Another rant

I honestly do not want to bring this up. But it has come to a point where it breached my tolerance level, once again.

I am working with morons. Too harsh. How about fools? Well, they are not exactly stupid. Yea, I think this should fit. Kids. I am working with kids. A bunch of 10 year old kids. Inexperienced and yet didn't want to learn. All talk and no action, empty vessels to be obvious. Fooled around during official meetings. No sense of urgency. Ignorant of what is really going on around. Too lax. Too naive. What in the world have I gotten myself into? Babysitting?

I do not understand. Is it me? Am I being too serious? Well, I believe everyone should be when it comes down to business. Am I being too detailed? Well, we are talking about money matters here. Am I pushing too hard? Well, we should be addressing issues and have it solved the soonest possible.

I can't stand it if questions go unanswered. Words not turned into actions. And actions not worked on promptly. Or no updates or feed backs provided in between. This is not the way I do things. This is not the way most people I know do things either.

So, you guys have got to buck up and change your ways. I am not degrading myself for your sake.

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Something I don't usually do....

I have never been to any concerts or showcases or autograph sessions or award ceremonies. Okay. May be just once. Bad experience. That's why I have never went to any of it again. Not even when Jay Chou was in town.

I disliked the screaming fans. I disliked having to crowd with a bunch of unknown people, being pushed up and down, for the sake of getting a glimpse of their idol. I don't see a point in it. Artiste are just humans as well. Nothing more. May be a little more talented. May be a little more good looking.

I declined, at first, when a close friend asked me to accompany her to watch her close friend perform. I am not standing below the stage, holding a camera and scream at some artiste. But after some persuasion, I finally went. Yes, I did. And after I heard a couple of her songs, I acknowledged her talent. Great voice. Worth to be supported.

And who is this local artiste? None other than our very own Karen Kong. Haven't heard of her? Well, perhaps you would recognize her as the leading actress in the accused controversial Nasi Lemak 2.0 movie released last year.

There she is. Right in the middle.

 For the second time after a very long time, I stood below the stage, held a camera and snapped pictures of an artiste - of her.

And, no, I didn't scream for her or asked for her autograph. I am way pass that stage. But I did wanted to get a picture together with her. Unfortunately, I have no access back stage.

Perhaps, my dear friend (if you are reading this), can make an arrangement for that?  :)

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The Grand Opening - Planet Popcorn

Starting up a business ain't easy. It was real tiring to have everything in place for the opening. Everything was last minute work. Operations training were held just 3 days before. Renovations completed just a day before. Stocks arrived just hours before. In between, there were certain administration stuffs to settle. Since we didn't have time to hire anyone yet, we did everything hands on. Even after we've split the tasks, there was still so much to do. Oh, boy!

Snap shots of the eve of the opening:

All set

Even from all the exhaustion, it was difficult to get to sleep that night. Anxious on the maiden business venture. The mind playing all kinds of scenes that would go wrong. Wondering if there was crowd to support. Wondering if we would fumble throughout the day. Wondering if we would be able to satisfy the customers. Wondering if the system would turn down on us. Many...many...many more.  

But, turns out that, all the worries were for nothing. The opening was better than expected!

Planet Popcorn - Officially launched on 23rd May 2012!

Located at the newly opened Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya.

 

Business have been wonderful these couple of weeks. The crowd had been awesome. We've met so many interesting people. There have been so many interesting stories to tell. But, I'll leave that to another time.

Thanks to all family and friends who came all the way to support. Appreciate the presence of all!

Let's hope that business will continue to flourish in the days to come.

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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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Rough weeks

The past few weeks have been a real disaster. Things at work have not turned out so well. There was some sort of issue almost every day. After the third issue, I was starting to anticipate the next one. I went in to work every morning asking, "So what would be wrong today?".

I was being blamed for a mistake not by my doing. I was being blamed for something that I didn't know about. I was being blamed for a wrongly interpreted message by the other party. I was being blamed for not fixing a mess that was caused 3 years ago. I made mistakes that I don't usually do. I got to pick up after my staff. My work was mounting as I had so much to do. I was irritated. I was depressed. I didn't know what could I do. I thought of quitting.

Then I became superstitious. I suspected that my destiny had changed. My pre-determined course of events had changed. I went back to the shrink. I was desperate to know what could be made right. I was right. She read my signs and she knew. She told me exactly what had happened. The rough ride at work. And it was inevitable. Damn! She mentioned something about the sun, "my" sun, which came up at night. So my light has been shadowed. It is something that I have to go through. The only consolation is that its temporary. After its passed, work would run smoothly again.

I believed her and hung on to my job. I go into work each morning now knowing things would somehow or rather turn ugly. At least, now I learn to stay calm, keep my cool and try my best to handle things.

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The reason.....

We do things for a reason. Without one, there's no point in doing it. Simple. And what if we are doing something for the wrong kind of reasons? Or maybe it was not the intended reason? Would we, then, still continue to do it? That is the question.

I have not found the answer yet. But I did find myself conflicted, in certain situations. I do things without a reason. I do things for not the intended reasons. I have yet to do things for the wrong kind of reasons. Only on a few occasions that I do things for the right reasons.

And then comes another question. Why did I do it then? Yes, the big why. And just like the X-files, it is unjustifiable. It is unexplainable. I don't know why. But I did it anyway. Dumb. And then I started the questions. Questioning my very own actions. Trying to figure out why I did the things I did. Trying to get to the root cause of everything. There are no answers still.

So now do I continue with what I did? Would I be satisfied with the reasons I give myself? Should I ignore the reasons and move on? Or do I find a more suitable reason?

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Oh, it's the Dragon!

So, it's the last day to celebrate the Dragon.

The fireworks hasn't stop since 3 weeks ago. But my celebration only lasted one day. I was already back to work on the third day. The colleagues asked what was I doing in the office. I replied I was bored at home. Yea. As usual. As the years goes by, the excitement lacks. 

We weren't very traditional. No balik kampung. No prayers. No gambling. It's been a few years we have not cooked for our own reunion dinner. Probably there are not many elderly around now. So we don't really follow the rules much. We just put up the basics and that's it. That's our chinese new year.

And just like any other year, it won't do without the "Do you have a boyfriend?" and "When are you getting married?" questions. When I told them "No. I don't have a boyfriend yet and I don't plan to be married", the mocking starts and advises came from all angles to say that it's about time to be attached and be committed etc etc. However, one aunt told me otherwise. She told me not to rush things and to take my time in choosing a partner and not to settle down until I'm ready in doing so. Boy, I love this aunt!

May this new year be a better one. I hear the fates of "rats" are pretty good this year. Surely does hope so.

Happy New Year and Happy Chap Goh Meh!!!

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To leave or to be left behind?

I wonder which would be better? To be the one leaving everything behind or to be the one left behind?

I can't vouch for the former, as I am still here from where I was 28 years ago. But as for the latter, there have been far too many of those.

I didn't take the first departure very well. I couldn't accept that someone close have been "ripped" from my life. That we would no longer do the things we used to do. And we couldn't see each other as often as we wanted to. But more importantly, it's the feeling of losing a companion that is hard to bear. And sooner or later, it's the fear of losing the memory of them entirely.

And then came the second departure and then the third and the fourth and so on. You must be thinking that by now, I should have known how to handle them. In fact, I don't. I don't know how to let people go. I don't know how to let people dear to me go.

David left for Vietnam. Kenny to Singapore. Oliver to Singapore too. Then Sue to London. Li Wei married off to Penang. My sister to Singapore as well. With Chris and Lydia to follow suit this month.

I know there's the phone and the email and skype and facebook and what not. But it still beats seeing them in person and having them close by. Yea, call me traditional but that's me.  

Of course I do know too that it's the way of life. People come, people go. But like what they always say, letting go is usually one of the hardest thing. And I suck at that. I suck at letting go. I don't wipe away what has happened. I don't erase my memory card.

Hopefully, this would be the final piece of me being left behind. I believe I have posted more about this previously. I either learn to let go and move on or I'll start planning to leave too.....

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Here comes 2012

Right. There goes another year. As usual, it slipped past with the slightest realization.

This year hasn't really been quite a good one. Looking back, there's not much to be proud off. Not many joyful moments to share. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I sure wish next year brings better luck and adventures.

Here's adios to 2011. And Happy 2012!

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Twists in the twist

Gosh, my last post was in October. Time has slipped by so much. And it's only 20 days more to the end of the year. But then again, this ain't nothing new.

Okay, another synopsis to my "story" so far:

I have been promoted. Yeaps. The manager left, so the position was offered to me. And I sort of jumped at it. Good opportunity, you know. Serves me right now that my workload has increased tenfold. Lets see, it's the daily operations, plus a valuation/restructuring project, plus year end audits, plus budgeting for next year, plus "polishing" departments, plus sorting out some arguments in the office...and not to mention, bossing around. My job has just got real interesting. Ohh, and I did get a bigger room with a huge window. But the view outside is not so great. 

And then, I brought on more work for myself by agreeing to invest in a franchise business, along with a few other friends. It's still in the initial stages though. Discussions... discussions... researches.. researches...plannings...and more discussions. Boy, it's damn a lot of work to do. I'll be my own boss soon! If things go as planned and perhaps with a little luck.....

As if the above are not keeping my hands full enough, I went on to decide to make my own Christmas gifts this year. It's the jolly season and this time, instead of buying, I felt like chipping in the fun. I realize soon enough that I suck at art. Big time. Even after browsing through so many YouTube videos. So this would be the last time that I'll be making any gifts. I shall just stick back to the ready made ones on the shelves.

Alrighty, I guess that's about it, for the time being. I've not left blogging yet. So I'll write something when I have the time in between all that I got to do. And right now, I just got to do one more thing before I hit the sack...

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Twist of events

Well...well...well.....A month has passed since my last post and here's a round up on what has happened so far:

1) Things at the new company is not as good as it seemed to be. One week after I got in, the manager tendered. And then a few others did the same as well. The grapevine has it that something is not too right with the way management manages the company. A lot of complaints. A lot of disatisfactions. A lot of scoldings from the bosses. I'll disregard them as personal opinions if 1 or 2 person were to grumble. But, if more than 5 person grumble the exact same thing, then I'd presume that it's a fact. It gets even more scary when the outgoing manager kept telling me to watch my back and to beware of certain people. Oh boy, did I make another wrong decision in joining this company?

2) The desire to quit has been reinforced. The desire to quit the profession to be exact. I am getting more miserable which each passing day. As I sit at my desk each morning, I ask myself why am I here again today to look at these numbers again. I still don't find the purpose and the passion in all that I do now, no matter how hard I tried. I keep having this feeling that I'm not suppose to do this. That I'm meant for something else. But I just couldn't figure out what this other thing is. On the other hand, I'm afraid to take this leap out. I can't get myself to let go off my status and my achievements so far. So, actually, that leaves me no where other than mounting miserability.

3) I don't know why this has bugged me, but it did distress me. I am being lamented for being too young. It surprises people when they found out that I'm 27. Only 27 and already in this position? Unbelievable! Yeah, that's the response they usually give me. And along with that comes disrespect and unconfidence. I am being doubted for my abilities because of my age. It's hard to get things done when people treats you like a kid. I have become a victim of age discrimination. And I'm not too happy about it.

It has been one full depressing month. How I wish someone could just shed some light and just tell me exactly what to do.

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