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...
Monday, February 27, 2006
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.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
More rants...
Forgot to complain about these 2 girls who are also from the B office but on a different assignment. Anyway, these girls are also sharing the room. They come in at about 9 am and right up till they leave at 4:30 pm, they chat non-stop. They’ll be talking and giggling and since I’m right next to them, you can imagine what I’m going through. The girl that I’m next to is very much like the typical bimbo. She seems to be more interested in chatting, making phone calls and texting on her mobile than doing actual work. And she’s pretty rude in the sense that she’ll just plonk her files and papers next to me and take up my space, occasionally knocking into me. The other girl, is like the sidekick. The not so pretty friend who tags along and agrees with everything the friend says. They’re not as bad as the auditors but sometimes, I think they talk about me (not like I give a rat’s ass) coz they’ll yap in Arabic, glance at me, then continue yapping. Not like I’m bothered about what they’re saying. It’s just the constant yapping that I can’t stand.
Anyway, I was talking to Sylvia the other day, and she mentioned that the reason why it’s annoying is because I’m alone and have no one to converse with. Yes, that is so true. I suppose, if I was in their position I would be talking to. Not as loud and I definitely won’t be as messy and rude but yes, I will be talking. But I’m still sticking to my stance that these bunch of people I've met are just plain weird and rude. And annoying as hell.
One more day in this hell hole. Hopefully when I return these people would have vanished.
Anyway, I was talking to Sylvia the other day, and she mentioned that the reason why it’s annoying is because I’m alone and have no one to converse with. Yes, that is so true. I suppose, if I was in their position I would be talking to. Not as loud and I definitely won’t be as messy and rude but yes, I will be talking. But I’m still sticking to my stance that these bunch of people I've met are just plain weird and rude. And annoying as hell.
One more day in this hell hole. Hopefully when I return these people would have vanished.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Annoyed...
Need to vent. Badly.
I’m typing this post on my injured laptop. Why is it injured? Because some idiot cracked the LCD screen and now my screen has got rainbow colours at the side, white stripes across the bottom half of my screen and the whole bottom part where the taskbar is located is completely obscured. Which idiot cracked my screen? I don’t know who, but it’d definitely one of the auditors who are sharing the conference room with me. I’m really really annoyed. Not only are they loud, obnoxious and do not value other people’s personal space, they broke my laptop and didn’t mention a word to me. But then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even realise that it’s broken. That’s how blur they are. How they can be auditors, I don’t know. The room that we’re in just nice for 6 people. There’s me, 4 of the damn auditors and another 2 girls from another team doing some other work. The damn auditors have taken up practically the whole room leaving only a small space for the rest of us. Their files and papers are everywhere. Not only are they covering the entire surface of the table, but also covering nearly all of the floor as well. So annoying! And they don’t bother clearing their stuff after every working day. They stay at the office until much later so by the time I go home, they will utilise my space as well. That’s fine. But at least have the courtesy to clear up when you finish! The next morning when I come in, my space will have their stuff! Either a laptop or their files or their papers. Annoying shits! And I don’t know why they can’t throw their rubbish away. They’ll just leave empty water bottles, used tissues and half-empty juice boxes on the table. And the rubbish bin is just a few feet away! Is it really so hard to throw your own rubbish? And they talk really loudly among themselves. Which I don’t understand why. It’s not like they’re far away from each other. And they talk non-stop, from the time they come in till I leave the office. The talking I can still take. It’s the bloody mess that I can’t stand. And the fact that they don’t clean up after themselves. And when I shift their stuff in the morning, they give me this look like “Why did I touch their things?” Well, when you encroach on my space, I obviously have to move your stuff to put my things on the table! I should take a photo of the mess when they’re not around. It’s unbelievable. Imagine laptops, loose papers, pens, files, tissue boxes, a phone, empty water bottles, juice boxes, used tissues strewn all over the table. Then, add 3 Indian auditors and 1 Bahraini dude into the picture. Next, turn up the volume to the max to hear them talking. That’s what I have here. Plus, they’re really slow too. Example of one conversation:
A (Bahraini dude): I have a meeting with the head of Liquidity Management at 12 to discuss about the Murabaha investments.
B (Indian guy) : What?
A: (repeats) I have a meeting with the Liquidity Management guy at 12.
B: (pauses for a long while) Who?
A: The head of Liquidity Management. Mr XX.
B: (another long pause) What time?
A: At 12.
B: (another pause) Why are you meeting him?
A: To discuss about the Murabaha investments.
B: (pauses… again!) [Note: at this point, I feel like shouting at B] Who are you meeting again?
A: Mr XX. The head of Liquidity Management.
B: Is he the head?
A: Yes.
B: Are you sure?
A: Yes.
B: What time are you going?
A: At 12.
B: (looks at his laptop, looks up, scratches his head) Why are you meeting him?
OMG!!! And I did not exaggerate the above. That was exactly what happened. I don’t know what happened after that because I just couldn’t stand it anymore and went for a walk to the pantry.
They also laugh at really lame jokes and make really lame jokes as well. Example:
A (Bahraini dude): talking….
B (Indian guy): Hey, your pen is leaking. (The Bahraini dude had a green ink pen clipped to his white shirt)
Your shirt is green… You’re a green man now! Hahahaha… (laughs heartily)
Again, that is exactly what happened.
How to tahan, I tell you! So annoying! Not like I want to listen to what they’re saying but they talk so loud that you can still hear them even after I’ve put on my ear phones and listening to music!
I’m really annoyed about my laptop screen. I won’t be able to get it repaired because next week is the CNY week and we’ve got a whole week off, meaning there’ll be no one to work on my laptop even though I’m back. So now, the only option appears for me to send back my laptop via my boss who’s going back to KL tomorrow and work here without a computed for the next 2 days before my flight back home. This is so they can work on the laptop on Wednesday morning and I can get it back on Friday when I land in KL. 2 whole days here without a laptop. I think I’ll go crazy. Either that or live with the crack for another month.
Good news is, 8th and 9th of Feb is a public holiday for Islamic countries. Meaning I might be able to convince my boss to let me go back later after the CNY break. So then, I will be able to repair my laptop the week after CNY. The problem with that is that I’ll have to change my flight ticket which is back home in Tropicana. I don’t know when is the latest we can change the date of my flight but will have to check and see. Will then formulate my strategies after finding out.
Damn. So troublesome.
And now I’m hungry. My tummy is growling like a rabid dog. Don’t care. Will crunch my cereal bar with them in the room.
I’m typing this post on my injured laptop. Why is it injured? Because some idiot cracked the LCD screen and now my screen has got rainbow colours at the side, white stripes across the bottom half of my screen and the whole bottom part where the taskbar is located is completely obscured. Which idiot cracked my screen? I don’t know who, but it’d definitely one of the auditors who are sharing the conference room with me. I’m really really annoyed. Not only are they loud, obnoxious and do not value other people’s personal space, they broke my laptop and didn’t mention a word to me. But then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even realise that it’s broken. That’s how blur they are. How they can be auditors, I don’t know. The room that we’re in just nice for 6 people. There’s me, 4 of the damn auditors and another 2 girls from another team doing some other work. The damn auditors have taken up practically the whole room leaving only a small space for the rest of us. Their files and papers are everywhere. Not only are they covering the entire surface of the table, but also covering nearly all of the floor as well. So annoying! And they don’t bother clearing their stuff after every working day. They stay at the office until much later so by the time I go home, they will utilise my space as well. That’s fine. But at least have the courtesy to clear up when you finish! The next morning when I come in, my space will have their stuff! Either a laptop or their files or their papers. Annoying shits! And I don’t know why they can’t throw their rubbish away. They’ll just leave empty water bottles, used tissues and half-empty juice boxes on the table. And the rubbish bin is just a few feet away! Is it really so hard to throw your own rubbish? And they talk really loudly among themselves. Which I don’t understand why. It’s not like they’re far away from each other. And they talk non-stop, from the time they come in till I leave the office. The talking I can still take. It’s the bloody mess that I can’t stand. And the fact that they don’t clean up after themselves. And when I shift their stuff in the morning, they give me this look like “Why did I touch their things?” Well, when you encroach on my space, I obviously have to move your stuff to put my things on the table! I should take a photo of the mess when they’re not around. It’s unbelievable. Imagine laptops, loose papers, pens, files, tissue boxes, a phone, empty water bottles, juice boxes, used tissues strewn all over the table. Then, add 3 Indian auditors and 1 Bahraini dude into the picture. Next, turn up the volume to the max to hear them talking. That’s what I have here. Plus, they’re really slow too. Example of one conversation:
A (Bahraini dude): I have a meeting with the head of Liquidity Management at 12 to discuss about the Murabaha investments.
B (Indian guy) : What?
A: (repeats) I have a meeting with the Liquidity Management guy at 12.
B: (pauses for a long while) Who?
A: The head of Liquidity Management. Mr XX.
B: (another long pause) What time?
A: At 12.
B: (another pause) Why are you meeting him?
A: To discuss about the Murabaha investments.
B: (pauses… again!) [Note: at this point, I feel like shouting at B] Who are you meeting again?
A: Mr XX. The head of Liquidity Management.
B: Is he the head?
A: Yes.
B: Are you sure?
A: Yes.
B: What time are you going?
A: At 12.
B: (looks at his laptop, looks up, scratches his head) Why are you meeting him?
OMG!!! And I did not exaggerate the above. That was exactly what happened. I don’t know what happened after that because I just couldn’t stand it anymore and went for a walk to the pantry.
They also laugh at really lame jokes and make really lame jokes as well. Example:
A (Bahraini dude): talking….
B (Indian guy): Hey, your pen is leaking. (The Bahraini dude had a green ink pen clipped to his white shirt)
Your shirt is green… You’re a green man now! Hahahaha… (laughs heartily)
Again, that is exactly what happened.
How to tahan, I tell you! So annoying! Not like I want to listen to what they’re saying but they talk so loud that you can still hear them even after I’ve put on my ear phones and listening to music!
I’m really annoyed about my laptop screen. I won’t be able to get it repaired because next week is the CNY week and we’ve got a whole week off, meaning there’ll be no one to work on my laptop even though I’m back. So now, the only option appears for me to send back my laptop via my boss who’s going back to KL tomorrow and work here without a computed for the next 2 days before my flight back home. This is so they can work on the laptop on Wednesday morning and I can get it back on Friday when I land in KL. 2 whole days here without a laptop. I think I’ll go crazy. Either that or live with the crack for another month.
Good news is, 8th and 9th of Feb is a public holiday for Islamic countries. Meaning I might be able to convince my boss to let me go back later after the CNY break. So then, I will be able to repair my laptop the week after CNY. The problem with that is that I’ll have to change my flight ticket which is back home in Tropicana. I don’t know when is the latest we can change the date of my flight but will have to check and see. Will then formulate my strategies after finding out.
Damn. So troublesome.
And now I’m hungry. My tummy is growling like a rabid dog. Don’t care. Will crunch my cereal bar with them in the room.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Bahrain, oh, Bahrain
Here I am, back in Bahrain. Reached Bahrain on 14/1 and started work the next day. The flight here was tiring. Was sitting next to this kid who’s gotta be about 6 years old but was so fat. His arms were the same size as mine (maybe bigger)! And he had a cold, so he kept sniffing and coughing. Annoying! And halfway through the flight, he fell asleep and half of his body and his head was over on my side! Ish! In-flight food sucked. Caught Oliver Twist on the plane though. The show was alrite. Pretty slow and couldn’t really hear coz there were some people a few seats behind who were talking really loudly! Anyway, by the time I got settled in my apartment, it was already 11 pm (Bahrain time). I’d been travelling for the whole day. The apartment was okay. Except that it was missing a fridge! I was like “huh?” I mean, how can a fridge go missing? Anyway, they’ve put in one for me, so all is good.
Living alone is no fun. It’s only been my 3rd day here, but I’m already feeling the loneliness. Everyday, I go back to an empty apartment with no one to talk to. I just eat my dinner and plonk myself in front of the TV. Thank goodness for cable TV!
Took a taxi from the airport to the apartment. Stupid guy charged me 10BD! That’s equivalent to RM100! And the apartment is not that far. Maybe about the same distance from my office to Tropicana. Damn! Thank goodness there’s a receipt and I claim the amount. The guy had the cheek to ask for tips as well :p I made him carry my luggage into the building, though. Anyway, during the ride, the dude started talking to me. At first, it was just the usual stuff like where I’m from, have I been to Bahrain before, why am I here etc. Then came the weird questions. Shocker number 1. He asked if I was married. So I politely said ‘No’. Shocker number 2. He proceeded to ask if I had a boyfriend. So I said ‘Yes’. Shocker number 3. He asked if I loved him. Shocker number 4. He asked if I will marry him. At that point I was getting really freaked out and just wanted to get out of the car fast. Then he asked if I’ve gone sight-seeing in Bahrain. Immediately, I said ‘Yes!’ He named a few places but I said I’ve seen them all. He might just volunteer himself to bring me round!
Anyway, I basically can’t wait to go back home. This is really bad considering it’s only been 3 full days since I’ve been here. Will be going grocery shopping during the weekend to keep me occupied. Will start cooking dinner instead of ordering out everyday. It’s great that the restaurants here all have home delivery service. I go home, order some food, wait for it to come and gobble my food. That’s because by that time, my tummy would be growling massively and scolding me for not feeding it. I don’t eat lunch at the client’s office coz they don’t have a proper lunch hour so I usually just munch on a cereal bar. So I’m basically eating only one proper meal a day. Sounds sad, doesn’t it?
Looking at this secondment on a positive note, I suppose it’s a great experience to have, working in another country with a different mix of people. Being here has taught me quite a bit on the culture of the Middle East and how things don’t go as fast as you would like them to. Their idea of efficiency is not how fast you can finish the work (with quality of course) but the longer you take (ie the longer you stay) the better the quality of the work. Hence the need for me to be here. Honestly, the bulk of the work can be done back in KL. But they need to see someone here since they’re paying for consultants. And since they can afford to pay for us to be here, then that’s what we have to do. Oh well, all for the sake of filling up my CV and gaining international exposure.
Weird encounters in Bahrain:
1 Fridge missing from apartment
2 Freaky taxi driver
Living alone is no fun. It’s only been my 3rd day here, but I’m already feeling the loneliness. Everyday, I go back to an empty apartment with no one to talk to. I just eat my dinner and plonk myself in front of the TV. Thank goodness for cable TV!
Took a taxi from the airport to the apartment. Stupid guy charged me 10BD! That’s equivalent to RM100! And the apartment is not that far. Maybe about the same distance from my office to Tropicana. Damn! Thank goodness there’s a receipt and I claim the amount. The guy had the cheek to ask for tips as well :p I made him carry my luggage into the building, though. Anyway, during the ride, the dude started talking to me. At first, it was just the usual stuff like where I’m from, have I been to Bahrain before, why am I here etc. Then came the weird questions. Shocker number 1. He asked if I was married. So I politely said ‘No’. Shocker number 2. He proceeded to ask if I had a boyfriend. So I said ‘Yes’. Shocker number 3. He asked if I loved him. Shocker number 4. He asked if I will marry him. At that point I was getting really freaked out and just wanted to get out of the car fast. Then he asked if I’ve gone sight-seeing in Bahrain. Immediately, I said ‘Yes!’ He named a few places but I said I’ve seen them all. He might just volunteer himself to bring me round!
Anyway, I basically can’t wait to go back home. This is really bad considering it’s only been 3 full days since I’ve been here. Will be going grocery shopping during the weekend to keep me occupied. Will start cooking dinner instead of ordering out everyday. It’s great that the restaurants here all have home delivery service. I go home, order some food, wait for it to come and gobble my food. That’s because by that time, my tummy would be growling massively and scolding me for not feeding it. I don’t eat lunch at the client’s office coz they don’t have a proper lunch hour so I usually just munch on a cereal bar. So I’m basically eating only one proper meal a day. Sounds sad, doesn’t it?
Looking at this secondment on a positive note, I suppose it’s a great experience to have, working in another country with a different mix of people. Being here has taught me quite a bit on the culture of the Middle East and how things don’t go as fast as you would like them to. Their idea of efficiency is not how fast you can finish the work (with quality of course) but the longer you take (ie the longer you stay) the better the quality of the work. Hence the need for me to be here. Honestly, the bulk of the work can be done back in KL. But they need to see someone here since they’re paying for consultants. And since they can afford to pay for us to be here, then that’s what we have to do. Oh well, all for the sake of filling up my CV and gaining international exposure.
Weird encounters in Bahrain:
1 Fridge missing from apartment
2 Freaky taxi driver
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Hahaha...
It's a real laugh when you read our very own national journalists write about something so silly that you can just shake your head and laugh to yourself. When journalists write in a national tabloid equating anime to porn, you can't believe that these people are actually qualified journalists. Furthermore, when it's in the front page, you can't believe that the editor of the paper actually approved it. Where are the brains of these people? Even if you don't know what anime is, it doesn't take very long to do a simple check and read up on it. It's just so fucking unbelievable. I mean, what ever happened to journalistic integrity. Oh wait. That doesn't exist here. Journalists write whatever they want to write and don't bother about checking if the information is correct. This whole issue of that lebanese dude is another laugh. I seriously think the guy is just psychotic. Probably his brain tumour is causing some sort of psychosis. And for our major papers to print the story without verifying whether he really IS a billionaire, is for us to shake our heads and laugh again. Just because a dude says that he is worth so and so, and wants to donate X amount to a charitable organisation, he makes the papers? So, I can say I'm worth X amount and want to pledge Y amount to, say... WAO, I will suddenly be in the papers? C'mon... in today's world of technology, it's highly unbelievable that this dude (who claims he is the 2nd richest guy in the world!) can go undetected. Besides, if he really has controlling shares in companies around the world, that can be easily proven, right? Just give us the names of these companies, let us do a check and voila... no more disputes about your wealth. Or the easier thing would be, just hand over the dang money and everyone would just get off your back. What a laugh. And for the people involved to actually believe such a claim and pledge is even more of a laugh. Either that or it was just a slow news day and they needed something to print badly :)
On a more personal note, the new year crept in silently. For me at least. I will be flying off to Bahrain again this coming Saturday and this time, I will be all alone. Will be staying in a 1-bedroom apartment. Anyone who cares to visit is welcome to use my room. Will sleep on couch for company :) Thankfully, I will be back for CNY for a week then flying back again for the whole month of Feb. Dull, dull, dull. Being alone is no fun.
Went to LunaBar last Friday for our post new year department party. Fun night. Everyone just let their usual guards down and had fun. Some let more than their guards down. Seriously, there are some things you don't say and do with your colleagues and bosses. And talking about quickies, dildos, vibrators and orgasms is definitely in the list. Also, putting ice down your bosses shirts is NOT acceptable!! Jeebers! What in the world was she thinking? Hold on... i guess she wasn't thinking if not she wouldn't have done that in the first place! Anyway, here's a picture of us gals at Luna. More photos to come but not uploaded yet.
Don't we look cheerful and happy?
Anyway, am flying off this saturday, and I am only halfway through packing. Already my bag feels pretty heavy. Just hope it doesn't go overweight!
Anyone with any good entertainment for me to bring over, please contact me! Entertainment badly needed!
On a more personal note, the new year crept in silently. For me at least. I will be flying off to Bahrain again this coming Saturday and this time, I will be all alone. Will be staying in a 1-bedroom apartment. Anyone who cares to visit is welcome to use my room. Will sleep on couch for company :) Thankfully, I will be back for CNY for a week then flying back again for the whole month of Feb. Dull, dull, dull. Being alone is no fun.
Went to LunaBar last Friday for our post new year department party. Fun night. Everyone just let their usual guards down and had fun. Some let more than their guards down. Seriously, there are some things you don't say and do with your colleagues and bosses. And talking about quickies, dildos, vibrators and orgasms is definitely in the list. Also, putting ice down your bosses shirts is NOT acceptable!! Jeebers! What in the world was she thinking? Hold on... i guess she wasn't thinking if not she wouldn't have done that in the first place! Anyway, here's a picture of us gals at Luna. More photos to come but not uploaded yet.
Don't we look cheerful and happy?
Anyway, am flying off this saturday, and I am only halfway through packing. Already my bag feels pretty heavy. Just hope it doesn't go overweight!
Anyone with any good entertainment for me to bring over, please contact me! Entertainment badly needed!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Ramblings of a person in pain...
My body is in pain right now. It’s probably asking my brain “What the heck were you thinking!?!?!” My arms hurt. My legs ache. A lot. I can’t stretch my arms out without cringing in pain. And being in the office isn’t helping coz I’m basically stuck in one position most of the time and whenever I move, the pain shoots through my body like there a thousand needles piercing my arms at the same time. My left arm is pretty alrite… I mean the pain is bearable. But my right arm is a killer. Even just touching it is painful. I have no idea what I did to warrant such pain. My legs or more specifically my thighs are another story altogether. It’s as if my body is competing in which part can be more painful just to make me suffer. AARGH! I wish I could be at home right now in my comfortable t-shirt and shorts with no shoes on and just lying still on my bed with my arms and legs stretched out straight so that at least my muscles are not cramping up. But no… I’m sitting in the office with almost everyone in the department missing (either in meetings or on leave). And it doesn’t help that I’ve got a dinner and drinks appointment tonight after work. Which means I won’t be able to get home until at least 10 pm. Which means another 8 hours or so of agony and pretending that I’m fine. I’ve even changed to flat sandals because I just couldn’t stand walking around in my heels today. Dammit! I seriously don’t know what I did to have such torture in my arms and legs. I mean, yes, I did push myself last night at the gym and perhaps I should have listened to the trainer when he told me to shower after 30 minutes on the machine instead of sneaking off to do a few crunches but still… such pain and agony!!! I’m just hoping the alcohol tonight will wear the pain off. Or at least take my mind of it. This sucks. Big time. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such pain before. Or maybe it’s just that I’m getting older and as un-fit as the next couch potato. Shit.
Interesting revelation: I may be some kind of masochist deep down because even though it hurts to stretch out my arms and legs, I keep doing coz it feels good once I’ve got them fully stretched out.
Really. I’ve been stretching my right arm and legs so many times today, my colleagues must be thinking I’ve gone cuckoo.
I guess it’s justified putting myself through this pain. Oh the journey towards a fitter, healthier lifestyle. Seriously. I’ve been feeling so potato-ish lately, I’m beginning to look like one. At least this way, I know that I’m doing something about it. I’ve finally got off my ass and am doing something lar! Even if it means giving in to unheard of pain and never before felt agony in my limbs.
On a happier note, I’ll be going home tomorrow morning. Home, for 5 whole days! That’s the maximum I can take being at home J Anymore, and I just get so irritated with everything and I feel an uncontrollable urge to snap at everything and anything that approaches within 5 feet of me. So it’s good that I will be able to go home, be a good daughter and good friend and come back to KL leaving everyone happy back home and no one thinking ill of me. At least I hope not.
Attended my first Balai Rakyat meeting last Tuesday after workout. It was interesting. I’ve always been meaning to attend but somehow my sorry ass will always end up back home instead. So it was good that I followed Syl and Mohan to the meeting partly because we were doing a little cake thing for Annie’s birthday. I really like the idea of being able to do something about the political environment of our country instead of just sitting on my ass and just whining and complaining – like every other Malaysian. But I don’t like the secrecy of the whole thing and how we might get convicted if caught. Damn you! Anyway, I suppose it’s all about bringing change. Slowly but surely, hopefully. Anyway, now I’ve told myself that I will get more involved. Let’s just hope that my resolution hold for next year. As it is, I will be missing the next meeting as my sorry self will be in a little Middle Eastern country called Bahrain. Anyway, back to Balai Rakyat. My rants for my trip back to Bahrain can be picked up again later. The meeting was no different than a Voices meeting. Purely because the members who were there were ex-Voices members. I mean, I had fun and all… but I was thinking how difficult it would be if we were to bring in new people into the Balai. And that’s the whole point isn’t it? We really have to stop being so ‘us’. It’s great that we’re so in sync with each other that we understand the crap that we bull, but to an outsider, we’re just isolating him / her. So anyway, had a chat with another member last night, and we shall leave it till after the launching of the site to see how well the response is to the Balai.
Shit. I got up from my seat (an amazing feat considering how much my thighs hurt) and walked (another amazing accomplishment) to the toilet only to find that it’s being cleaned and I won’t be able to use it for another 10 minutes. Bloody hell! I don’t understand why they have to clean the damn thing so many times in one day. Yes, I appreciate (and I really do) clean and dry toilets but 4 times a day?!?!?! And they always occur when I have the urge to go. Question: why clean the toilet 4 times a day but never have enough tissue paper to wipe my hands? Why? Why? Why?
I’m just in a shitty mood. The office is practically empty, there’s no one to talk to and I don’t have much work to do. Fast forward to January. Nearly the same situation. Alone in the meeting room. No one to talk to. Relatively some work to do. Setting: Bahrain. Shit. I’m just feeling so crappy today.
Plus it doesn’t help when I’ve already booked my flight back to KL in anticipation that I will be able to spend some time with a certain someone as he was supposed to take leave and I find out that it’s an uncertainty. So I may be back in KL with nothing to do for 2 whole days. Might as well come back to work and carry forward my leave! Cis Bedebah! I hate it when things don’t work out as I’ve planned it. And I hate it when the reason why it doesn’t work is because of his work. Fuck the work lar! Why is there so much dependency on you? And why can’t you say no, I’ve got plans so I have to take the leave. Fuck all.
Exciting news of the week: Potential job in London for 6 months. Associate / Senior Associate required. Strategy job. Sounds perfect for me, doesn’t it? London baby, yeah!
Okay, so I’m counting my chicks before the eggs are hatched or whatever. But hey, I’m hoping I get put on that job. I mean, c’mon… I did a good job in Bahrain and you’ve obviously got confidence that I interact well with people… pick me, pick me! That’s exactly the feeling I have. Jumping up and down in my seat, one arm raised and shouting “Pick me! Pick me!” London baby, yeah!
I’m so full of crap today. Crappy limbs. Crappy office environment. Crap. All around.
Oh yeah, Merry Christmas, Season’s Greetings, Happy New Year… blah blah blah…
Interesting revelation: I may be some kind of masochist deep down because even though it hurts to stretch out my arms and legs, I keep doing coz it feels good once I’ve got them fully stretched out.
Really. I’ve been stretching my right arm and legs so many times today, my colleagues must be thinking I’ve gone cuckoo.
I guess it’s justified putting myself through this pain. Oh the journey towards a fitter, healthier lifestyle. Seriously. I’ve been feeling so potato-ish lately, I’m beginning to look like one. At least this way, I know that I’m doing something about it. I’ve finally got off my ass and am doing something lar! Even if it means giving in to unheard of pain and never before felt agony in my limbs.
On a happier note, I’ll be going home tomorrow morning. Home, for 5 whole days! That’s the maximum I can take being at home J Anymore, and I just get so irritated with everything and I feel an uncontrollable urge to snap at everything and anything that approaches within 5 feet of me. So it’s good that I will be able to go home, be a good daughter and good friend and come back to KL leaving everyone happy back home and no one thinking ill of me. At least I hope not.
Attended my first Balai Rakyat meeting last Tuesday after workout. It was interesting. I’ve always been meaning to attend but somehow my sorry ass will always end up back home instead. So it was good that I followed Syl and Mohan to the meeting partly because we were doing a little cake thing for Annie’s birthday. I really like the idea of being able to do something about the political environment of our country instead of just sitting on my ass and just whining and complaining – like every other Malaysian. But I don’t like the secrecy of the whole thing and how we might get convicted if caught. Damn you! Anyway, I suppose it’s all about bringing change. Slowly but surely, hopefully. Anyway, now I’ve told myself that I will get more involved. Let’s just hope that my resolution hold for next year. As it is, I will be missing the next meeting as my sorry self will be in a little Middle Eastern country called Bahrain. Anyway, back to Balai Rakyat. My rants for my trip back to Bahrain can be picked up again later. The meeting was no different than a Voices meeting. Purely because the members who were there were ex-Voices members. I mean, I had fun and all… but I was thinking how difficult it would be if we were to bring in new people into the Balai. And that’s the whole point isn’t it? We really have to stop being so ‘us’. It’s great that we’re so in sync with each other that we understand the crap that we bull, but to an outsider, we’re just isolating him / her. So anyway, had a chat with another member last night, and we shall leave it till after the launching of the site to see how well the response is to the Balai.
Shit. I got up from my seat (an amazing feat considering how much my thighs hurt) and walked (another amazing accomplishment) to the toilet only to find that it’s being cleaned and I won’t be able to use it for another 10 minutes. Bloody hell! I don’t understand why they have to clean the damn thing so many times in one day. Yes, I appreciate (and I really do) clean and dry toilets but 4 times a day?!?!?! And they always occur when I have the urge to go. Question: why clean the toilet 4 times a day but never have enough tissue paper to wipe my hands? Why? Why? Why?
I’m just in a shitty mood. The office is practically empty, there’s no one to talk to and I don’t have much work to do. Fast forward to January. Nearly the same situation. Alone in the meeting room. No one to talk to. Relatively some work to do. Setting: Bahrain. Shit. I’m just feeling so crappy today.
Plus it doesn’t help when I’ve already booked my flight back to KL in anticipation that I will be able to spend some time with a certain someone as he was supposed to take leave and I find out that it’s an uncertainty. So I may be back in KL with nothing to do for 2 whole days. Might as well come back to work and carry forward my leave! Cis Bedebah! I hate it when things don’t work out as I’ve planned it. And I hate it when the reason why it doesn’t work is because of his work. Fuck the work lar! Why is there so much dependency on you? And why can’t you say no, I’ve got plans so I have to take the leave. Fuck all.
Exciting news of the week: Potential job in London for 6 months. Associate / Senior Associate required. Strategy job. Sounds perfect for me, doesn’t it? London baby, yeah!
Okay, so I’m counting my chicks before the eggs are hatched or whatever. But hey, I’m hoping I get put on that job. I mean, c’mon… I did a good job in Bahrain and you’ve obviously got confidence that I interact well with people… pick me, pick me! That’s exactly the feeling I have. Jumping up and down in my seat, one arm raised and shouting “Pick me! Pick me!” London baby, yeah!
I’m so full of crap today. Crappy limbs. Crappy office environment. Crap. All around.
Oh yeah, Merry Christmas, Season’s Greetings, Happy New Year… blah blah blah…
Sunday, December 18, 2005
What to do if caught by police
Sylvia gave me the link to this interesting site which as guidelines on what you should do if ever caught by the police (touch wood - never!).
http://ricecooker.kerbau.com/?p=188
That's the link to the guidelines. It's very helpful as I presume many of us do not know of our basic rights and would be too terrified to do anything except follow whatever the police asks us to do if ever in such a situation.
It's a real shame that we as Malaysian citizens have this fear of the police who are sworn to protect us. Ironic, isn't it? We pay this taskforce to patrol our neighbourhood, to protect us from harm and yet we are so scared of them and allow them to bully, threaten and demand bribes from us. I'm not sure about everyone else but for me, whenever I see a policeman on the road, my heart starts pounding and I will make sure to avoid any form of contact with the policeman. This is because I've been in a situation where I've been 'violated' during a roadblock and I was just asking the policeman for directions to the nearest petrol station as my tank was really empty. What happened was the policeman just stuck his head in the window on the pretext of giving me directions but his eyes were somewhere else. Right down my shirt. Bloody hell. I just drove away feeling extremely violated. I know it's a 'small' matter but it really isn't to me. And everytime there's a roadblock, I avoid as much conversation with the policeman as much as possible when they ask me to roll down the window and start asking me where I've been, why am I out so late etc. It's just annoying that they try to intimidate you or expect you to 'abang' them. It seems as if they are invincible with the uniform on and I suppose from their point of view, it's true. All of us are so afraid of them that we will do whatever they ask us to. We are so afraid of being arrested even though we haven't done anything wrong that we just give them money in the hopes of just being able to drive away. And we are also so afraid of making reports against a police officer who has done us wrong as we know that firstly, nothing is going to happen. Secondly, they're all cronies so they will somehow put the blame on you instead and thirdly, they might mark you and start harassing you. It's no wonder that we're so wary of the police.
And it's a real shame that the majority of cops are so corrupt that they overshadow the 'good' cops who really want to do a good job. I'm sure the whole police force is not corrupt and there are some who are truly interested in being a cop than being a cop who can intimidate innocent citizens.
In a way, the exposure of this whole 'earsquats' issue is good as it has brought the spotlight onto the police force and made them aware that they are not as invincible as they think they are. No doubt I do not necessarily agree with the way the issue has been approached but at least something is being done about it. And I also don't agree that ear squats is normal procedure for a body cavity check. Honestly, if I'm going to hide something in my body, I'd stuff it up my arsehole and no amount of earsquats is going to make it drop out. It's just something the police make you do to intimidate and humiliate you. Even if it's 'normal' procedure and everyone goes through it, at least have the decency to do it in a secured room to ensure privacy.
All of us as citizens should stand up and start by knowing our rights and that we can't be pushed around by a uniform. The problem is when we're so afraid and we don't speak out, everything gets swept under the rug which gives the police more power and boldness to continue their tactics.
I hope things will change after this issue. More transparency. More honesty. Less corruption. Less cover-ups. But what are the chances of that happening? As it is now, the issue appears to be dying down already. And pretty soon, Malaysians will do what they do best. Forget it ever happened.
http://ricecooker.kerbau.com/?p=188
That's the link to the guidelines. It's very helpful as I presume many of us do not know of our basic rights and would be too terrified to do anything except follow whatever the police asks us to do if ever in such a situation.
It's a real shame that we as Malaysian citizens have this fear of the police who are sworn to protect us. Ironic, isn't it? We pay this taskforce to patrol our neighbourhood, to protect us from harm and yet we are so scared of them and allow them to bully, threaten and demand bribes from us. I'm not sure about everyone else but for me, whenever I see a policeman on the road, my heart starts pounding and I will make sure to avoid any form of contact with the policeman. This is because I've been in a situation where I've been 'violated' during a roadblock and I was just asking the policeman for directions to the nearest petrol station as my tank was really empty. What happened was the policeman just stuck his head in the window on the pretext of giving me directions but his eyes were somewhere else. Right down my shirt. Bloody hell. I just drove away feeling extremely violated. I know it's a 'small' matter but it really isn't to me. And everytime there's a roadblock, I avoid as much conversation with the policeman as much as possible when they ask me to roll down the window and start asking me where I've been, why am I out so late etc. It's just annoying that they try to intimidate you or expect you to 'abang' them. It seems as if they are invincible with the uniform on and I suppose from their point of view, it's true. All of us are so afraid of them that we will do whatever they ask us to. We are so afraid of being arrested even though we haven't done anything wrong that we just give them money in the hopes of just being able to drive away. And we are also so afraid of making reports against a police officer who has done us wrong as we know that firstly, nothing is going to happen. Secondly, they're all cronies so they will somehow put the blame on you instead and thirdly, they might mark you and start harassing you. It's no wonder that we're so wary of the police.
And it's a real shame that the majority of cops are so corrupt that they overshadow the 'good' cops who really want to do a good job. I'm sure the whole police force is not corrupt and there are some who are truly interested in being a cop than being a cop who can intimidate innocent citizens.
In a way, the exposure of this whole 'earsquats' issue is good as it has brought the spotlight onto the police force and made them aware that they are not as invincible as they think they are. No doubt I do not necessarily agree with the way the issue has been approached but at least something is being done about it. And I also don't agree that ear squats is normal procedure for a body cavity check. Honestly, if I'm going to hide something in my body, I'd stuff it up my arsehole and no amount of earsquats is going to make it drop out. It's just something the police make you do to intimidate and humiliate you. Even if it's 'normal' procedure and everyone goes through it, at least have the decency to do it in a secured room to ensure privacy.
All of us as citizens should stand up and start by knowing our rights and that we can't be pushed around by a uniform. The problem is when we're so afraid and we don't speak out, everything gets swept under the rug which gives the police more power and boldness to continue their tactics.
I hope things will change after this issue. More transparency. More honesty. Less corruption. Less cover-ups. But what are the chances of that happening? As it is now, the issue appears to be dying down already. And pretty soon, Malaysians will do what they do best. Forget it ever happened.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Year end...
The year end is approaching and once again, I am forced to think about what the year has brought for me. 2005 was a year full of changes. I was forced to grow up and face reality that being in the corporate world is full of politics. It made me realise that just being good at your job and being on a friendly basis with your peers and superiors is not enough. Not when there are others who will go behind your back to bad-mouth you and suck up to your bosses to get that promotion which I duly deserved more than anyone else. So, it was a lesson learnt and I am now more wary of what I say and how I present myself. I try to stay out of politics and just listen when people tell me stuff and no longer present my views and opinions as I never know who will carry tales and twist my words.
It was also a year for job change... after the fiasco that happened to me. And I got a job which was not challenging but I met a great person who made a fantastic boss. Unfortunately, the job scope was not right for me. Although, I wouldn't mind turning back and being a Personal Assistant a few years down the line but not now. And although I found out that there were a few people in top management who did not want me to get the position, my boss (now ex-boss) prevailed, dug further and confronted me with the issues that had been made known to her. Which was great because it presented me with the opportunity to clear my name. And I got the position, and got quite close to her and it was great working with someone like her who had so much zest and confidence in me. But as I said, the position I was in was not suitable for me and I got an interview with KPMG and got offered a position.
So I said goodbye to her and 2 other colleagues whom I had only worked with for 1 month plus. It was really hard saying goodbye as the 1-2 months working with them was fantastic and we were such a great team compared to my 2 years in Operations where I slogged and suffered and got bad-mouthed and got no recognition. Even now, I am still being asked if I want to go back to working with them.
And so another job change and here I am in KPMG. In the consulting field. I've been here for only 5-6 months but it feels like I've been here for years. The team that I'm working with is great. It's a small team. Only about 15 of us. But the bond is there. Yes, there are a bit of politics here and there but all of us generally get along with each other. The work is great too. I am really learning a lot here. And within my short stint here, I have already been sent to Bahrain. And I recently found out that I was put on that project after my acceptance of the job offer. Apparently, my bosses thought that I would be able to handle it as I projected a high level of confidence during the interviews. Nice to hear that I look confident even though I was shaking inside. After all, it was an interview! Who isn't scared during interviews? Plus it was for a job that I wanted. Anyway, my only regret is not asking for a higher pay :( Oh well... I'm here to learn and garner experience...
Not only have I changed jobs twice, I've also moved from Seri Kembangan to Puchong to Damansara! And I do not want to move again unless it's because I've bought my own house. Or it's because a certain someone asks me to move in with him :) But I know that won't happen till 2 years down the road so I'm quite happy for now... Could do with more stuff in the house.. but slowly... I'll fill the place up... make it feel more like home :)
And so... here I am facing the end of the year and contemplating my next steps for 2006. What the new year will bring... no one knows... but for now... I suppose I am quite content... have got another month in bahrain to look 'forward' to... have got three holidays planned for next year... so, I'm cool... for now :)
It was also a year for job change... after the fiasco that happened to me. And I got a job which was not challenging but I met a great person who made a fantastic boss. Unfortunately, the job scope was not right for me. Although, I wouldn't mind turning back and being a Personal Assistant a few years down the line but not now. And although I found out that there were a few people in top management who did not want me to get the position, my boss (now ex-boss) prevailed, dug further and confronted me with the issues that had been made known to her. Which was great because it presented me with the opportunity to clear my name. And I got the position, and got quite close to her and it was great working with someone like her who had so much zest and confidence in me. But as I said, the position I was in was not suitable for me and I got an interview with KPMG and got offered a position.
So I said goodbye to her and 2 other colleagues whom I had only worked with for 1 month plus. It was really hard saying goodbye as the 1-2 months working with them was fantastic and we were such a great team compared to my 2 years in Operations where I slogged and suffered and got bad-mouthed and got no recognition. Even now, I am still being asked if I want to go back to working with them.
And so another job change and here I am in KPMG. In the consulting field. I've been here for only 5-6 months but it feels like I've been here for years. The team that I'm working with is great. It's a small team. Only about 15 of us. But the bond is there. Yes, there are a bit of politics here and there but all of us generally get along with each other. The work is great too. I am really learning a lot here. And within my short stint here, I have already been sent to Bahrain. And I recently found out that I was put on that project after my acceptance of the job offer. Apparently, my bosses thought that I would be able to handle it as I projected a high level of confidence during the interviews. Nice to hear that I look confident even though I was shaking inside. After all, it was an interview! Who isn't scared during interviews? Plus it was for a job that I wanted. Anyway, my only regret is not asking for a higher pay :( Oh well... I'm here to learn and garner experience...
Not only have I changed jobs twice, I've also moved from Seri Kembangan to Puchong to Damansara! And I do not want to move again unless it's because I've bought my own house. Or it's because a certain someone asks me to move in with him :) But I know that won't happen till 2 years down the road so I'm quite happy for now... Could do with more stuff in the house.. but slowly... I'll fill the place up... make it feel more like home :)
And so... here I am facing the end of the year and contemplating my next steps for 2006. What the new year will bring... no one knows... but for now... I suppose I am quite content... have got another month in bahrain to look 'forward' to... have got three holidays planned for next year... so, I'm cool... for now :)
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Countdown...
2 more days before I fly home! I've never missed Malaysia so much! Home is still home. Bahrain is okay... it's just not home. I miss the food back home. Can't wait to eat some good ole nasi lemak with rendang. Or Char Koay Teow. Or Asam Laksa. All I've been having here is grilled meat or Briyiani. :p It's nice but... enough is enough!
And no matter how much I bitch about Malaysia, it's still home and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else. Unless of course I get offered a job here and get paid in Bahraini dinars, then that's a different story :)
Counting down till I'm on the plane headed back home!
And no matter how much I bitch about Malaysia, it's still home and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else. Unless of course I get offered a job here and get paid in Bahraini dinars, then that's a different story :)
Counting down till I'm on the plane headed back home!
Monday, December 05, 2005
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Creepy stares, Filipino waiters & weekends
I'm really feeling tired. And it's not because I don't have enough sleep. I get at least 6 hour or more of sleep every night. So I don't know what exactly is attributing to this feeling of tiredness all the time. Probably it’s the feeling of being homesick. I never thought I’d get homesick. All this while, when I’ve travelled to another country, there’s always so much to do and so much to see and I’m always surrounded by a bunch of wacky individuals who will just find things to do which makes the time just whiz by and before you know it, it’s time to go back home. But this time, it’s different. No doubt the days are also zooming by but the feeling that I have here is that ‘I want to go home’. It’s probably because I’m here alone at the client’s place. And I feel so lost and lonely here. Yes, the people here are nice but at the end of the day, I’m not one of them and am still just the consultant. Thanks goodness for Mel who’s here in Bahrain with me. If she’s not here, I really would be feeling even lonelier. So at least we’ve got each other. Sounds so sad, doesn’t it? But unfortunately, it is. And I normally wouldn’t mind venturing off by myself to explore places but it just doesn’t feel safe here. It probably is, but the stares that I get is just creepy and makes me want to run back and hide. As I’ve mentioned before, even driving in a car, I get stares. And Bahrain is supposed to be quite liberal. It’s just because I’m such a rare species here. And people just can’t get make out what I am. Chinese? Filipino? Japanese? Korean? Singaporean? Thai? Never once, have those who asked me said Malaysian. :p There are even some who don’t know where Malaysia is! Anyway, I really don’t know what I’m going to do when I come back here in January. Probably just stay at home and just go to the malls. At least there, I don’t get stares.
Boss was around the past few days, so we’ve been going out with him every night for dinner then drinks. By the time we get home, it’s be nearly midnight. And we usually sleep around 10 pm here! So anyway, dinner with boss was fun though. Both nights. Tired as we were, drinks were also fun. Had drinks at the Ritz-Carlton’s Trader Vic’s the first night. The second night, we had Thai food at this really posh restaurant. Huge place. As usual, forgot to take photos. Anyway, they were only serving their buffet spread last night which costs 12 BD ++ per person! And there were 6 of us! But boss being boss, said never mind, let’s just eat here coz there was no where else we could think of to go around the area. Anyway, the variety wasn’t that good, but there was an free flow of sparkling white wine J Had a few glasses. Food was so-so. Obviously we can get better back home. Anyway, me being me after a few drinks, started to talk to the waiters and waitresses there. Some of them were actually from Thailand. Most were from the Philippines, though. One of the waiters actually worked in Malaysia before for 2 years. So he started talking to me in Malay. Then, one of the waiters tried to hit on me. :p I just ran back to my seat and didn’t look at him after that. Damn shy.
Anyhow, the weekend is approaching. Am looking forward to it. At least it’d be nearer to my departure date. Plus I’ll get to lame and rest and wake up late. And we can rent a car and drive around to places we still haven’t been to. Better than having nothing to do. But before that, there’s still today and Thursday to get through!
It’s been a busy week… and I just got a mail saying that thing are not going as planned in Qatar. Possibility of me needing to extend my stay here. :p But nevertheless, I’m supposed to be revalidating my ticket today and will stick with the confirmed date as of now.
Had a whole bunch of meetings today. It’s now 4 pm and I’ve got only about another an hour or so before I have to get my ass to the airline office before they close.
One more day to the weekend!
Boss was around the past few days, so we’ve been going out with him every night for dinner then drinks. By the time we get home, it’s be nearly midnight. And we usually sleep around 10 pm here! So anyway, dinner with boss was fun though. Both nights. Tired as we were, drinks were also fun. Had drinks at the Ritz-Carlton’s Trader Vic’s the first night. The second night, we had Thai food at this really posh restaurant. Huge place. As usual, forgot to take photos. Anyway, they were only serving their buffet spread last night which costs 12 BD ++ per person! And there were 6 of us! But boss being boss, said never mind, let’s just eat here coz there was no where else we could think of to go around the area. Anyway, the variety wasn’t that good, but there was an free flow of sparkling white wine J Had a few glasses. Food was so-so. Obviously we can get better back home. Anyway, me being me after a few drinks, started to talk to the waiters and waitresses there. Some of them were actually from Thailand. Most were from the Philippines, though. One of the waiters actually worked in Malaysia before for 2 years. So he started talking to me in Malay. Then, one of the waiters tried to hit on me. :p I just ran back to my seat and didn’t look at him after that. Damn shy.
Anyhow, the weekend is approaching. Am looking forward to it. At least it’d be nearer to my departure date. Plus I’ll get to lame and rest and wake up late. And we can rent a car and drive around to places we still haven’t been to. Better than having nothing to do. But before that, there’s still today and Thursday to get through!
It’s been a busy week… and I just got a mail saying that thing are not going as planned in Qatar. Possibility of me needing to extend my stay here. :p But nevertheless, I’m supposed to be revalidating my ticket today and will stick with the confirmed date as of now.
Had a whole bunch of meetings today. It’s now 4 pm and I’ve got only about another an hour or so before I have to get my ass to the airline office before they close.
One more day to the weekend!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Back home... but off again
I'm back from bahrain. Touched down in KL on Wednesday afternoon at about 3. Was extremely tired. The wait at Dubai airport was just horrendous. Had a 5 hour transit there. I think I walked round the whole airport in half an hour. And mind you, I was strolling and looking at all the shops. It was pretty small for a hub. There were so many people who were just sleeping on the floor of the airport.
Anyway, my trip to bahrain was enjoyable. The work is challenging. The place is nice. The client is hospitable. The food is cheap (if getting Bahraini Dinar). Loads of Indian nationals and Filipinos working there. However, it's a very creepy to be walking around. People just start staring at you. Or should I say, the men just stare at you non-stop. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or is it becuase I'm Chinese. I think it's because I'm a Chinese woman. My colleague and I were the only Chinese women around! Even when we're in a car and driving, we still attract stares. Creepy. And we walked past this area which resembled very much like the ghettos. Unless you're in the commercial district or the higher end malls, it doesn't feel safe to walk around anywhere.
I'm flying back this saturday. Last minute complications and I've got to go back and cover for my colleague who has to go to Qatar. Feels like such a waste of time to be flying back to M'sia then flying back to Bahrain again after just 2 days. Unfortunately, things were only confirmed on the day of my flight back home and I couldn't stay on also because of my visa. So here I am, jet-setting away :) Will not be back in time for Jo's wedding. A bit disappointed about that as I won't be able to hang out with my friends from uni and see how everyone else is doing.
Tonight is annual dinner. I really don't feel like dressing up and doing my hair and face. But the girls in my department are really excited and I've been included in the 'doing hair and makeup' group this afternoon. We get the afternoon off for preparations. I haven't even decided on what I'm going to wear.
I really don't mind going back to Bahrain, but I just wish it wasn't so soon. Had plans for Saturday and now I have to fly off on Saturday in order to reach Bahrain on Sunday in time to go to work. Was really looking forward to Saturday's plans. Oh well. But I can't complain. When do I ever get a chance like this? It's a lot of responsibility and I certainly hope I will be able to do a good job.
Okay... have to go do some actual work now. Although I'm really not in the mood. Everyone's not in the mood to work :) Who is, when we've only got about an hour more to go before we can go back!
Anyway, my trip to bahrain was enjoyable. The work is challenging. The place is nice. The client is hospitable. The food is cheap (if getting Bahraini Dinar). Loads of Indian nationals and Filipinos working there. However, it's a very creepy to be walking around. People just start staring at you. Or should I say, the men just stare at you non-stop. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or is it becuase I'm Chinese. I think it's because I'm a Chinese woman. My colleague and I were the only Chinese women around! Even when we're in a car and driving, we still attract stares. Creepy. And we walked past this area which resembled very much like the ghettos. Unless you're in the commercial district or the higher end malls, it doesn't feel safe to walk around anywhere.
I'm flying back this saturday. Last minute complications and I've got to go back and cover for my colleague who has to go to Qatar. Feels like such a waste of time to be flying back to M'sia then flying back to Bahrain again after just 2 days. Unfortunately, things were only confirmed on the day of my flight back home and I couldn't stay on also because of my visa. So here I am, jet-setting away :) Will not be back in time for Jo's wedding. A bit disappointed about that as I won't be able to hang out with my friends from uni and see how everyone else is doing.
Tonight is annual dinner. I really don't feel like dressing up and doing my hair and face. But the girls in my department are really excited and I've been included in the 'doing hair and makeup' group this afternoon. We get the afternoon off for preparations. I haven't even decided on what I'm going to wear.
I really don't mind going back to Bahrain, but I just wish it wasn't so soon. Had plans for Saturday and now I have to fly off on Saturday in order to reach Bahrain on Sunday in time to go to work. Was really looking forward to Saturday's plans. Oh well. But I can't complain. When do I ever get a chance like this? It's a lot of responsibility and I certainly hope I will be able to do a good job.
Okay... have to go do some actual work now. Although I'm really not in the mood. Everyone's not in the mood to work :) Who is, when we've only got about an hour more to go before we can go back!
Monday, November 14, 2005
WooHoo!
Am typing this in Bahrain! My first day here. It's 6 pm and dark as night. The place is beautiful! My hotel room is wonderfully big and roomy! So far so good! More to come as the week progresses... Loads of work to be done but i'm so excited!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)