Gettin' Evaluated

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for me. It will be the day that will determine my performance level here at my company.

I will be having my CPE review for 2008 with my new lady boss. Just in case if you’re wondering “What the heck is CPE??” Well, it stands for “Commitment Plan and Evaluation”. The CPE system is all about keeping record of all goals and results committed and to be achieved for the coming year, to see if there are any achievements made or not by the employees. Their performance is later reviewed, evaluated and ranked from 1 to 4 based on the results.

If you are ranked as 1, then you are ‘Exemplary’… meaning that your performance is totally outstanding and that you are a role model to other employees and the company is damn proud of you... kinda exaggerating but it’s kinda like that. (ehem... someone like me for an example) Hehehe...
2 is ‘Good’… means that you’ve performed above the average, you have exceeded your target and you’re independent and reliable.
3 means you “Meet Requirements"... It’s when you have performed just cukup-cukup makan and you have met your targets. But dude, you watch out ok!
4 is ‘Unsatisfactory’... means your performance is not up to the company’s expectation. Malu je lah kan.

The rank will also determine our annual salary increment percentage as well. So, the higher you’re ranked, the higher the percentage.

So, I am going to be evaluated by my boss tomorrow and we will be discussing about my performance level for year 2008. I have made my justification and reviewed my plans and I am confident that my performance level is going to be as I have hoped for. Still, I am kinda nervous at the same time. This will be my first CPE review with my new lady boss.

You see, she just joined in July 2008 and I am not sure if she will be evaluating me according to my working performance and up to my expectation. I do understand that she is still new to the whole working environment here and I do assist her in many situations and in any possible way. But honestly, sometimes I find it just hard to work together with her. And believe me, I am not the only one around here who thinks so too. She’s a type of a person who doesn’t accept nor listen to your idea or opinion. What ever that she say or do is always the best for all of us. She doesn’t agree to any suggestions you gave her, she will not admit that your idea or suggestion might be correct or useful… and she certainly doesn’t listen to your explanation. Sometimes, during any discussion, She likes to speak so fast and she will talk about all sorts of issue and that's sometimes not related. It's kinda make you feel confused as to what she is trying to say. hehehe... Semua tengok bengong blue-blue jer kat dia. hehehehe... In the end, you ended up feeling frustrated, confused and demotivated sometimes. But one thing is for sure... she is a very determined person who doesn’t give up too easily. She will try hard to get what she wants and will push people to the extent when it comes to work. I often seek her help when it comes to escalating issues with higher people. You can say it is some of her skilled qualities.

Oh well, I hope things will be well tomorrow. Please pray for me :p

Chronicles of me

I know I have been silent for awhile now. It has been more then a month since my last update ya. Hm... Work kinda got in the way, especially during the month of December 2008.

Sayonara 2008
What can I say about 2008? Well, one thing is sure that I’m glad it’s gone. Well, hate to admit but it was quite an unfortunate year for me. I don’t mean to sound negative lah, but honestly, it kinda sucked. I think I don’t have ‘ong’ for year that ends with the no. ‘8’ kot? Gosh! I still remember 1998! Damn it! It was the most awful and lousiest year of my life. It was one of those years that you just wish to put behind you and not think about it anymore. Well, 2008 was not that bad though. There are some sweet and wonderful memories I have gained. What ever it is, 2008 is gone now and I am with open arms welcoming 2 0 0 9. I am looking forward to make the best out of 2009 pulak. It’s all about turning into a new leaf babe! And I am all out for it. Hehehe... I guess it’s how you make the best out of things you wish and desire. In the end, it doesn’t depend on what luck the year brings you but its more to how you make the best out of it. It’s all in you. Motive yourself to achieve greatest added value and you will be happy. Betul tak? Whoa... Aku bersemangat nie!
I have figured out a few New Year resolution for 2009. My resolution to ‘Be more focused and stay positive’ still remains. (psst.. one of them is to work on reducing my fat ass and ‘poofiness’. And blardly you Jay, poofy means fat you dongkey. And all these while I thought you said it to make me sound like I’m cute. @#%&$... Blardy fish you Jay. Poofy pun I comel ok :p

Career
December was quite a hectic month for me. It was the year end closing and everyone went nuts and koo-koo in chasing and trying to close as much sales order as possible. Hey! It’s never easy being in the sales team for a large company. And especially when it comes to year end closing, I think people kinda hate U. Hehehe… Especially folks I work with from my main office. There will be a lot of chasing, order loading, delivering, checking ETA, monitoring shipment, warehouse stock count, billing, invoicing, capturing rev and GP, calling up customers, push JCF signing, push delivery, push invoice, push engineers, push customers, push your boss out the window... Wait! Is that in my job scope? oops! hehehe... But I tell you though, I have considered it few times ;) hahaha... Sneaky Devil!
But what ever the situation maybe, I would say working here is one of the best thing that has ever happened to me in my career path. It is all in good fun and it has been quite a wonderful experience working here. Sure at times, it can be stressful and you will be disappointed and frustrated, especially now that I am working under a new (yet another lady boss), life can sometimes be very very very, I quote again “V E R Y’ stressful. People are out there man to test your patience and how long you can put up with them. Working with brainless people is never an easy job. It takes lots of endurance skills (rolling eyes... hehe). But what ever it is, in the end you will always end up learning something new and gain more knowledge. Hehehe.. I remember once when we had this event going on, one of our customer called my Sales Rep a ‘loan shark’ cos she kept calling him and trying to persuade him to attend our events. Hihi... He did show up cos he said he admired her determination. Hahaha… we all had a good laugh out of it.

~ Ehm... I really didn't want to post this picture, but I need to show you how stressful I am. Sigh!


Me and My Family
Kak Ton will be back this Feb 10. Gosh! I miss her so much. Last time when she’s around, we hardly meet or even talk on the phone. Sometimes when she comes over to the house, we will share a light chat and after awhile, she will continue on chatting with mum and I will be busy doing something else or watching TV. But nowadays when she calls, I feel like talking to her for hours and look at her all the time through the webcam. The other day when she called, I was on the phone with her for so long not realizing that it’s a long distance call, until we started talking about makcik sebelah rumah some more... Hehe :p
So, I am so looking forward for you to be back home soon sis. Hehehe.. do remember to bring some goodies :p ya. Not that I mengharap lah, but If got something-something then sure syiok lor. aiyo... hehe. And we have made plans for our sister’s get together after you’re back. It not the same without you around now. Boring sangat.
About me! I am now officially and happily single... again! I’m probably too much for him to handle kot :p hehehe. Well, I’m sure my Mr. Right is out there somewhere. I just have to pray hard and hope the best for me. I just hope I will find someone who can understand and appreciate me for who I am. Managing a cracked relationship is just too hard to handle man.
My sweet lovely nephew Farhan turned 3 last week. Gosh! He’s a little fella with a very witty mouth.. very cute and adorable fella. He's more of the playful, suka cakap banyak person while the elder brother, Naveer is the more quite and serious one. It's always fun to have them around. You can sit and listen to them for hours. Gosh! being around them will take any pain away. Here’s some pictures of my heroes, Naveer & Farhan.. aren't they cute!!





Vacation
Another family vacation, and this time we head south to Cameron Highlands. The cool breeze and the lush green surroundings were so inviting and I automatically felt in love with it. Who can ever resist being in such place. I wanna let the pictures I took do all the talking cos I really took alot of photos :p
I would love to go back there someday. Hm… Probably soon...












Well, that’s all for now. Will try to write soon.

My Precious Friends

Through out our lives, we have come across different type of people, from all walks of life. Its either their are friends... or fouls. Some of them have given us sweet and wonderful memories. They have left their mark in our hearts and we cherish the time we spent with them.

To tell you the truth, I am a very picky person. I choose my friends. Yes, I do talk to people lah. I'm not 'sombong' ok. I do consider myself as ‘kinda’ friendly person :p and I do love to meet people. But there are only a group of people who I would consider as a true friend and accept them in my life. For me, a friend should be:-
Someone who inspires you in many ways.
Someone who is honest and sincere in a friendship.
Someone who you can trust and makes you feel safe.
Someone who respects you and appreciate you for what you do and who you are.
Someone who advices you when you did something wrong... instead of showing face at you or keeping quiet and they start talking about it to behind your back. Cos I'm sure we don't have any intention of hurting our friends feelings or upset them in anyway.
Someone who accepts you for who you are and they done pretend to like you and they certainly don’t talk bad about you behind your back.
Someone who doesn’t compare you or look down on you.
Someone you can rely on and trust... Especially when it comes to secrets. :p You can talk anything with them and they always listen to you and doesn’t tease you or make fun of you.
Someone you know who would always be there for you when you need them.
Someone who you can share your sorrows with. They listen to you when you need a shoulder to cry on and will advice you and calm you down when you’re feeling sad.
bla...bla..bla...

Gosh! I can go on lah. Hehehe. Who would want friends with only the best qualities? And believe me, those who are all the above and have more charming qualities... I will be as all the above too towards them too. Cos friends like these are those you must value, love and cherish them for who they are.

So I wanna post this story to all my friends out there. Love you guys alotz..
Thank U Nas for sharing this wonderful story with me.
Who ever created this story... A big thank you to U :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend’s tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'

There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.

He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried so me of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
'He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..

When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today=2 0was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. 'Thanks,' he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began:
'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.'

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.'

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

There is no beginning or end… Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That is why it is called the 'Present'

Words of Wisdom for the day

~ Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

~ Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

~ Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

~ Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

~ Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

~ Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

~ Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

~ Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

~ No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

~ However good or bad a situation is… it will change.


~ Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

Food Stop ~ Manila’s Place

Just the other day, my friends and I went to Manila’s Place in Gurney Plaza for lunch and NO! folks... I don’t think they serve and Manila Cuisine there. hehe... It’s a western food Restaurant and it’s a nice place for you to relax and enjoy a good meal. It has a great ambiance and the food was pretty good too. They have set lunch from RM16.00 up to RM32.00. Their set lunch comes with soup + main course + drink either hot or cold and dessert. For starter, they served a bowl of creamy mushroom soup, a mini bun and butter. The mushroom soup was very nice and creamy and when you dip the bun in it... fuhyoo!

I managed to take some photos while I was there.

~ From where we sit


~ Green Tea Vivien had. Now I can never eat something already hot and wash it down with a hot drink pulak. macam tak kena jer plak. hehehe... So, I had Iced Peach Tea and it was very cool… very nice.



~ Mushroom Soup in a Bun @ RM11.90. (p/s : This is not the mushroom soup that came with the set lunch ok!. Hehehe… Kak Lily had this mushroom soup and look! You can even eat the bowl :) hahaha…



~I had this Rosemary lamb for main course and it cost RM26.90. Now I never liked lamb before cos I think they have this weird grassy smell (uwek!). And even though when you have a piece of it in your mouth, you can still smell it and it taste like you’re eating dried grass. But ever since I tasted Kak Lily’s marinated BBQ lamb… I tell ya, I loved it on the spot. Now I eat lamb sometimes. Depends on how good it is and only if it doesn’t smell like rumput kering. Well, This Rosemary Lamb I had was absolutely delicious. No rumput kering smell and the texture were tender and juicy. And the portion was a lot. They served 3-4 pieces of sliced lamb shoulder. Banyak tue even for me to finish it. I had to give 2 pieces away to my friends to enjoy. Sigh! hehehe. Tak maul ah tamak betul tak?



~Azu had this Lemongrass Chicken served with rice and the set lunch was only RM16.90. Looks good!


~Nas had this Salmon Fish for RM32.00. Kinda expensive if you ask me for 2 piece fish fillet. Kalu nak makan ikan, masak jer kari ikan lagi best :p I had a small piece and well, it’s so so only lah. Nothing to shout about. hehe! Sorry Nas, you know I dont like eating fish.


Overall… I had a good time. The food was good and we all left with a full happy tummy :) Will I go there again? hm... I surely will ;)

P/s : Will post about my BBQing next time. Dont have the photos with me right now :p

It's Still not Friday!

Today is a blur-blur sotong day. No one is in the office except Mei and me at our Dept. We were listening to the music in the morning and moving our head to the beating of our favorite song. hehe... then it kinda got bored and not to mention, kepala aku pun mula la dok nuit-nuit sakit. hehehe...

Gosh! How I wish today was Friday. I woke up this morning. Checked the time and it was around 3am. Aaaahhhh! "Still can sambung sleep for a while lah" kononnya. And dunno for some weird reason, aku sengeh jer thinking it was Saturday. Hm... Sadly my morning irritating alarm came banging on the door at around 6.30am. "Makcik Ila.. Makcik Ila... wake up lah. Alreadi 6.30. Tok Wan ask to wake up leh. Eh, U not working aa today…? "Grghh… Shasha! This girl can sometimes be really annoying in the morning. First, she woke me up from my beauty sleep, and then she went into the kitchen and digs for some snacks she can bring to school. Little did she realize that I was watching her while she quietly packed some chocolate biscuits and quickly put it inside her school beg. I shouted “Haaaahhhhhhh… hang buat apa tue?” hehehe… terkejut dia.

Anyway, I am looking forward for the weekend. It will be a 3 days holiday since Deepavali falls on Monday. Hahhh! Get to rest and relax. My family and I even planned for a barbeque get together this Saturday night. I can’t wait to taste those succulent meat hot right out from the grill. Hurm... pikir pun dah nk terliur. hehe. Gosh! I just love BBQ. I am going to try and marinate lamb, Kak Lily style. She gave me the recipe quite sometime ago and I always wanted to try it out. Well, Now I got my chance alreadi leh :p Let's just hope it turns out well.

I'll post some pictures of my BBQing ok! hehe...

Memories from Gunung Jerai

I was looking at some old pictures and came across these photos we took on our family trip to Gunung Jerai back in Nov 2006. Errr.. these photos was taken using my previous Sony Ericsson phone. Hm... for some reason, I was unable to post these photos back then kot. Anyway, one thing that’s still fresh in my mind is that I really enjoyed this trip. Hm... One can never avoid from falling in love with the beautiful scenery and the lush green of the forest was simply breathtaking. I was totally taken by the cool breeze and the fresh air was amazing. Though there is not much activity for you to do there, but a simple stroll by the sidewalk will make you feel completely relaxed and at ease.

It’s been a while since we had a family trip together. Now that Kak Ton is not around, we really don’t feel like going on any trips. Well, school break is coming. I’m sure we might take a trip somewhere. Who knows, we might make plans for another trip to Gunung Jerai. But what’s disappointing is that the chalets are maintained very poorly. I don’t see why they can’t make some effort to improve the chalets condition in Gunung Jerai. But I heard recently from a friend that the resort is now under renovation. Hm… let’s hope it would be better in future.

Beautiful memories from Gunung Jerai…

~ Looking down at Kedah..


~ The resort office...


~ The Chalets


~Sidewalk..


~ Lush green forest


~ Wangi tau bunga nie :p


~ hehe.. me!

Being in a Relationship

"It must have been LOVE"... gosh! this songs is really giving me the blues. sigh!

Life can sometime takes funny but dreadful turns and changes. It sucks when sad things happen out of expectation.

Just when you think your life is finally looking up. Just when you have hope that love will finally open its door again… That’s when sometimes, you end up taking a sudden turn and then, you keep thinking about it over and over again hoping it could have turn out otherwise.

Regret… It’s that the word I am looking for right now? I dunno, I’m confused and I have to admit it, I am feeling quite sad when I think about it.

This year raya has been quite a sad occasion for me. There has been some misunderstanding in my relationship and to tell you the truth, I have no idea how it all started. It just happened. Though I know what has caused it but I just don’t understand why he is making it so complicated. We are still in the early stage of a relationship, getting to know and finding out more about each other. Sadly, till now, I really don’t know much about him. But he just wants to rush into things and always end up making all the wrong decision and saying all the wrong things. He refuses to accept the reality of what might happen in our future together and worse still, when I wanted to talk to him about it… he just shuts me off and the way he put it is like I am making a big deal out of it. It concerns our future together, shouldn’t I be worried?

Gosh! Being in a relationship can be so confusing and frustrating at times.

Why is this happening to me?

It Must Have Been Love..... But is it over now?

It Must Have Been Love
Singer : Roxette


Lay a whisper on my pillow
Leave the winter on the ground
I wake up lonely, there's air of silence
In the bedroom and all around
Touch me now, I close my eyes and dream away


It must have been love, but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out


Make believing, we're together
That I'm sheltered by your heart
But in and outside I've turned to water
Like a teardrop in your palm
And it's a hard winter's day, I dream away

2nd Chorus:

It must have been love, but it's over now
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without
It must have been love but it's over now

It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows

3rd. Chorus:

It must have been love but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but its over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out
Yeah.. It must have been love, but it's over now
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without
It must have been love but it's over now


Its where the water flows, its where the wind blows..

Juadah Berbuka Puasa

Ramadan has been a hectic month for me. Hardly have enough rest even on weekends. It's been a rush. Fuh! Well, I wanted to post some photos of the dishes we had for buka puasa. Hm.. sorry la tak sempat nak post semua. At least a few here pun ok lah kan.
Sis,
Sorry aaa... bagi you terliur ek? hehe. This is just a tiny part ler :p Maybe this will help you rush home soon ek. hehehe. Miss you so much! wish you were here with us. Love you sis.

~Buah Kurma. Ramadan is kinda incomplete with out dates. I love these dates mum bought at Kings Street. RM18 a kilo. Taste sweet and delicious.


~Kuih muih. Now its 50 cent each. Gosh!


~ I bought this pasembur at Jelutong Rd. Mamak nie jual kat sebelah kedai runcit, just opposite the 7-Eleven. Well, one thing's for sure. I won't definitely buy from him again. Not only it is expensive, the taste is not up to my expectation too. Pasembur should be well... pasembur. Nie rasa macam masuk angin jer. I think some of this ingredients were yesterday leftovers cos you can know when it is recooked. He had the ingredients displayed so nicely and it was tempting, but the taste is totally out. The gravy is quite ok though. It's nothing compared to the Pasembur at Edgechumbe Road.. Hm.. lepas raya nie sure nk pe :p


~ I did this. hehehe. So, MUST take photo. Taste crunchy and delicious


~ Kari Ikan. Dunno when mum cooked this but it was goood. Sometimes, just terlupa to take picture.


~Daging Masak Lada Berempah. One of the many dishes mum cooked for 1st day of buka puasa. There was nasi Briyani too. But I forgot to take picture of it :p


~Ayam Masak Merah Buah Kurma. Mum cooked this on 1st day of raya. Sigh! I wanted to post it earlier and tell you guys all about our 1st day of buka puasa.

Sweet Changes

I am at the midst of go through a few changes in my life right now and sometimes, I doubt if I am doing the right thing or am I making a wise decision. It’s tough being in this situation and I wonder how some people manage to pull it through and act as if nothing seems wrong and everything is just so perfect. I have been hurt quite a few times before and believe me, some reasons are better left unsaid. Well, now when the reality is finally trying to kick in... feel scared and feel like backing off. Probably I am used to being alone all this while and now that I am experiencing a whole new change, I’m worried, I get scared and I get tensed up. All sorts of question and thoughts running through my head like annoying mosquitoes buzzing tak habis and sometimes it leaves me with sleepless night.

There’s a new man in my life now and I do appreciate the time I get to spend with him. He is a wonderful person… always has and I hope he always will be. Well, actually I have known him about a year ago. There were some misunderstanding between us and things didn’t work out well back then. We took a firm decision and went our separate ways. A few months ago, he walked back into my life just when I needed a shoulder to cry on, he came in and actually caught me in time... comfort me as a changed person and I can still feel the love I felt before. Only this time, it was a lot stronger. I can feel his love and caring and I do care for him just as much as he cares for me. I enjoy our conversation and sometime I do feel lonely when I didn’t receive any calls from him. Still, there are a lot of changes I am expecting in him. Sometimes, it makes me worry and I feel that I should be taking things slowly.

I told a friend yesterday about how I felt and the changes I want to see in him, and she said one thing that give me a kind a good slap. “Are you COMPARING HIM with someone? Cos if you are, you can never stop commenting about him …” Comparing him with someone??? Who can I comparing him to? I kept thinking about what she said and at first I was abit upset with her. Then I realised "am I just lying to myself cos I think maybe she is right" Sigh!!!! Well, one thing is for sure, I would not make the same mistake as I've made before and I do really want this relationship to work out between us. I do pray each day that he will show me the love I need and I will love him just as equally.

“Give him sometime to change. You can’t change a person completely in just a short period. Take it easy… He will change, you’ll see. Don’t be so paranoid and too picky” so they say. And I am just going to do that. Building a relationship takes time and well.. so far, I am thankful for this sweet change I am experiencing. And I do hope that things will work out between us. Please pray for me.

Blog and Bragging

“Napa lama tak update blog?” hehe.. Sorry for the long break. Ingat kan tak de pembaca. Bagi la komen sesekali tue so that kita pun rajin nak update nanti :p. Well nevertheless, August has been quite a busy month for me. There were a lot of personal errands to attend to and not to mention the workload I have to put up with now. Hard to explain, better left unsaid but still it’s been quite abit of a trill and great la... Work is going well. Nothing much for me to shout about and at the same time there’s nothing for me to complain too. So far work has been fair for me and I’m getting along with it. Well, now that I have a new young hot chick lady boss who just joined early August. Young blood tue biasa la, what will you usually expect from them. But we can never judge a person too early. So far, there have been some ups and downs in the way she manages things but it’s all in learning process.

Azni... My best buddy and colleague has finally moved out and joined another company. Hm… I’m missing her already. We have worked together for almost 4 years. We sit facing each other and she has been there for me when I needed help and we have been close like sisters. A very remarkable and amazing person who knows her work well and understand how to manage her work professionally. I really admire her way of working and she has taught me a lot of things in both work and personal life. We are lunch buddies, gossip partners and we always chit chat and laugh out loud in the office hehehe… We have done many great and fun things together. Though sometimes, she can drive me nuts and really burn me up, but still we manage to put a smile and put it in the past. Hm… well, someday we just have to move on with our lives and find a better way of living. I hope she’s happy wherever she goes.

Kak Sida finally moved to her new house and what makes it unique and great is that her house is on the 18th Floor and Kak Ton’s house is on the 19th Floor and both houses is in the corner. So, we just use the staircase :p cool huh! So the next time I wanna visit sis no. 2… I have to make sure I drop by at sis no. 3 house. Hehe...
But this fun is put to a temporary end when Kak Ton decided to move to London.

Yup! Kak Ton has finally gone off to London for some work affair and gosh how I miss her so damn much already. I was all very excited to the idea of having a sister working in London la konon… boleh la brag about it kat Makcik sharipah nanti… my bigheaded auntie who likes to talk big about her children as if la her kids are made from gold.
Well, now that Kak Ton is finally gone, I miss her so much and to make the feeling worse, Raya is coming.

Sis… I know you’ll be reading this. Just want you to know that where ever you are… I love you I love you I love you and we all miss you so much. Do take care of yourself and don’t worry… I’m coming this November babe. Hehe… Just pray that dad will pay for the flight tickets at least la ek! Which I think he’s considering :p Well, here you go.. Just as I promised in my email.. “My sis in London”. Don’t worry ka, I’ll keep you updated on all our latest happenings at home ek.

~ Love ya

Ramadan Al-Mubarak

To all my muslim friends out there… Selamat Menjalankan Ibadah Berpuasa... Selamat menyambut Bulan Ramadan Al-Mubarak. Maafkan segala kesilapan Fazi. I’m sure tidak disengajakan ek hihi. Halalkanlah segala makan minum dan semoga kita mendapat keberkatan di bulan yang mulia ini.

I came across this article while browsing today. I would like to share it here with you all. Its about the holy month of Ramadan and its importance in Islam. Petikan nie aku ambik from “http://www.ezsoftech.com/Ramadan/”

The holy month of Ramadan enjoys a special importance in the Islamic calendar. As the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "It is Allah's Own month." It is the chief of all months and the most glorious one. As we already know, 'Fasting' is one of the important pillars of Islam and it is the very month of Ramadan during which fasting has been made obligatory for all adults and sane Muslims. By fasting during Ramadan, a Muslim besides discharging an obligation imposed upon him by Allah (SWT), becomes entitled to great reward in the Hereafter. On the other hand, any lapse in the matter amounts to a great sin. Fasting is an article of worship, the knowledge about the performance or otherwise whereof rests only with Allah (SWT) and the person concerned. Hence, it is Allah alone who will reward that person for it, on the Day of Judgment.

The blessings of Ramadan are not limited to fasting alone, because the performance of all sorts of worship and good deeds during this month is also a source of great Divine favor. The revelation of the Holy Qur'an commenced during this very month and it is therefore the duty of every Muslim to read and try to understand the meaning of the Holy Qur'an and thereby gain an insight into the Divine secrets enshrined therein. It brings peace and illumination to the mind and imparts purity to the soul.

Ramadan is the month of fasting, intensive prayer, sacrifice and Divine worship. Throughout this month a devout Muslim fasts during the day in the true sense of the word, that is, he had merely denies himself food and water, but as explained by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), exercises strict control over his tongue, eyes, ears, thoughts and deeds and does everything possible to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT).

Devout supplications to Allah (SWT) and repentance of one's sins during Ramadan are the sources of Divine blessings and mercy. Some nights, among the last ten nights of Ramadan, are called the 'Nights of Glory' (Laylatul Qadr). These are the 19th, 21st, and 23rd nights. Muslims keep awake during these nights and offer special prayers. Even among these nights, the 23rd enjoys excellence over all the others. It is accompanied by great blessings, and he usually grants the supplications made to Allah (SWT) during this night.

The holy month of Ramadan, besides being the month of worship and Divine blessings, carries a historical importance as well. As already mentioned above, the revelations of the Holy Qur'an commenced in this month. The epoch-making 'Battle of Badr' and the 'Conquest of Mecca' also took place during the holy month of Ramadan.

"Ramadan", according to some traditions is one of Allah's names. This is why we can not say Ramadan without making it clear that we are talking about the month, and therefore we should always say the month of Ramadan. The Commander of the faithful Ali ibn Abi Taleb (A.S.) said: Do not say Ramadan, but say the month of Ramadan. For you do not know what Ramadan is. This same meaning was referred to by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) in his speech during Shaaban: The month of Allah coming ....

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Here’s a special song I would like to dedicate to a very special buddy... Mr Antisad. I have no idea why, but Mr Antisad is in the midst of some serious self transformation. Well Mr Antisad, whatever changes you’re up too, I’m here to support you buddy. I wish you all the best and success in your his future undertakings.

I love this song a lot. I’ve heard many times before, but I didn't manage to listen to it properly and understand the meaning of it up till now. The bouncy tune is catchy and it’s great to listen to especially when you are feeling down and need some spirit boost up.

So here’s what I did. A few days back, I attended my company’s mid year kick off meeting and dinner and the office. It was almost 10pm when I left the office and since the night was calm and beautiful, I just rolled down the window while driving to enjoy the cool breezy air. I tuned into this song and turned it out loud and well, it did lift my spirit and I actually felt a sense of freedom rushed over me. I have my own life to run and I should be concentrating more on how to make it cheerful and happy as much as possible. Sure the raindrops are the problems I face everyday, but I shouldn’t whine and complain about it cos “It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me” Hehehe… I felt at peace that moment.

Well, I was feeling quite down and gloomy these few days. There was some serious decision I had to make concerning my future and I was really confused and in lot of pressure at that moment. I really didn’t feel like sharing my thoughts and feelings with anyone. Well, probably cos I think no one would actually understand what I’m going through. The pain and guilt feeling I have to put up with. Anyway, sometimes you just have to make these decisions and except the reality of it. We just have to push ourselves forward and move on in life. Well, what ever decision I have made is for the good sake of everyone I love and care for and also for myself and that someone I know. M, I wish you all the best in life and all the love you deserve. Time will gradually heal us both and it will surely help us find our true path in life.


B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

[trumpet]

It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

A Tale of an Unfortunate Snake

The story goes… It was a weekend, Saturday to be exact. I was at home and since I was in such a lovely jolly mood to cook, so I decided what the heck! Let’s make Mee Kuah.
So I went to the wet market and got all the ingredients to make my very own Mee Kuah. Since it was a hot sunny day, I decided to make some sweet Longan drink as well. Just to cool off the heat =) So I brought some dried longan as well and rushed back home. I was all so excited and can’t wait to start cooking.

Long story cut short… I was done cooking at around 2pm. I’ve prepared the kuah and was about to make the longan drink la konon. I opened the back door to go and get some pandan leaves and there was it was!!!!

Yup! It was a snake… slimy dying snake lying on the ground right in front of me. Terkejut biawak I tell you. Its head all bloody probably cos it must have had a fight with something, a big huge cat maybe... or someone must have hit it really hard and throw it in our backyard. I suspect it’s the work of our next door ‘botak head’ neighbor. That pakcik is quite a pain I tell you. Not only will he sing loudly at times, but he also like to talk to his chickens. Pelik or not! There was once, I was sweeping the backyard and sambil tue I was talking to my mum who was also standing there. Tiba-tiba this orang tua tak sedar diri started to sing lagu "Hitam manisss.. hitam manis.. yang hitam manis.. pandang tak jemuuu.. pandang tak jemu... oh hitam manisss" Rasa macam nak baling penyapu lidi tue kat muka dia. His house is very filthy and to make situation worse, he rear a lot of chickens and birds. Kalau lalu kat belakang rumah sure boleh bau tahi ayam. uWek!! Anyway, back to the snake story. Aduh! Though the snake looks motionless, but it’s still a wild snake and it’s in my backyard! What should I do?

You can see from the pictures below that the snake appears dead but to our horror, it was still alive and breathing. And I realize that after I took these snaps. Very excited to take picture konon, I took my camera so close to the snake just to take a good shot of it when suddenly its body started to going up and down breathing. Sigh! Nyawa-nyawa ikan la... scary! So, do you think I would still be standing there? Nope! I actually ran inside. But unfortunately, mum was not around that day and only the girls and I were at home. We had no choice but to pull our guts together and went to ‘check out’ the snake again. It was still lying there. So, we took a long stick and poked it. IT MOVED! But it still didn’t try to run away.

Later that evening, that snake eventually died... Poor thing. It was indeed a tragic way for it to die and no one actually knew what happened to it, how it got hurt and how it got there at the first place. It’s just not the right habitat for it to be in. We are afraid of snakes… but we also need to bare in mind, snakes are afraid of us too.

For Eternity

~ For you
I hope you'll find your freedom... For Eternity


Close your eyes so you don't feel them
They don't need to see you cry
I can't promise I will heal you
But if you want to I will try

Sing this summer serenade
The past is done, we've been betrayed… It's true
Some might say the truth will out
But I believe without a doubt … In you

You were there for summer dreaming
And you gave me what I need
And I hope you find your freedom
For eternity
For eternity

Yesterday when we were walking
You talked about your mom and dad
What they did that made you happy
What they did that made you sad

We sat and watched the sun go down
Then picked a star before we lost… The moon
Youth is wasted on the young
Before you know it's come and gone… Too soon

You were there for summer dreaming
And you gave me what I need
And I hope you find your freedom
For eternity
For eternity ... For eternity

Sing this summer serenade…
The past is done, we've been betrayed… It's true
Youth is wasted on the young
Before you know it's come and gone… Too soon

You were there for summer dreaming
And you are a friend indeed
And I hope you find your freedom
For eternity

You were there for summer dreaming
And you are a friend indeed
And I know you find your freedom
Eventually .... For eternity

For eternity

Fight for Survival Camp

OutWit... OutPlay and OutLast

Title says it all babe. Yup! It was indeed a fight for survival when I attended my company’s teambuilding. On the first day itself I was already looking forward for Sunday.. hehe! But in end, I had fun and enjoyed the activities we had. It was surely a pleasurable experience to remember. Well, probably because the recreation park was so beautiful and serene :p

Day 1, Friday 27th June 2008
~ Getting to know

We head off from the office at 4.30pm. Everyone was equally excited and looking forward to check out this place. Norul wanted to drive so Shikin and I just followed her. We were the first to arrive at Nur Bukit Hijau Chalet and it was almost 6pm. We were quite lost cos there was no sight of chalets or the name "Nur Chalets" anywhere. Fortunate enough, we met up with 3 of our trainers who were waiting us...

Mr B
~ The macho but insensitive dude who you don’t want to mess with. (I don’t think I saw him smiling at all)
We greeted the trainers and Mr. B was the macho dude who the first thing he did was to gave us ‘the talk’ about how to throw our “sensitive women thinge” when you’re in the jungle area. Like la we’re a bunch of school girls on a lawatan sambil belajar kan. We just gave him the blank look and none of us said a word. Hehehe… shocked and speechless la! hehe
Well… I’m sure his intention was sincere and and … err.. concern??
Cik S
~ I have no idea why she’s there… but she’s one tough gal at giving instruction to us. “Makan bagi habis… jangan buat tue… buat macam nie”
Lil’ D
~ This dude takes photos. Lots and lots and lots of photos. He’s actually the teambuilding paparazzi. He’s there when you least expected him and will take your picture when you’re not in a cool situation. Snap.. Snap.. Snap.. all the time. I actually felt like a movie star in a jungle. Flash of camera light all the time. Did I mention that he looked like a form 3 schoolboy? Hm…

The rest arrived about half an hour later. Hm... I wonder if Mr B gave them ‘The talk’ he shared with us? Anyway, we were given 2 rolls of toilet paper (???) for each room and also our chalet keys. Getting to the chalets from the hall and dining area was a challenge on its own. It was a long way down a narrow slope road so just imagine what it would be like to walk back up! Terkeluar lidah I tell you. We got a chalet no. 13 (Creepy!... and it was Friday :p ) and when we opened our chalet door, our nightmare became a reality. It was a total disappointment and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go there. The chalet was not properly maintained at all and there were at least 20 spider webs in the bathroom ceiling… with tiny spidey and dead bugs caught in the web. Just imagine if these baby spiders can crawl into your ear while you’re sleeping. And did I mention the holes on the bathroom ceiling? Some pervert cut holes on the ceiling cos there’s one right where you shower and one where you do your ‘business’. #%&#(!@ punya orang!

~the bedsheet.. very stinky :p


~Don't say a word!


Fuh! apart from the dreadful chalet, the rest of the activity was well organized. And the view outside the chalet was a beautiful sight for sore eyes. There's also a stream right behind our chalet. Here are some pictures I took in the morning.

~ Stream behind our Chalet


~Morning View



We gathered back at the hall at around 8pm for dinner. The food, well… it needs a lot of improvement too. But if we look at it from the teambuilding’s survival point of view, I guess the room condition and food stands up for it. We met with Mr J and Mr E during the “tribal council”… Ala-ala Survivor gitu.
Mr J
~ The head of Tribal Council. The dude who runs the show and decides which tribe stays and which tribe will be eliminated. He really made us feel like we were in the TV ‘Survivor’ show.
Mr E
~ The silent dude but such a sweet guy. He will greet you with a smile and is always polite in even advising you on the games. He actually helped us with a clue. Shss… hehe :p

~Bug's life. We were attacked during dinner on our first night at the tribal hall


Overall, there were 27 of us survivors and we were divided into 5 tribe. We had Ogakor (my team), Pagong, Nakum, Malakal and Jaburu and during our first gathering we made our tribe flags. By the time we finished the 1st tribal meeting it was already pass 11pm. Next day was the actualy challenging day where we will have to outwit, outplay and outlast the other tribes. Now I'm speaking like a true tribal spokesperson. :p

Day 2, Saturday 28th June 2008
~ Tribal chance or surviving

All the survivors gathered at the tribal hall at around 9am for our next challenges. I must say, the games and challenges we faced were exhausting but it was indeed exciting and really accelerates your adrenaline. We were pushed to extend and rushed to complete certain task within the time given. Some of the challenge was unexpected too like when we had to eat some disgusting stuff right in order to end the game. They made us eat raw petai, peria, one whole big packet of asam jawa, a cube of raw belacan (ehew) and cili padi. Some tribes came out with weird ideas of eating the whole thing at a time. They mixed all the things together and started to eat it. Blek!!!

We had our break for a while. Sempat jugak we went back to the chalet to freshen up a bit cos we were really worn out. Not to mention the rumble in my tummy for eating all those stuff. Once we got back, we were given our next set of challenge. Each tribe has to build a hut but first we must find all the items needed to build this hut. But there’s a catch, these items are hidden all over the chalet area and we were required to find these items first using the clues given. We had 2 hours to complete these tasks and so we set off and really pushed ourselves to win. Well, I was quite unhappy too when some of the other tribe played the game unfairly but it was not looked into consideration by the trainers. All they can say was, “It’s a tough and unfair world, get used to it.” Can you argue with that? Sigh!

My tribe did loose and we were the 2nd tribe to be eliminated. Aleh! Cast out pun, you were actually absorbed into the other remaining tribes pulak. So, everyone still remains in the game. Cis!

~Some of the games. Hehe.. the guys showing the LOVE


Day 3, Sunday 29th June 2008
~ The last standing TRIBE

Indeed the last day was the best day of the whole session. Hehe... not just because it's final day of the teambuilding and we all get to go home soon, but we also had some interesting challenges that made us look at how we work in an organization from a different point of view.
In the end, there were only 2 remaining tribe, Malakal and Nakum and when Nakum lost the last challenge and all of us were absorbed into one tribe, the last standing tribe was indeed our company. When we all gathered together holding hands and formed a circle.. I was really touched.
We often forget that we all working together as a tribe in one company. It doesn't matter who you are or what status you are in, when it comes to the importance of the company, we all work together. Even if you play a small part, you are still apart of the team cos participation from each person is very important. Instead of whining and complaining about how other team is performing, we have to take the initiative to improve ourselves and see what we can contribute to the team and the company. I did learn something out of the teambuilding that day.

Finally, the session ended at 1.30pm with but the bus will only come to pick us up at 3pm. So, we grab this opportunity to explore the beautiful wonders of nature around us. I just love the lush green of the forest and the place itself stands beautifully with the waterfalls and streams. It's just wonderful and a cool sight for sore eyes. Got the chance to shot some pictures for rememberance. You will really feel relaxed and at peace. Viv, shikin and I went to dip our legs in the stream. It was so cold and very relaxing. Too bad we didn't get the chance to go for a swim. We boarded the bus at 3pm and bid farewell to Bukit Hijau.






~ Air dia sejuk nyaaa..






We reached Penang at about 5.30pm and once I got home, the first thing i did was to take a long cool shower. I was so worn out and my body was aching. Felt like I was run down by a truck and the pain continued the next day and the day after.. and also the next day.. hehe.

It was a fun memorable experience. If I has to do it all over again... hm.. I probably might :)