Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Getting Back On Track

Have been taking things REALLY easy these past few days. Darn. I'm getting old...

Am pretty well back to normal now, and pushing way too far off any sane old bed time again... Jeez, how the heck am I going to wake up before eight tomorrow?? Those little bits here and there do add up, don't they? Sigh. It's always like that. Just a little bit more. Just try to cross that off your list... And somehow the list keeps getting longer and longer... :-p I think I'll buy that ticket to Bangkok soon; I'm sorely in need of a holiday.

But first things first, I miss my cronies here in good ol' Kay Ell, so I hope will manage to throw a get together for Saturday. Stay tuned!!

P/S - Dear, have you found out if you'll be in town yet?

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Is he a good catch?

How would you consider a guy as “a good catch”?

Why do I ask? Well, not too long ago, after a typical gathering, I commented a certain Prince Charming would be a pretty good catch. (Not for me, but for our beloved TPMS *wink*).

The reason I said that was because I got the impression that he was a genuine kind of guy. Someone who works hard, means what he says, keeps his word, does things out of the kindness of his heart (as in ikhlas, not looking for kickbacks), etc. After all, he does a lot for a certain set of boys… It doesn’t hurt that he’s doing well financially, but that too comes from him being reliable and smart at work. And he handles babies like a pro. There’s something that is SOO sweet and endearing about guys carrying babes… Genuinely nice guys – now that’s what I’d call a good catch.

But the other person said, “Yeah, look at his new car.”

Err…. Oookaayyy... I like the new car. It’s nice. It’s good that he can afford it. But is THAT the major reason he’s considered a good catch? Does the car encapsulate all his good points? I shudder at the thought. What if he bought something he could ill afford, just to show off? Big debts would make him a bad catch in the long run. Show offs are pathetic. Poor character is definitely not a good quality.

Really, I didn’t even think of the car bit at the time. Being strongly Javanese influenced, possessions never made such a big impact on my family; authenticity does. I never heard of anyone comparing the size of our cars or our pay checks; just how good a person we are and how well we treat our families. And no one gives a hoot about titles and so called social status. Call us different, but that’s just one more reason for me to love my family even more. :-D

Why “Kantul”?

Maybe we need a dictionary for BM slanguage la... Ingat tak, Taichee~@, we were trying to figure out what “poyo” actually means? In this case, I used “kantul” to mean “tewas” or “to fail”; as in I tried to push myself too far and failed.

In any case, memang ada hikmahnya aku demam. Ya la, orang kalau tak pernah sakit, memang dah biasa hyper, susah nak faham orang yang selalu letih & slow. Kita kata dia tu pemalas, sedangkan dia sebenarnya macam tu due to her medical condition. Of course, we wish they would do something to overcome that problem la, but we should also try to be more understanding, right? So bila dah demam, nak bergerak pun sakit badan, nak bernafas sakit hidung, tidur pun tak boleh lena; kejap panas, pasang aircon dah sejuk pulak; semua serba salah. Baru lah kita nak faham yang sebenarnya kesihatan itu suatu rahmat, dan alhamdulillah, kita perlu bersyukur yang most of the time kita tak sakit...

Lagipun, macam Taichee kata, boleh menghilangkan dosa2 kecil, and mana tau, penyakit yang bersarang pun boleh hilang bila bersin atau batuk, kan? In any case. Am feeling much, much better now. The mouth is still a bit sensitive, cannot makan pedas, but overall, I’m happy I can function quite well at work already. Thanks for the well wishes, dearies. Hope to see everyone on the third :D Have a good week ahead!!

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Kantul

I don't often fall sick, but once I do... pathetic nya... Did not drink enough water one night, but still puasa the next day. The results - today demam!! Sigh. Was hoping to finish my puasa 6 today, something I haven't done for a long, long time. So today, had to give it a miss, pegi klinik, makan ubat, MC, tido... Dah la my boss going away on 26th, means there are things I need to submit by tomorrow. Work is starting to grow in volume, my December is half booked already. Hmm... Need to finish some things, so I can rest a little. Kalau tak, overload, lagi senang sakit. Oh well, I have my antibiotics now. Hope to be well by tomorrow so that I can get back on track :-)

Monday, November 21, 2005

A Dangerous Drug

Active Ingredient: Substance in medications and chemicals responsible for creating desired results.

Placebo: Something, usually relating to drugs, which is almost identical to a taken substance, without actually containing the active ingredient. When taken while fully believing they are getting the desired compound, may cause psychological reactions similar to those taking the ‘real thing’.

Love: an invisible active ingredient produced by a person of the opposite gender; sometimes, among mutated species, the same gender; which is able to produce feelings of euphoria, giddiness and general feelings of well being. May cause blushing and giggling among girls and awkward behaviour among boys. Adult females may start walking on clouds and putting on rose tinted glasses. Males may experience similar feelings and exhibit territorial behaviour. Generally sought for its life balancing properties; failure to read minds and fulfil expectations related to the substance frequently causes chaos. However, the drug has always been in high demand from kingdom come to forever after.

Grades: many grades of the compound can be found in daily life from fondness, tender feelings and passion all the way to everlasting love. Counterfeit versions are often offered by con men and razor blades, thorough research and investigative works essential before buying in. High grade stuff should be handled with care due to serious side effects.

Side effects: Chronic deficiency of active ingredient may cause dysfunction and mental illness. Excessive amounts of placebos taken may cause delusions. Hardcore placebo addicts have reported difficulty trying to stop, even after being advised of the truth, especially if there is about one part per million of a gazillion chance that the placebo might contain the active ingredient they are craving for. Sudden withdrawal of active ingredients has a history of causing temporary or permanent insanity.

Conclusion: Handle with care and buyers beware.

;-D Have a good week ahead, peeps!!

Saturday, November 19, 2005

The Winds of Change

It's been 3 days since I started at CETDEM, and a lot of things has changed. It's not exactly much better or worse, just different.

I used to leave at ten in the mornings and come back after seven. Now I come in at nine sharp and get lost by five sharp. In a way, it's good. I waste less time trying to drag myself out of bed when I sleep early in anticipation of waking up early too. The office is so close to home that i'm tempted to start cycling to work. If only the LDP is not so scarily full of cars zooming to get their drivers to work on time at 8.30 in the morning!!

Technologically, I'm still in a daze. My boss is not too sure he wants me to use my own laptop for work as he believes work data should remain in the office. He wont even allow books to be taken home for reading. For someone who used to work at home, this is not easy, especially since we do not usually stay back since the office also happens to be the boss' own house. Bila I nak read- up once the days get busy with urgent work?

He also insists on keeping old data on Dbase IV. I'm worried the computer may die and the data cannot be read on other platforms. Cringe! Time to give Sali a call and see if she has any solutions to offer.

I share the project notebook with my Technical Coordinator, and we download emails once a day. No kidding. And the internet line is upstairs in the boss' office, so takde can la nak main2. Most of the PCs are on Windows 98 too, so I have to be careful about data compatibility when transferring documents from my laptop.

My TC is semi computer phobic. What kind of guy la is this? Sabar ajelah. And he managed to tai-chi website management to me. woo hoo. nanti aku buat blog karang, baru tau!! Err... anyone can help me learn web-mgmt, ah? Time to check my list of kakis and rope in some assistance.

And being an NGO specialising in energy management and issues, we have to be mega careful about wasting electricity and fossil fuels (petrol lah). I have to read up tons of stuff about global warming, CO2 emissions and how they would affect our children. The office has no aircon, but had some renovations made so it is still pleasantly cooler than the outside. I'm going to specialize in space cooling and energy audits once I finish my stint here... :D

In a way, it's good my new boss is so picky about these things. So I work harder to get everything done before five, and I can happily get home by five-thirty to cook for the husband and kids. Ooops... I mean to get online and satisfy my internet cravings. :p

Cheers, guys. Have a great weekend ahead!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Sushi Pizza, anyone?

Was too tired reformatting the computer to have dinner with my tai-kor and ended up having supper with another friend late at night. Failing to find a place that had syisya in Sri Hartamas, we settled on Souled Out. Food options were limited since main kitchen had already closed at ten. We weren't looking for anything heavy in the middle of the night either. I was hungry enough to jump at the suggestion for pizza. And we chose....

Sake San!!

A pizza with a crisp, light base and covered in lettuce, cherry tomatoes, salmon slices, fish roe and bits of wasabe. A light drizzle of mozzarella garnished the lot. I have no idea how they melted the cheese without cooking the sushi. But the whole thing tasted GOOD. No tomato sauce base or oodles of cheese. Just nice for someone trying not to bust her diet :-p.

A word of caution though, it is not cheap. But the generous amount of salmon does justify its RM32++ price tag.

All in all, something different, yet it works. Bon apetit!!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Yea Yea, Kamera Baru..

:-D Had decided to get a digicam a few weeks back, but the one on sale was out of stock. Put my name in the waiting list and got their call on Tuesday. Waited until the job offer was confirmed before actually buying the camera. So today... I went and got it. Yeay!! As with any new device, it takes some getting used to. And what would be a good (and willing) subject if not my beloved cat? So here, is my beloved Pseudo - my mega posessive feline who is picky about people.

Had planned to go to the office today - have to get my stuff and finish some work before starting my new job on Wednesday. Ended up spending half the day planning my loan repayment, then buying groceries before getting my camera. Am clearing up some stuff before going to the office after Asar. Am glad I got a new job before my contract expired, but now my company is asking me to put in extra hours in lieu of compensation for early release. Sigh. Sabar ajelah...

Was out the whole day yesterday; birdwatching, meeting my juniors, raya with 2 of my champs and visiting my uncle in Selayang. Cik Jak and family also came for dinner, so it was quite the family gathering last night. It gets harder to Raya as a singleton each year, though. No fun being single in a world full of couples :-(

Have promised to go visit my cousin in Sg Penchala, hopefully I can go tonight. Karang kecik hati pulak org tua tu... As it is, had skipped my cousin Indra's engagement in the morning. Siapa la the lucky girl... Esok dah janji nak jumpa Reeza pulak. Lama tak jumpa my tai-kor tu. And Reez insists on introducing me to his new girlfriend. Urgh. Sure the lovey dovey couple punya. Tak aci. How in the world did he manage to get a girl so fast? Kena pulak org Kuantan. So the very convenient for him. Can Raya together2, can visit his kids, see her parents... Damn. I'm jealous.

In any case, after calculating all my outstanding loans, etc; I have found that I still need to do lots of extra work just to afford luxuries like new clothes and holidays. And getting married? Well, if by some miracle I find a willing candidate, let's say I'd need to do lots and lots of extra work to afford a decent ceremony. And truth be told, even if I had the cash, I would rather keep the nuptials to the minimum and use the money to buy a house/ apartment. Wonder if anyone is willing to be so radical though. In any case, it doesn't really matter since there's no one in the picture at the moment. If I liked anyone pun, it doesn't mean anything unless he likes me back. Darn. So hard being female sometimes.


Oh well. Enough feeling sorry for myself. I have a new job, I earn a decent living, I have a cat that loves me to bits, I have lots of good friends, and I have a great extended family. All in all, life is good. Cheers, guys. Have a good week ahead :-)

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Looking up!

Alhamdulillah, things are looking up after the customary setbacks.

Managed to get rid of the spyware after staying up the whole night. Am not convinced that it's totally licked yet, but so far, Ok la.

Old man offered the job to me. Alhamdulillah. Now waiting for confirmation from current bosses re: last working day. He he.. excited. Scared oso, but never mind la. Insya-Allah, can handle the job. In any case can always refer to my dear friends for tips :-)

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Aktiviti Membuang Masa

Apa lagi, kalau tak berperang dengan Spyware. Sabar ajelah. Semua gara2 nak download Dewan Eja online, yang dapatnya spyware. Ya la, kata orang, kalau rumah lama tak berpenghuni, yang duduknya alien, betul tak. Silap la download file basi... Nasib baik Norton boleh control, takdela kena benda X-rated macam ari tu. Dah la keja aku berlambak2 tak siap, nak layan benda bodo tu pulak. Why la ramai sangat orang yang kerjanya menyusahkan orang lain? Nak ignore, takleh gak. Karang crash karang, menangis...

Hee... ni tengah tunggu org tua tu call pasal keja. Mintak2 dapat la. Nervous sieh...

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Bengang...

Kena lagi... org tua tu sampai la tak bayar lagi my translation fee bulan lapan dulu. Tension betul. Kalau keja nak cepat jer. Payment tak dapat2. Dah la time tu I tengah buat job lain, sampai tak tido buatkan dia punya. Pas tu dah dapat buat bodo aje. Telefon tak angkat, pass message kat staff pun buat tak tak paham. Hai, takkan la pasal I suruh sign agreement to pay within 7 days terus mengaruk tak nak bayar langsung kot. Tak professional langsung. Dia tau aku takde masa nak sue, kalau sue pun orang gelak je RM250. But that money is mine, sikit pun, ada gak gunanya kat aku. Geram betul. Tobat pas ni tak nak lagi deal dengan Melayu cam ni. Ngapusi wong, duite dicolong. Baik aku bisnes dengan Cina je. So far they have always been good with payment. Ntah hapa-hapa la Melayu buat business camni. Project juta2, supplier taknak bayar. Sumpah jadi katak baru tau. Tak berkat dia pegang duit aku... tengok la.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Back to Work

Got a message last night - instructing us to go visit the Parliament library to do research. Went there this morning and found the powers that be still on leave. Sigh. Went back to the office where the internet connection was bonkers yet again. Damn. Had a meeting then left early for a job interview. Have been scanning round for some time actually.

It went pretty well, and I have a fair chance to get the post. I'm quite keen, it pays better than my present job. But then the office would be pretty strict, no more fooling around like this year... That's OK, just that, as usual, there's always a degree of uncertainty and worry that things might not work out. All in all, I think this is a good step forward career wise. Financially too, it would help me pay off my loans and save up so that just in case prince charming proposes, we won't have to nikah at the pejabat kadi to avoid kenduri costs :-p

I just hope that I'm doing the right thing and it will bring me a step closer to my future goals. Pray for me, please...

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Hello from Singapore

Left for Singapore yesterday afternoon, after a short visit to Mak Ngah in Kg. Pandan. You know la, kalau tangguh2 nanti, tak sampai lak...

Next stop was my kampung in Sri Gading, to visit the other Mak Ngah. Spent some time with her and my other cousins until after Maghrib. Then baru continue the journey south.

Driving down was kind of scary. I wasn't used to Johor drivers. There were a few who drove slowly, and another bunch who bulldozed everything in their path! And I thought Ipoh was bad! Anyway, managed to reach JB by ten. After the immigration check and customs check, nak renew autopass lagi (leceh betulla Singaporeans nih..), sampai to K Wok's place at 11.30 pm.

This morning did our rounds. First, jumpa Mak Long dulu kat Bedok Reservoir (rumah Abg Ali), then rumah Abg Adek & K Yati. Not going to the other houses la, tak tau jalan. I ni kan manja sket, dah biasa ada escort... eheheh...

So kejap lagi will be off to JB, visit Cik Jak, then on to KL. Wondering how to bypass the jam in Linggi-Seremban stretch. In any case, kena balik jugak, esok nak keja.

Ok, we going off now. Ciao!!

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Raya, raya!




Alaa... lambat la pulak kakak aku bersiap nih. Karang pukul berapa pulak nak sampai Singapore...

2 hari Raya kat KL pun tak abih round lagi. 1st day my friends datang sampai ke petang. Pas tu kena kemas lak, baru boleh keluar. Semalam dok melepak kat rumah Aizan. Singgah sana, singgah sini, ada lagi rumah tak sempat cover. Later2 la jawabnya...

Bagus jugak la raya kat KL, pasal pagi Raya semua orang berkumpul kat rumah sini. Semalam Abang dah balik T'ganu. We all nak turun Singapore. Abah turun later.

By Monday dah nak keja balik. Ari tu dok terkejar2, banyak tak sempat nak buat lagi. Oops, ari ni Loly's b'day. Better wish her...

Ok, peeps. have a nice Raya break & catcha all later, aight?? Ciao!!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

The Raya Rush

Keen to renew my passport before Raya so that I could celebrate in Singapore, I headed to the Subang Immigration office at 7.15 this morning. Arriving at 7.35, there was already a long queue waiting.

It was pretty well organised, with separate queues for people who needed the form, submission (form completed with documents) and collection only. I joined the queue for forms and booted the laptop while waiting for the office to open at 8.00 a.m.

Once I got the form, I filled it up, perhaps I should have just gone into the queue straight away because once I did at 8.15, it was already very long!! It moved very, very slowly, and I did not have time to get cash or photostat my IC beforehand. As we inched forward, I found that it was not only to get the number, I was supposed to hand in everything on the spot. My kind “beratur mates” gave me permission to go and get cash from the ATM in Terminal 3 and photostat my IC at the counter inside and to get back in line when I’m done. Whew! Nice to know that Malaysians are still the understanding people I’m used to. Kiasu-ness is sooo off-putting.

While waiting in the photostat queue, I spotted Na, an old schoolmate from TKC. She came over with her youngest “hero” – she has 3 kids, all boys… goodness!! Managed to chat for a bit, catching up with news.

Back in the old, crawling line, I booted up the machine and proceeded to work. Again, the kind people allowed me to sit quietly at the side without following the progressing line. I could simply reclaim my spot any time I wanted. So nice of them :-)

By the time I reached the counter, it was already 10.55 a.m. and I was told to come back at 2.00 p.m. Alamak!! But I needed to go to MATRADE in KL…! Decided to just go and come back as soon as I’m done in KL.

Luckily, the business in KL didn’t take long and utilizing the highway from Jalan Duta, I managed to get there in 20 minutes, well before 2.00. Woo hoo! Record, sieh… Good thing too, because I was 6th in line. If I missed my turn, I might not have had the chance to settle the renewal process.

Everything went well and I was done by 3.00 p.m. It took longer than I expected, but thanks to the lappie, the 4 hours wasn’t totally wasted. Am looking forward to picking up my passport tomorrow and Raya with the Singapore clan again. And of course, spending the first 2 days with the KL gang :-)

*Oh God, something smells delicious from next door. Darn. I have to start cooking too.