconference with folks in London, trying to close a contract negotiation. This is what they meant with cost cutting..haha..rather than fly me to UK, they would rather have a teleconf, which is generaly translated to longer hours of discussion because it is quite difficult to handle intricate contract nego with NetMeeting.
All I can think about is another vacation.....
Friday, November 07, 2008
Lagu Latar Belakang
If you have a song for every moment in your life, what would it be?
If I want to dance (alone of course), I would dance to Mary J Blige’s Family Affair.
And if I want to perasan like I have the greatest (better than Leona Lewis’) voice of all then I will play Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing…or maybe for the Malay version, I will go for Siti’s Bukan Cinta Biasa…hahahahahha
I also have a theme song when I am upset at work. Destiny’s Child’s Survivor. Cliché lah a bit…but who cares…
For my zaman-zaman kegemilangan dulu-dulu….I would play Karyn White’s Secret Rendezvous & Romantic.
Oh yea….for my lovey dovey song…Whitney’s All the Man that I Need.
Superb!!
If I want to dance (alone of course), I would dance to Mary J Blige’s Family Affair.
And if I want to perasan like I have the greatest (better than Leona Lewis’) voice of all then I will play Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing…or maybe for the Malay version, I will go for Siti’s Bukan Cinta Biasa…hahahahahha
I also have a theme song when I am upset at work. Destiny’s Child’s Survivor. Cliché lah a bit…but who cares…
For my zaman-zaman kegemilangan dulu-dulu….I would play Karyn White’s Secret Rendezvous & Romantic.
Oh yea….for my lovey dovey song…Whitney’s All the Man that I Need.
Superb!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Office Politics....
Ramai ambik MBA pasal they think that they will be better at work, get better pay, get better job…
Most just want to be better…
Some are better
but Some think they are better…
So they start drawing up matrices, the usual high impact/low urgency quadrants, fish-bone diagrams, mind-mapping stuff…..
Lepas the pawow presentation…hilang…lesap…takde follow-up…
+++
Another “cannot tahan” phrase in the office yang to me too over-rated is…
Think out of the Box
Like…apa tu??
Eh…dalam box tu pun tak tau boleh pikir ke tidak….nak suruh orang to think out of the box…or worse…claim that they are thinking out of the box…
You know…opening up their sentence by “ok ok…just thinking out of the box….yadda yadda…”
Awat kena declare that they are thinking out of the box….?
Most just want to be better…
Some are better
but Some think they are better…
So they start drawing up matrices, the usual high impact/low urgency quadrants, fish-bone diagrams, mind-mapping stuff…..
Lepas the pawow presentation…hilang…lesap…takde follow-up…
+++
Another “cannot tahan” phrase in the office yang to me too over-rated is…
Think out of the Box
Like…apa tu??
Eh…dalam box tu pun tak tau boleh pikir ke tidak….nak suruh orang to think out of the box…or worse…claim that they are thinking out of the box…
You know…opening up their sentence by “ok ok…just thinking out of the box….yadda yadda…”
Awat kena declare that they are thinking out of the box….?
+++
I don’t understand kenapa some people have this “I’m rushing for xxxx….or I have a lot of urgent issues on my plate now..” ALL the time??
Once a while…fine, understandable but ALL the time..??
Does one have to stay back every single day?
Does staying back = hard(er) worker?
Rushing all the time = inefficient..? Right??
Does timely, accurate deliverables play bigger importance than..rushing..??
Then again, my dear…perception is vital….
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wallowing in Self Pity
I sebenarnyer sakit hati....
dah lama makin hati, this year - 2008 macam tak jive well with my yin and yang...give up lah
Career-wise :-
1. Been outsourced to an IT company
2. In the same team
3. But different portfolio...was handling hardware for 4.5 years, now due to massive reshuffling, I'm looking into softwares and licensing
4. Despite number one, I'm still using the old email. Macam orang cerai gantung tak bertali. Sometimes its better to have a direct cut-off then to give unlimited grace period. Its like...apa tu??
5. Mr X is now my boss. No need to elaborate...
In the Home-Front :-
1. House got robbed twice before puasa in the interval of 2 weeks time.
Bukan sakit hati...more like continuous depressing mode.
I need to step a few steps back, reevaluate life and career, give myself a target and work for it.
Nanti sat....in the meantime...let me light my Marlboro....
dah lama makin hati, this year - 2008 macam tak jive well with my yin and yang...give up lah
Career-wise :-
1. Been outsourced to an IT company
2. In the same team
3. But different portfolio...was handling hardware for 4.5 years, now due to massive reshuffling, I'm looking into softwares and licensing
4. Despite number one, I'm still using the old email. Macam orang cerai gantung tak bertali. Sometimes its better to have a direct cut-off then to give unlimited grace period. Its like...apa tu??
5. Mr X is now my boss. No need to elaborate...
In the Home-Front :-
1. House got robbed twice before puasa in the interval of 2 weeks time.
Bukan sakit hati...more like continuous depressing mode.
I need to step a few steps back, reevaluate life and career, give myself a target and work for it.
Nanti sat....in the meantime...let me light my Marlboro....
Friday, October 10, 2008
trivial woes of me...
Raya just over...had no baju raya so wore one which was 3 years old (which I have to admit my 'baju kurung paling baru), and showed off my bulges here and there. That should tell you how long I've not done any new baju kurung...nor have I gone to any kenduri kahwin or whatnots that require me to wear baju kurung.
I did try to beli baju but OMG...the prices can make tarik rambut. Went to a boutique in the Mall and with my muka tak malu asked the SA, "Sebelum I tengok, apa harga baju kurung paling murah you ada?". She replied "Dalam rm600.00, kak". Apa lagi....terus pusing keluar...sigh...
Went to Seoul last August in hope to buy fake goods. I was hoping to get me the LV Speedy 30.
Tapi takde...beat that...well I (dgn proud semacamnyer) saved up rm500 for my purchase(s) of fake goods and came back with a rm35 PVC handbag.
After the trip, my hubby's friend told him "Nape pi Korea...that is so 10 years ago...we all now go to Saigon..."
Yeah right...baru now lah nak cakap...after I dah perabiskan banyak fulus in Seoul for a rm30 bowl of mee/person....
I sebenarnyer suka handbags...hahahahahha....betoi punyer suka...tapi mahal giler lah yg real punyer..the LV Speedy is around rm3000 in Dubai. Kat M'sia tak tau pasai malu nak masuk the kedai...hahahahahh....
My other keinginan is the Fendi Spy Bag...
I did try to beli baju but OMG...the prices can make tarik rambut. Went to a boutique in the Mall and with my muka tak malu asked the SA, "Sebelum I tengok, apa harga baju kurung paling murah you ada?". She replied "Dalam rm600.00, kak". Apa lagi....terus pusing keluar...sigh...
Went to Seoul last August in hope to buy fake goods. I was hoping to get me the LV Speedy 30.
Tapi takde...beat that...well I (dgn proud semacamnyer) saved up rm500 for my purchase(s) of fake goods and came back with a rm35 PVC handbag.
After the trip, my hubby's friend told him "Nape pi Korea...that is so 10 years ago...we all now go to Saigon..."
Yeah right...baru now lah nak cakap...after I dah perabiskan banyak fulus in Seoul for a rm30 bowl of mee/person....
I sebenarnyer suka handbags...hahahahahha....betoi punyer suka...tapi mahal giler lah yg real punyer..the LV Speedy is around rm3000 in Dubai. Kat M'sia tak tau pasai malu nak masuk the kedai...hahahahahh....
My other keinginan is the Fendi Spy Bag...
Retail in M'sia around rm7680.00....yg ciplak kat Sg Wang is rm150.00....Hmmppph
If wishes come true, I would wish for a Bottega Veneta's Veneta Handbag. Classic...soft, dreamy leather. A class of its own.....
Tapi....aiyo.....banyaknyer ciplak. Bottega Veneta's bag is super pricey...tetiba ramai lah pulak makcik2 amoi2 bawak....lalu saya cancel aje lah...
Ok this is what I don't quite get. Nak kata gaji, my salary is quite ok. Camner I tak boleh nak beli ek? I betul2 tak sanggup nak part with so much cash at one go....a few thousnads for a handbag does not go down well with my brain capacity lah. Tapi every day I tengok this website and weep...http://bag-aholics.blogspot.com/
Honestly...biar betoi....yes, quite envious jugak tengok depa punyer handbag selections.
Let see now....let's do an estimate of my monthly spending...
Nett that goes in the account - rmX
minus Fixed Expenses - rmY
Rumah - rm?
Kereta Merah - rm?
Kereta Biru Abah - rm?
Insurance bebudak - rm?
Duit Mak Abah - rm?
CC Bill - rm?
Bas Sekolah Opi - rm?
Tadika Isya - rm?
Music Class - rm?
Grocery - rm?
Petrol - rm?
ASB - rm?
Duit bergembira - rm?
....Apa yg tinggal ek?
Camner nak beli ni...fake or original....sama aje tak mampu
you think baju tu larat to sampai ke Raya 2009 ke??
Monday, November 27, 2006
Looking back at Houston
There are so many stories about the US and Houston that I’d heard from people. The good, the bad and the ugly. Many of them proved to be untrue. I guess you have to experience everything yourself to know.
Firstly, the customs check at LAX was a breeze. It took me about 10 minutes from getting off from my seat on the plane to waiting for my bags at the baggage claims. I know because I actually timed myself. I was actually keener to prove how long it takes to do the notorious custom clearance in the US. I was obviously pleasantly disappointed!!
The different thing about the Americans is that they group their cities and towns into zonal areas. I chose to stay in an Airport hotel in LAX, so it would be easier for me to just drag my bags slowly to the hotel. (Think: Pan Pacific KLIA). I soon learnt that ‘airport zone’ in LA is decoded as 5 miles across with the actual airport as the center of the diameter! So an airport hotel simply means that it is within the 5 miles radius and a hotel listed as 1.0 mile from airport means it is 1.0 mile outside the circle. Well, anyway…I took a shuttle to my ‘airport hotel’, which was quite unpleasant since the driver had to drop off the other passengers before me. It took him approximately 45 minutes before reaching the hotel. Since my flight to Houston was scheduled early the next morning, I didn’t have any time to spare for the famous Hollywood Boulevard or the Universal Studios. Maybe next time..heh heh!
Houston proved to be a better town for my senses. The people are way nicer, the town is so spread out and not congested and the hotel room is really nice. There are 8800 eating places in Houston! In fact Houston has the most eating places in the whole of US. I had the fantastic experience of dining at one of the top Houston restaurants – Brennans@Houston. The maitre’d was exactly how I pictured him to be – aloof and complete with a fake French accent. The house specialties was turtle soup. Yup good ‘ol Louisiana turtle soup! Well…That was what the waiter told me when I asked him about the turtle. He adamantly claimed that they are not in anyway endangering the species because the turtles that they used are “bred-to-be-consumed Louisiana turtles”. Funny ain’t it? How people would come to other countries and claim animal rights and then come up with a perfectly good explanation for them.
The hotel I was staying in is located in the Galleria area. Its supposed to be the numero uno shopping district in uptown Houston. It serves the neighbourhood of River Oaks. You get to see huge, palatial mansions of the ‘old money’ of the Houston elites. That simply means to me as having to pay up to 20% extra for most of the stuff. And simply means that I was running out of cash more quickly than I anticipated. However if I were to make an honest comparison…its more like our KLCC, not even our Starhill status. You can get Coach handbags for much cheaper price than in KL. The latest release was selling for only USD380…and that’s 1/3 of the price in Malaysia! Nasib baik credit limit dah nak maximum…kalau tidak..sigh!!
Its also pretty amazing to note that brands like Etienne Aigner is cheap but Liz Clairborne is more expensive.
I miss the family when I was there. There are so many things that I’m sure they would enjoy. Like I said earlier…maybe next time. And if next time ever comes…I definitely gonna buy that Coach handbag! I will be back with a vengeance!!
Firstly, the customs check at LAX was a breeze. It took me about 10 minutes from getting off from my seat on the plane to waiting for my bags at the baggage claims. I know because I actually timed myself. I was actually keener to prove how long it takes to do the notorious custom clearance in the US. I was obviously pleasantly disappointed!!
The different thing about the Americans is that they group their cities and towns into zonal areas. I chose to stay in an Airport hotel in LAX, so it would be easier for me to just drag my bags slowly to the hotel. (Think: Pan Pacific KLIA). I soon learnt that ‘airport zone’ in LA is decoded as 5 miles across with the actual airport as the center of the diameter! So an airport hotel simply means that it is within the 5 miles radius and a hotel listed as 1.0 mile from airport means it is 1.0 mile outside the circle. Well, anyway…I took a shuttle to my ‘airport hotel’, which was quite unpleasant since the driver had to drop off the other passengers before me. It took him approximately 45 minutes before reaching the hotel. Since my flight to Houston was scheduled early the next morning, I didn’t have any time to spare for the famous Hollywood Boulevard or the Universal Studios. Maybe next time..heh heh!
Houston proved to be a better town for my senses. The people are way nicer, the town is so spread out and not congested and the hotel room is really nice. There are 8800 eating places in Houston! In fact Houston has the most eating places in the whole of US. I had the fantastic experience of dining at one of the top Houston restaurants – Brennans@Houston. The maitre’d was exactly how I pictured him to be – aloof and complete with a fake French accent. The house specialties was turtle soup. Yup good ‘ol Louisiana turtle soup! Well…That was what the waiter told me when I asked him about the turtle. He adamantly claimed that they are not in anyway endangering the species because the turtles that they used are “bred-to-be-consumed Louisiana turtles”. Funny ain’t it? How people would come to other countries and claim animal rights and then come up with a perfectly good explanation for them.
The hotel I was staying in is located in the Galleria area. Its supposed to be the numero uno shopping district in uptown Houston. It serves the neighbourhood of River Oaks. You get to see huge, palatial mansions of the ‘old money’ of the Houston elites. That simply means to me as having to pay up to 20% extra for most of the stuff. And simply means that I was running out of cash more quickly than I anticipated. However if I were to make an honest comparison…its more like our KLCC, not even our Starhill status. You can get Coach handbags for much cheaper price than in KL. The latest release was selling for only USD380…and that’s 1/3 of the price in Malaysia! Nasib baik credit limit dah nak maximum…kalau tidak..sigh!!
Its also pretty amazing to note that brands like Etienne Aigner is cheap but Liz Clairborne is more expensive.
I miss the family when I was there. There are so many things that I’m sure they would enjoy. Like I said earlier…maybe next time. And if next time ever comes…I definitely gonna buy that Coach handbag! I will be back with a vengeance!!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Tun Mahathir
This post is in no means politically-inclined. This is a personal view.
I admire Tun Dr Mahathir. Period.
And my heart skipped a beat when I read in the newspapers that he suffered a mild stroke.
I know that everyone's a mortal but if I can say this to Tun M...
I truly believe that in one way or another... I am where I am today because of you.
Thank you.
I admire Tun Dr Mahathir. Period.
And my heart skipped a beat when I read in the newspapers that he suffered a mild stroke.
I know that everyone's a mortal but if I can say this to Tun M...
I truly believe that in one way or another... I am where I am today because of you.
Thank you.
Friday, November 03, 2006
My November Plan
I want to go to Dubai again. This time I want it to be..'work-related'. So I plan my work, orchestrate my strategy and escalations. I work up weekly meetings and address the necessary issues. I told Pona that I will visit her again in November/December timeframe. I even keep Emir's duit raya for the face2face occasion. I want to go again when the weather is more welcoming to the soul and of course, shopping. I need to buy another Rockport loafers..!!
I don't quite know how...but I am now holding tickets to go to Houston, instead *sigh*
How on earth my plans went topsy turvy, I don't know....
I've never been to States before so of course I'm excited. But I'm more anxious then excited. Firstly, I'll be travelling alone. Secondly, I've never been this far and this long away from the family. Thirdly, I am pretty nervous with the time difference. The schedule I have for me is very tight...from 8am to 10pm daily. That means I'll be having meetings and presentations to do between 7pm - 9am Malaysian time! Aiyo....how la to stay awake??
I will miss two weekends in the Raya month. I will miss Isya's very first kindergarten's concert. I will miss Opi's test to get himself the green belt for taekwondo.
I ask Isya to sing to me everyday now...preparing for her concert. She still doesn't know my workplan yet. Opi knows and I can tell he's pretty anxious himself, but I know he can take care of himself. Give him the online game...and he's good for half of the day. Its just that he needs to be reminded to take his showers...hmmph.
My dear hubby is more worried about getting up in the morning. I am his alarm clock. So I need to buy him a real one before I go off. And I will stock up the fridge with loads of frozen food.
I hope my maid remembers to treat Isya's hair with conditioner everytime she shampoos her hair. Otherwise it will get all tangled up and if it gets worse, someone has to snip off the little knots. Just the knots and not the rest....
Isk...I need to properly come up with a checklist of things to do la....
I don't quite know how...but I am now holding tickets to go to Houston, instead *sigh*
How on earth my plans went topsy turvy, I don't know....
I've never been to States before so of course I'm excited. But I'm more anxious then excited. Firstly, I'll be travelling alone. Secondly, I've never been this far and this long away from the family. Thirdly, I am pretty nervous with the time difference. The schedule I have for me is very tight...from 8am to 10pm daily. That means I'll be having meetings and presentations to do between 7pm - 9am Malaysian time! Aiyo....how la to stay awake??
I will miss two weekends in the Raya month. I will miss Isya's very first kindergarten's concert. I will miss Opi's test to get himself the green belt for taekwondo.
I ask Isya to sing to me everyday now...preparing for her concert. She still doesn't know my workplan yet. Opi knows and I can tell he's pretty anxious himself, but I know he can take care of himself. Give him the online game...and he's good for half of the day. Its just that he needs to be reminded to take his showers...hmmph.
My dear hubby is more worried about getting up in the morning. I am his alarm clock. So I need to buy him a real one before I go off. And I will stock up the fridge with loads of frozen food.
I hope my maid remembers to treat Isya's hair with conditioner everytime she shampoos her hair. Otherwise it will get all tangled up and if it gets worse, someone has to snip off the little knots. Just the knots and not the rest....
Isk...I need to properly come up with a checklist of things to do la....
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Its my birthday...
This morning, someone came up to me and asked "What's up with the make-up??"
Well...its my birthday and I can do anything on my birthday. Including putting on make-up.....
Well...its my birthday and I can do anything on my birthday. Including putting on make-up.....
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