Bitter

The one thing I learnt today, is to count on no one but yourself. If you hoped that someone would be there to lend a hand or to save your day, you can keep on hoping. To wait for help to come would be like waiting for rain in a desert. It would be so much better to deal with it on your very own. They are all so full of lies. Hipocrites on their own being. Families and friends alike. And you can leave...

{ Continue Reading... }

Dear Santa,

It's the time of the year again, where your mailbox is full of letters of wishes. As with the rest of the world, I would be of no exception in dropping my wish to your mailbox this year as well. This year, Santa, I wish........for all the blessings that had been bestowed upon me, to not be taken away. I am grateful for all that I have. Santa, that's all I want for Christmas...

{ Continue Reading... }

Fast & Furious

If you want me to slow down and do one thing at a time, I won't be able to. Not only the circumstances doesn't allow it, I am just somehow not associated with the term "slow and steady". I have been taught to be "fast and furious", and that's what I have been doing lately. Being fast....and very furious. I have these messages laid on my desk for the past week. It was the...

{ Continue Reading... }

Wimp

"You obviously know that this is not it. You obviously know that your heart is telling you to head some where else. And not only you, those close enough to you is able to tell that you do not want this as well. But yet, you choose to remain where you are. There is no wall in front of you. Nothing is holding you back. There is literally nothing that is stopping you from pursuing your desires....

{ Continue Reading... }

There's A Place For Us

Of the soundtrack from the latest Narnia installment.I've never really fancied kiddy movies. Maybe I've grown up over fairy tales and magic. But the movie proved to be rather inspiring - if you apply certain parts of it into reality.Enj...

{ Continue Reading... }

CPD

Totally forgotten about my CPDs for the year! Don't know what it is? It's those points which you've got to accumulate in a year in order to retain that membership to a certain professional body. I need 40 points! Which I've totally forgotten about after I left EY. So now I've got to cramp 40 points in one month. To be exact, less than a month! Oh b...

{ Continue Reading... }

License to dive

Next year. Armed with an oxygen tank, a wet suit, mask and a pair of fins, I'll be able to experience these marvelous underwater sights. Imagine to be able to swim along side barracudas, hawksbill turtles, eagle rays and scallop hammerhead sharks. And maybe if I'm lucky, I might be able to touch one of them, without losing any part of my body, I hope. Yay! It's scuba diving man!...

{ Continue Reading... }

Changing times

3 years ago, on a night like this, I would have been out partying. 3 years after that, on this night, look what am I doing? Lazying at home staring at the computer screen. 3 years ago, on a night like this, calls would be coming in for dozens of activities which I can't even decide which to go to. 3 years after that, on this night, I've got to make calls to find my own activities and...

{ Continue Reading... }

When life gets rough...

Sometimes, you just need that little pat on the shoulder.... Those little words of encouragement... A little hug for some support... And a little smile to make your day. Just a little "No worries. Everything will be all right" does make a difference....

{ Continue Reading... }

Still looking back.......

After being gone for almost 8 months now, I still find it hard to leave the life in my previous firm. It's a love hate kind of a thing. And I realize that a lot of those who have left felt the same way too. We dreaded going to work so much back then due to the impossible deadlines, the demanding bosses, the late nights, the never ending stress and the lack of personal time. Yet, at the same...

{ Continue Reading... }

What are we here for?

A friend posted a very interesting question to me today. He asked if I know the reason for being here. Meaning, the reason for being born. I gave him a rather stupid answer. I told him that we are all passer bys. We come. Stay for an average 70 years or so and then we'll leave. It's the best that I can think of. He asked further : do you know why you came then? and last for that 70 years? I was...

{ Continue Reading... }

The zone of no debate

The manager of one of the department's barged into my room this morning..... xxx  : How can you send out this kind of notification? Me  : Which notification is this? xxx  : There...the one where u amended the procedures.... Me  : What is wrong with them? xxx  : Perhaps you are not aware. We have been doing this way all this time. There wasn't any issue. Now you wanted...

{ Continue Reading... }

"You want it all, you want it small"

Behold my new toy.The all new HTC Aria. Ready to ...

{ Continue Reading... }

Yet another departure

Yes. Another close friend is leaving. Leaving the country for a better job opportunity in a far away land. Why the hell do I have so many close friends anyway? It's never good to know that they are leaving and you won't be close anymore. Shuc...

{ Continue Reading... }

Of marriage, husbands and kids

The ladies at my workplace were having a little slack time this quiet Saturday morning. The topic of men and babies crept up eventually as most of them have just started a family. The conversation was intense, with each discussed about their husbands, their kids, their mother-in-laws, their washing machine, what to cook for dinner etc etc. They seemed to be having a good time comparing...

{ Continue Reading... }

The British Cottage

By chance, we checked into this chalet up on Cameron Highlands. It was the Raya holidays and every where else were either fully booked or charging unreasonable rates. This was the only place that was available. I fell in love with it from the moment I stepped in. It was a British boarding school back in the 1890s. After the British pulled out, it was bought over by an Indian...

{ Continue Reading... }

Interviews

This time, I'm not the one getting jittery and worried about what might be asked. This time, I'm the one having fun thrashing out tough questions to MY candidates. Yes, you've heard me right. I am hiring. Boy, does it sound good to be introduced as the "hiring manager". If you think you've seen all kinds of interviewer throughout your job hunting days, wait till you meet the all kinds of candidates. Me...

{ Continue Reading... }

10 reasons why men suck

Information was gathered through observations and interactions with my male counterparts. Although not all men behave the same way, but they are guilty of at least one of the reasons listed. In no particular order: 1) Immature      They still spend a whole lot of time on computer games and animes. Someone ought to tell them that those      aren't real...

{ Continue Reading... }

Still searching....

It has been good so far. I finally had the time to focus on other things than work. I no longer had to work on a spreadsheet till 2 am or on weekends. I no longer had to feel guilty going for a movie or a drink. I no longer dread heading to work or wishing that all my bosses would vaporise. Work, nowadays, stays within that official 8 hours. Anything beyond that, is allowed to be done the next day. I...

{ Continue Reading... }

Secrets

In this movie, this physics nerd was experimenting electric waves on steel bars to generate a certain tune. God knows how he did it, and though I'm not a physics fan, the idea was awesome. Totally impressive. And the tune played was darn cool. The tune came from a song. We stayed back after the end of the movie to catch the title of that song. Even after the last patrons have left and the cleaners...

{ Continue Reading... }

First 2 weeks....

So, I've been here for 2 weeks.... The work load has been mounting each passing day. The previous fella didn't get anything straight. None of the problems were solved. Internally and externally. So there have been complaints coming in from every corner. I am here to fix things. One at a time. Or so I hope. I have moved into my new room, although it still stinks with paint. Thus, I've...

{ Continue Reading... }

Perhentian Island

Seeing that we won't be having further Friday outings like we used to, the girls from my previous team came up with this idea to go to Langkawi initially. I honestly do not know what went wrong in between, we changed course to Perhentian island instead. And lucky we did. Perhentian island, probably unknown to many 10 to 20 years back. Of course, it was Redang that has always...

{ Continue Reading... }

When English was "polluted"

A vacancy posted up at an outlet window made me blinked twice and went, "What?" First, I had no idea what that position would be. Second, I didn't even know such a position even existed. Here's the ad I saw. You can laugh if you want to. VACANCY1) Account Exact2) Graphic Designer3) DriverPlease contact xxxxxxxx Didn't get it? See again. The standard of our English. Yes. Malaysia Boleh!  *shakes...

{ Continue Reading... }

First day...

New job. New position. New place. New colleagues. New room. Yeaps. I'm particularly excited about the last one. And I'm even provided with a new laptop. Shucks! Thought I could ditch carrying one around after all these years. Anyhow, first day...already been slapped with tonnes of work. Meetings. Meetings. Meetings. Discussions. Discussions. Discussions. Reports. Reports. Reports. Challenging....

{ Continue Reading... }

A little painting

Out of boredom, I have gone up to Bukit Tinggi for a day's tour. Honestly, there isn't much to do there. Other than the rabbits and the horses. And since I am no longer 12, so rabbits and horses didn't interest me much either. Anyhow, I was at the French village, Colmar Tropicale, and came across this clay painting store. The sculptures were so adorable that I couldn't resist...

{ Continue Reading... }

In the name of charity

A spring cleaning activity done a couple of months back saw these lying in the corner of my storeroom. Dating back to the 1990s when I was a tween and then a teen. My all time favourites. Which I read for countless times. My Hadi boys' collection. Incomplete. The horror collection. Which was not scary, after all. The famous lady. Children's classics. These were very good. But...

{ Continue Reading... }

Was it right? Or was it wrong?

Often, the many decisions we make, there is no absolution on whether it's right or it's wrong. Many times, it's a gamble. Not knowing what lies ahead, not knowing what the outcome would be, we make the best estimation possible, put our best foot forward and follow our hearts. It is not until a certain time where our decisions have been 'judged', did we fall into the categories of regret or gratitude....

{ Continue Reading... }

Competitions

I seriously hate competitions. Not competitions as in contests. But competitions as in people competing with each other on any matter, be it education, career, accessories, wealth, travel, friends, anything! I see it as pointless. You compete with your relatives. You compete with your firiends. You compete with your neighbours. You compete with your colleagues. Okay, may be I'm a little weird. Or...

{ Continue Reading... }

Jobless? Oh No!!!

As most of you know, I quit my previous employment without a new one. When people found out, they went "What?? WHY???" You know. The very shock-unbelievable look. Everyone. From the security guard to the butcher at the market to the neighbours to the relatives to friends to senior management in large corporations. The next questions running through their minds (from the next look that they portrayed),...

{ Continue Reading... }

Bored to the bones

It's already 4 months! I have initially allowed myself 1 month. The max 2. But look at where am I now. Still at home, reading books of 600 pages each week along with hot hot strawberry teas. Borders have become my most frequent hangout. Although it's been pretty cool to wake up at 11am each day and laze on the couch with my books in tow, it can be pretty daunting waiting for the phone to ring, with...

{ Continue Reading... }

An unblissful marriage

She made a wrong decision. Looking back 30 years ago, she knew she shouldn't have walked down that aisle. She had been pretty then. Long dark hair, smooth fair skin, shy and demure. But age was catching up. She had rejected a marriage proposal from a merchant a couple of years back as she thought she was of no match to him. He came from the city and highly educated. She grew up in a small rural town...

{ Continue Reading... }

Ridiculous news feeds

I find it very amusing when ever I log in to Facebook. Scrolling down the News Feeds would make me go "Oh what the heck?" Although it is pretty normal to lay out your thoughts on your profile, I don't see a reason why certain people ought to spell out their daily lives for the entire world to see. I'm okay if you want your friends to share your ups and downs. "Just got that promotion" or "Got into...

{ Continue Reading... }

Crossroads

Life has been pretty much mapped out before this. At least, I knew where I was headed. Get into a good school. Score the best possible grades. Get into a reputable firm until I attained that membership status which would secure my career for the rest of my life. I've done all that. I got what I wanted. I did what I was supposed to do. And now, I'm stuck here, in the middle of...

{ Continue Reading... }

Ex-EY : Reunited

Ahh...my EY gang. Those fond memories.  Doing what we do best. Wonder how many more weddings does it take for all of us to get together aga...

{ Continue Reading... }

Cheapskate but not kiasu

I like Gene's phrase. It's like being kedekut but not in an embarrassing way. There is nothing wrong in being stingy alittle. After all, we are talking about money. It's a natural reaction to want to keep your own money deep inside your pockets. So, when there's an opportunity to spend less for the same amount of things, it is natural to do so. But please lah, don't do it in an embarrassing way....

{ Continue Reading... }

Dumb dumb me

I sometimes don't even understand myself. I wouldn't blame anyone who doesn't. The dumb me had decided to settle for uncertainty and interest rather than a high paying job, with flexi hours and easy workloads. Well, aren't those what I've been dreaming of having all these while? I look at the rest and go green with envy with the fancy titles, the vast opportunities given and the high monthly incomes....

{ Continue Reading... }

Quote

"I don't have a set destination of where I want to be. I can only build my capabilities and perform better than my counterparts and I know I will go somewhere. " - An interview conversation from The Star - Some one just laid out what I had in mind. So I wasn't the only one wandering around aimlessly. Thank y...

{ Continue Reading... }

I finally got 'em!

I am a fussy one on shoes. One tour member came out of this shoe store in London with 4 pairs of shoes in tow. "All the brands are there. Adidas. Nike. Puma. Reebok. Even Playboy and Hello Kitty. All sizes. All colours. All designs. And very affordable", she said. So I rushed in. Went through the shelves. Skimmed through everything they have in store. It was quite awhile later...

{ Continue Reading... }

An European getaway

It was a blessing that Eyjafjallajökull had ceased to erupt 2 days before I was due to fly and resumed erupting just 2 days after I returned. I wasn't caught in any flight cancelations nor delays. The weather had been great throughout the entire tour. Even the tour guide thanked God for making this tour a smooth sailing one - covering all programmes and meeting each timeline. My...

{ Continue Reading... }