I forgot to blog about this when I found out about the petrol price increase. Cibai. 30 sen increase. The increment in my salary won't be enough to cover the price hike. And we're not only talking about petrol. Everything will go up! Mahai. Why didn't the Govt at least announce this first before dumping this policy on us? I'm not saying they should continue subsidising petrol indefinitely, but at least do lar some proper announcement and they should have done it at the end of last year. They would have known how much oil prices would be and should have announced last year so that the public (US!) would have time to plan for the next year. And companies would be able to increase our salary much more! The govt really should put a mandate on companies that all salary increment should reflect at least petrol price hikes. Cibai. Damn pissed off. And don't talk to me about car-pooling and public transport. Yeah, it's a swell idea if you've got people colleagues staying nearby or your housing area has easily accessible public transport. But what if you don't? Take for example, me. None of my colleagues are nearby so car-pooling is out of the question. Besides, our working hours aren't exactly so fixed that we all come and leave at the same time. There are no bus stops / lrt stations / ktm stations near my place OR my office so there's really no chance for me to even think of using public transport. So what now? I have to drive lar, rite! Cibai. And don't give me this crap that the money saved from the subsidies will be put to development projects and improving public transportation. More like the money saved will line your pockets even more! What a load of bull-crap. You have local councils going to South Africa and Australia for field trips and you tell us you want to save money for the good of the general public. Cibai. Going to South Africa for a study on toilets?!?!?! Going to Sydney to learn how to plant flowers?!?!?! Hello!?!? The fucker who approved these visits must have had his ass as his head. Motherfuckers. We, the public, are not stupid. Well, not all that stupid anyway. Yes, we understand the rationale behind lifting the subsidy. But like I said earlier, why was there no prior announcement? Or did some minister just think, 'Hmm... 28th February is an auspicious date... let's raise petrol prices!'. Cibai. You would think with 90 plus ministers in the Cabinet, one of them would have brains. I applaud our PM's efforts in wanting to eradicate corruption and whatever else he announced when he got the position but so far, it's all just been talk. We still have cibai local councils going on 'study trips', we still have cracks in major highways which can and will endanger our lives, we still have 'consultants' being hired to do menial things and being paid shit loads, and the list goes on. Cibai. I just can't stop saying Cibai. And then I just read that civil servants have to go on a 3-month training course to improve services. Eh? WTF? Who's going to pay for those courses? US!!! Hello, it doesn't take a genius to know that the only way to improve services is for them (civil servants) to actually work instead of taking coffee / tea breaks all the time. Why have 4 counters if only 1 counter is going to be manned? And the person manning it doesn't know shit most of the time!?!?! Then, the govt also wants all civil servants to sit for SPM english papers to improve their english. Eh? Again, WTF? No doubt I think this is important but we're not asking for our civil servants to have perfect english with no grammatical errors. I think we're more than happy if they speak broken english but are efficient. Bloody hell. Cibai fuckers.
So what now? We, M'sians, can complain to the Govt till Kingdom comes and there will still be no change. See lar... vote lar for the same party again! Cibai. And don't give me this bull-crap about how the other parties are un-tested etc. Hello, if we don't give them a chance, then they will ALWAYS be un-tested. What a Catch-22.
I would seriously like to know how our govt works. How each ministry functions. Because it just seems that there is no planning involved in anything. Everything just seems to be thrown together haphazardly. Cibai.
After everything that's happening back home, the thought of accepting the job offer here seems more and more tempting. After all, at least over here, petrol price is cheap, pay is good (tax-free!), things seem to be efficient (but could be deceiving), and... pay is good. :) Time to give this serious thought...
Cibai!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
By your side
So many things happening in the world. So many issues being discussed in blogs and forums. So many thoughts running through my head on some of these issues.
Tolerance. Unity. Objectivity. I believe these 3 things are essential in the world we’re living in today.
I stumbled upon this issue of a forum being asked to remove a sensitive topic discussing the cartoon debacle merely because a few people who posted stuff in the forum were offensive. So what’s the usual “Malaysian” way of dealing with sensitive topics? Sweep it under the carpet and forbid people from talking about it. After all, ignorance is bliss, right? To a certain extent, yes, ignorance is bliss. But in today’s world, you can’t afford to be ignorant. You can’t keep living under the coconut shell and ignore everything else that’s happening outside. We also can’t give the excuse that we’re not ready to deal with these things. Well, if we never deal with these things, then we’re never going to be ready. Sweeping things under the rug doesn’t help things. Suppressing what we think and feel isn’t going to make us progress. Not talking about sensitive things doesn’t mean they will magically disappear. It doesn’t mean that we’re ‘tolerant’. We just have to buck up and face the issue head on. Just like everyone else.
Why must discussing the issue of a certain religion be sensitive? And mind you, I’m talking about proper discussions and not derogatory comments that say you will go to hell if you don’t follow a certain way. And why must we be extra sensitive when it comes to a particular religion? After all, we’re not dissing Islam or Muslims in any way. If it’s just a discussion about world issues that is centred on the above topics, do we not have that right to talk about these things?
Frankly speaking, it’s really just our country that seems to want to prove themselves to be more Muslim than others. Trying to hard, I would have to say. Why do we equate race to religion? Why do you HAVE to be Muslim if you’re Malay? I think this is something that has been meshed together for so long that we think being Muslim and being Malay is one and the same. Well, they’re not. Why is it that only our country has this law that dictates what religion you believe in because you’re of this race? Why is it that only our country has a law that says a non-Muslim who marries a Muslim HAS to convert? Shouldn’t conversion to any religion be because of faith and belief? Not forced? Why is it that only our country says that once we’re into Islam, we can’t change our faith? There are plenty of Arab-Christians other Muslims countries. Their laws don’t say that if you’re born an Arab, you HAVE to believe in Islam. I just feel that our country is trying too hard to prove that they’re more Muslim than others.
I had a lot more things to say but I went for a meeting and I’ve forgotten what I originally wanted to type. Damn. Short-term memory loss.
Anyway, with everything that’s happening, this small country I’m in feels much safer and more tolerant than home.
On a totally separate note, have been listening to Sade’s ‘By Your Side’. Beautiful song. Makes me appreciate the people who love me and support me unconditionally. Thank you. And shouldn't everyone just appreciate the things around them instead of fighting?
SADE - By Your Side
You think i'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think i'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Ha ah ah ah ah ah
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
When you're on the outside baby and you can`t get in
I will show you you're so much better than you know
When you're lost and you're alone and you cant get back again
I will find you darling and i will bring you home
And if you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
And in no time
You'll be fine
You think i'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think id leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Ha ah ah ah ah ah
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
When you're low
I'll be there
By your side baby
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
Oh when you're low
I'll be there by your side baby
Tolerance. Unity. Objectivity. I believe these 3 things are essential in the world we’re living in today.
I stumbled upon this issue of a forum being asked to remove a sensitive topic discussing the cartoon debacle merely because a few people who posted stuff in the forum were offensive. So what’s the usual “Malaysian” way of dealing with sensitive topics? Sweep it under the carpet and forbid people from talking about it. After all, ignorance is bliss, right? To a certain extent, yes, ignorance is bliss. But in today’s world, you can’t afford to be ignorant. You can’t keep living under the coconut shell and ignore everything else that’s happening outside. We also can’t give the excuse that we’re not ready to deal with these things. Well, if we never deal with these things, then we’re never going to be ready. Sweeping things under the rug doesn’t help things. Suppressing what we think and feel isn’t going to make us progress. Not talking about sensitive things doesn’t mean they will magically disappear. It doesn’t mean that we’re ‘tolerant’. We just have to buck up and face the issue head on. Just like everyone else.
Why must discussing the issue of a certain religion be sensitive? And mind you, I’m talking about proper discussions and not derogatory comments that say you will go to hell if you don’t follow a certain way. And why must we be extra sensitive when it comes to a particular religion? After all, we’re not dissing Islam or Muslims in any way. If it’s just a discussion about world issues that is centred on the above topics, do we not have that right to talk about these things?
Frankly speaking, it’s really just our country that seems to want to prove themselves to be more Muslim than others. Trying to hard, I would have to say. Why do we equate race to religion? Why do you HAVE to be Muslim if you’re Malay? I think this is something that has been meshed together for so long that we think being Muslim and being Malay is one and the same. Well, they’re not. Why is it that only our country has this law that dictates what religion you believe in because you’re of this race? Why is it that only our country has a law that says a non-Muslim who marries a Muslim HAS to convert? Shouldn’t conversion to any religion be because of faith and belief? Not forced? Why is it that only our country says that once we’re into Islam, we can’t change our faith? There are plenty of Arab-Christians other Muslims countries. Their laws don’t say that if you’re born an Arab, you HAVE to believe in Islam. I just feel that our country is trying too hard to prove that they’re more Muslim than others.
I had a lot more things to say but I went for a meeting and I’ve forgotten what I originally wanted to type. Damn. Short-term memory loss.
Anyway, with everything that’s happening, this small country I’m in feels much safer and more tolerant than home.
On a totally separate note, have been listening to Sade’s ‘By Your Side’. Beautiful song. Makes me appreciate the people who love me and support me unconditionally. Thank you. And shouldn't everyone just appreciate the things around them instead of fighting?
SADE - By Your Side
You think i'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think i'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Ha ah ah ah ah ah
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
When you're on the outside baby and you can`t get in
I will show you you're so much better than you know
When you're lost and you're alone and you cant get back again
I will find you darling and i will bring you home
And if you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
And in no time
You'll be fine
You think i'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think id leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me
Ha ah ah ah ah ah
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
When you're low
I'll be there
By your side baby
Oh when you're cold
I'll be there
Hold you tight to me
Oh when you're low
I'll be there by your side baby
Monday, February 27, 2006
Homesick
I always thought of myself as the type who can stay anywhere in the world. Well, looks like I was dead wrong! I've been in Bahrain for a total of (2 + 2 + 2 + 3 weeks) 9 weeks now and I'm seriously suffering. It's not a bad place. Really. It's peaceful. Crime rate is low. Food is cheap. But it's just not home.
The thing I miss the most is the food. Besides the usual fare of Indian and Arabic food, I can't get anything that resembles food from home. And i'm talking about basic stuff like Hokkien Mee :) Or even decent fried rice. Everything 'chinese' here still tastes like Indian food. And that's because the chefs are all Indian nationals. The only thing resembling food i can get back home is stuff i cook myself. And i'm not a good cook. So i'm basically limited to very simple things. Another problem is vegetables. Basically the only type of greens i'm eating is in the form of salads. Lettuce. Carrots. Cucumber (yucks!). Tomatoes. I want Sawi! I want Kangkung! I want Kai Lan stir fried with garlic! :(
It's not like being in UK or US or Aussie where (a) you understand the language everyone speaks in, (b) you get your fair share of other Asians around and (c) it's super easy to get the type of food you want. Over here, I don't have (a) and (c). As for (b), there are only Indian nationals and Pinoys. And i still get stares.
For me, I think the hardest part(s) about being here is (1) the food and (2) the language. Language is not exactly a barrier since everyone can speak english but they'll be babbling away in their language and you're left to wonder what the hell are they saying and if they're commenting anything bad about you.
Of course there are other factors like cultural differences - asking questions like "Are you married?" / "Do you have a boyfriend?" seem to be alrite. Practically everyone I've met from the people in the client's place to the taxi driver(!) have asked me questions like that.
I want my char siew rice, pork noodles, hokkien mee, nasi lemak, roti canai, bak kut teh, chicken rice, char koay teow, leafy vegetables, sweet and sour pork, etc...
The thing I miss the most is the food. Besides the usual fare of Indian and Arabic food, I can't get anything that resembles food from home. And i'm talking about basic stuff like Hokkien Mee :) Or even decent fried rice. Everything 'chinese' here still tastes like Indian food. And that's because the chefs are all Indian nationals. The only thing resembling food i can get back home is stuff i cook myself. And i'm not a good cook. So i'm basically limited to very simple things. Another problem is vegetables. Basically the only type of greens i'm eating is in the form of salads. Lettuce. Carrots. Cucumber (yucks!). Tomatoes. I want Sawi! I want Kangkung! I want Kai Lan stir fried with garlic! :(
It's not like being in UK or US or Aussie where (a) you understand the language everyone speaks in, (b) you get your fair share of other Asians around and (c) it's super easy to get the type of food you want. Over here, I don't have (a) and (c). As for (b), there are only Indian nationals and Pinoys. And i still get stares.
For me, I think the hardest part(s) about being here is (1) the food and (2) the language. Language is not exactly a barrier since everyone can speak english but they'll be babbling away in their language and you're left to wonder what the hell are they saying and if they're commenting anything bad about you.
Of course there are other factors like cultural differences - asking questions like "Are you married?" / "Do you have a boyfriend?" seem to be alrite. Practically everyone I've met from the people in the client's place to the taxi driver(!) have asked me questions like that.
I want my char siew rice, pork noodles, hokkien mee, nasi lemak, roti canai, bak kut teh, chicken rice, char koay teow, leafy vegetables, sweet and sour pork, etc...
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Damn funny
I watched this video clip in the office and was trying really hard to keep a straight face. The link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/?v=dUto_zdvb90
http://www.youtube.com/?v=dUto_zdvb90
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Rants
Goodness. Another cartoon controversy. C’mon people. Have a sense of humour. The cartoon published by the NST was not even close to offending Islam and their Prophet. I actually thought it was pretty funny. With all the violence that’s been happening in other parts of the world, I don’t think it was bad taste at all for NST to have published a cartoon which looks at the controversy with a humorous air. If you can’t find humour in anything, then we might as well all be caught up in the violence and start rioting ourselves. I really think it’s important for people to take a step back and actually think about what’s going on. Actually think about what they’re doing. Actually being able to laugh at themselves. Why must we always portray ourselves as being so self-righteous all the time that what everyone else says, thinks and does is always wrong? Yes, there are always things people don’t agree upon but that’s just part of being in a world with so many different kinds of people. Why can’t people just take things with a pinch of salt?
Do I think the original cartoons published were offensive to Islam? Yes, I do. Do I think that the newspapers that printed them should not have re-printed them? Yes, I do. Do I think the newspapers should apologise to all Muslims? Yes, I do. Do I think the people who reacted to the cartoons by protesting with violence and burning is wrong? Yes, I do.
There’s always such a thing called moderation and the in-between. Alright, so you’ve published the cartoons and suddenly everyone is angry about it. Is it so hard to say I’m sorry? So some newspaper has published some cartoons that make you feel offended. Is it so hard to stop and think a while and maybe even finding humour in the situation? Is it so hard to voice your opinion via proper means rather than burning buildings, flags, effigies, cars, etc?
The Muslims say they’re misunderstood and why are they being discriminated against. So is their way of correcting this situation is by being violent. What a great way to portray yourselves of peace-loving people.
Found an interesting article in Yahoo. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20060209/cm_ucac/calvinandhobbesandmuhammad
I just feel that people need to deal with issues objectively. Especially controversial issues like these which affect the whole world. And this comic in NST? I still think it’s funny. And how is it offensive? I don’t know. Apparently the people who are offended by it and have filed police reports against the NST have not exactly explained how it is offensive towards Muslims. So maybe it was bad timing to publish the cartoon when the whole world is heated up. But being able to laugh is the first step in decreasing the tension. If you keep talking about it or try to suppress the issue, it’d still come back and bite you in the ass. I was also pretty surprised that Jeff Ooi would actually play up the issue by accusing NST of having some sort of ‘udang di sebalik batu’. Oh well, he might have some personal issues as well. Everyone has their own opinion.
I just read about the protest which will happen on 3 March. Another protest. Apparently coordinated worldwide. Question: what are they trying to achieve from protesting? To get the world to agree with them that it was wrong for the newspapers to have published the cartoons? Wait… hasn’t the world already agreed with them? So… what is it these people are looking for? Looks like I’ll actually be safer in Bahrain. Have been here for 3 weeks now and no mention of any protests. Unlike my poor colleagues in Pakistan. Anyway, why can’t everyone be moderate like the Bahrainis? I applaud these people for being the moderate Muslims that everyone is talking about.
Have got so many thoughts on stuff I’ve been reading online.
The racial profiling of Malaysians who apparently take drugs in clubs.
Heck, what the hell is the racial profiling for? So that some racist fuck can point fingers and say “Haha… you Chinese druggies”? So much for Bangsa Malaysia. Aren’t we all supposed to be tackling social problems as a nation? Hello! Bangsa Malaysia? Not Bangsa Cina Malaysia, okay! If race is so important, then why do I keep telling people that I’m Malaysian? I might as well tell people I’m Malaysian Chinese. Or better yet, just Chinese. After all, that’s what my government views me as. Not as a Malaysian.
Damn… This post is pretty jumbled. Basically just jotting down whatever comes to mind first.
I want to go home to my friends and family.
Do I think the original cartoons published were offensive to Islam? Yes, I do. Do I think that the newspapers that printed them should not have re-printed them? Yes, I do. Do I think the newspapers should apologise to all Muslims? Yes, I do. Do I think the people who reacted to the cartoons by protesting with violence and burning is wrong? Yes, I do.
There’s always such a thing called moderation and the in-between. Alright, so you’ve published the cartoons and suddenly everyone is angry about it. Is it so hard to say I’m sorry? So some newspaper has published some cartoons that make you feel offended. Is it so hard to stop and think a while and maybe even finding humour in the situation? Is it so hard to voice your opinion via proper means rather than burning buildings, flags, effigies, cars, etc?
The Muslims say they’re misunderstood and why are they being discriminated against. So is their way of correcting this situation is by being violent. What a great way to portray yourselves of peace-loving people.
Found an interesting article in Yahoo. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20060209/cm_ucac/calvinandhobbesandmuhammad
I just feel that people need to deal with issues objectively. Especially controversial issues like these which affect the whole world. And this comic in NST? I still think it’s funny. And how is it offensive? I don’t know. Apparently the people who are offended by it and have filed police reports against the NST have not exactly explained how it is offensive towards Muslims. So maybe it was bad timing to publish the cartoon when the whole world is heated up. But being able to laugh is the first step in decreasing the tension. If you keep talking about it or try to suppress the issue, it’d still come back and bite you in the ass. I was also pretty surprised that Jeff Ooi would actually play up the issue by accusing NST of having some sort of ‘udang di sebalik batu’. Oh well, he might have some personal issues as well. Everyone has their own opinion.
I just read about the protest which will happen on 3 March. Another protest. Apparently coordinated worldwide. Question: what are they trying to achieve from protesting? To get the world to agree with them that it was wrong for the newspapers to have published the cartoons? Wait… hasn’t the world already agreed with them? So… what is it these people are looking for? Looks like I’ll actually be safer in Bahrain. Have been here for 3 weeks now and no mention of any protests. Unlike my poor colleagues in Pakistan. Anyway, why can’t everyone be moderate like the Bahrainis? I applaud these people for being the moderate Muslims that everyone is talking about.
Have got so many thoughts on stuff I’ve been reading online.
The racial profiling of Malaysians who apparently take drugs in clubs.
Heck, what the hell is the racial profiling for? So that some racist fuck can point fingers and say “Haha… you Chinese druggies”? So much for Bangsa Malaysia. Aren’t we all supposed to be tackling social problems as a nation? Hello! Bangsa Malaysia? Not Bangsa Cina Malaysia, okay! If race is so important, then why do I keep telling people that I’m Malaysian? I might as well tell people I’m Malaysian Chinese. Or better yet, just Chinese. After all, that’s what my government views me as. Not as a Malaysian.
Damn… This post is pretty jumbled. Basically just jotting down whatever comes to mind first.
I want to go home to my friends and family.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
OMG!
Update:
The Head of Operations just sat with me for 30 minutes trying to convince me to accept their offer of a job here. This is so tempting. Not only will the work be interesting but the financial gains will definitely be triplefold of what I'm getting now. Not to mention the prospect of their high bonuses every year. Not only that but the exposure I would be getting will definitely get me better opportunities in the future.
Hmm....
The Head of Operations just sat with me for 30 minutes trying to convince me to accept their offer of a job here. This is so tempting. Not only will the work be interesting but the financial gains will definitely be triplefold of what I'm getting now. Not to mention the prospect of their high bonuses every year. Not only that but the exposure I would be getting will definitely get me better opportunities in the future.
Hmm....
Flying with the wind
I've decided to let certain things that bug me fly with the strong wind that's been blowing across Bahrain for the past few days. I've decided if these things bug me and there's nothing more I can do from my part, why worry? Why let it continue to bug me? I've treid countless times to let him know that it bugs me and that I would appreciate it if he could do as I ask. I don't think it's too much to ask for an sms everyday considering we are currently so far away. But since it seems to be so difficult, I might as well let it go rather than let it bother me and nag him which makes the both of us unhappy at the end. There are also a few other things which I've decided to let go of which I shall not go into details as they are rather personal and also am too lazy at the moment to type them all out.
I decided this when walking across the mini-desert from my apartment to the supermarket. Seriously, I call it the mini-desert because it's just an empty piece of land filled with sand in front of my apartment. I really should start snapping photos. I keep forgetting. Anyway, I suppose that land belongs to some rich Arab who just hasn't decided what he should build on it. Notice I said he because it most probably is a he. Hard to explain but all the rich business people are still men. There are hardly any women in top positions here. Most of the women in the working world quit after they get married and have kids. Anyway, I digress. Was going to talk about the wind. Me being me, I walked out of the apartment building with just my t-shirt and lazy pants since the weather previously was warm and pleasant. Little did I know that the wind decided to swoop in. And even after stepping outside with the wind happily blowing, stubborn (lazy?) me decided to walk to the supermarket anyway without going back in the apartment to grab a sweater. Wrong decision. I also decided to cut across the mini-desert instead of going by the road. After all, the shortest distance between two places is a straight line. So there I was, braving the wind, walking across the desert. Shit. The wind was so strong that it nearly blew me off my feet. I could literally feel the wind pushing me from the sides, the back and the front! And I'm not exactly feather-weight. Imagine anyone skinnier than me. They would have been flying across the desert already. Plus, the wind blew up the sand. So not only was I being abused by the wind, I also had grains of sand pelting me. Nice... Imagine my joy and happiness when I finally reached the shelter of the supermarket. I almost felt like camping out in the store until the wind dropped a bit. But then I was already hanging out between the aisles for so long, the workers were starting to give me funny looks. The walk back was even worse. Because I was laden down with so many packages, I couldn't walk very fast. Decided to take the long route back which I suppose was better since I didn't have grains of sand abusing me. But the wind decided to pick up and my plastic bags were in danger of flying out of my hands and I was also in danger of toppling over. Oh, how strong the blasted wind was. By the time I reached the apartment lobby, I looked like I just rolled around in the sand. My hair was a mess and I looked dusty. Bleh.
So anyway, that's the story of my battle with the wind. And how I decided to let everything go and let them fly with the wind.
It's a boring Sunday in the office and I'm just writing my wind story because that's about the only interesting thing that happened to me over the weekend. Besides the fact that my attempt to cook me some vegetable soup didn't turn out too right. And my attempts to do some exercises also didn't turn out too well either. But hey, at least I managed to do some abdominal crunches everyday so far. Am hoping to keep that up so that at least I won't feel so guilty for having bought that tub of Sara Lee's ice-cream and packet of strawberries to go with the ice-cream. Also that packet of buttery light Marks & Spencers biscuits that go so well with milk as a snack. Yum. But then again, I would give all that up (maybe not the strawberries) for a plate of chicken rice & char siew. Or maybe a bowl of pork noodles. Or Hokkien Mee. Or good ole nasi lemak. Or a bowl of tom yam soup. Okay, the list goes on. And I'm already beginning to drool.
Another 2 weeks here. Before I go back for a few days, binge on yummy Malaysian food then fly back here again for another 2 months. There's a project in Bangkok which I might be able to be on it if the stint here finishes in April. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I decided this when walking across the mini-desert from my apartment to the supermarket. Seriously, I call it the mini-desert because it's just an empty piece of land filled with sand in front of my apartment. I really should start snapping photos. I keep forgetting. Anyway, I suppose that land belongs to some rich Arab who just hasn't decided what he should build on it. Notice I said he because it most probably is a he. Hard to explain but all the rich business people are still men. There are hardly any women in top positions here. Most of the women in the working world quit after they get married and have kids. Anyway, I digress. Was going to talk about the wind. Me being me, I walked out of the apartment building with just my t-shirt and lazy pants since the weather previously was warm and pleasant. Little did I know that the wind decided to swoop in. And even after stepping outside with the wind happily blowing, stubborn (lazy?) me decided to walk to the supermarket anyway without going back in the apartment to grab a sweater. Wrong decision. I also decided to cut across the mini-desert instead of going by the road. After all, the shortest distance between two places is a straight line. So there I was, braving the wind, walking across the desert. Shit. The wind was so strong that it nearly blew me off my feet. I could literally feel the wind pushing me from the sides, the back and the front! And I'm not exactly feather-weight. Imagine anyone skinnier than me. They would have been flying across the desert already. Plus, the wind blew up the sand. So not only was I being abused by the wind, I also had grains of sand pelting me. Nice... Imagine my joy and happiness when I finally reached the shelter of the supermarket. I almost felt like camping out in the store until the wind dropped a bit. But then I was already hanging out between the aisles for so long, the workers were starting to give me funny looks. The walk back was even worse. Because I was laden down with so many packages, I couldn't walk very fast. Decided to take the long route back which I suppose was better since I didn't have grains of sand abusing me. But the wind decided to pick up and my plastic bags were in danger of flying out of my hands and I was also in danger of toppling over. Oh, how strong the blasted wind was. By the time I reached the apartment lobby, I looked like I just rolled around in the sand. My hair was a mess and I looked dusty. Bleh.
So anyway, that's the story of my battle with the wind. And how I decided to let everything go and let them fly with the wind.
It's a boring Sunday in the office and I'm just writing my wind story because that's about the only interesting thing that happened to me over the weekend. Besides the fact that my attempt to cook me some vegetable soup didn't turn out too right. And my attempts to do some exercises also didn't turn out too well either. But hey, at least I managed to do some abdominal crunches everyday so far. Am hoping to keep that up so that at least I won't feel so guilty for having bought that tub of Sara Lee's ice-cream and packet of strawberries to go with the ice-cream. Also that packet of buttery light Marks & Spencers biscuits that go so well with milk as a snack. Yum. But then again, I would give all that up (maybe not the strawberries) for a plate of chicken rice & char siew. Or maybe a bowl of pork noodles. Or Hokkien Mee. Or good ole nasi lemak. Or a bowl of tom yam soup. Okay, the list goes on. And I'm already beginning to drool.
Another 2 weeks here. Before I go back for a few days, binge on yummy Malaysian food then fly back here again for another 2 months. There's a project in Bangkok which I might be able to be on it if the stint here finishes in April. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Take a deep breath...
Aah..... the weekend is here... i can take a deep breath and chill for 2 whole days without thinking of work at all. The past week has been so crammed with meetings and work that I hardly had time to think about the next steps and what I have to do next. So why have I suddenly become so busy? Well, my manager was here for the past week and we tried to cram as many meetings we could. Plus, I suddenly had to rush things for her so she could review them before she leaves. Plus, a lot of other things which I shall refrain from mentioning in case it gets back to me later and bites my ass.
Have been going out for dinner with my boss for the past 2 nights. Spent Valentine's day with her. Hehe. How romantic for the both of us. Anyway, bought some fabulous cookies and cereal from Marks & Spencers. Yummy. Imagine having cereal with real strawberries. Bought more undies from M&S again. :) I'm set for at least the next 5 years with the amount of undies I bought! Zara was on sale! But unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. Looked real hard to find something I could buy... but nothing caught my eye. At least not the ones I could afford. Damn.
A bit of an update. Looks like I'm going to be in Bahrain for a tad bit longer than planned. More like another 2 months. Possibly. Maybe more. Will have to get into the details of implementation and making sure the project kicks off. Plus, offered a job by the client :) In fact, the whole team who's been here have been offered jobs. Very tempting... but how do you jump up and down and say "yes!" when you were offered the job infront of your boss? :) Heehee. Anyway, the client wouldn't be an easy person to work for. It's different when you're the outside consultant. But if you're directly under him... hmm... think again. Loads of politics here. Anyway, with the extension over here, I won't be on any different project. And I thought I would be in one of the risk jobs for Bangkok or Pakistan since there are no more Strategy jobs in the pipeline. Oh well. Looks like I might as well specialise in the line I'm working on now.
It's almost going home time! Yay! I feel so tired. My eyes ache. My head is filled with things I need to do for next week. My Monday next week is fully booked with meetings. Plus need to prepare presentation slides for a proposal meeting back in KL for my boss. Bleh... Loads of things to do. But I'm not going to think about any of those right now. Am just going to go back, draw myself a nice hot bath, have my dinner and plonk myself in front of the tv for the rest of the night. Heehee. Oh ya, the client offered me their corporate membership at the Ritz-Carlton spa. Told me to go pamper myself. Haha. Sounds lovely. I could do with a bit of pampering.
Cheers to the weekend!
Have been going out for dinner with my boss for the past 2 nights. Spent Valentine's day with her. Hehe. How romantic for the both of us. Anyway, bought some fabulous cookies and cereal from Marks & Spencers. Yummy. Imagine having cereal with real strawberries. Bought more undies from M&S again. :) I'm set for at least the next 5 years with the amount of undies I bought! Zara was on sale! But unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. Looked real hard to find something I could buy... but nothing caught my eye. At least not the ones I could afford. Damn.
A bit of an update. Looks like I'm going to be in Bahrain for a tad bit longer than planned. More like another 2 months. Possibly. Maybe more. Will have to get into the details of implementation and making sure the project kicks off. Plus, offered a job by the client :) In fact, the whole team who's been here have been offered jobs. Very tempting... but how do you jump up and down and say "yes!" when you were offered the job infront of your boss? :) Heehee. Anyway, the client wouldn't be an easy person to work for. It's different when you're the outside consultant. But if you're directly under him... hmm... think again. Loads of politics here. Anyway, with the extension over here, I won't be on any different project. And I thought I would be in one of the risk jobs for Bangkok or Pakistan since there are no more Strategy jobs in the pipeline. Oh well. Looks like I might as well specialise in the line I'm working on now.
It's almost going home time! Yay! I feel so tired. My eyes ache. My head is filled with things I need to do for next week. My Monday next week is fully booked with meetings. Plus need to prepare presentation slides for a proposal meeting back in KL for my boss. Bleh... Loads of things to do. But I'm not going to think about any of those right now. Am just going to go back, draw myself a nice hot bath, have my dinner and plonk myself in front of the tv for the rest of the night. Heehee. Oh ya, the client offered me their corporate membership at the Ritz-Carlton spa. Told me to go pamper myself. Haha. Sounds lovely. I could do with a bit of pampering.
Cheers to the weekend!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Big problems, small issues
I get upset too easily. And when I'm upset, I sometimes say things that I don't mean or that I know I wouldn't say if I was calm. But then these things get said, and I would be regretting saying them.
I'm reading about what's happening in the world right now, and I feel so small. The problems I face everyday are so trivial when you read about the violent riots, the fights in the middle east, the nuclear issue in Iran etc.
I'm feeling extremely small right now. And I'm regretting telling him what I did. What if it backfires in my face? I HAVE to calm myself down before I do / say anything. I don't understand why and how I can be the calm and reasonable person I am at work but when it comes to matters of my family and him, my mouth just shoots off the first thing that comes into my head.
As a wise sista of mine quoted, "It's easy to take advantage of the ones we love most".
And I have to admit, both of us have been guilty of taking each other for granted in this 2-plus year relationship. I can't count the times when we have had arguements about the same things over and over again. And somehow, it's always me who ends up being the 'bad' person. Because it's always me who can't keep her mouth and brain working together. It's always me whose mouth decides to say something before consulting the brain. So, in an arguement, it's always me who looks bad. Sigh...
What do you do when your fights are always revolving around the same thing? He says A, I say B, he won't change his A to my B, and I won't change my B to his A. There should be something in between A and B which we can achieve. And I would have liked to think that we had already found that 'in-between' but once in a while, that 'in-between' place crumbles and we're back to square 1.
Sometimes it's not about him or me but just about the situation and environment that we're in. Our working environments just clash so much that sometimes, it's unbearable. Actually, not unbearable. More like annoying and frustrating because there's nothing the both of us can do. I've told him and myself that I will and have to accept that fact and will try to work ourselves around this.
Big sigh... I feel so small. Honestly, I'm glad that I'm in Bahrain right now as at least it gives me time to be with myself and not needing to meet anyone's expectations (besides work). I've escaped here. And hopefully when my time here is up, I would have found the strength to be the person that I want to be.
I'm reading about what's happening in the world right now, and I feel so small. The problems I face everyday are so trivial when you read about the violent riots, the fights in the middle east, the nuclear issue in Iran etc.
I'm feeling extremely small right now. And I'm regretting telling him what I did. What if it backfires in my face? I HAVE to calm myself down before I do / say anything. I don't understand why and how I can be the calm and reasonable person I am at work but when it comes to matters of my family and him, my mouth just shoots off the first thing that comes into my head.
As a wise sista of mine quoted, "It's easy to take advantage of the ones we love most".
And I have to admit, both of us have been guilty of taking each other for granted in this 2-plus year relationship. I can't count the times when we have had arguements about the same things over and over again. And somehow, it's always me who ends up being the 'bad' person. Because it's always me who can't keep her mouth and brain working together. It's always me whose mouth decides to say something before consulting the brain. So, in an arguement, it's always me who looks bad. Sigh...
What do you do when your fights are always revolving around the same thing? He says A, I say B, he won't change his A to my B, and I won't change my B to his A. There should be something in between A and B which we can achieve. And I would have liked to think that we had already found that 'in-between' but once in a while, that 'in-between' place crumbles and we're back to square 1.
Sometimes it's not about him or me but just about the situation and environment that we're in. Our working environments just clash so much that sometimes, it's unbearable. Actually, not unbearable. More like annoying and frustrating because there's nothing the both of us can do. I've told him and myself that I will and have to accept that fact and will try to work ourselves around this.
Big sigh... I feel so small. Honestly, I'm glad that I'm in Bahrain right now as at least it gives me time to be with myself and not needing to meet anyone's expectations (besides work). I've escaped here. And hopefully when my time here is up, I would have found the strength to be the person that I want to be.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The week after CNY whizzed by like nobody’s business. I came back from Bahrain just before CNY, went back home to Penang for the holidays, then bham! Time to start work again. My time in Bahrain was so relaxed as I only had to work on one project. So when I went back to work in KL, I was hit with so much more things to do besides the current Bahrain project and a whole lot of other admin things to do. Had to work on a proposal, slides for a presentation for a proposal, to come up with a strategy map for an internal project and more deliverables for the Bahrain project. Bleh… I have no idea what I did during the week so I’m just trying to recap my days….
Monday
Back to work after really long break… Obviously not in much mood to work :) Was still quite relaxed as bosses have not caught up with their emails yet hence no extra work yet. After lunch, got a few emails from boss to do this and do that. Deadline: end of Thursday. Aiya! Die la! Still had some time… so of course I procrastinated.
Didn’t bring my phone charger back from Penang… so had to leave work around 6 plus to meet my friend in OUG who brought my charger back from Penang for me. Was stuck on the road for 1 hour plus and finally reached home at 8 something. Met Syl for dinner so when I finally got home to shower and all, it was already 10 plus. Tiring!
Tuesday
Started on some of the new work and pushed aside work for Bahrain project. Had to go shopping during lunch time for the gift exchange thing during company party on Friday night. 7 of us bought thongs for the guys we’re giving the gifts to…hehehe… and to top it up, we put a condom in each box. Funny!
Met Ju for dinner at Chili’s and tried to answer her questions as much as I could to help her and David out.
Went back to Botak’s house after dinner and lamed the rest of the night away watching Astro.
Wednesday
Was in a discussion with my boss for practically the whole day about the Bahrain project. How to get any work done?!
Was also Zub’s birthday but we pretended we didn’t know and snuck out during lunch to buy a cake for him. Managed to keep it from him and went for drinks as a cover-line when he was stuck with the boss. Surprised him with the cake and all. We attached a little baby doll to the cake since he’s the youngest and we call him Baby Zub.
Cute baby, huh?
Rushed back as had a Chinese New Year dinner with the Voices bunch courtesy of my dear housemate, Bots :) Lots of good food and good company. Dinner was at a restaurant in Puchong. There were 16 of us squeezed at a table meant for 12. Lots of bumping elbows action.
Anyway, as pure CNY custom, the dinner started out with good ole Yee Sang. Lots of chopstick action and bits of yee sang flying here and there thanks to vigorous and enthusiastic ‘lou-sang-ing’. Lots of wishes for good things to happen. After that, came the rest of the dishes. It was very surprising to see all the dishes coming out at the same time. There was asparagus, kampong chicken, fish, prawns, claypot taufu, roast duck and a vegetable dish called ‘4 Heavenly Kings’ which consisted of petai, French beans, ladies fingers and long beans. The food was really really yummy especially the roast duck but the problem was all the dishes were served at once! So it was like sitting at the already full table and not enough room for the dishes. So the waiters kept taking the dishes away to put them into smaller plates and then taking other dishes away to make space for new dishes. It just felt rushed and chaotic. I felt like I had to stuff my face with everything I could get before the dish was taken away. And that was exactly what I did.
We decided to adjourn somewhere else for a drink after the dinner and off we went. Caught up with the latest gossip and happenings with the sistas. By the time I got home, it was already 1 am. Aah!
Thursday
More meetings and discussions. More work to do! Left work pretty late and then just lamed at home doing more work and watching the Grammy’s.
Packed up my stuff for trip back to Bahrain.
Friday
Rushed to finish pending work. More discussions. More meetings.
Left office in a rush to make it on time to the company party in the heart of KL. Got stuck in the jam for 1 hour plus! To add on to the stress, my fuel tank was almost empty and I was chanting mantras to not get stuck as my boss was in my car! Reached the party in a foul mood (thanks to the jam) and just started on the drinks. Hehe. Was a fun party and had quite a good time laughing at people.
Left KL around 12:30 am to go back to the office to collect my stuff then rushed home to shower and pack somemore.
Saturday
Whole day spent on the plane. By the time I reached Bahrain, my ass felt flat and my back felt like it was going to break into two. Bleh. There were 2 cute French kids sitting next to me on the plane. Didn't understand a word they were blabbing to each other and their parents but it's so cute listening to 2 blonde little kids speaking French.
Sunday (today)
Back at the client’s place. As always, feeling a bit disoriented and blur as to where to start. Thought I’d start by confirming meetings but the people I’m supposed to meet are not around (as usual). So decided to blog instead. Tee-hee. It’s going to be a long 2 weeks and 5 days.
Monday
Back to work after really long break… Obviously not in much mood to work :) Was still quite relaxed as bosses have not caught up with their emails yet hence no extra work yet. After lunch, got a few emails from boss to do this and do that. Deadline: end of Thursday. Aiya! Die la! Still had some time… so of course I procrastinated.
Didn’t bring my phone charger back from Penang… so had to leave work around 6 plus to meet my friend in OUG who brought my charger back from Penang for me. Was stuck on the road for 1 hour plus and finally reached home at 8 something. Met Syl for dinner so when I finally got home to shower and all, it was already 10 plus. Tiring!
Tuesday
Started on some of the new work and pushed aside work for Bahrain project. Had to go shopping during lunch time for the gift exchange thing during company party on Friday night. 7 of us bought thongs for the guys we’re giving the gifts to…hehehe… and to top it up, we put a condom in each box. Funny!
Met Ju for dinner at Chili’s and tried to answer her questions as much as I could to help her and David out.
Went back to Botak’s house after dinner and lamed the rest of the night away watching Astro.
Wednesday
Was in a discussion with my boss for practically the whole day about the Bahrain project. How to get any work done?!
Was also Zub’s birthday but we pretended we didn’t know and snuck out during lunch to buy a cake for him. Managed to keep it from him and went for drinks as a cover-line when he was stuck with the boss. Surprised him with the cake and all. We attached a little baby doll to the cake since he’s the youngest and we call him Baby Zub.
Cute baby, huh?
Rushed back as had a Chinese New Year dinner with the Voices bunch courtesy of my dear housemate, Bots :) Lots of good food and good company. Dinner was at a restaurant in Puchong. There were 16 of us squeezed at a table meant for 12. Lots of bumping elbows action.
Anyway, as pure CNY custom, the dinner started out with good ole Yee Sang. Lots of chopstick action and bits of yee sang flying here and there thanks to vigorous and enthusiastic ‘lou-sang-ing’. Lots of wishes for good things to happen. After that, came the rest of the dishes. It was very surprising to see all the dishes coming out at the same time. There was asparagus, kampong chicken, fish, prawns, claypot taufu, roast duck and a vegetable dish called ‘4 Heavenly Kings’ which consisted of petai, French beans, ladies fingers and long beans. The food was really really yummy especially the roast duck but the problem was all the dishes were served at once! So it was like sitting at the already full table and not enough room for the dishes. So the waiters kept taking the dishes away to put them into smaller plates and then taking other dishes away to make space for new dishes. It just felt rushed and chaotic. I felt like I had to stuff my face with everything I could get before the dish was taken away. And that was exactly what I did.
We decided to adjourn somewhere else for a drink after the dinner and off we went. Caught up with the latest gossip and happenings with the sistas. By the time I got home, it was already 1 am. Aah!
Thursday
More meetings and discussions. More work to do! Left work pretty late and then just lamed at home doing more work and watching the Grammy’s.
Packed up my stuff for trip back to Bahrain.
Friday
Rushed to finish pending work. More discussions. More meetings.
Left office in a rush to make it on time to the company party in the heart of KL. Got stuck in the jam for 1 hour plus! To add on to the stress, my fuel tank was almost empty and I was chanting mantras to not get stuck as my boss was in my car! Reached the party in a foul mood (thanks to the jam) and just started on the drinks. Hehe. Was a fun party and had quite a good time laughing at people.
Left KL around 12:30 am to go back to the office to collect my stuff then rushed home to shower and pack somemore.
Saturday
Whole day spent on the plane. By the time I reached Bahrain, my ass felt flat and my back felt like it was going to break into two. Bleh. There were 2 cute French kids sitting next to me on the plane. Didn't understand a word they were blabbing to each other and their parents but it's so cute listening to 2 blonde little kids speaking French.
Sunday (today)
Back at the client’s place. As always, feeling a bit disoriented and blur as to where to start. Thought I’d start by confirming meetings but the people I’m supposed to meet are not around (as usual). So decided to blog instead. Tee-hee. It’s going to be a long 2 weeks and 5 days.
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