through the looking glass i peek & i see...

things i have learnt....

2011-12-08T15:39:00.000+08:00

I’ve learned that...

..you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

..no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

..it takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it.

..no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

..it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

..you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

..you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

..you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

..you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

..you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

..you can keep going long after you can’t.

..we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

..either you control your attitude or it controls you.

..regardless of how hot & steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades & there had better be something else to take its place.

..heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

..money is a lousy way of keeping score.

..my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

..sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

..true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

..just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

..maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

..it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

..no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

..our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

..a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

..just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

..we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

..you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

..two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

..no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

..even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

..credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

..the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

..it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings, and standing up for what you believe.

..people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.

letting go

2011-11-30T09:34:00.003+08:00

who knew it would be so difficult to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, more so when the loved one is a four-legged furry one. the family mourned the loss of our beloved cat last night, who we had been with us for thirteen years. he practically grew up with the daughter. she was four when we got him.

thirteen years of him irritating us (and vice versa), greeting us at the door when we got back from work or school, thirteen years of feeding him at the hint of a meow...

furball mika, we will miss you dearly....may you rest in peace

twenty three years on...

2011-11-20T20:38:00.004+08:00

the sixth formers of '87/88 met up again two years later...this time we had the pleasure of the presence of our teachers & guest of honor was our principal, whom i would fondly refer to as mr. c...

didn't know what to expect.. would they remember us? would we remember them? well of all the teachers who came, only one taught my class. it was kinda embarrassing when all of us who were seated at one table who were from the same class (all the grand nine & one castaway of us) could not for the life of us remember what subject he taught us.. "sejarah melayu lah"... "no lah maths lah"... "we had sejarah melayu???" went round and round and round and yet we were none the wiser. so we said "you know what, why don't we just ask him?"...we did, and the horror!! he didn't remember teaching our class... ah well twenty three years on...must be the age factor... or that we weren't paying attention..all ten of us. surprisingly none of the smart asses from our class attended, i wonder why... i bet they would have remembered.

so anyways, moi was fashionably late. late. yes. fashionably. well i'd like to think so. ahaks!! i have no shame... and the evening started (really guys, you didn't have to wait for me you know). ahahahahahhaha... started off with the ice breaker..weird one that was. for a minute there i swore he was showing some pg13 or pg42 porn for the uninitiated... [note to self : when trying to avoid boring ice breaker sessions, use loo at the most bottom floor at the hotel on the other side of the street]. but all in all, it wasn't so bad. we survived. mr. c reminisced on how he ended up in the school and what he had to go through to turn the school around.

you know how they say time flies when you're having fun. well i must say, that two years in that school was the best time of my life -carefree, no worries in the world save for exams & it went by so fast that before you know it, twenty three years on it's a sense of deja vu when we seem them familiar faces, the familiar names. everyone spent the evening exchanging stories & having a good laugh.. it was a simple, yet beautiful event. we were just so comfortable with each other and it's like we never left school. all that was missing were us in uniforms, the infamous mr. c's canes and the pond that had us all curious on what was in it.

we are glad that we had the opportunity to show our gratitude to the educators who played a part in making us who we are - the persons we have become today, successful in our own right. we have only but a simple thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

so at the end of it all, it turned out great. lets not wait for the next twenty three years.

nice...

2011-11-08T12:32:00.002+08:00

42 caught up with me yesterday... got a whole load of messages sending wishes and greetings and all things good. felt nice. if i got it because i have a special place in their life, i am glad. if i got it cos facebook sent them a reminder...well that's nice too.

started the day with a nice brunch with the family. what a perfect way to start. then the hubby bought me a present. love it...

today i receive a mail from my evil twin on how she made a donation in my name as my birthday gift to the national cancer society. never has a gift been more special. a gift of hope from the heart. i'm loving it so much....

friends like these are diamonds in the rough. i am so glad she has come into my life...

again - from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to my evil twin. (yes the irony of it)

over the hill...

2011-10-28T12:55:00.003+08:00

Heard on the radio some time back that some women over 30 are not comfortable revealing their true age. Really?? I wonder why...

My 42nd birthday (yes 42 - you heard me loud and clear) is peeking from just round the corner & I am none the prouder to declare my true age. Would I change things or turn back time if I could? Nope.

Life begins at 30 or 40 or 50 - realistically, it is when you want it to begin. When you want to make good of it. Are you proud of or disappointed with what you have achieved or what you may have missed? Well I am proud of all that I have gone through..good or bad. My mantra - Everything happens for a reason. So good or bad, I take it in my stride. What didn't kill me made me stronger.

Would I want to go back being 20 or below 30? No way... I am happy with what I have become. More confident, mature (or so it seems) and having a blast at life. Why would I want to settle for anything less?

So there, I am over the hill and damn proud of it!!

welcoming myself back...

2011-10-20T10:47:00.003+08:00

wow!! it's been a while now.. well actually a long while. i have been up to my nostrils with work and such. not helping is the non ideas of what to rant about.

then i get a comment that my blog is interesting. thank you very much if you enjoy it. too bad really if you think it sucks. then a couple of friends ask me what's been happening, why is my blog 'dead'. so i decided to pay a visit to my space...and at the same time hope something comes to mind on what i shall ramble and rant about.

well, it will come. soon enough. i promise. i hope. don't give up on me yet. stay close......

Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you

2011-05-16T20:53:00.002+08:00

You know during the recent Bruno Mars concert held in Malaysia, seems a young chap proposed to his girl during the performance of 'Marry You'. He felt the song appropriate...

Really? Did he know what the song is really about?

It's a beautiful night, We're looking for something dumb to do

Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

Is it the look in your eyes, Or is it this dancing shoes

Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you

Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go

No one will know, Come on girl

Who cares if we're trashed got a a pocket full of cash we can blow

Shots of patron, And it's on girl

Don't say no, no, no, no-no

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah

And we'll go, go go, go-go

If you're ready like I'm ready

Cause it's a beautiful night, We're looking for something dumb to do

Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

Is it the look in your eyes, Or is it this dancing shoes

Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you

I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like ooh,

So whatcha wanna do, Let's just run girl

If we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool

No, I won't blame you, It was fun girl

Don't say no, no, no, no-no

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah

And we'll go, go go, go-go

If you're ready like I'm ready

Cause it's a beautiful night, We're looking for something dumb to do

Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

Is it the look in your eyes, Or is it this dancing shoes

Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you

Just say I do

Tell me right now baby

Cause it's a beautiful night, We're looking for something dumb to do

Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

Is it the look in your eyes, Or is it this dancing shoes

Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you

Really now? THIS is the song you want to be proposed to? Yes even if I was looking for something dumb to do, I don't THINK I wanna marry you...

And so the saying goes....

2011-05-05T12:37:00.001+08:00

The saying goes "The hand that rocks the cradle is the one that rules the world"...

I might want to change it a wee bit... "The hand that rocks the cradle is the same hand that can knock senses into you when need be"

HAPPY MOMMY'S DAY TO ALL THE YUMMY MOMMIES!!!!

Bringing Up Kids

2011-03-09T20:04:00.003+08:00

Have we ever stopped and wonder what went wrong when and where? Kids these days have forgotten the simple magic words - please & thank you.

Just last week, the hubby and I went out for lunch & a little boy (about 5 years old or so me thinks) wanted to wash his hands. So we helped him to soap his hand and turn off the tap for him when he was done. Not a thank you from him. But then again we can't blame the kid I suppose when his dad called the waiter "Oi". Simply rude...

Then this morning as I was walking towards the car to send the daughter to school, a mom and her two kids in tow was walking towards the car. Mom wasn't bothered with helping her kids with their school bags up the stairs. The girl is probably 8 or 9 and the boy is my guess 4 or 5. A kind elderly gentleman helped the kids with the bags & not a single 'thank you' from the kids, never mind the mother. Mom was already waiting in the car...

During lunch with a girlfriend a while back, she was telling of her 9 year old son who asked her "Someday, this house is going to be mine right?" to which she replied "Probably, if we still have it then or we might decide to sell it and spend all the money"

Just makes us wonder eh??

Reasons to Stop Loving

2011-02-09T21:33:00.003+08:00

I don't really want to be in this situation but when he confides in me, I just have to lend an ear. Trying to be unbiased or judgmental but if someone gave you these reasons on why they fell out of love with you and wanted out, what would you say:

"I wanted a Cayman but you got me a Boxter, it's not what I asked for"

"She (as in the ex wife) got a bigger house than me. You are not being fair"

Go figure.

When Generosity Means Something Else

2011-01-31T21:31:00.002+08:00

Just when I thought I knew her long enough, she goes and surprise. And not in the right way.

I have known her more than 10 years. She makes one lousy boss but she made a good friend. She offered to help if I ever needed it & she always offered me a job if she ever thought that I would benefit from it and that I could put my talent to good use.

Little did I expect of how 'insincere' she could be if she chose to.

Rewind to a little over a year ago. She received a gift hamper consisting of food stuffs for Chinese New Year last year. It was meant for all in the company but just because the card had her name on it... So anyways, we thought she would keep it till the Chinese New Year period was over and she would unwrap the hamper and share its contents. Which is what I always do when we get gifts like this.

But, no! It sat there in her room for ONE year & today she decides to give it away. Not throw it away as some food stuffs in the hamper might already have expired. No, she thought it such a waste & gave it away. To whom? The lady who cleans the office. Is she so low that she only deserves a hamper that is one year old?

I wouldn't have minded it so much if she took home when she received it one year ago. Neither would I have minded that it would simply go to waste if she decided to just dump it in the trash today. But to give it to another human being, regardless that she is just working as a cleaner?

I have lost all respect for this 'friend'....

Judge Not Others

2011-01-28T15:58:00.004+08:00

He asks me for suggestions on what to do in Singapore as he plans to bring his family there for a holiday. I give him ideas on things that may be fun for the kids. He then tells me that he wants to treat his wife for a Chippendales show. I tell him there is no such show yet there.

And the conversation is kept light until he tells me that there is one in Bangkok. So I tell him about the ladyboy show I caught when I was in Bangkok.

This ensues...

Him: Disgusting
Me: Why
Him: Not normal human beings
Me: Who are YOU to judge?
Him: Paying customer
Me: Then why pay to go see if you are disgusted. The choice is yours
Him: Yup. My choice
Me: If you so decide to pay and watch, do not then be a hypocrite. Do not play God and judge people for what they are and what they are not. That is between them and God.

Then... SILENCE......

So there, I said my piece. Now get out of my face!!

Perfect

2011-01-28T10:34:00.003+08:00

This is currently one of my favorite songs by one of my all time favorite artistes. She's a bit crazy but she's real. No pretences. What you see is what you get. Which is who I am. I speak as I see it. I say as I feel it. Sometimes it's tough love but life isn't a bed of roses. Even if it is, remember the thorns.

At one point in life, we get disillusioned & we want the world to end. Sometimes it's crystal clear, or it may just be a blur. If we have that someone special to hold on to, a shoulder to cry on, that faith and belief and that kind (or maybe not so kind) words of support - sometimes that's is ALL we need.

PERFECT (PINK)

Made a wrong turn, once or twice

Dug my way out, blood and fire

Bad decisions, that's alright

Welcome to my silly life

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood

Miss "no way, it's all good"

It didn't slow me down

Mistaken, always second guessing

Underestimated

Look, I'm still around

Pretty pretty please

Don't you ever ever feel

Like you're less than perfect

Pretty pretty please

If you ever ever feel like you're nothing

You are perfect to me

You’re so mean when you talk about yourself
You are wrong
Change the voices in your head
Make them like you instead
So complicated
Look how big you’ll make it
Filled with so much hatred
Such a tired game
It’s enough
I’ve done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons
I see you do the same

Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than, less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel like your nothing
You’re perfect to me

The world stares while I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in lying and we try try try

But we try too hard, it’s a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, cuz they’re everywhere
They don’t like my jeans, they don’t get my hair
Stringe ourselves and we do it all the time
Why do we do that?
Why do I do that?
Why do I do that?

Ooh, pretty pretty pretty,
Pretty pretty please don’t you ever ever feel
Like you’re less than, less than perfect
Pretty pretty please if you ever ever feel like you’re nothing
You’re perfect to me
You’re perfect
You’re perfect

Pretty, pretty please don’t you ever ever feel like you’re less than, less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please if you ever ever feel like you’re nothing, you are perfect to me

So however imperfect or messed up you think you are, someone begs to differ. If perfect is what you are looking for, then just stay the same.

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Not So Smart Phone??

2011-01-26T14:09:00.002+08:00

This is one hilarious site... http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

Dance!!

2011-01-25T14:14:00.005+08:00

Oh wow!! It's been a rather long while since I have put up a post. Thank heavens I still remember the address though...

Been very busy with work (same old excuse) & probably was stuck for ideas. To start off I'd like to share this...

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance... I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider

Give the heavens above more than a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance... I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance... I hope you dance

I hope you dance... I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

Note to self - give thanks for all the good things in life. Dance! Dance because I live. Dance because there is hope. Dance and never lose faith. Simply Dance. Appreciate and enjoy life while I can...

WELCOME BACK ME!!

there are friends and there are friends

2010-10-15T15:06:00.002+08:00

I received a joke on my BB and sent it out to a few friends. One comes back - "Sorry don't get what you mean, are you sure you sent it to the right person?"

I'm speechless & tell him "Never mind, it's a joke anyways..."

What do you say when it happens? Evil twin asks me if I am sure this guy is a friend since he can't get my jokes (not same wave-length).

So now people I know are categorized into the following:

Friends - people equally as crazy as (or worse) me to know what the hell I am talking about.
Others - not friends, you're just there
Pft - the tweedle-dumbs and the tweedle-asses of the world

Now let's see who can I put in what category....

2010-10-14T13:03:00.002+08:00

He tells me "To comply, you need to provide a hard copy of the invoice. We cannot accept e-invoice." Okay, fine - whatever, you just be responsible for one less tree.

Then today I find out his definition of hard copy is a print out of the e-invoice.

Go figure....

I need another piece of chocolate now.

likely & kindly

2010-09-20T16:34:00.003+08:00

Mr. Blur brings me this letter to vet & to edit where possible

On behalf of (the company's name), we would like to thank you for your very generous and kindly sponsorship of (gift item description) on our Second Annual Dinner (dinner theme).

Our Second Annual Dinner (dinner theme) will not be successful one without your support to the event.

Thank you once more for your generous and kindly sponsorship over the event. Your support is not something we take likely and is very much appreciated by everyone connected with the club.

How??

i'm with...

2010-09-17T14:45:00.002+08:00

Mr. Blur puts through a phone call for me and this conversation ensues... (for the uninitiated, Dato' Sri is a title/honor bestowed by the royal family to some prominent individuals in the country, akin to the title Lord or Sir)

Him: PJ, Syerin from Dato' Sri on the line for you...
Me: Who's Syerin? Which Dato' Sri?
Him: I don't know, maybe Dato' Sri Koh (he's one of the directors of the company)
Me: (confused cos Dato' Sri Koh's PA is a guy named Peter) Err, okay...

After taking the call, I realise that Syerin is the PA to another Dato' Sri in a another company. So I approach Mr. Blur and this follows:

Me: You do know that there are more than 1 Dato' Sri in Malaysia right? Not every Dato' Sri who call is Dato' Sri Koh...
Him: Oh I thought when she said Dato' Sri, it was Dato Sri Koh cos he's the only Dato' Sri we always encounter....

Duh!!??

NOTE TO SELF - IT IS ILLEGAL TO STAB PEOPLE FOR BEING STUPID!!!

Fun & Useless Facts #1

2010-09-14T15:52:00.004+08:00

For the heck of it, I am now answering questions via an SMS quiz with the help of the internet of course. Don't know who is right though...and I came across a site with fun (and useless??) facts.. One interesting one though...

'A domestic cat can frighten a black bear to climb a tree'

Tch!! They haven't seen MY domestic cat yet... tell me you think this one can scare a black bear up a tree??!!

House lizard also is questionable already (previous post remember??)

we are different but same-same

2010-09-14T12:23:00.002+08:00

I consider myself to be truly lucky to be a Malaysian. We live in a country that has a diverse ethnicity. And with that comes the different languages, cultures, beliefs, food (the most important of the lot!!)...

Came across this ad in Facebook & Youtube. Quite funny...

Hmmmm, sambal udang petai!! Yummmmmmm

of happiness & success

2010-08-25T18:10:00.003+08:00

Someone dear to me once said "Success is not how much money you have but how happy & contented you are with your life"...

I may be wrong if I did not quote her word for word but it was something to that effect. And I like this quote.

Yes, you may say we need money. I am not denying that we don't. We do, for the necessities. But in life, sad as it may seem - money is never enough. We are always wanting to add that one extra zero to the amount we earn. And soon enough, we become slaves to it. I know many a people who earn quite a handsome living but are constantly worrying about making more moolah.

The hubby & I went through that phase once. We weren't filthy rich but comfortable enough. But sadly, we weren't that happy. To cut a long story short - like they say 'easy come easy go'. We lost some if not all in some not so wise investments & then some.

We stuck through thick & thin. And realised that in life, is not always about the money. There are more important things than that. Many a times too, I have sacrificed my job for my family. And my bosses always are taken by surprise when I turn down the offer & simply tell them "It's not about the money. It's my family that matters."

Now, we have enough - enough to buy what we like, to make do with what we have, to live within our means, enough to be happy. We have family who mean the world to us, we have friends who matter to us. What more can I possibly want??

If that is how success is measured, yes then I have succeeded!!

stars of the...

2010-07-23T10:17:00.001+08:00

She IMs me to request for the company logo. They want to do a draft of the invitation card, she says. So I ask her if it was a good idea to put all the logos in the card (since they are are almost the same save for the name of the company at the bottom).

So I ask her what's the theme & tell her the card must complement the theme. She says 'Stars of the Night'. I ask her if it meant movie stars.

She says 'Ya you can come as Audrey Hupburn or Moonroe'

Who??

loud!!

2010-07-22T17:11:00.001+08:00

I changed the outlook of the blog, AGAIN. Cos someone complained that it's loud, gory & almost made her go blind. So there.

Hope it's better now....

a word a day

2010-07-20T15:53:00.000+08:00

Can anyone tell me what 'beliting' means??

broad band

2010-07-20T14:35:00.003+08:00

The Company wants to buy broadband sticks for the use of all travelling employees (and those they think who may have a use for it while out of the office). So this ensues:

Her: So, you want a broadband stick?
Me: Err, no. I don't want to be working whilst I am on holiday
Her: You know that the year end review is coming up right?
Me: Ya I know but I still don't want to be working while on holiday.

The IT guy laughs and she walks away. She knows me long enough to still not know me....

madre e hija

2010-07-15T10:24:00.002+08:00

It has to be a special bond when all I have to do is call out her name, look at a particular direction and she does the same; and it results in a smile or a chuckle. No need for exchange of lengthy sentences, no need for explanations, nada. And vice versa. On certain ocassions, we don't even need to call out to the other, just eye contact and the routine follows.

Ah, I cherish these moments....

i've reached it

2010-07-13T14:09:00.002+08:00

Went to a dermatologist recently for a skin condition I am having of late. Two things I learnt:

Un - not only you get acne upon hitting puberty, you have to endure it when you reach a certain stage in life;

Dos - and the stage I am talking about is 'mid-life'.

Which is where I am at right now.

It starts with the acne? Wonder what's next?

why

2010-07-12T19:20:00.003+08:00

She's weird. Okay so she's my friend.

She tells me things. Some of interest to me, some of which I don't give a rat's ass about.

Sometimes I'm nice to her. Sometimes I'm just mean (and I'm not ashamed to admit it).

Sometimes I say things that I think she wants to hear. Sometimes I say things that I want her to hear.

Sometimes I just don't why she even bothers. She asks me why she even bothers tellling me things when all she's gonna get in return is a whiplash. Yes, I ask her why she even bothers.

Yet, it happens all the time. She just refuses to learn her lesson. Really. Why?

bizarre me

2010-07-12T19:16:00.003+08:00

I just discovered this weird habit I have. I love the taste of plain white rice, when its piping hot right out of the rice cooker. No dishes, no gravy, nothing. Just plain fluffy white rice. Everytime I serve dinner & scoop out the rice, I pop chunks into my mouth & enjoy the soft, warm taste. Weird much??

love me, love me not

2010-07-08T12:14:00.004+08:00

What gives a person the right to judge someone they hardly know? I'm not just talking about a book and the cover and all that crap.

Just because they were my classmates / schoolmates for 2 bloody years; they think they know me & can judge me for the person I am. Just because I spend the whole night talking to a couple of guys whose company I enjoy, it is assumed that I am loose & went home with one of them? Just because I would rather talk crap with the guys than bore myself to death under the 'evil eyes' of them gals, I am a bitch? Just because I speak my mind at some stupid MCP remark some neanderthal ba$tard makes, I am mean?

So be it. I am a mean loose bitch. You have a problem with that? This is me not caring....

zoning out.

2010-07-08T12:03:00.002+08:00

I stare at my blog. It's dying. I have stopped writing. Lame excuse - busy with work, no time. Or I am totally out of ideas? Who knows...

So I change the skin. Artistic? Or an eye-sore? I'll leave it on for a while. Maybe it'll grow on me. And you.

For that matter, I have stopped following some friends' blogs. Am I getting out of touch with cyberspace?

Someone save me...

need i say anything more??

2010-07-08T10:40:00.002+08:00

It can't get any more creative than this... just stop at the headlines!! Need I say more?

proprietor vs operator

2010-06-30T15:40:00.002+08:00

Me: Is WT still the proprietor of ABC company
She: Well the company is still operating
Me: Does it still belong to him. It may still be operating but belong to someone else
She: Well, he's still in charge

Me sighing....

standardize it

2010-06-23T11:37:00.002+08:00

Can someone please tell me if such an IT policy exists - to have all machines with same screen size & weight?

Regardless of whether your job requires to lug it around, all must have laptops weighing 2kgs (never mind how much its costs). And regardless of whether you are blind as a bat, you can't have lappies with screen size less than 14".

Well, now such policies exist.

packing the ring

2010-06-02T17:18:00.003+08:00

The hubby has to go south for some meetings and also to attend a relative's wedding on Saturday. Since he's arriving late tonight, he has asked me to help pack some clothes for his trip tomorrow as he has to leave quite early. This ensues between us...

Baju apa nak pack?

Baju melayu siap samping. Jangan lupa duit hantaran 10k yea

Wokei. Cincin dah?

Hahahahah

Ke ambik cincin I yang banyak2 tu?

Pinjam cincin u dulu lah. Tak sempat gi kedai...U can read me well

Takpe takpe tak yah pinjam pinjam, u ambik jer lah. Nanti I beli baru buat ganti. Tak yah susah susah nak pinjam

Hahahahaha

Don't say I'm not supportive of u...

would you?

2010-06-02T13:38:00.002+08:00

If you know of your friends who are married but having a fling with someone else, what would you think of them? Would you judge them? Would you advise them? Would you deem them immoral? Would you scoff? Or would you just mind your own business?

too much space issit???

2010-06-02T10:02:00.003+08:00

Of late, thanks to the influence of some people I have been listening to a lot of the 80s tracks. Apart from reminiscing of them good 'ole days when I was a young ciku, many of the songs back were very upbeat & well, pretty much made sense & comprehendable.

So I have been putting some of the favorites in my iPod. The daughter when scrolling laughed at the choices of songs I have in it. She asks me "You got too much space in your iPod, is it? Put all kinds of songs..."

Now where is Wham's 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go'....

Oh god, now's it playing in my head!! Jitterbug....Jitterbug.... :D

Calm after the storm

2010-06-01T11:06:00.004+08:00

Two days or technically one night and one day later, I blew my top.

Case 1
I purchased a water purifier dispenser thing. A few calls in an attempt to get the sales person to come view the apartment to make sure the water pressure is okay, the piping and all that crap. She stalled, I gave up. I couldn't be bothered to call to reschedule, and to cut a long story short I ended up buying it after all & installation was supposed to be last Friday.

The guy came, saw and said he needed to do some drilling. Again we had to reschedule as the property has strict rules about drilling works during holidays and weekends and after 5pm. So anyways, we rescheduled to this Friday. Then yesterday, one guy calls me to "oh dear, we need to install by today (yesterday) or tomorrow (today) or else we can't capture the sales for the month of May." How that is my problem is not beyond me seeing that they got my payment. He needed a BIG favor from me to ensure that they could install within the 2 days. No can do. I can't move my stuff around right? I already took leave for Friday as a couple of contractors were coming to do some things.

Then evening as I am having dinner with the family, Mr. Oh Dear calls again, asking if he can come over in an hours time to install. NO. How about tomorrow morning? NO. Tomorrow evening after 6 or 9pm, anytime is fine by us. NO. I asked him 'Which part of NO don't you understand? I have told you 5 times that you cannot come today or tomorrow as I am working and there is no one at home. I have set it for Friday and that is that. Is there a problem?'

I think he may have gone running to the sales person cos she tried calling me but couldn't get through. So she SMS-ed me with a solution. Fine, come to the office tomorrow I tell her. How they want to sort out their admin issues is not my effing problem. Don't expect me to move my things around to do them a BIG favor. Unless the unit is for free.

Case 2
A friend had tendered her resignation notice & HR is screwing her. She said she was frustrated talking to them cos they seem to be stupider than stupid. I have many a times told her when dealing with HR, it is better to do so in writing (for proof) as talking would just be hearsay and there's always "No, I didn't say that. It wasn't me". Did she listen? Nope. I just got bloody irritated, gave her specific instructions on what to do and told her that if she didn't understand, I would go there personally and slap her. She laughed. I told her I wasn't joking.

So mean right? Case 1, he just asked for it kan? Case 2 - tough love.

Okay, okay - much calmer now. Now I am hungry, all this outburst is bad for me...

tag - candy

2010-06-01T11:03:00.002+08:00

If the young sweet eye candies are labelled as PYT, what happens when they mature?

i'm complicating me

2010-05-31T10:45:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, the daughter & I went to a street-market at Sunway Giza. Quite interesting really...

Walking by, something by Anna Sui caught my eye. Soon enough, I recognized a familiar face. So I thought maybe we should get the eyebrow threading done since we were already there. While the daughter was getting hers done, I 'kepoh-ed' to the next stall.

There was some palmistry thing going on. Normally I am not one into predicting the future & all that jazz. But this one claims to tell us about the kind of person we are and some fortune telling. So I thought, ah what the heck. So, here's me in a nutshell...

Un - I'm loving caring with affection. I am a very passionate person & I love with all of me

Dos - I have a restless & active mind. Always thinking, I need to learn how to 'let go'

Tres - I am very self-concious person. Or in other words, vain....

Quattro - I am very 'self-sacrificial'. No, no I don't lay there waiting to be slaughtered. I am very committed & give 101% into whatever I do

Cinco - career wise I should be in Finance, Computers (seriously?? Me? I can picture some people I know laughing their asses off). So anyways, she asks me what I do & I tell her, and she seems to okay my choice of work. So yeah...

Seix - I am a perfectionist & have very high standards in work & anything else..

Siete - Just like two-face, seems I have a split personality split mind (whatever that means). I can be crazy, imaginative, woo-hoo...

Ocho - I am a Crystal Cup (ah crap!! whatever). I am one who must be treasured and not chucked to one side & disregarded... I dislike being taken for granted. I need to be respected. (???)

Nueve - I am worthy of any man's love

Diez - I am a good parent. My family is lucky to have me. My hubby cos I love him to death & am committed. My daughter cos I have laid the right foundation..and yes I love her to death too..

All good you say? Well I was lucky to have met the palmist as I am nearing my 41st birthday. Seems I am putting my turbulent years (30 - 35) behind me although there is a wee bit remnant, nothing too big just a wee little teacup.

Seems I am heading into my 40s with plenty of blue skies and sunshine. She says I may be travelling in the near future, possibly due to work or just for some fun in the sun. I'd rather the latter than the former though..

So, here's to my 40s - bring it on!!

MCP & me

2010-05-16T20:49:00.005+08:00

If there is one thing that really irks me is an MCP male.

Just this afternoon, I had a lunch gathering with some friends from high school. So I asked this guy where his missus was cos back then I liked her. She was friendly and jovial, well a nice person. Seems they were high school sweethearts and now married with 2 kids or 3, I don't know. So anyways, to answer my question he very calmly replied "Woman stay at home lah.." facial expressions and all. I was quite taken aback, I thought he was joking. So I asked him "Sorry? You serious?"

"Ya lah, woman should stay at home what when the husband wants to go out with his friends." came the reply. I was irritated but kept my comments to myself. I didn't know him all too well though I was probably giving him the benefit of the doubt (of what, I do not know).

Then a couple of us started talking and another guy was just commenting how he had to travel the night before from up north so that he could have lunch with us. Lucky, he says to have had his wife drive all the way back while he slept. Mr.MCP went "Hah? How can you let your wife drive? You don't let a woman drive..."

What??? Again I bit my tongue. Then another husband and wife team arrived and said their hellos as they settled for small talk and food. Once again, the question on MCP's wife came up. And not learning his lesson, MCP gave the same reply.

Enough!! I was irritated beyond anything. I gave him an earful on his jakun thoughts and although he tried to change the topic I refused to budge. The others who were around us couldn't help but laugh and advised him to make any such remarks anymore.

Needless to say, he is not in my 'people I look forward to meeting & having a chat with', come next get-together.

of butts, chest & flirts

2010-05-13T13:34:00.002+08:00

Get your minds out of the gutters!!

I got a post on my wall about some guy answering questions about me like 'Do you think PJane is a flirt? Do you think PJane is a virgin? Do you think PJane has a nice chest?' stuff like that. And to find out who said yes or no to the question you have to earn points to unlock and access. To earn them you must answer the sames questions about your friends in your contact list. And you are only limited to answering 75 questions a day. And to bloody unlock you need 50 points.

Kind of boring seeing that you only have the Yes, No or Skip option. When it came to the 'Do you think ... is a virgin?' and the person in question is the nephew, I want to put 'He better be!!' And when I was honest enough to say yes when they asked if someone had a cute butt, he was coincidentally online found it hilarious & sent me a message. Well I do give credit when and where it's due.

So when I earned my first 75 points, I unlocked the first of my results - Have you ever had a crush on PJane? to which someone answered yes. Unlocked & its a person of the same gender. Awww... sweet.

Now to find out who thinks I had a crush on them... Try it, who knows who has been admiring your butt or your chest

http://apps.facebook.com/ukyagsdbj_rtsdfnykt/

the sign

2010-05-12T10:08:00.004+08:00

Of late, the hubby has been telling me stories about how his friends are taking on spouse number 2. One guy it seems, took on a 'GRO' from a neighboring country much to his brethren's disapproval simply cos they've been there done that (if you get what I mean)...

Then just last week, he told me something that quite surprisingly took me even, by surprise. No, no he didn't add-on a family member to our present one. A colleague in his company did. Although a bit surprised, but I didn't think much about it. Until the hubby told me who no 2 is. First he asked me to guess. A name came to mind but I didn't want to speculate. So I just told him to dish out the dirt. Seems, I was right all along. He married the secretary. Go figure!!

So anyways seems the guy dropped the bomb (or more like the shiate!!) to number 1 yesterday to which her reaction was... You guessed it!! She freaked out!! She called everyone she could think of to verify his claim. Of course men being men would normally deny all knowledge. To cut a long story short, the whole office knows about this drama & it's adding a bit of spice to their mundane daily paper-pushing job.

But anyways, the hubby was also saying how it was funny that he was now addressing no 1 by name and no longer 'my Mrs. or my wife'. I tell him that maybe that's how it is. I asked the hubby then how he addresses me to his friends. He replies "My wife or my Mrs." I told him probably it's to stop further interrogation as in when the guy says 'my wife' to which the reply could only be 'which one?'. So wouldn't it be easier to just address them by the name, short & sweet, no? Well, one of the signs a woman can tell that she has been demoted from Home Minister, I suppose. Here in the office, we refer to them as Part 1, 2, 3 or 4...

Then I was telling the hubby about his sister's reaction if she ever found out that she had been demoted. Seems she would simply file for a divorce and take all the kids with her. Hubby was curious about how my reaction would be. I simply told him 'I would make your life a living hell.' And stupidly he asked me "You don't sayang me anymore ah?" to which I could only say "Well, if you do something stupid & think with your d!(k, then no I don't sayang you anymore" & he could only laugh out loud.

do not covet thy neighbor's...

2010-05-10T16:38:00.002+08:00

...food!!

This afternoon, I offered the boss some cookies I brought (and bought) from home. Just a while ago, I thought of munching a cookie or two seeing that my tum-tum was giving signals 'feed me!!'. I go into his room to look for my container of cookies but can't see it anywhere on his desk.

Then I open his cupboard and there hidden in it is my container of cookies. Tsk!! Lucky for him I always have Plan B.

bags for a car

2010-05-10T16:04:00.002+08:00

My greatest weakness?? Shoes. And. Bags. Then again, isn't that all women's weakness? Just last month I got a new bag.

And as usual after an extravagant purchase, I would tell myself "No more bags for 1 year" when I am being dramatic; or "No more bags for 3 months" when I'm being realistic.

So this time when I got the bag I've been dreaming of, I dramatically declared to the hubby "Sumpah, tak beli bag for the next 1 year" to which he coolly replied "We'll see". Yes, I can be a drama queen sometimes.

Then two days ago, I got another one. Hey I didn't ask for it, he bought it. And who told him to allow me into the boutique.

Then while we were lounging away waiting for the girl to pack and give it to me in their nice paper bag, ribbons & all...he asked me "All your bags combined, the value can buy a car already or not?" Not yet lah!! If I get the much coveted Hermes Birkin, then can probably get a car.

To which he could only roll his eyes... & yet he never learns!!

1 dose 2 times a day

2010-05-10T12:00:00.003+08:00

How does it feel like having a taste of your own medicine? Are you able to take it as well as you can dish it out?

The daughter has inherited the sharp tongue & sarky wit from me. Sometimes when she has a comeback line that stops me right in my tracks, all I can think of is - serves me right. Then a friend commented 'Sometimes, it's good to get a taste of your own medicine kan.'

This morning the hubby was reading about how some guy forked out RM17k to marry a mail-order bride and was cheated when he found out she was already married in her country. Hubby commented that for that kind of money, he should be able to get hitched to a local girl. Or do they cost more than that, he asks. I shrug... His comeback almost chokes me & I very nearly spat out my drink at him. "Ya, the local girls probably cost more what with the Chanels, Pradas, LVs & Giuseppe Zanottis..."

Ouch!!

freaky fryday

2010-05-07T17:10:00.003+08:00

This morning I was browsing FB for a while. Suddenly a 'friend' starts chatting. He starts by going 'Hi' & I reply the same. Then sticking to the cliche 'How's the weather in your part of the world?'

I go 'huh? Aren't you supposed to be in the same country I am?' And he tells me to take a chill pill as he is just asking a harmless question.

So then I tell him that I only know him as C's husband. He confirms the fact. Then he asks me how I know C. I tell him that she was my school mate. He tells me that good friends are hard to come by & he has this friend from back in school since he was 5.

I tell him 'Good for you' & sign off.

I had the habit of accepting just about anyone who wanted to be my friend in FB. A couple of them okaylah we chatted through messages but no one was this 'weird'

Now, I just decline those I do not know. The ones I kenal pun I hardly have time to keep in touch, whatmore people I hardly know.

So, what's the dosage on my chill pill again???

one man's stupidity....

2010-05-04T16:24:00.002+08:00

...becomes my responsibility.

Remember the 25 year old Group Accountant I talked about in my previous post. Well today we found out that he thinks the mileage from KL to Singapore & back is 2200km & he approved claims for that.

Now thanks to his stupidity & complete moron state of mind, I have to come up with an effing table for distances from KL to the different locations of our offices & clients.

Although it's as simple as checking it up in Google, I'm just gonna delay for the sake of it. I made the excuse that it will take time to collate.

Beats me how some people are so duh!!??

tied to the apron strings

2010-05-03T17:26:00.003+08:00

Was reading some blogs I follow & came across this which I found somewhat funny. Reminds me of when I called our present Group Accountant to come in for a interview & he ask for the office address.

When I gave it to him, he asked me for directions. So I tried explaining it to him on how to get here. Then he coolly told me 'Never mindlah, I'll ask my parents how to get there or maybe they can send me there.'

What? This guy is 25 years old and his parents are still driving him around? And they want HIM to be the Group Accountant?? Seriously?

Well, in any case he got the job. Don't ask me how.

cinema etiquette...

2010-05-03T11:23:00.004+08:00

Caught Ironman 2 on Saturday. Well this post is not a review of the movie itself but the fact that can somebody out there put a rule that parents should not bring toddlers or kids to watch movies if they can't sit still what more shut up.

Firstly we fork out 40 bucks for a ticket to watch the movie in comfort. Then we get nice seats at the back row where its not too near to the screen.

Then arrives a family with like 6 or 7 kids in tow. Noisy kids. Healthy rotund kids who can't stop eating & throwing popcorn at each other. Kids who recite the story to their friend next to them. Kids who have enough fat to keep a country warm but keep buzzing to get blankets lah, order nuggets lah, who go "Oooo, she's allergic to strawberries hahahahah" (referring to Gwyneth's Pepper Potts allergy to them berries).

Then next to us, a young couple with 2 kids in tow. One about 2 years old & his sister about 4 years old probably. Kejap-kejap nak kencing lah, and god knows what else. They kept interrupting our view of the screen by going in and out of the cinema. Buka pintu tak reti nak tutup balik. They knock into your chair, they don't bother to say excuse me or sorry. We push the chair into upright position to allow them to pass, no thank you. Then the kids start running around and the son goes "Ini bukan citer monster punnnnnn." I was on the verge of telling them 'Nak tengok citer monster, balik rumah tengok Ultraman lah" but just then the robots started a warfare and the kids ran to hide behind the parents' chairs.

Irritating enough for me to 'shush' them and tell them to keep quiet. Irritating enough for me to tell the girl at the ticket counter to provide masking tapes next time parents bring along their noisy kids.

Pity the hubby, he was trying to enjoy the movie but the kids simply irritated the socks off him. But being the kind soul he is, he can't bring himself to tell them to shut it.

Some people should just be barred from the cinemas...kids or adults likewise.

do not judge...

2010-04-29T12:43:00.002+08:00

A person just by speaking to them over the phone or the exchange of emails. Or can you? Are you able to tell what kind of person you are dealing with simply by exchanges of conversation via email or over the phone? Are you able to do so just by hearing that person's voice?

A couple of weeks back they had a topic of conversation on radio - how not to judge a person simply by listening to the person's voice. A sweet voice does not guarantee a looker. Well, not to be judgmental but I recently had a similar experience. I spoke to this person over the phone & the voice sounded so sweet & pleasant. When I actually got the chance to meet this person, well let's just say it was not what I expected. But all in all, I found the person to be extremely charming.

So anyways, the PA to one of the Directors (lives in the Land Below the Wind) of the place I work made me out to be a sweet charming person. We haven't met yet, not during the entire shy-of-1-year, I have worked with this person. I asked the PA how the assumption came about. Seems, the person deduced it from speaking to me over the phone (numerous times) & the emails I sent.

When we finally get to meet, I wonder if this person is in for a shock? But then again, I can be terribly pleasant and sweet when I want to be. Better practice smiling 'cos I have been told one time too many that I don't smile enough...

What a bummer!!

solved!!

2010-04-29T12:38:00.000+08:00

Got the earlier spacing problem fixed. It's not my blog - it lurves me. It's the stupid laptop at home that hates me. Or not. Whatever...

spaced

2010-04-28T19:37:00.001+08:00

I think my blog hates me for being ignored for too long. They refuse to 'space'. Bear with me while I try to figure out how to rectify the bloody problem...See the post below? Just read it all in one breath. :D

i'm not old just matured

2010-04-28T19:07:00.007+08:00

"Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don't mind it doesn't matter"

Mark Twain

I've never been one to be too sensitive when asked about my age. Why get all touchy feely when one asks how old you are. I am not ashamed to admit my true age, not adding or subtracting a few years here and there...

I know someone who is eternally 39 since five years ago though I must say he looks pretty darn good for a person nearing 50. And they say women are vain!!

So anyways, I have passed the hill... And what's that they say that 40 is the new 20. Let's rewind back to the conversation that some friend commented that I'm high maintenance. This is how it came about. See, a couple of ex-schoolmates who just can't get enough of each other (beats me why they are so fond of each other) decide to meet. A dinner gathering some weeks back managed to garner a handful & they thought due to popular demand, they'd do another. So okay fine, I call this guy up - let's just call him Hamsap (hmsp for short) & we were chatting.

Then he mentions that he actually caught up with a couple of ex-classmates during the recent Chinese New Year gathering. And he mentioned that some ladies (who were quite a looker back in the days) looking like an 'Ah Sam' (frumpy aunty) now. He says he doesn't understand why they don't bother to take care of themselves.

So I told him, well some women are born with the ability to age gracefully. And somehow I am lucky to have been given that advantage by my Creator. I'm not blowing my own trumpet here but I look way better now than 20 years ago. That's when I got tagged 'high maintenance' or somewhere between that.

I mean, given a choice between a 20 year old PYT and a 40 year old woman, any sane virile man would want to go for the young PYT, no? Bergetah, they say...Unless the older woman looks like JLo or Jennifer Aniston lah...But think about it, compare a 20 year old PYT & a 40 year old woman. The former is probably just getting out of college, or starting a new job, financially... well just starting while the latter is already drawing a steady income & not that clingy. Well, I've yet to meet a whiny clingy mature woman...

Would I want to go back to being a 20 year old lady if I could turn back time? Thanks but I'll pass. I'm pretty pleased with how I turned out to be. So I may not be on the Forbes 500 or 5000 list. But I've not got my knickers in a bunch 'cos of that. I'm not the CEO of where I work but I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I may not drive a Maserati (although I wish I was) but all the same my ride gets me from Point A to B albeit much much much slower. I have a great husband who loves me & a wonderful daughter who makes me proud. I may not have buns of steel or sculpted abs or toned arms & legs but I'm still XS when I shop for my clothes (well in some shops more than others) and most importantly healthy.

So, what do I think of 40 being the new 20? Thanks but no thanks, I'll take 41 for now, thank you....

How 'bout you???

high maintainence

2010-04-20T11:41:00.002+08:00

I was chatting with a friend a while ago & he was telling me he needed to hire a PA or Confidential Secretary. So we were chatting away & in between here and there the subject of an upcoming get-together came up. Since he doesn't have access to Facebook, he told me to RSVP for him. For no rhyme or reason, I became his secretary. "That's your first task," he tells me. I informed him that I don't come cheap.

He had the cheek to say "Ya I knew that a long time ago already. From way back then..."

I asked him what he meant. Whether I was difficult to maintain as in my character, or I'm high maintenance. He said - in all aspects, it is very difficult to maintain you.

What is that supposed to mean?

of poly & mono

2010-04-17T21:59:00.002+08:00

I have always hated it when men talk about the right to practicing polygamy especially Muslim men and they always use the Holy Prophet (pbuh) citing that they are merely following his example. I don't understand how is it that they can only single out that one single characteristic & not the other honorable traits that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) had.

So anyways, I'm not entirely against polygamy. If the other half wants to go sow his seeds elsewhere, why should I be the one to stop him. But I have set my T&C and until and only until after he has fulfilled each and everyone one of them (and then some), just point me the dotted line and I'll sign away like there's no tomorrow.

Then certain rules come into effect, to which I am at discretion (sole discretion) to change /amend / rescind as I please. But many a men whom I have spoken to disagree strongly with my 'condition'. They say that it is required in the religion that I have to consent if the hubby can afford (in more ways than one). Hey, does it also say in the religion that I have to be stupid and not protect my kid'[s and my interest?

I mean, I am not judging men who have more than one other half. But to me, it is nothing more than creating problems for yourself. But then again if you want to dig a big hole & bury yourself in a pile of shit, well what else can we say... Just keep us out of the sewers, thank you very much.

Is my other half being 'gatal' and wanting to create an extended family? Not that I know of at this point of time. But then again, he says he would be signing his death warrant if he ever did that. He says that I am a nut case waiting to be unleashed & he's not willing to be the person letting loose 'Jekyll Jane'

my new love

2010-04-15T17:32:00.001+08:00

I have a new love in my life & the name starts with a "C'......

Love, love, love, I love my C....

the time is now. or not.

2010-04-14T12:22:00.002+08:00

The hubby has for awhile now been telling me that he wants to retire in his mid-40s, have an easy life and play golf every day if not every other day. I asked him if that was even possible as he is one who is not able to sit still & always has something brewing in his head.

He says he's tired of working & wants to enjoy life while he still can. So I tell him to do whatever makes him happy.

Then two weeks back, he completed & closed the books on a project he had been handling for the past seven years (who knew it took that long to build a highway?). And after the final audit meeting he took a week off. In that week, he played golf on all but one day.

He came back every evening sunburned & tired. So, end of the week I ask him how is the preview to retirement. He tells me "Cam nak muntah dah main golf".

So I suppose the retiring & gardening plans are on hold for now....

everything happens overnight (or over many nights)

2010-04-14T11:21:00.002+08:00

The company I am attached to is in the process of acquiring yet another subsidiary (and the organization chart just gets longer horizontally) & bam!! the big kahuna tell me 'PJ, the signing ceremony is ...'

What? That's like less than a week. The heavens were looking down on me favorably, so now it's scheduled to happen next Monday. Fine, book the venue; draw up the guest list; design the invite; send out invitations; menu for lunch; RSVP, photographer, emcee. Kow tim lah, easy peasy. I send him a BB message proposing someone to be the emcee. Then he tells me "I prefer you to be the MC". One knee weak.... What the hell do I know about emceeing?

A few messages later, this comes in from him "Need to do press release". I reply "NT?" (NT is one of the director who does all the communications part). Big kahuna replies "Can you do?". Am I allowed to say no? So I answer in a politically correct way "I'll try (need a friends help)". He pats me virtually and says "Good girl."

The shit I get myself into!!! Never learned how to keep my big mouth shut & never will I suppose. So Bee immediately comes to mind. She's a pro at this. She agrees to help. Bless her, me lurves her so. But she also takes the rightful opportunity to remind me that I am so screwed.

He is either overly confident of my abilities to become someone I am not overnight or utterly crazy. In my opinion, he's more the latter than the former. To which he responded with a guffaw.

Now excuse me, while I wax lyrical about the oil & gas industry, mechanical & engineering services, 2009 economic recovery & 2010 global economy. I sound like an alien, even to me.

dear aunt...

2010-04-09T20:41:00.002+08:00

I may have once too many times come across as an unsympathetic listener. I'm probably a good listener - yes, I hear you; I nod when I need to; I 'hmm' at the right cues'; I smile or tsk at the right juncture... I seem to do fine. Until they ask me my opinion & for what it's worth I say it as I see it.

Well, they DID ask. So was it wrong to give? Or it might be probably due to the fact that what they said or did that I somehow disagreed with. So there...

But what I can't comprehend is the whining & going on and on and on and on about something they are unhappy about. I always believe life is about choices. To do something good. To do something bad. To screw up. To do good.

Whatever you decide, whatever you do; accept the outcome & repercussions. Take responsibility for your actions. If your hands are tied & there is only so much you can do about the situation, bite your tongue, suck it in & ride the waves, tides, tsunami & all. If you are in a position to better it, stick to your guns, stand your ground & just do it.

But don't come crying to me & whining & boo-hooing about how unfair life is and in the process confuse me, you & the whole wide world. Want to rant & let steam out? Blog or write in your journal? Not the writing kind, get in the car, drive like an asshole, blast your stereo & blurt expletives in every language that you know. It helps. Done it before. But just so you know, I'm limited to four languages.

So there, who's next to confess their hearts contents to me?? I'm LISTENING.... & waiting to give you my unsolicited advise.

women are from... & men are just...

2010-04-07T22:16:00.003+08:00

I'm on FB the same time I'm typing this post. He strikes a conversation asking me what I'm up to. Nothing much really, just cooling off after gym before I hit the showers and get ready for bed.

So he complains about the weather (yes, it's been terribly warm) & says he want to go watch a movie. Go lah, I tell him. Then he rants about how he went to watch a movie once alone & felt akward. Simply cos everyone else around him had either their other half or their families. I told him I too went to catch a movie on my own once, okay jer... Then I suggested that he just watch a movie on DVD or something like that.

So anyways, I'm curious - can't the male species do things on their own. I know my other half cannot go shopping, go out for meals at a restaurant, do the groceries, or watch a movie at the cinema alone. I do it solo all the time. No hal pun!!?? Susah sangat ke?

Enlighten me, someone...

trust me trust me not

2010-04-07T12:51:00.002+08:00

Sometimes it really frustrates me that she cannot trust me to write a simple email or memo or letter. All drafts must go through her. Am I really so incompetent? If yes, then why hire me in the first place? She's afraid that simply because that the BOD is gonna be copied on the mail I must put the commas and colons, the 'is' and 'are' are in the proper place in the sentence.

the beginning of the end?

2010-04-03T13:50:00.008+08:00

Watched 'Motherhood' on DVD last night....Meant to be a comedy but I didn't think it.

The story tells of one day in Eliza's (Uma Thurman) life & shows how frantic it is. It revolves around one day in her life. What with the day that her daughter is turning 6. She wakes up, takes a picture of her sleeping daughter, goes to her studio prints out the picture & writes 'Clara's last day of being 5' (or something like that). Then the alarm rings, and all hell breaks loose. Well, motherhood hell at least.

In the entire movie, she is either in her sleeping gown or some dowdy looking boho outfit. I've nothing against boho chic or gypsy skirts but seriously?? Her hair is a mess, she drives a beat-up Volvo filled with everything from books to cassettes t o boxes. She goes around running mindless errands (according to her) - shopping at season clearance sales where she got a $340 dress for $40. Bringing the son to the playground, blogging, getting the cake & shopping for goody bags for her daughter's birthday.

I wondered how I got through till the end of the movie. All it left me was me thinking whether it is really such a terrible vocation. Yeah, life takes a sudden detour when you become a mother. Yes, we are running errands & it may feel like a thankless job sometimes.

I've been there done that. It has been a journey of joy, frustration, laughter, tears & myriad of emotions. But I learned to take things as they come & accept come what may.

I've seen mothers who let it go - the dowdy phase where they let it all hang & blame it on the kids. Okay, so your ass gets an inch wider with every child you have, or the love handles grows and the tummy makes its appearance more prominent. I've been through this phase too as well...

But why? Is it written somewhere that you must look like a bag-lady once you've had kids. Aren't we allowed to look & feel good? Can't we just have some moments to ourselves without having to be at the kids beck & call? Aren't we entitled to one insane moment to let it loose & forget about the kids?

Forget about the kids you say? Yes, and throw in the hubby too for good measure (the one that never grew up!!)... Cruel you say? Bugger off, I say. I've had an experience when I was stuck with the kid in a totally new place (we had just moved to this location & I had no friends & family), and the daughter was settling comfortably into her terrible two stage. It drove me nuts I tell you. I had no social life, my life was the hubby and the child. I was on the edge of insanity. I kid you not...

What did I do? I took a time-out. I left the kid with the hubby & went out. I went for a massage, retail therapy & window shopping. I joined the gym, took up horseback riding & started doing things for myself.

Well, now the daughter is 16 & the hubby well yeah (they never grow up you know)...They still drive me nuts on special occasions but it's bearable. I try to see the lighter side of things and not to be too serious. Life's too short really. I've embracing, enduring & surviving motherhood. It may seem like a thankless job but there is nothing else in the world I would trade it for.

Instead of being a frumpy mummy, go for the yummy mummy!!!

and they call it....

2010-04-02T10:34:00.004+08:00

The hubby was relating to me what he heard on a local radio station a few days back.

"Masa zaman sekolah, kalau bercinta panggil cinta monyet. Kalau dah kerja, bercinta panggil cinta apa??"

Think about it....

somewhere out there

2010-04-02T10:12:00.002+08:00

Are people who really really like me, for me. Awwwww. Sweet no?

Twice yesterday I get the message. One via gtalk on why I haven't been updating my blog. Yes I have been a bit tied up with work and at the same time experiencing 'writer's block' or 'blogger's block'. So I thought I'd just drop by today to let y'all know I am alive & kicking...

Someone once mentioned that my posts on my rambling about work is a bit of a bore but she understood that I was just letting off steam. I can't possibly go bitching to my boss so where else but here. Can I help it if some people of higher powers are just idiots & that I cannot tolerate stupidity?

I was also reminded that my blog was supposed to be about people around me, happenings around me.. She said "Why don't you observe the people around you when you are driving to & back from work?". Well, at 110kmph I doubt I'd remember much less notice anyone around me. Unless they are walking by or sprinting across the highway stark naked. Then I'd put on my emergency brakes and take photos.

So back to message no 2, he calls and asks me "Eh where you disappeared to ah? Long time you're not on FB. We missed you lah... Everyone's asking about" (and by everyone he probably meant him and one other person, so there...). So I drop by FB & give him a dose of what he's been missing.

Guys, thanks for the thoughts. It's nice to know that some people love me for me warts, nasties and all... I larb you too....

leaving an impression

2010-03-18T17:01:00.003+08:00

I've always come across as someone with no nonsense, cannot tolerate nonsense & will tell it as it is. Some find it a nasty trait, some says its good. Depends I suppose on one's perception & acceptance.

In a previous employment, I had two charges under my supervision. When they do well, I give credit where it's due. When they screw up, they hear what I need them to hear. I've laid the ground rules (well my golden rules):

'If there is anything that you don't know, ask. I've never screamed at anyone simply for asking. If you don't ask & you go ahead and do it, if it turns out well then you are lucky, if you screw up then too bad for you.'

'I only say things once or at most twice. I never like to sound like a broken record.'

'I cannot tolerate stupidity'.

Well, honestly I don't know what were they thought of me. Whether they liked me or hated me to death, I never asked. I give what I think they truly deserve & stand up for them when I should. It may have made me unpopular with certain parties but I didn't lose any sleep over it.

Fast forward, today someone told me that one of my ex-subordinate marched into the big kahuna's office to express her dissatisfaction at the review she received (which rated her as below average thus resulting in a no increment). Seems she complimented me citing that although I was fierce & 'keras' at least I do what is right.

Keras? Don't ask me. I'm every bit as lost as you ought to be....

So anyways, I'm glad that albeit my unconventional (yes? no?) method of getting things done & albeit being the occasional pain in the arse, I left a positive impression. I suppose it is nice to be remembered for the good I did & the 'wonderful righteous' person that I am. Blowing my own trumpet much?

One person's perception of the kind of person I am - 'mulut jahat macam sial tapi hati baik'. Which is better, that or the opposite?

the wicked witch

2010-03-18T14:16:00.003+08:00

The witch is back. The bitch is back. The devil is back. Seems, it was never gone.

This morning I arranged for the office boy to go to the auditors' office to collect some documents. A while ago, he calls me to say that the person he's supposed to pick it up from isn't in the office today.

So I call my colleague in East Coast to check what's going on. A quick call to the auditors' branch office in the East Coast region; seems that the guy was supposed to bring it to the KL office since he's gonna be here today to do some auditing. I feel my temper rising... I ask the girl whether she informed my office. She goes "Ya, ya"

I call my office boy & tell him to leave and do other things. Then I call my colleague again & ask her what went wrong where. After some corporate tai-chi, I walk out to find that the bugger was in my office the whole morning & had already passed the documents to someone else.

I of course did not hesitate to give him a piece of my mind. Tsk tsk tsk...all my effort to be Mother Theresa incarnate is flushed down the drain, slowly if not surely.

Must. Be. Kind.

of bobs, bangs, anna & prada

2010-03-18T11:02:00.006+08:00

I have this habit. One minute I want to let my hair grow and do soft curls & all that glam. But now with the weather like this, my shoulder length hair was getting a bit irritating.

So I made a call to my hairdressers to make an appointment. My regular stylist is on leave, they tell me. Would I like to come back another day, she asks me. I have things to do this weekend, so I told them I'll go with whichever stylist available.

Finished work & left the office at 6pm. 'Schumied' my way to Taman Tun & managed to reach there at 615pm for my appointment. I sit. They bring me magazines. The stylist comes. Someone I don't recognize. New maybe. Till, he speaks. Ahhhh, Alvin - the daughter's stylist. He looks different. New hairdo. Occupational hazards? Maybe.

I decide to color my hair. Back to black. He's not to keen on black. He suggests ash, or burgundy, or something else. Told him I'm sick of the 'karat' look. Blue black, he says. Okaylah. It turns out to look like a wig. A very dark wig. But no matter.

He tells me I need to cut it off cos it's getting messy. He asks me what I want to do. I tell him to do whatever he wants as long as I don't end up looking weird or retarded. He tells me to trust him. A few snips, a few rinses & god-knows-what else later, I end up with a bob, bangs & he says like "Anna".

Anna? Who's Anna? The first thing that comes to mind is Anna & the King. There will be a first of suing the hairdresser for making one look like THAT Anna. Don't think I'll be able to carry off the look... Even I am scared to imagine that. Can anyone imagine me looking like Jodie Foster in her Anna role? Traumatized for life, I'd say.

No, no the very famous one.... the boss of Vogue, he says. Oh! That Anna. Anna Wintour. The devil who wears Prada. Or Meryll Streep. Old, I ask. No, no, he defends. Very vogue (pun intended?) & trendy, he says.

I'm trying to get used to this look. Wonder what the daughter's reaction will be when she sees me this evening when I pick her up at the airport. The last I had bangs was like when I was in a school uniform. Yup, that long ago...
But I must say I do like what Alvin has done. I think I'll change stylists. I like Alvin. He's cute (not drop dead handsome like RDJ but okaylah), bubbly, fashion conscious (telling me about Alexander Wang), risk taker (assuring me confidently that I will like the look even when I was doubting), chatty, bubbly and all that. Yup, I'm definitely changing stylists....

Now, maybe this weekend I'll drop by Prada. You think?

a little less conversation, a little more time

2010-03-16T14:56:00.002+08:00

We are heading back to my office after lunch. He sees a PYT getting into a cab by the side of the road.

"Wah, her kaki so panjang. I like"

"Hmm, okay..."

"What do I sound like?"

"Like a hamsap bugger digging his own grave"

"At least I berani cakap depan you"

"Make sure cakap jer. Kalau buat?"

"Yes, I'm digging my own grave"

And this is one of our saner conversations....

bringing up kids

2010-03-15T12:31:00.003+08:00

I think I've had one too many posts on kids. I am no genius & nor do I claim to be perfect when it comes to raising kids. But truth be told, it is indeed a challenge. Back then, when we were kids (yes it was that long ago) we wouldn't dare speak up or make a sound when we were being lectured till kingdom come by our moms. Now, you try and see...

So many things to teach them kids - about money, about sex, about life, about religion, about whats wrong and whats right. But how many parents can actually sit down with their kids and explain things to them? Or is it simply "Because I said so"? They go through phases you never knew existed.

Newborns, babies - its the 3hourly feed or more like 'Feed me now, I'm hungry' phase, weaning phase, potty training phase (this one takes a LOT of patience).

Toddlers / pre-teen - the terrible 2 (trust me they exist) phase, drawing on the wall phase, 'I want' phase, supermarket sweep phase.

Teenagers - 'I know' phase, 'I hate the world, the world hates me' phase, Emo, goth all the t-shirts in the wardrobe are black phase, 'Why don't everyone just drop dead' phase, 'I hate my life, I hate my parents' phase

Well, I have only reached the teenage stage so I shan't comment on the adolescent or young adult phase. It will come to that in a couple of years I suppose. But for now, I'll take it as it comes as I always do.

Then they eventually come out of whatever they were in, to pleasantly surprise you. They realize that the world is not out to get them after all. The black parade leaves town and the frown has turned upside down. And to get us through it all - lots of love, understanding, patience (loads and loads and loads and loads), prayer, faith, calm, belief...

I've seen parents who give in to their kids every whim and fancy. I've seen kids throwing tantrums just because they didn't get what they asked for. I've seen kids order and boss their parents around. Whether they behave like angels or brats, it is on the parents. There are parents who give in to their kids demands just to appease the guilt of spending too much time at work. See kids these days with the latest Mac or Blackberry (yes I saw a teenager with these gadgets) or zooming around in an Mini S.

Cliche as it may be, you know "when you love something, set it free" - well in a sense, it's something like that. You love them so much that you need to set them free. To experience, to feel, to learn. Painful it may be at times yes but no one has ever died from a little hard work yet or a fall while learning to ride the bike. Laughter there will be aplenty. Tears, there will be a generous amount too. These lessons will chart their course of life, to be the person whom they are meant to be.

And then, we'll sit back, beam & proudly say "that's MY kid".... or not. Our choice really....

sweet & sarky sixteen

2010-03-15T10:31:00.002+08:00

The daughter recounts a conversation she had with a classmate. She teases him with a statement and uses a word that he doesn't quite understand. He says that she's being mean. She asked him if he even knew what that word meant. His reply - "Any word which I don't understand that comes out from your mouth cannot be good"

Me: Where do you get this nasty habit from?

Her: From ma lah...

Me: I didn't teach you such a word...

Her: I'm sixteen la, what do you expect...

Me: Bad influence

With the recent release of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video she downloaded it and called me to watch it with her. Yes, we both like the fame monster.

Can I tell the daughter what to watch, what not to? She's got a good head on her shoulders. She knows her limits, she knows the repercussions.

Should I feel honored that she takes after me? I suppose...LOL. Well, she's inherited a bit of both parents but she's her own person. Who's the bad influence? Me? The daughter? Who knows? You decide....

the lame monster

2010-03-11T11:28:00.003+08:00

First sentence is the original. Second sentence is what she changed it to be. Ain't it a bloody pain?

"Please fill in / change (where necessary) the items of uniform allocated to the staffs"

"Please add or / change (where necessary) the items of uniform allocated to the staffs according to the various category of allocation"

and from "colors" to "colours".

My reaction? See mamamamy perperperpoker face, perperperpoker face....

ga ga oo la la

2010-03-08T12:36:00.002+08:00

We, the undersigned from *company name*hereby acknowledge receipt of the Schedule of Benefits (an excerpts from the *company* Handbook) and hereby confirmed having read, understood and agreed to abide to all the contents contained in this Schedule of Benefits.

We further agree that the contents of this Schedule of Benefits is sole property of The Group of Companies and we are not allow to temper with, amend, add on or modify on any part of this Schedule of Benefits to suit ourselves. The Company will not hesitate to take any disciplinary action/s against anyone found to have tempered with, amend, add on or modify any part of this Schedule of Benefit, such action may include dismissal, if found guilty.

We note that the Company reserves the right to revise, delete or amend any of the terms and conditions contained in the Schedule of Benefits at any time at its own discretion. However, such change/s shall be communicated in writing accordingly.

Please sign and return the duplication copy of this memo as indication that you have read, understood and agreed to the abovestated.

Thank you.
(signed by Vice Chairman) & (Executive Director) - both of the parent company

I .... on behalf of the employees of .... (employee signs)

I swear I did not make this up. Typo, spelling, grammar & all. Word for word. Copy & Paste. Tell me how this makes sense. This. From the director. I don't know if the 'letter' is from the employee to the company or vice-versa.

alice in underland

2010-03-08T11:28:00.006+08:00

Caught the movie yesterday with the daughter, the 3D version. I thought the movie was alright. It leaves you with a sense of deja vu like you've seen this before. The closet full of fur coats that leads to another land where animals talk, the lion, the ice queen, the centaur.. Yep. That movie.

Not what I expected from the Burton-Depp-Bonham Carter team. After Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Alice sort of fell short.

And it's not the Wonderland we grew up to. Seems it's not wonderland, it's Underland. Alice being the pelat child she was couldn't pronounce Underland and it ended up as Wonderland. Wonderland. Underland. Same difference.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Adorable. Me love... He never disappoints. Or maybe I'm just biased.

Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. Pure evil. There's something about 'em villains that I find intriguing. Me like... Yes. I am weird like that. Off with their heads!! (If only I could use this in my everyday conversation)

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Kind of freaky. Not my cup of tea

Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Err, no comments. Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts. Eerie. Matt Lucas as Tweedledee & Tweedledum. It's like watching Little Britain. All in all, I did not LOVE the movie. It was alright, I suppose.

Like Chindy quotes, might as well spend the moolah on Ramly Burger & air tebu...

Oh well, till Ironman 2 then.

heartless hr

2010-03-05T11:35:00.002+08:00

In my previous company, there was a year they declared 'HR with a Heart' where they wanted to promote a friendlier, more approachable HR department. So I was supposed to have a heart, to empathize with the employees and feel for them; seeing that I was (is?) a heartless bitch and all.

So anyways, to cut a long story short - I had to have a heart for one whole year. Did it work? I have no clue.

But then again, heartless bitch or no - I always am a firm believer of giving what is due to the employee and taking away what is not rightfully meant to be. So in the new company, since I am checking the claims I am practising the same mantra.

But Super Dino tells me - "No, if they don't claim for meal allowance, you don't simply simply give it to them. You don't follow them around for their business trip so you don't know if they take their meals or not. Or if they entertain or not."

What gives? Do I rebut her statement? Honestly, I don't give a shit that SHE doesn't have a heart. Suka hatilah, she is the HR goddess anyways...I'm just here for as long as they don't irritate the hell out of me.

Cue - DEAD!!

2010-03-02T14:29:00.004+08:00

She's got this huge presentation coming up tomorrow. Nervous, she is. She may the victim of abuse & 'rotten eggs'. It's never easy when it comes to HR benefits for the staffs.

We've been working on the materials for what seems like eternity now. A gazillion changes have been made, whether it's just "the", "a", "in" & what-nots. I'm short of pulling out all my hair and going crazy.

Did a 'mock' presentation. Just couldn't keep my big fat mouth shut. Told her the presentation was kinda boring what with her just reading it off. So she goes home & thinks about it for a good half a day. The next day, I get a message from her - 'after giving it much though, u r right. i shouldn't be readinf for the text. since you have the materials, you can do the bullet form for me'

Sigh!! When will I ever learn. So come Monday morning, I am now condensing the 12 pages long into like 3 pages. She reads. She makes changes. Don't see much difference from the text just maybe 'the', 'and', 'is' are probably missing. So yeah, from 12 to probably 11 pages. That's condensed. For. Her.

Then she wants to highlight the parts where she has to look up at the slide show. And I have to mark in her notes to cue her when to look up at the screen or maybe make eye contact with the directors & possibly wink at the Group Accountant. Or probably drop dead.

Imagine. Director. Yet. The process of getting ready for a presentation. By now I have memorized everything that I might as well do the bloody presentation. But then, I ain't no director. Now, where are my cue cards???

red is the color of...

2010-02-25T13:42:00.001+08:00

I'm in a red outfit today. As much as I had expected, one fella commented "Eh I thought you don't celebrate Chinese New Year??"

Is the color red exclusive only to this festivity. It's just a color, for heaven's sake..

Geez!!

baby you're a maze...

2010-02-23T15:27:00.002+08:00

Sometimes in a desperate attempt to come across as learned & proficient in the Queen's English, many a times one ends up screwing the whole thing. Read this & tell me that you are not simply amazed...

Police report has been made against Mr. A on 30 Feb and the original copy has been passed to Ms. J on the same date for her to do the insurance claim. Amazingly on the next day, I received a call from Mr. A after his refusal to answer our numerous calls previously. He mentioned that he has passed all the Company's....

assume the ass in you not me

2010-02-23T14:32:00.002+08:00

I am in a state of frustration right now. Especially with my job. Before you start assuming that I am already bored of it.... well, not really. My job as an EA to the big kahuna is quite fun but its the moonlighting as HR that I despise much.

I simply don't understand the simple fact that they have assigned a duty to me but not to entrust me to do it my way. If they feel I need to be protected from the evil forces out there, why give it to me in the first place? Now I have to CC the whole wide universe when I send out a mail.

Then there's this BIG meeting coming up where they are going to brief the others on the new policies etc etc etc. The ones scheduled to attend are holding managerial positions and above. We are supposed to show samples on how the claims forms needs to be filled. So its a hypothetical situation. And we create a fictitious claims and just put in figures to give a feel of how the real thing should be. It can be any figure can't it?

But no, she says must put the actual figure so that the manager don't shoot us back with "Eh, where got airfare so cheap like that?". Try to cut the red tape she says. But making them complete a million and one forms isn't red tape?

I don't know, I am getting a little irritated by this... I am so not enjoying this. Damn!!

spammed

2010-02-11T17:10:00.002+08:00

I don't about the others who blog but have you received comments in your box that is so weird and probably uncalled for. Well I am sure you have but...

There's this person who has his/her name in Chinese characters who left one comment too many which is linked of course. When I click on the link, it goes to some porno site me thinks. And of course being me, I deleted those comments lah.

But yesterday, this Chinese person again (I don't really read Chinese, for all I know its a non-Chinese name written in Chinese...) left another comment but this time got a bit of smarts to add "Maybe your sole purpose in life is to warn others................." (or something like that with a long series of full-stops)

Did this person get a premonition and decided to go all philosophical on me? Who knows? Just when I thought I've been shown the light at the end of the tunnel (you know the sole purpose of my existence and all that jazz), I clicked on the link which he/she so smartly put as the long dot dot dot, another soft porn site.

It's probably another Zoolander at various stages of undress. Like I said I don't read Chinese so I had no clue what was the site all about.

Now you are wishing I didn't delete it eh... Well, maybe next time but someone's got to tell me what it's all about...

strike a pose...

2010-02-10T12:23:00.003+08:00

Ever noticed how the cam-whores have one and only that one pose in ALL their pictures? It's like in Zoolander where he says he has a multitude of looks but it's just that one...

Hmm, curious.

It's not been a good day and I am just not in the mood for anything. So instead of completing my assignments, I am browsing FB and am bombarded with the Zoolander syndrome. Thus this mindless banter. Please excuse me, while I go mope about something everything and nothing...

new addiction

2010-02-07T11:49:00.004+08:00

This weekend is a marathon to feed a new addiction...

Now, I'm a GLEEK...

speak don't speak

2010-02-03T12:42:00.002+08:00

A friend asked how I was getting along with my job. I told 'Fine, they just confirmed my position & I got a decent pay raise' (decent enough lah).

Then she asks me the soalan cepumas "But do they really know how you feel about them?" Yeah, what with me ranting and blabbering about their idiosyncrasies especially Super Dino and her new terminologies to the simplest of words.

Thus starts, learn a word a day (or on the days she decides to open her mouth and say something simply stupid). Today's word is "Commute" which in Dino world means "Communiqué".

Mistress Evil Twin tells me Communiqué means to communicate, to speak. Commute means 'Ko Mute' - so shut up. Now it makes senses, its antonym speak.

I'm multi-lingual I tell you - BM, English, smattering of Chinese (good enough to know when people are saying not so nice things), bits and pieces of Tamil, Badak Speaks & Dino/Onion Speaks.

Today's Jalan Bijan is brought to you by the letter C and todays words are Communiqué & Commute...

Isn't learning fun??

carpark claims

2010-02-03T12:05:00.001+08:00

I'm sure most of you have submitted claims for reimbursement. You know the norm - meals allowance, travel allowance, mileage, parking, toll charges, telephone calls, etc etc etc.

But have you ever come across claiming for a carpark?

I soon will I suppose if I follow his 'smarts'....

quadratic functional mess

2010-02-03T10:36:00.004+08:00

I never realised how rusty these brains were till the daughter brought out her Add Maths books and asked me to help her with some problems.

And to think it was one of my favorite subjects and one of my strongest. Functions? Inverse functions? Roots? Point of roots? Sum of roots? Quadratic equations? And this is only chapter 2...

I suppose the fact that I can solve 5 out of 7 problems means I ain't that bad eh? But it takes a lot of flipping the pages, reading and understanding the examples (ever noticed how the examples in the books are always the easiest of the lot & the actual exercises are nowhere related to the examples), switching between the text book and the reference book & the evergreen 'checking the answers at the back'. And that takes like what, half an hour..

It's frustrating enough for me and I can really feel for the daughter when it all seems nothing but just a fuzzy blur.

And I have come to the conclusion that all Add Maths teachers are just loose in the head. They are faster than the speeding bullet. Some of my classmates in secondary school can attest to our Form 4 AM teacher who sped from one end of the board to the other in a matter of minutes without even bothering if we understood what she was blabbering about. Needless to say the whole Fourth Form failed the AM paper in the first semester. It may have been her proudest moment yet. Funnily, I cannot remember her name for the life of me.

Then in Form 5, we had Miss Ambrose. Another one we simply could not understand. What was she saying neither what she was teaching. Thanks to an infamous tutor at that time (getting into his class was like getting into Yale, we had to sit for bloody exams), we managed to buck up and pass with flying colors. But the case of Lembu Punya Susu, Sapi Dapat Nama - Ms Ambrose was praised for our performance (from zero to hero).

The tutor itself was/is (heard he's still tormenting the kids) another nut job. He'd give us loads and loads of homework and expect it to be turned it the next day. Half the time in school, we'd be doing his work. Good thing was, the reference book used in school & tuition were the same. So we started the 'copy & paste' well ahead of time. Just not with the click of a mouse though...

So anyways, I am desperately begging the daughter to take up tutorials for AM 'cos its only Chapter 2 and I want to throw out the book from the 16th floor.

Parents, if you think the last you saw a text book was when you left school or university or whatever it last was, think again. It's deja vu all over again when them kids head off to school. I suppose if we were to take the PMR or SPM papers again we would be so lucky to get off at a 'B'. Seriously, these kids are being tortured. But really is there any solution to this?

amen to that...

2010-01-28T16:40:00.002+08:00

Still doing my benefits write up and I came across this new word Super Dino introduced to me. And a conversation between my evil twin & I transpire...

"New word - Amentities"

"Amen, hahahaha"

"Tities, amen"

"Amen, you got nice tities"

It was a laugh out loud moment. I couldn't help myself...

Thanks darling evil twin for helping me at times of need! Me lurves youse.

allow me the benefit at your expense

2010-01-28T15:33:00.002+08:00

Major headache now. Something I really don't need. But I'm going off for a retail therapy tomorrow. So I shall persevere...

Taking a breather now. (yes I am blogging while I am supposed to be busy & the deadline is end of today, which is like 2 hours away).

So anyways, the company after merging and buying up little companies decides to streamline their processes and stuff. One major headache is the staffs' allowances, benefits & expenses. And yours truly has been assigned the thankless job of checking claims and policing them to make sure they don't siphon the company's moolah one dollar at a time. I'm beginning to think I have the words "CLAIMS" on my forehead somewhere that everyone else but I can see. Every where I go, it somehow becomes my job to check them.

Anyhoos, I am doing the 'bible' for an upcoming HR clinic for the heads & persons in charge who will be enlightened on the new procedures, benefits and all that jazz.

Bertungkus lumus I work on the clauses only to have Super Dino change it all... like this...

From 'In the course of official duties, authorized employees shall be reimbursed' to 'In the course of official duties, only senior employees and employees in constant dealings'

From 'clients and business associates' to 'clients / principals / bankers'

From 'any amount exceeding than that of the amount given' to 'any amount exceeding by filling the entertainment form that of the amount given'

From 'the executive committee has the discretion to control the grant of entertainment expenses' to... oh wait, she took out that clause.

I am in no mood to make the changes to the grammar mistakes or whatever crap she is trying to put across. She is trying to aircon the ED by putting in word for word what he typed in his email. Monkey see monkey do. You know how they say you pay peanuts, you get monkeys... Now with the assortment of nuts available, even if the nuts are expensive, you still get monkeys. They are definitely not paying her peanuts, more like pine nuts but nevertheless...

I'm not arguing with anything. I just want to finish off this shitty thing, give it to her and go off for my trip tomorrow. And come back on Tuesday to all this madness..

when you wish upon a star

2010-01-26T21:53:00.003+08:00

Should I count my lucky stars that the daughter is refusing every single idea I have put forward to her for a birthday prezzie? She's turning 16 soon and as the norm, we want to give her something she would really like and want. She says "don't know". So I shoot off some ideas - new phone? No. I-Pod? No. Laptop? No. Shoes? No. Clothes? No. Watch? No. Cash? She hesitates...

But cash is so impersonal. But perhaps if I gave it to her to buy whatever her little heart desires..

If it were any other kid, they'd probably try their luck for 16 prezzies.. But I must have been good somewhere along my life to deserve such a darling.

Any ideas on what makes a good gift for sweet 16?

by virtue...

2010-01-26T11:38:00.001+08:00

Can anyone please explain the meaning behind this question - "is d virtue from is d right one ?"

Badaks speaks, me must learns...

i am man, hear me whimper...

2010-01-25T11:15:00.002+08:00

Did you read this today in the papers? About men being the weaker sex? Hey, don't get all riled up.. Read it and tell me it's not true.

I have had first hand experience and let me assure you that it's all true. ALLLLLLL TRUE. When its us females who are sick, they'll just tell you to take medicine and go to sleep cos that's what we need. Complete rest. Then they'll say 'Okaylah, you masak bubur lah kalau takde selera nak makan". Worse still at the first sign of the sniffles, they'll pump you up with medicine so that you aren't even allowed to fall sick. "You can't fall sick, who's gonna do (rattles off a list of things to do)??"

When its their turn to take medicine, go to sleep and get a complete rest, they'll say "Tak boleh tidur lah, got block nose. Joints aching. Kepala sakit lah, demam lah" only to check their temperature and find out its all imaginary. Don't even get me started on the million and one excuses they come up with when you start to suggest a visit to the docs...

when in doubt

2010-01-22T10:38:00.002+08:00

You know when you write a letter or any form of correspondence but don't know who to address it to - 'sir' for male, 'madam' for female, 'to whom it may concern' doesn't sound so friendly?

I found an ingenious way to address this situation (pun unintended). I was copied on a mail sent to two people actually and sender decided to put in 'Dear both'.

Either way, it can also be used for a sexually confused person who's not sure if he's a woman trapped with a disco stick or a dyke with boobs & cupid stunt (credits to ah chan for this).

raindrops keep falling on my...

2010-01-20T11:07:00.003+08:00

"Hi, need to check with you if your boss holds any directorship in other public listed companies other than (present company)"

"ABC Sdn Bhd & XYZ Sdn Bhd. Do you need me to fill up a form?"

"Sdn Bhd is not PLC"

"Oh I forgot. Then takdelah. Its only this"

**Speechless**

Even the good news / fairly bad news I got before this happened couldn't top this.

i is intelligent you know... WAHHHHHH

2010-01-15T14:15:00.003+08:00

Remember the bc-cw woman, now she's got a new title - Dino the Cavewoman. Long story how she got that name... But anyways here's how she delighted my boring little world today.

She gets this life changing inspiring mail about how we must change in order to grow & god-knows-whatelse 'rock my world' mantra. So inspired and moved is she that she wants to print out a particular message in the message.

She calls me in to help her (alike the many a times she calls me in just to align her Excel spreadsheet). I try to copy the image & print it, no can do. So I tell her to forward it to me, and I'll see what I can do. I ain't no tech whiz but can lah...

So I find out that some bugger who's nothing better to do in life than to create all this shit on some slides, actually pasted the thing on an image thing. So THAT one particular slide cannot be extracted. So I tell Dino. This ensues....

"So how to print that particular image I want?"

"Recreate it lah. As long as you don't need THAT specific picture, I can use any picture I want"

"Recreate it? How?"

"Retype the phrase lah"

"Wah, you very intelligent ah. I wouldn't have thought about that. My mind is too preoccupied"

Yeah, I'm sitting here doing nothing. I'm working okay, and yeah updating my blog IS what I consider work. Reading the ED's 3 pages email is boring me to tears & yawns. And I am not preoccupied with the stupid assignment that just got handed to me this morning?

Me is intelligent you know...WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH, I is impressed!! Wait, didn't she once say I have flaws & imperfect. Imperfect intelligence with flaws... what can I not do??

senseless sense

2010-01-15T10:36:00.003+08:00

Is there a rule somewhere outlining Facebook etiquette? On what remarks to leave, what to say, what not to say, when not to be an ass?

A friend posted a picture taken at another friend's son's birthday party. Well, we may not have looked our best in the pic & looked rather lost or as she put it 'poyo'. So she put in a remark to comment on our expressions in the pic.. And we had an exchange of mindless comments that would only makes sense to the three of us. Although one of the trio was mostly the silent one simply because she didn't have easy access to FB at that time.

This was like what, donkey years ago... So anyways, one guy let's call this one Ass - he became friends with the girl who posted the pic, thus having access to view her album. He came across this picture I mentioned above & gave a rather dumb senseless remark like "Sebab takut nak balik rumah" (his justification to our 'poyo' look). So my friend replied his remark with "Doesn't make sense" & I just had to add on "As the saying goes, if you have nothing nice (or intelligent might I add) to say, zip it".

And he just had to do it with "Didnt read something intelligent at all here anyway. Just FMTPO!" & of course I had to give him a piece of my mind. Well, he's yet to reply. I'm waiting. Patiently. Am I waging a war? You bet your ass I am.

At first I thought my friend knew him well so I asked her why he was making remarks like that? She said that she didn't know him personally just as an FB friend cos he kept bugging her to add him as a friend. Ass or not? Dah lah desperate giler & then had the audacity say senseless things about people he doesn't even know. WTF?

And just in case you didn't know - FMTPO is the acronym for "For Me To Poop On". How is that relevant to what he said is also beyond me. Go figure. Anyone knows what its supposed to mean? But then again, he does have shit for brains, so. And here's my message to him....

hipO(s) of a badaks berendams together-gether...

2010-01-14T15:15:00.003+08:00

In my last employment, I had the displeasure of working with someone who was a bit 'duh'... I thought I had the last of it when I left that hell on earth.

But noooooooooo, I have come to the conclusion that in every organization there must be one to maintain a balance. Yin and Yang.

The bosses of where I work now are flying to a neighboring country sometime next week & one fella from our office up north is supposed to go on the same trip. The bosses are flying from KL & the other fella from Penang. So I ask the secretary in Penang who booked the flights for him to advise his flight schedule as I need to inform our host. She then sends me a mail. I realise that the bugger is on the same flight as the bosses all along. And I reconfirm with her.

She tells me "Ya same flight as the bosses but he is in econ. Different cabin, may at the back" (no typo error, as per her reply ya!!)

Oh? I thought econ was beside the pilot??

did you hear about the one....

2010-01-14T12:18:00.004+08:00

Twice I heard about this. Once from a colleague who mentioned that some Malay tabloid reported it & yesterday from the hubby who read it out aloud from The Star.

A certain pop princess got a RM40k LV limited edition bag from her beloved hubby. And being the tabloid they are, it was reported that it was wayyyy cheaper than her first gift from him a RM800k sports car, second year RM200k watch. I'm sure the reporter rubbed this fact in her face, to which she replied something like "It doesn't matter, as long as he loves me. I've always wanted a limited edition LV bag"....So being the kepoh I am, I found this. After you have 20 LVs in your collection, does another one really make that much of a difference? Oh yeah, I forgot it's limited...

Then again, do they find it absolutely necessary to report what she gets for her birthday every year? Any guesses what the value is gonna be at? My hubby causticly commented that she should be worried on the declining factor...

Sour grapes much?? Alah, apa susah, use the supplementary card (yes we have our own principal cards but its always good to keep a supplementary where HE has to pay) to buy whatever we want, then sweetly tell him "You bought me this..." which in truth, he did technically. He paid, you just picked it out.

Damn!! The Birkin won't cost as much would it?? Aiyah, cannot keluar Metro lah liddat.... Oh wait!! I ain't no pop princess. Sigh.....

tis the season...

2010-01-13T11:40:00.006+08:00

2009 has gone. 2010 is here...

If you are thinking its a new year post & all the "Happy New Year, may it be filled with..." crap, stop reading now!!

If you know HR well enough, now is the time for bonuses & increments (subject that the Company is perfoming, same ole, same ole). Pretty soon, we'll be checking our payslips to see the winning numbers. Normally, duit keluar dulu then surat. Mana you nak dulu? Duit ke surat?

In unusual cases where the letters are the former rather than the latter, you expect to be given a letter only if it bears good news. But have you ever come across where you dapat zilch pun, they give you letter?

A dear friend told me of her company who does just that. Nothing better to do ah these people?

Dear Jane,

We are pleased (you damn sure the company is damn pleased) to inform that you have been given a bonus of RM0 & an annual increment of RM0. We trust that you are pleased with this. We thank you for your contribution & bla bla bla.

Yours sincerely,
Jack (Ass)

See, I don't even know how this bloody letter is supposed to sound? Enlighten me?

dum dum dum dee dum

2010-01-13T10:51:00.003+08:00

I was told to create an expenses claim form based on 5 different formats by 5 different subsidiaries. So this form is supposed to capture all the information required by the 5 different groups. So I come up with this template & being the IT ignomarus that she is, I give her the hard copy lah...

"Eh, why your mileage section very sikit ah? Their mileage claims sometimes can be a lot"

"It's soft copy mah, they can add however many rows they want. Just don't disturb the formulae & the format lah"

"Then the form 'lari' how?"

"Realign the margins lah.."

"Oh liddat ah..."

Dumb-founded!!??

doing doing doing

2010-01-12T16:52:00.002+08:00

I receive an SMS from an agent with the details I need. A few minutes later, the secretary calls to confirm that I received the message. Yes, I did thank you.

Then I hear his voice in the background telling her what to say to me. Why bother when you can call & tell me yourself? Does the secretary relay the message to me? Well yes & no. Cos I heard him already so I guess she just didn't bother. So she just said thanks, bye.