Queue or not to queue?

Dear middle-aged women,

I know that these freshly baked biscuits are extremely delicious and you can't wait to get your hands on them. From the license plates of your sons' or husbands' vehicles waiting by the road, I know that you've come a long way to get them back to your hometowns. I also do know that your child or grandchild is bawling inside the vehicle and that you are rushing back to comfort them. I understand that the owner of the bakery is a close friend of yours or your mother's or some relative.

But despite all these, it's still not a reason for you to walk straight up from a very long queue, up to the very front, and order the workers to attend to your needs first. It is just plain rude! Very ignorant and simply ill-mannered. You have no respect for others and more so for yourself. Is this how your very own parents taught you and is this the way you are going to teach your child or grandchild in the waiting vehicle?

I don't care that you are much elder than I am or that I would be labelled as rude to an elder, but you have just demonstrated that you are not to be respected. So I won't hold back in pointing out the obvious and to tell you to get back in line and wait for another 30 minutes like the rest of us did. The biscuits are not running away.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
An annoyed biscuit lover

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The Business

It started out as a joke. At a local bar for a birthday party late last year. A presumably drunken friend was lamenting about the working life and how boring it gets. He was unsatisfied working for others. He felt that there was something to be done to it and he wanted to come out on his own. He suggested a business partnership and he asked if I would be interested. Thinking that the idea was fun, I simply agreed, to get rid of him from pestering me for the rest of the night. He would have forgotten about it when he wakes up the next morning.

Little did I know, a month down the road, I got a call from him again to further discuss the venture. Apparently, he'd found a business that was worth investing. He'd even submitted a proposal to the other party and they have expressed interest in working with him. "Are you for real?" He asked me in return, "Were you for real too when you agreed the other night?" "I thought you were drunk and was just fooling around."

Nevertheless, I thought I could at least do something different with my life and sparked it up a little. Thus, I said yes to him once again and pledged my commitment. I meant it this time. And so, he got a few more to chip in and together we started our journey. Through numerous brain-storming sessions. Through numerous arguments. Through numerous researches and surveys. Through numerous meetings and discussions.

And, on 8th May 2012, the papers were officially signed. The deal was on.

Another journey has begun.....

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I've quit

Ohh, you've heard it right. Yes, I've quit. Yet again. Let's see...in just about 7 months. That's my 5th resignation in 7 years. People do wonder. "What is wrong with you?" Especially my parents. All my friends had the very same reaction, "What? Again? Gosh! How many jobs have you had already?"

I have my reasons. Although I'm uncertain which weighs more. Or if any of those were really reasons at all. The boss had been too unreasonable. He breached my tolerance level. I was applying my own working style and he couldn't accept that. I was unhappy with the 9 to 5 routine. I felt trapped behind my desk. I felt lost in a profession that got me this far and paid me so well. It was supposed to be a career that could bring me to greater heights but it wasn't the one that I wanted to pursue in the very first place.

And so I've decided to called it quits. Handed in my letter, served the notice period and turned down the 3 counter offers the boss threw my way. I've been out for 2 weeks and I've still not had a clear head yet. I've browsed all the job search websites and have not found anything that interests me in accountancy. I went to the head hunters and told them what I had in mind, hoping that they would be able to find the answer that I couldn't. Only I'm doubting the information that I fed them. Was it really what I wanted?

 I've had so many options. My heart had been directing me into the paths less traveled. My mind had been directing me the other way. I am caught between pleasing society and pleasing myself. Caught between what I should be doing and what I feel like doing. There wouldn't be a balance. It would have to be either one.

It's a decision that has been lingering for quite some time. And sadly to say, there have been no answers yet. Am I experiencing a mid life crisis?

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The 28th

Celebrating in KL no longer seemed to be special. There's nothing more that I can think of other than fine dining, clubbings, dinners, & karaokes. These seemed to be fun back in those days, but after awhile, they don't seemed to bring on any effects. So, I'd decided to take it out of the country. From now on.

It wasn't much of a plan. Grabbed people who would accommodate my spontaneous trip (yes, again). Decided on the place to go. Booked the tickets. Booked the accommodation. Booked the driver. And "wah-lah"...off we went to the island of Bali. The Island of the Gods.


Flew 3 hours from LCCT to Denpasar Airport via Air Asia. It's the only airport on the island. Touched down around noon and had a hard time locating our driver. It was a scene to be remembered. At the arrival hall, beyond the gates, were about a hundred drivers and tour guides, holding place cards, waiting for the arrival of their passengers and guests. I mean a hundred! We got stunned at the gates, with a "wah" on our lips and went, "Which one is ours?" We scrutinized the place cards, looked from left to right, right to left, and finally saw this card with our names at the left hand corner. Mr Made it is.

The itinerary had been roughly planned out earlier. As time was limited, we've only chosen places of interests. The "must visit" places. The places whereby you won't deemed to have visited Bali if you haven't been to them. And according to Mr Made, there are 4 things where Bali is famous for - their temples, their scenic mountain views, their rice terraces and their rich culture.

1) Uluwatu Temple

Our very first stop. The temple on the cliff. Visitors weren't allowed in so this was all we've got. The view was breath-taking. The feeling was indescribable - to have the strong sea wind in your face coupled with the serenity of the view. Imagine standing at the very tip of the cliff with nothing but the sea below...

2) Taman Ayun Temple

Being a first-timer to Bali, I've realized that all their temples were built is the same way. Like the ones you see above. Layer upon layer. The only difference would be the way they structured it. The way they were "arranged".

3) Lake Beratan Temple

I call it the mystifying temple. Located on Lake Beratan and surrounded by a mountain. Watching it from far gives it a sense of mystery. An untold story waiting to be unfold.

4) Kintamani Mountain and Batur Lake

We missed this due to the poor weather. It was raining on the day we planned the visit. The area around the lake and the mountain were covered with mists and fogs and there was nothing much to view. We had no choice but to turn around. What a waste!

5) Jatih Luwih

This was not being planned. We had extra time from forfeiting the Kintamani tour so Mr Made decided to bring us here instead. The journey in took 2 hours and it was worth it. A note to future tourists, tell your drivers to take you all the way in. The view is much better deeper into the rice terrace. You could stop by any where by the road for pictures. It's the best birthday gift I ever had - just by being on the field.

6) Besakhih Temple

The mother of all temples. Built on Mount Agung. And even then, you still got to climb numerous stairs to get to the top. It's like a stairway to heaven. Perhaps it was built with that intention. Amazing architecture. Amazed at how they aligned rocks after rocks to form the temple structure. A guide had been "provided" to us. For a fee of course. And as he explained, there were 4 parts to the temple - the main courtyard, the temple of the sun god, the temple of the fire god and the temple of the wind god. A tour of the entire place takes 2 hours.

And it was the temple of the sun god which got me mesmerized.

2 dragons guarding its entrance. You've got to walk further to the back of Besakhih to reach it. Up another slope. The sun god was deemed the most powerful. There were 3 different flights of stairs to reach the main prayer courtroom. It was majestic. I can almost feel that I'm in heaven.

7) Balinese culture

Balinese practices Hinduism. Yes, I was surprised too. And I would like to say that we were pretty lucky that our vacation coincides with their New Year - the Nyepi, which falls on March 23rd each year. We got to witness their celebration. As explained by our guide, there would be processions by the different villages in the few days leading to the Nyepi, processions to various temples for prayers. On the eve of Nyepi, each village would prepare different forms of ogoh-ogoh, demons of their legend, to be paraded on the streets before being burned in cemetaries. To rid of bad omens. On New Year's day, they are to observe a day of silence. No one is allowed on the streets, no one is to work, no one is allowed to switch on lights, even their only airport is closed for the day. Tourists are to strictly remain in their hotels. It is tradition to which they adhered to.

Prayer processions

 

One of the ogoh-ogohs

 

I am fascinated with Balinese sculptures, especially their doors

We were lucky to have our return flight booked on the eve of Nyepi, or we'll be stuck in our hotels for an entire day.

It was a vacation to be remembered. Free and relaxing. I left with a heavy heart. I wouldn't mind returning for another time. Or a few more times for that matter.

I had a great birthday this year!

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This is not dead

Been gone for 3 months. Always had the urge to write but not the time to do so. So much has happened. So much to update. Now I'm back to revive my page.

Stay tuned!

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