Last Tuesday hubby had an appointment in SS2 & I not wanting to wait for him in a stuffy office, decided to walk around the block of shops / boutiques in SS2. I found a banner advertising manicure & pedicure, both for RM48 for first time customer. I decided to try since hubby would not be ready for another hour.
I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the good points about the place:
1. Comfortable solo sofa chairs with a running basin to soak your feet in
2. a huge LCD TV
3. rows after rows of O.P.I nail polish in every shade possible
4. Nail art designs tht are truly professional looking & not some lousy / cheesy looking nail art tht looks like the artwork of a 5-yr old drawing snowman / lop-sided snowflakes (though I do appreciate tht the "canvas" is truly small & may be a challeng for some - there's not much space you can paint on short nails)
5. Finally! A proper pedicure tht scrubs away your dead skin cells at the soles & the sides of the heels using pumice & followed by bath salts (the few I've tried so far only sticks your feet into some bubbly water with a bit of bath salt & wipe it dry, tht's all... and when asked to remove the dead skins, the generic answer is - need to add money... sigh...)
Not tht used to a guy doing pedicure & manicure though, but I must admit he's very good with the nailarts, so it doesn't really matter anymore. However if you're the type tht feels squimish abt having a guy handling your feet, there are women in their staff too. Just make sure you come prepared in open toed sandals & 1 - 1.5hrs to spare. If you go in pairs, I think the discount is even better.
Thursday 31 December 2009
Pullman Putrajaya
Last Christmas weekend, hubby & I stayed in Pullman Putrajaya using the free night stay voucher he got. Based on the name, I was expecting an ultra modern / minimalist / all straight lines & muted colours type of hotel. Boy was I way off the mark!
Not tht it wasn't beautiful. Far from it... It's majestic (in size) with traditional themes. It has several blocks named after different types of flowers... Let's see if I can remember most if not all of them...
1. Lotus (this is where the lobby, swimming pool, ballrooms, gym other than rooms are located) - in Chinese / Japanese theme
2. Raflesia (this is where we stayed) - in Sabah / Sarawak style with traditional motives on the pillars
3. Bunga Tanjung (this is where the 24-hour restaurant & also where we have breakfast is located. Of course it has rooms too) - Malay themed
4. Jasmine - Indian themed
These blocks surrounds a beautiful pillared clock tower, with a fountain at its base & overlooking a beautiful lake where a restaurant on stilts can be found. Beside the lake, there's an open air "amphitheatre", game rooms, children play room, bicycles for rent etc. There's also a Maritime centre next door (don't know wht's in a Maritime Centre; it's still empty at the moment).
It was a peaceful place to be in (but probably attributed to low number of occupants / the grounds is so big tht we didn't bump into many ppl). I think I see more cleaners & maintenance folks than guests; but it's no wonder considering the size of the hotel. It certainly needs an army to run / upkeep the place. The most surprising thing I found? dumbbells & yoga mats in the room's cupboard (no I didn't take them home... behave guys...).
Several down sides though:
1. I remembered I commented in Krabi tht Malaysian tourism's most successful area (better than our neighbours) is tht our staff has good command of English. The staff here (especially the night shift... Morning shift is much better) proved me wrong... They either take time to understand us / understand us but don't know how to reply / give us the wrong information (e.g. we wanted to know the room rates if we're a member of their chain of hotels & was told it's RM100++ but when we asked again in the morning, we were told tht it's actually abt RM250++!! Jeezz....)
2. It's a new hotel, yet the room had faulty security lock / things needing repair
3. Food is generally too salty. Other than tht, it's normal hotel fare with nothing to rave about. But hubby praised tht it's the first hotel he'd been so far tht managed to produce a proper half-boiled egg on the 2nd try! (other hotels keep giving him hard-boiled eggs because the chefs insisted the right time to cook a half-boiled egg is 3 mins & refuses to change the timing despite producing hard-boiled eggs everytime they cook it for 3 mins)
4. There's nowhere to go out for good food in Putajaya! Or maybe we don't know where to find them. We went to Alamanda Putrajaya mall & had our dinner there instead.
Overall it was a good & relaxing retreat. If you can afford the price, it's a good place to relax & do nothing! :-)
Not tht it wasn't beautiful. Far from it... It's majestic (in size) with traditional themes. It has several blocks named after different types of flowers... Let's see if I can remember most if not all of them...
1. Lotus (this is where the lobby, swimming pool, ballrooms, gym other than rooms are located) - in Chinese / Japanese theme
2. Raflesia (this is where we stayed) - in Sabah / Sarawak style with traditional motives on the pillars
3. Bunga Tanjung (this is where the 24-hour restaurant & also where we have breakfast is located. Of course it has rooms too) - Malay themed
4. Jasmine - Indian themed
These blocks surrounds a beautiful pillared clock tower, with a fountain at its base & overlooking a beautiful lake where a restaurant on stilts can be found. Beside the lake, there's an open air "amphitheatre", game rooms, children play room, bicycles for rent etc. There's also a Maritime centre next door (don't know wht's in a Maritime Centre; it's still empty at the moment).
It was a peaceful place to be in (but probably attributed to low number of occupants / the grounds is so big tht we didn't bump into many ppl). I think I see more cleaners & maintenance folks than guests; but it's no wonder considering the size of the hotel. It certainly needs an army to run / upkeep the place. The most surprising thing I found? dumbbells & yoga mats in the room's cupboard (no I didn't take them home... behave guys...).
Several down sides though:
1. I remembered I commented in Krabi tht Malaysian tourism's most successful area (better than our neighbours) is tht our staff has good command of English. The staff here (especially the night shift... Morning shift is much better) proved me wrong... They either take time to understand us / understand us but don't know how to reply / give us the wrong information (e.g. we wanted to know the room rates if we're a member of their chain of hotels & was told it's RM100++ but when we asked again in the morning, we were told tht it's actually abt RM250++!! Jeezz....)
2. It's a new hotel, yet the room had faulty security lock / things needing repair
3. Food is generally too salty. Other than tht, it's normal hotel fare with nothing to rave about. But hubby praised tht it's the first hotel he'd been so far tht managed to produce a proper half-boiled egg on the 2nd try! (other hotels keep giving him hard-boiled eggs because the chefs insisted the right time to cook a half-boiled egg is 3 mins & refuses to change the timing despite producing hard-boiled eggs everytime they cook it for 3 mins)
4. There's nowhere to go out for good food in Putajaya! Or maybe we don't know where to find them. We went to Alamanda Putrajaya mall & had our dinner there instead.
Overall it was a good & relaxing retreat. If you can afford the price, it's a good place to relax & do nothing! :-)
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Book Review: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
This is a LBD (Little Black Dress) Book, written by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart. It's about 3 sisters with magical powers (Dee, Lizzie & Mare Fortunes - yes, tht's why the title "Miss Fortunes") whose parents were killed when they were still teenagers. Dee, the eldest, knew tht their parents were killed by their Aunt - Xan; who's also a powerful witch. Xan becomes powerful by "sucking" magical power out other witches / sorcerers.
Dee at the age of 16, packed her sisters & went in hiding to avoid Xan from killing them when sucking their powers too. Their latest hiding place is Salem Fork where Dee worked as a Bank Officer, Mare an employee in Value Video!!, while Lizzie stayed at home to experiment on turning straw to gold using magic (tht way, the sisters will not need to worry about money & pawning off their mother's jewelry to survive).
Somehow Xan found them in Salem Fork & even sent their "True Love" with hope tht the girls will sacrifice / willingly give away their magical powers in return for a "normal" life with their soul mates. Dee is paired with Danny James - who happen to hate witches / rather ppl who claim they have magical powers due to some tragedy in the past (but found out tht he's a psychic himself!). Lizzie with Elric, a powerful wizard who ended up teaching her how to control & make use of her magical powers effectively by proper channeling. Mare with Christopher Duncan aka Crash (go figure! a bike loving, rich mechanic with such a nickname...).
Unfortunately for Xan, the 3 sisters refused to remain in hiding any longer & decided to collectively fight against Xan. Naturally in the end, good triumphed over evil & everyone lived happily ever after (not without some sex scene thrown in).
You may think tht I gave the story away, but there's actually much more twists & turns not mentioned here. A good light read.
Dee at the age of 16, packed her sisters & went in hiding to avoid Xan from killing them when sucking their powers too. Their latest hiding place is Salem Fork where Dee worked as a Bank Officer, Mare an employee in Value Video!!, while Lizzie stayed at home to experiment on turning straw to gold using magic (tht way, the sisters will not need to worry about money & pawning off their mother's jewelry to survive).
Somehow Xan found them in Salem Fork & even sent their "True Love" with hope tht the girls will sacrifice / willingly give away their magical powers in return for a "normal" life with their soul mates. Dee is paired with Danny James - who happen to hate witches / rather ppl who claim they have magical powers due to some tragedy in the past (but found out tht he's a psychic himself!). Lizzie with Elric, a powerful wizard who ended up teaching her how to control & make use of her magical powers effectively by proper channeling. Mare with Christopher Duncan aka Crash (go figure! a bike loving, rich mechanic with such a nickname...).
Unfortunately for Xan, the 3 sisters refused to remain in hiding any longer & decided to collectively fight against Xan. Naturally in the end, good triumphed over evil & everyone lived happily ever after (not without some sex scene thrown in).
You may think tht I gave the story away, but there's actually much more twists & turns not mentioned here. A good light read.
Movie Review: Avatar
First the synopsis. People have discovered an expensive & energy producing element in the planet Pandora tht's inhabited by the Na'vi. The Na'vi has similar characteristics as the humans except tht its skin is blue & they are much larger in size. Planet Pandora's air is toxic to the humans & hence people can't survive on the planet without oxygen masks.
To better able to communicate with the Na'vi to ease the tension when humans set up mines around their planet for the precious ore (to the corporate miners) & the chance to study this new being in the interest of Botany / science; humans have developed a hybrid of Na'vi + human using the DNA combination of both species. The hybrid would be controlled via some brain wave connected to the hybrids - called Avatars.
Before the "hero" of the show appears on Pandora, there's a group of scientists who have set up a "school" where the scientist in their Avatars teaches the children of the Na'vi to communicate in English. However this school was shut down when the Na'vis lost their trust on the human race. They are nature loving creatures & can't bear to see the mines destructing their planet.
The hero's Avatar somehow stumbled into the Na'vis settlement under their great & sacred tree & through miracle / mother nature's guidance, he was accepted in the settlement to learn their way of life. At first his intention was to learn as much as possible to find ways to persuade the Na'vi in leaving their sacred tree because right under tht tree is a large deposit of the precious ore tht the corporation wanted. However as he learnt more abt the Na'vi, he began to love the nature loving race & the lines between reality vs. life through his Avatar blurred. He began to feel more like a Na'vi than human.
Driven by impatience to rid the Na'vi, force was used instead of the originally planned method of diplomacy. The Na'vi began to shun the hero lika a plaque for he has caused the distruction of their sacred grounds. However, he fought hard beside the Na'vis & in the end they triumphed.
In summary, I felt tht there are some moral msgs behind Avatar. It's a reflection of how we're destroying our own planet for corporate gains vs. the struggles of the few who protects Mother Nature fiercely. The cinematography is beautiful; but some may complain tht some of the scenes are too cartoony (especially when the trees lighted on its own... it looked a bit like Nemo scene with the jellyfish). I liked it... Hubby didn't.... So mixed reaction there.
p/s: I saw a movie review over some entertainment programme (can't recall the name) & they raised an interesting question - the movie is not showing the right demography... It consists of only "whites". What happened to the "blacks"? When this question was posed to the director, he said "In my movies they're 'Blue'...." :-p
To better able to communicate with the Na'vi to ease the tension when humans set up mines around their planet for the precious ore (to the corporate miners) & the chance to study this new being in the interest of Botany / science; humans have developed a hybrid of Na'vi + human using the DNA combination of both species. The hybrid would be controlled via some brain wave connected to the hybrids - called Avatars.
Before the "hero" of the show appears on Pandora, there's a group of scientists who have set up a "school" where the scientist in their Avatars teaches the children of the Na'vi to communicate in English. However this school was shut down when the Na'vis lost their trust on the human race. They are nature loving creatures & can't bear to see the mines destructing their planet.
The hero's Avatar somehow stumbled into the Na'vis settlement under their great & sacred tree & through miracle / mother nature's guidance, he was accepted in the settlement to learn their way of life. At first his intention was to learn as much as possible to find ways to persuade the Na'vi in leaving their sacred tree because right under tht tree is a large deposit of the precious ore tht the corporation wanted. However as he learnt more abt the Na'vi, he began to love the nature loving race & the lines between reality vs. life through his Avatar blurred. He began to feel more like a Na'vi than human.
Driven by impatience to rid the Na'vi, force was used instead of the originally planned method of diplomacy. The Na'vi began to shun the hero lika a plaque for he has caused the distruction of their sacred grounds. However, he fought hard beside the Na'vis & in the end they triumphed.
In summary, I felt tht there are some moral msgs behind Avatar. It's a reflection of how we're destroying our own planet for corporate gains vs. the struggles of the few who protects Mother Nature fiercely. The cinematography is beautiful; but some may complain tht some of the scenes are too cartoony (especially when the trees lighted on its own... it looked a bit like Nemo scene with the jellyfish). I liked it... Hubby didn't.... So mixed reaction there.
p/s: I saw a movie review over some entertainment programme (can't recall the name) & they raised an interesting question - the movie is not showing the right demography... It consists of only "whites". What happened to the "blacks"? When this question was posed to the director, he said "In my movies they're 'Blue'...." :-p
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Susan Boyle - Debut Album
I bought the Debut Album of Susan Boyle last Wednesday (16/12). I loved it. I asked hubby to guess, based on the voice, how old is the singer. He analysed "considering it's very youthful sounding but had a slight maturity especially on the lower notes, reckon the singer can't be teenage, so should be easily 25-28 years of age"... hehe.... boy how off the mark he was, but yes, I'd agree with him... She has such a youthful voice, no wonder there are parties who accused her of miming to someone else's voice. I chose to belief it's her real voice.
Verdict: Go get the album!
Verdict: Go get the album!
Movie Review: 2012
I had mixed reviews from friends & family on this movie. There's about a 50:50 split between people who liked it (& generally this group will also said tht it made them appreciate their family more & vow to spend more time with them) vs. people who find it too fake (not the cinematography / effects, but the storyline about how the whole world's plates are shifting at once). Most of them who fall in the 2nd group entered the cinema expecting something more factual / related to current climate change to the extent tht the line between facts vs fiction is blurred (like Da Vinci Code - the book, not the movie). To the extent tht it's something believable & can actually happen to us in the near future if we don't protect our environment. It was this expectation tht made their experience fall short of the mark.
Amazingly, the crowd for this movie was so huge even after 1 mth on the screen, tht hubby & I had a hard time getting tickets for the movie had we not paid the additional RM1 for booking fee. Anyway, I entered the cinema with very low expectation & I after watching the whole movie, I finally understand the commentaries of all the other movie goers. I'd say my thoughts on this movie is a bit of both the group.
Firstly the synopsis. It's about a young Indian "scientist" / some worker of a coal mine detecting the rise in temperature below the earth surface. He called a good friend of his from the US, who upon knowing the implication of the rise in temperature + some elements released from the sun & its interaction with the earth's crust + the timing of earth destruction, rushed back to the US & finally through some minister, sent the message to the US President. The US President then shared this information with the rest of the leaders of super power nations & collectively they build this craft called Arcs... similar to Noah's Arcs, but slightly less noble because tickets are sold at USD1bln per person, so only the rich can afford to board the craft... and maybe a few intelligent ppl with "good gene pool". They also had animals of various species male + female gathered into the craft.
As the story is building about powerful men & their vast resources building the Arc, alongside, it slips in the story of a divorced book writer who only published 1 book throughout his 30/40+ years of his life. His 2 children (1 son + 1 daughter) is living with their mother who remarried a plastic surgeon.
This writer stumbled upon the classified information tht the government knew about but did not inform the Public to avoid chaos - via a "madman". This so called "mad man" is the DJ of his own independent radio station tht provides updates on the condition of the earth & managed to develop a conspiracy theory tht the government of the world is covering up the truth from the people. Dismissing all this as gibberish / talks of a mad man at first, he finally believes it when he overheard the sons of a rich man saying "while we survive in a ship, you & your family will die" (or something along tht line). Tht's when he connected the dots & rushed to get his children + wife + new husband of wife all packed up in a limo just when the road is "falling" into molten lava & later board a small aircraft avoiding tumbling skyscrapers (this is the part where the 2nd group was complaining abt lack of realism... but the cinematography was brilliant).
Through sheer luck & lots of perseverance, they managed to reach Tibet / Mongolia, where the Arc was built & board the Arc. Along the way the group increased to include the mistress of a rich boxer (don't ask... long story), a young Tibetan monk & his grandparent & the brother to the Tibetan monk who worked for the past few years building the Arc. They managed to infiltrate into the Arc right at the point when the ministers were arguing about whether to open the Arc's doors to allow more ppl (including the Chinese workers who build the Arc) in. Finally sense of humanity won & the Arc doors were open to allow everyone on the platform outside to enter, just before the great Tsunami hits the Arc.
At this point I should mention tht the "Arc" is actually more like a submarine where it's all covered to allow water to come crashing from any direction and the fact tht the US president + the Italian president decided not to board the Arc, giving away their space to others. Reason? US president: because he's an old politician & wht's the use of an old politician when his seat could be used for a young & bright scientist for e.g. He misses his deceased wife & wanted to be with her anyway. The Italian president: because he entrusted his life to faith - he & his family were at the Vatican City praying for the safety of the ppl on the planet when the earth quake happened & the whole dome of St Peter's Cathedral came rolling down.
Needless to say, the family of the book writer survived this catastrophe & even regained love for each other. After many days, everyone on board looked out to the new earth with hope for a new beginning. The earth surface has re-aligned & the Himalayas is no longer the top of the world, replaced by Africa!
Overall an enjoyable experience especially in cinema screen - you need tht wide screen to really feel / enjoy the power of the tsunami, waves & earth quake. Don't expect too much of facts / a reflection of current realities & it'll be an enjoyable experience.
p/s: Makes me wonder what I'd do if / when the time comes for us to face such catastrophes.
Amazingly, the crowd for this movie was so huge even after 1 mth on the screen, tht hubby & I had a hard time getting tickets for the movie had we not paid the additional RM1 for booking fee. Anyway, I entered the cinema with very low expectation & I after watching the whole movie, I finally understand the commentaries of all the other movie goers. I'd say my thoughts on this movie is a bit of both the group.
Firstly the synopsis. It's about a young Indian "scientist" / some worker of a coal mine detecting the rise in temperature below the earth surface. He called a good friend of his from the US, who upon knowing the implication of the rise in temperature + some elements released from the sun & its interaction with the earth's crust + the timing of earth destruction, rushed back to the US & finally through some minister, sent the message to the US President. The US President then shared this information with the rest of the leaders of super power nations & collectively they build this craft called Arcs... similar to Noah's Arcs, but slightly less noble because tickets are sold at USD1bln per person, so only the rich can afford to board the craft... and maybe a few intelligent ppl with "good gene pool". They also had animals of various species male + female gathered into the craft.
As the story is building about powerful men & their vast resources building the Arc, alongside, it slips in the story of a divorced book writer who only published 1 book throughout his 30/40+ years of his life. His 2 children (1 son + 1 daughter) is living with their mother who remarried a plastic surgeon.
This writer stumbled upon the classified information tht the government knew about but did not inform the Public to avoid chaos - via a "madman". This so called "mad man" is the DJ of his own independent radio station tht provides updates on the condition of the earth & managed to develop a conspiracy theory tht the government of the world is covering up the truth from the people. Dismissing all this as gibberish / talks of a mad man at first, he finally believes it when he overheard the sons of a rich man saying "while we survive in a ship, you & your family will die" (or something along tht line). Tht's when he connected the dots & rushed to get his children + wife + new husband of wife all packed up in a limo just when the road is "falling" into molten lava & later board a small aircraft avoiding tumbling skyscrapers (this is the part where the 2nd group was complaining abt lack of realism... but the cinematography was brilliant).
Through sheer luck & lots of perseverance, they managed to reach Tibet / Mongolia, where the Arc was built & board the Arc. Along the way the group increased to include the mistress of a rich boxer (don't ask... long story), a young Tibetan monk & his grandparent & the brother to the Tibetan monk who worked for the past few years building the Arc. They managed to infiltrate into the Arc right at the point when the ministers were arguing about whether to open the Arc's doors to allow more ppl (including the Chinese workers who build the Arc) in. Finally sense of humanity won & the Arc doors were open to allow everyone on the platform outside to enter, just before the great Tsunami hits the Arc.
At this point I should mention tht the "Arc" is actually more like a submarine where it's all covered to allow water to come crashing from any direction and the fact tht the US president + the Italian president decided not to board the Arc, giving away their space to others. Reason? US president: because he's an old politician & wht's the use of an old politician when his seat could be used for a young & bright scientist for e.g. He misses his deceased wife & wanted to be with her anyway. The Italian president: because he entrusted his life to faith - he & his family were at the Vatican City praying for the safety of the ppl on the planet when the earth quake happened & the whole dome of St Peter's Cathedral came rolling down.
Needless to say, the family of the book writer survived this catastrophe & even regained love for each other. After many days, everyone on board looked out to the new earth with hope for a new beginning. The earth surface has re-aligned & the Himalayas is no longer the top of the world, replaced by Africa!
Overall an enjoyable experience especially in cinema screen - you need tht wide screen to really feel / enjoy the power of the tsunami, waves & earth quake. Don't expect too much of facts / a reflection of current realities & it'll be an enjoyable experience.
p/s: Makes me wonder what I'd do if / when the time comes for us to face such catastrophes.
Rich Son Poor Son
This was an advert some time back. I vividly remembered it because the message on filial piety was really powerful. So when someone sent it across to me, I immediately thought of sharing it in my blog. Made me feel bad at times... Am I being the rich son here?... Hope not...
A time for reflection during Christmas season.
Friday 11 December 2009
Snatch Thieves - Prevention
Refering to my earlier article on Snatch Thieves, here's some advice to keep you & your family safe.
It is not easy to identify snatch thieves or pick pockets. Each visit to crowded place, each 'accidental' bump from someone, each 'innocent' passer-by is a possible addition to the statistics of such theft. The chances of retrieving your possessions may be slim. The hassle is vast, but the prevention is simple.
Prevention
· Avoid carrying excess cash and displaying it in public. Bring just enough for your purpose.
· Use a purse or wallet instead of a big bag (sling or hand carry) best kept in a pocket which can be buttoned.
· If you have to use a sling bag, keep it in front of you so that you can keep an eye on it and hold it close. Make sure it is properly fastened or zipped.
· Do not leave your handbags in your shopping basket or trolley.
· Avoid being at over-crowded places or scrambling with others onto a public transport. Check your wallet or handbag immediately if someone jostles or bumps into you.
· Walk on the opposite direction of the road or against the flow of traffic.
· Avoid being alone in the dark, deserted areas or while taking the lift.
· While driving, do not leave your bags at the passenger seat of your vehicle.
· Keep windows and doors locked as soon as you enter your vehicle. Be wary of people around you, especially strangers.
If you are a victim of snatch theft
· Do not struggle or fight back if the perpetrators are after your personal belongings. Your belongings could be replaced but not your life.
· Attract attention by shouting for help.
· Take note of the appearance, race, license plate number, vehicle model, colour, etc.
· If the perpetrators are still at the scene, immediately leave the location for a safer place.
· Subsequently lodge a police report at the nearest police station and inform your bank and credit card company to have your ATM and credit card cancelled.
Source: Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation
It is not easy to identify snatch thieves or pick pockets. Each visit to crowded place, each 'accidental' bump from someone, each 'innocent' passer-by is a possible addition to the statistics of such theft. The chances of retrieving your possessions may be slim. The hassle is vast, but the prevention is simple.
Prevention
· Avoid carrying excess cash and displaying it in public. Bring just enough for your purpose.
· Use a purse or wallet instead of a big bag (sling or hand carry) best kept in a pocket which can be buttoned.
· If you have to use a sling bag, keep it in front of you so that you can keep an eye on it and hold it close. Make sure it is properly fastened or zipped.
· Do not leave your handbags in your shopping basket or trolley.
· Avoid being at over-crowded places or scrambling with others onto a public transport. Check your wallet or handbag immediately if someone jostles or bumps into you.
· Walk on the opposite direction of the road or against the flow of traffic.
· Avoid being alone in the dark, deserted areas or while taking the lift.
· While driving, do not leave your bags at the passenger seat of your vehicle.
· Keep windows and doors locked as soon as you enter your vehicle. Be wary of people around you, especially strangers.
If you are a victim of snatch theft
· Do not struggle or fight back if the perpetrators are after your personal belongings. Your belongings could be replaced but not your life.
· Attract attention by shouting for help.
· Take note of the appearance, race, license plate number, vehicle model, colour, etc.
· If the perpetrators are still at the scene, immediately leave the location for a safer place.
· Subsequently lodge a police report at the nearest police station and inform your bank and credit card company to have your ATM and credit card cancelled.
Source: Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation
What Has Happened to TGIF?
Maybe it's just the Garden's outlet, but did TGIF's quality just dropped?
Yesterday we were treated with a year-end team lunch at TGIF, Gardens. The starters were good, so no complaints there.
Since we'll not be working after the long lunch, I went ahead & order the Jack Daniel's half Ribs & shrimps. All I can say after eating it was tht the fries was good.... tht's it! Apart from the fries, nothing else is good.
1. ok the shrimp wasn't bad.... but not fantastic... so....
2. the sauce is soooooooo sweet..... it was so good & gooey last time tht 1 serving is not enuff & I wish for more... now I can't even stand the sauce on the ribs, let alone add the separate serving provided!
3. the ribs was a disaster... it was so over cooked tht the edges was burnt crisp hard (strangely it wasn't black... just hard. The rest of the ribs including the middle was so dry tht when I cut it, the meat comes out in dry floss. Even my mates looking at my plate, without even tasting it can tell it was really dry & over cooked.
Next was the staff... You'd think tht if we're paying so much for a meal, we'd at least be waited by staff who can at least speak understandable English! The one tht waited on us can't even pronounce the stuff on the menu. When he said, "let me repeat the menu", tht was all we understood... What he rattled after tht was total gibberish... We ended up staring at him open mouthed & just said yea... whatever... tht should be right. :-)
When the "Earl Grey Tea" ordered by a friend of mine came in the form of a "Cappucino", we called the captain who promptly took it to the waiter to check the order. Back came our good friend, bringing the same cup of coffee & insisted the coffee is tea, when 1 whiff is enough to confirm it's definitely not tea. My friend gave up & just accepted it. As she was stiring the sugar in, another waiter (presumably instructed by the captain) arrived with the tea...
Not tht I condemn the waiter... I'm sure he has best intentions at heart... but I think the problem is with the management - in sourcing for the right ppl for the right job. It's 1 thing if you're operating a road side seafood dai chao / mamak stall to have staff who can't even understand the customer; but it's an entirely different story for a restaurant tht charges abt RM50-60/pax (& tht's on a tight budget) to get such untrained staff.
For RM500 for 6 pax.... Don't think we can accept such quality.... It may sound snobbish, but really felt tht we're not getting our money's worth.
Yesterday we were treated with a year-end team lunch at TGIF, Gardens. The starters were good, so no complaints there.
Since we'll not be working after the long lunch, I went ahead & order the Jack Daniel's half Ribs & shrimps. All I can say after eating it was tht the fries was good.... tht's it! Apart from the fries, nothing else is good.
1. ok the shrimp wasn't bad.... but not fantastic... so....
2. the sauce is soooooooo sweet..... it was so good & gooey last time tht 1 serving is not enuff & I wish for more... now I can't even stand the sauce on the ribs, let alone add the separate serving provided!
3. the ribs was a disaster... it was so over cooked tht the edges was burnt crisp hard (strangely it wasn't black... just hard. The rest of the ribs including the middle was so dry tht when I cut it, the meat comes out in dry floss. Even my mates looking at my plate, without even tasting it can tell it was really dry & over cooked.
Next was the staff... You'd think tht if we're paying so much for a meal, we'd at least be waited by staff who can at least speak understandable English! The one tht waited on us can't even pronounce the stuff on the menu. When he said, "let me repeat the menu", tht was all we understood... What he rattled after tht was total gibberish... We ended up staring at him open mouthed & just said yea... whatever... tht should be right. :-)
When the "Earl Grey Tea" ordered by a friend of mine came in the form of a "Cappucino", we called the captain who promptly took it to the waiter to check the order. Back came our good friend, bringing the same cup of coffee & insisted the coffee is tea, when 1 whiff is enough to confirm it's definitely not tea. My friend gave up & just accepted it. As she was stiring the sugar in, another waiter (presumably instructed by the captain) arrived with the tea...
Not tht I condemn the waiter... I'm sure he has best intentions at heart... but I think the problem is with the management - in sourcing for the right ppl for the right job. It's 1 thing if you're operating a road side seafood dai chao / mamak stall to have staff who can't even understand the customer; but it's an entirely different story for a restaurant tht charges abt RM50-60/pax (& tht's on a tight budget) to get such untrained staff.
For RM500 for 6 pax.... Don't think we can accept such quality.... It may sound snobbish, but really felt tht we're not getting our money's worth.
Where Does Women's Money Go
I received this funny video the other day. I think they should do another 1 for handbags.... ;-)
And They Wonder Why There's So Many Snatch Thieves Around.....
I was given the following statistic & was appaled by the was our resources are being distributed.... Take a look at the police force for example:
It's bad enough tht abt 38% of the total number of police belongs to the "management" group, we have another 33% in a section called "Internal Security"?!? and a further 7.44% in Special Branch who basically are also being used for the "Internal Security". We're then left with slightly less than 22% to manage traffic (logistics), get drugs off the street so tht our kids are safe from such vices, investigate death cases (**wink**) & of course the safety of the general public...
So, do we need to ask why crime is rising? Cut the economic crisis bullshit & sorry excuse tht "our statistics is actually not tht bad... Philippines / Thailand registers higher crime rates" (**rolls eyes**)...
Now I know how my tax monies are being spent... Not to protect me on the streets, in the car (yea... they've started to attack cars too)... but to protect the "government"; which is of course "for the general benefit of the people" to prevent "huru-hara" (sarcasm...)
It's bad enough tht abt 38% of the total number of police belongs to the "management" group, we have another 33% in a section called "Internal Security"?!? and a further 7.44% in Special Branch who basically are also being used for the "Internal Security". We're then left with slightly less than 22% to manage traffic (logistics), get drugs off the street so tht our kids are safe from such vices, investigate death cases (**wink**) & of course the safety of the general public...
So, do we need to ask why crime is rising? Cut the economic crisis bullshit & sorry excuse tht "our statistics is actually not tht bad... Philippines / Thailand registers higher crime rates" (**rolls eyes**)...
Now I know how my tax monies are being spent... Not to protect me on the streets, in the car (yea... they've started to attack cars too)... but to protect the "government"; which is of course "for the general benefit of the people" to prevent "huru-hara" (sarcasm...)
Friday 13 November 2009
Business Trip to Manila, PH (9-11th Nov)
The last time I was in the Philippines, was in 2006 with my previous department for a meeting. Can't belief tht I'll be having another chance of visiting this country again in 2009.
I was really nervous leaving for this trip because it's to attend a meeting among my boss' peers. What if the ideas I have to contribute is too shallow? What if I don't portray the standards tht they expect of me (like the last disastrous encounter that totally demolished my self-confidence in carrying "intelligent conversation")? What if my performance in these 2-3days became the lasting impression on my overall performance / work, that even if I do a thousand good, 1 err here would turn it to dust (forgotten)?!
Sigh... since when was I so pessimistic & unsure of my abilities?.... Oh yea... tht stupid comment from an ignorant fool who formed his opinion in the first 10mins of my conversation with the top management rep. Jeezzz.... I shouldn't allow myself to be "stepped" on & remain down forever... I should redeem myself & show everyone tht I have something to offer & tht fool was wrong!!
& with that thought, I tried my best to mingle with everyone, get involved in as much discussion / conversation, share my views & thoughts, ask questions & try not to be too quiet. The only part I struggle was when there was a game of "LaserExtreme" as part of the team building activity. Picture this, it's a game similar to paint ball but less messy & a whole lot less painful (I dunno tht paintball was painful since I've never played it, but the rest of the team who did, profess to it, so it must be true). We have to wear a jacket with lighted sensors on our shoulders, ribs & back. The aim is to "shoot" our laser to the sensors & for each "hit", the lights of the "victims" vest would turn off for 3 seconds where he / she can't be shot at & can't shoot others as well.
Those who knows me, can confirm tht I hate combat games. Though I'd say it's not rough, but it involves shooting at ppl / be shot at & tht in itself is not my favourite (not to mention I got among the lowest 2 scores). However, since everyone had fun & it was really a good workout - I sweat buckets, I'm happy.
I also notice tht the weather was exceptionally humid this time. The last time in 2006, it was cooler & easier to walk. Now, it's so hot & humid tht I can feel my foundation dripping down my "valley" (hehe.... sensor... sensor...) & if it gets any hotter, my mascara would run & I'd look like a wreak. I mentioned this to the PH colleagues & they said tht it's normal especially right after a typhoon. Hmm.... interesting fact.... So to those who plan to travel to PH, pls make sure tht it's not immediately after a typhoon. Give it a rest till it's less humid.... :-)
Unfortunately in this trip our meeting schedule was quite packed & after dinner, all the shops / malls are closed, so I didn't get to do much shopping. Was hoping tht I can stock up on my spices (McCormick spices in PH is really cheap... like half the price we got here) & buy some stuff for mum, dad & bros. The only shopping I did (if you can call it so) was at the airport where I bought a key chain (for a friend who collects it) & some bookmarks for my nieces & nephews back home.
Though I wished I could stay longer in Manila to do some shopping & walking around, but I must admit tht I love being home & being with hubby... It's good to be home...
I was really nervous leaving for this trip because it's to attend a meeting among my boss' peers. What if the ideas I have to contribute is too shallow? What if I don't portray the standards tht they expect of me (like the last disastrous encounter that totally demolished my self-confidence in carrying "intelligent conversation")? What if my performance in these 2-3days became the lasting impression on my overall performance / work, that even if I do a thousand good, 1 err here would turn it to dust (forgotten)?!
Sigh... since when was I so pessimistic & unsure of my abilities?.... Oh yea... tht stupid comment from an ignorant fool who formed his opinion in the first 10mins of my conversation with the top management rep. Jeezzz.... I shouldn't allow myself to be "stepped" on & remain down forever... I should redeem myself & show everyone tht I have something to offer & tht fool was wrong!!
& with that thought, I tried my best to mingle with everyone, get involved in as much discussion / conversation, share my views & thoughts, ask questions & try not to be too quiet. The only part I struggle was when there was a game of "LaserExtreme" as part of the team building activity. Picture this, it's a game similar to paint ball but less messy & a whole lot less painful (I dunno tht paintball was painful since I've never played it, but the rest of the team who did, profess to it, so it must be true). We have to wear a jacket with lighted sensors on our shoulders, ribs & back. The aim is to "shoot" our laser to the sensors & for each "hit", the lights of the "victims" vest would turn off for 3 seconds where he / she can't be shot at & can't shoot others as well.
Those who knows me, can confirm tht I hate combat games. Though I'd say it's not rough, but it involves shooting at ppl / be shot at & tht in itself is not my favourite (not to mention I got among the lowest 2 scores). However, since everyone had fun & it was really a good workout - I sweat buckets, I'm happy.
I also notice tht the weather was exceptionally humid this time. The last time in 2006, it was cooler & easier to walk. Now, it's so hot & humid tht I can feel my foundation dripping down my "valley" (hehe.... sensor... sensor...) & if it gets any hotter, my mascara would run & I'd look like a wreak. I mentioned this to the PH colleagues & they said tht it's normal especially right after a typhoon. Hmm.... interesting fact.... So to those who plan to travel to PH, pls make sure tht it's not immediately after a typhoon. Give it a rest till it's less humid.... :-)
Unfortunately in this trip our meeting schedule was quite packed & after dinner, all the shops / malls are closed, so I didn't get to do much shopping. Was hoping tht I can stock up on my spices (McCormick spices in PH is really cheap... like half the price we got here) & buy some stuff for mum, dad & bros. The only shopping I did (if you can call it so) was at the airport where I bought a key chain (for a friend who collects it) & some bookmarks for my nieces & nephews back home.
Though I wished I could stay longer in Manila to do some shopping & walking around, but I must admit tht I love being home & being with hubby... It's good to be home...
Condolences...
I was shocked & saddened to find out that my dear ol' friend has just lost her mother to lung cancer.
I can't imagine the pain she's going through, first with the dad & now the mum gone. I just pray & hope tht she & her sister recovers & become stronger.
I can't imagine the pain she's going through, first with the dad & now the mum gone. I just pray & hope tht she & her sister recovers & become stronger.
Thursday 29 October 2009
Book Review: A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern
I remembered declaring in this blog (my earlier articles on her works) tht I love every piece of Cecilia's work. Strangely, this book was quite a drag to read (at least for me). It took me like 2-mths (?!?) to complete reading it (with breaks filled by reading other books).
It's not tht the storyline is bad. It's quite an interesting idea actually. Probably the start was a bit too slow paced & there's pieces of puzzles tht needs fixing (& am too lazy to figure out I guess); but it became interesting & easier to plod through the rest of the way.
"Here" in this book is referring to a place where all the "X-files" / people / things tht went mysteriously missing, went to. But I'm jumping the gun. Let me start with the main character. She's Sandy Shortt & her name is a contradiction to her appearance (her hair is dark brown & not sandy at all; while her legs is so long she can hardly be referred to being short even by men's standards).
Anyway, Sandy has a childhood "friend" cum "enemy" called Jenny-May Butler. One fine day Jenny-May went missing & Sandy blamed herself for the cause of Jenny-May's disappearance. Apparently, it was because she prayed / wished very much tht she doesn't need to face Jenny-May ever again & lo-behold she's missing.
After that it became her obsession to find ALL things tht has gone missing. She didn't stop at ppl. She'd also turn the whole hse upside down, comb the streets & trace back all possible routes just to find a missing sock or watch or toothbrush. It was her obsession even in her adulthood, where after quiting the police force (initially she thought she can help find missing persons legitimately) she has set up an agency specialised in locating missing person. Success rate may be slim, but at least she hope she's doing something to return these missing people to their loved ones.
Along the way, she stumbled into "Here" & found tht there's a whole community of missing person of all nationalities that they even had Registries by the language tht each new comer converse in. They even have several villages, with their own local councils, townhalls, schools, medical facilities (all using whatever tht is "found" Here but missing in the other world where we live in) etc. Sandy refused to accept tht she'll be Here forever & to conform to the way of life tht's being set up by the community.
There's more to the story, but essentially it's about "Here". Do read it if you want to know what happened to Sandy in the end & whether she succeeded in her quest to find Jenny-May.
It's not tht the storyline is bad. It's quite an interesting idea actually. Probably the start was a bit too slow paced & there's pieces of puzzles tht needs fixing (& am too lazy to figure out I guess); but it became interesting & easier to plod through the rest of the way.
"Here" in this book is referring to a place where all the "X-files" / people / things tht went mysteriously missing, went to. But I'm jumping the gun. Let me start with the main character. She's Sandy Shortt & her name is a contradiction to her appearance (her hair is dark brown & not sandy at all; while her legs is so long she can hardly be referred to being short even by men's standards).
Anyway, Sandy has a childhood "friend" cum "enemy" called Jenny-May Butler. One fine day Jenny-May went missing & Sandy blamed herself for the cause of Jenny-May's disappearance. Apparently, it was because she prayed / wished very much tht she doesn't need to face Jenny-May ever again & lo-behold she's missing.
After that it became her obsession to find ALL things tht has gone missing. She didn't stop at ppl. She'd also turn the whole hse upside down, comb the streets & trace back all possible routes just to find a missing sock or watch or toothbrush. It was her obsession even in her adulthood, where after quiting the police force (initially she thought she can help find missing persons legitimately) she has set up an agency specialised in locating missing person. Success rate may be slim, but at least she hope she's doing something to return these missing people to their loved ones.
Along the way, she stumbled into "Here" & found tht there's a whole community of missing person of all nationalities that they even had Registries by the language tht each new comer converse in. They even have several villages, with their own local councils, townhalls, schools, medical facilities (all using whatever tht is "found" Here but missing in the other world where we live in) etc. Sandy refused to accept tht she'll be Here forever & to conform to the way of life tht's being set up by the community.
There's more to the story, but essentially it's about "Here". Do read it if you want to know what happened to Sandy in the end & whether she succeeded in her quest to find Jenny-May.
Book Review: Stripped by Julie Elizabeth Leto (Harlequin M&B's The Bad Girls Club)
hehe... I've not been reading Mills & Boon since my highschool days. I've moved on since then... but I was caught without a book on my train ride home from KL to Seremban one day, so I grabbed this book as a light read for the 1+hr train ride home. Only found time to write a review on it today.
Well, "Stripped" in this story, does not mean stripping down to their Birthday suits. It's actually refering to stripping of "powers". Hmmm.... intrigued? Well the story is abt a modern day witch (Lilith St. Lyon - why witches / vampires tend to have french sounding names?) who did not follow the rules of the witch community, so the "council" decided to strip her of her "powers". Unfortunately, her elder sister is the head of the council so it created quite a rift between them.
What is her powers exactly? & what has she done wrong to deserve such punishment? She can mind read / has psychic powers. 1 of the golden rule of the witching world is not to use it for personal gains. However she's used it to figure out the likes & dislikes & sexual fantasies of a detective (Mac Mancusi) she has been working with in solving crime using her psychic powers. He freaked out & felt cheated (cos' he thought tht the fact tht they have so much in-common boils down to Chemistry) when he found out tht her psychic power was real (he'd always thought tht it was all a hoax / some other scientifically explainable methods).
So she was left "man"-less & powerless all at the same time. Then a series of crime occured, forcing Mac to contact Lilith. Despite her lack of powers now, Lilith is determined to prove to the council tht she's worthy of her powers & hopefully it'll be returned to her someday. To cut a long story short, there's some twist & turns with battles & new "beings" like Warlords etc thrown in for good measure.
Not a bad read, considering the author is able to compress so many actions in such a short novel & yet managed to develop the flesh & bones of the main character - making it come to life.
Well, "Stripped" in this story, does not mean stripping down to their Birthday suits. It's actually refering to stripping of "powers". Hmmm.... intrigued? Well the story is abt a modern day witch (Lilith St. Lyon - why witches / vampires tend to have french sounding names?) who did not follow the rules of the witch community, so the "council" decided to strip her of her "powers". Unfortunately, her elder sister is the head of the council so it created quite a rift between them.
What is her powers exactly? & what has she done wrong to deserve such punishment? She can mind read / has psychic powers. 1 of the golden rule of the witching world is not to use it for personal gains. However she's used it to figure out the likes & dislikes & sexual fantasies of a detective (Mac Mancusi) she has been working with in solving crime using her psychic powers. He freaked out & felt cheated (cos' he thought tht the fact tht they have so much in-common boils down to Chemistry) when he found out tht her psychic power was real (he'd always thought tht it was all a hoax / some other scientifically explainable methods).
So she was left "man"-less & powerless all at the same time. Then a series of crime occured, forcing Mac to contact Lilith. Despite her lack of powers now, Lilith is determined to prove to the council tht she's worthy of her powers & hopefully it'll be returned to her someday. To cut a long story short, there's some twist & turns with battles & new "beings" like Warlords etc thrown in for good measure.
Not a bad read, considering the author is able to compress so many actions in such a short novel & yet managed to develop the flesh & bones of the main character - making it come to life.
Book Review: The Fire Inside by Kat Martin
I think I've found a Period Romantic author that can rival Judith McNaught. Of course I'm still pretty much bias to McNaught being the all time best author for Romance genre books (especially Period Romance. Unfortunately I don't really fancy her modern-day romance novels), but tht doesn't mean I shouldn't give credit to other really good authors of the same genre.
Anyway, back to the book. It's abt Kassandra Wentworth ("Kit" for short), the daughter to a Viscount is already in her 20's (21 to be exact) & she's still not married (gasp!! horror!!.... **grin**). However, it's not from lack of suitors; but more so because she refuses to be submissive to the male gender - her father & future husband (if any) included. And due to a shameful secret from the past, she refused to ever fall in love (again, am not letting the cat out of the bag here so tht you can still enjoy the book).
Of course, there's always someone to change her mind on that. That hero is Clayton Harcourt. Naturally you'll need a strong hero to handle a spirited heroine like Kit. He's the bastard son of a wealthy Duke. What he lacks in purity of lineage, is "compensated" by his skills & shrewdness in managing his personal estates & finances - making him the Duke's favourite (though he can't openly admit / show it).
There's a thick plot from the time the 2 strong characters meet & have clash of will, to the point where they got married & even after they got married (sneak preview - there's a kidnap & chase scene involved). So overall it was highly entertaining, racy & full of suspense especially towards the end of the novel.
Go read it or if you can't find it, I'm willing to lend (if you're in Malaysia tht is).
Anyway, back to the book. It's abt Kassandra Wentworth ("Kit" for short), the daughter to a Viscount is already in her 20's (21 to be exact) & she's still not married (gasp!! horror!!.... **grin**). However, it's not from lack of suitors; but more so because she refuses to be submissive to the male gender - her father & future husband (if any) included. And due to a shameful secret from the past, she refused to ever fall in love (again, am not letting the cat out of the bag here so tht you can still enjoy the book).
Of course, there's always someone to change her mind on that. That hero is Clayton Harcourt. Naturally you'll need a strong hero to handle a spirited heroine like Kit. He's the bastard son of a wealthy Duke. What he lacks in purity of lineage, is "compensated" by his skills & shrewdness in managing his personal estates & finances - making him the Duke's favourite (though he can't openly admit / show it).
There's a thick plot from the time the 2 strong characters meet & have clash of will, to the point where they got married & even after they got married (sneak preview - there's a kidnap & chase scene involved). So overall it was highly entertaining, racy & full of suspense especially towards the end of the novel.
Go read it or if you can't find it, I'm willing to lend (if you're in Malaysia tht is).
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Movie Review: Surrogates
On 16th Oct, we had our department "Work hard, play hard day", where we leave office at 12noon, have a long lunch & adjourned for a movie. We decided to watch it at GSC Signature, The Gardens - Premier Class. We would have gone to Gold Class (about RM30+ more expensive than the Premier), but the movies for Gold Class are not suitable for a mummy-to-be (my boss who was 8+mths pregnant at tht time).
Everyone decided to watch Surrogates, despite someone telling us tht it received less than flattering review. One of which, is regarding Bruce Willis' side-parting-wig on his Surrogate. Poor Bruce. I don't know is it because we went in to the cinema with extremely low expectation due to the movie review we heard of, or it was really good. Turned out, everyone agreed tht it wasn't such a bad movie afterall.
It's interesting & not too impossible an idea. The fact tht mankind can avoid air-borne virus / germs like SARS & H1N1. No risk of contracting sexually transmitable disease. Not look old - hence elliminating the painful need for plastic surgery. Not look fat / skinny / bald / hairy & have the option to look model-like. I would imagine it's a liberation for gays too! He can finally be a woman (for those who mentally believes he is 1) through his surrogate.
Yes. In the not too distant future, we can lie down comfortably on a lounge chair with some headgear over our eyes, temple & foreheads & control our Surrogate's body as if it's our own. Living our lives from our room without needing to venture out.
It started with a series of murder cases where a weapon can electrocute & practically "fry" the Surrogates eyes & in turn kills the owner of the Surrogate. Bruce Willis is involved in the investigation. During his investigation, his surrogate was "destroyed" by a group of ppl who don't belief in surrogates & advocates living in "the flesh" as we were created. This forced him to continue his investigation in "the flesh". Naturally he solved the case (not going to spoil the fun of watching how he did it by elaborating too much here) & an unexpected ending.
I can't say it's extremely good tht it'll be your biggest regret to miss it, but I'd say it's worth the watch.
Everyone decided to watch Surrogates, despite someone telling us tht it received less than flattering review. One of which, is regarding Bruce Willis' side-parting-wig on his Surrogate. Poor Bruce. I don't know is it because we went in to the cinema with extremely low expectation due to the movie review we heard of, or it was really good. Turned out, everyone agreed tht it wasn't such a bad movie afterall.
It's interesting & not too impossible an idea. The fact tht mankind can avoid air-borne virus / germs like SARS & H1N1. No risk of contracting sexually transmitable disease. Not look old - hence elliminating the painful need for plastic surgery. Not look fat / skinny / bald / hairy & have the option to look model-like. I would imagine it's a liberation for gays too! He can finally be a woman (for those who mentally believes he is 1) through his surrogate.
Yes. In the not too distant future, we can lie down comfortably on a lounge chair with some headgear over our eyes, temple & foreheads & control our Surrogate's body as if it's our own. Living our lives from our room without needing to venture out.
It started with a series of murder cases where a weapon can electrocute & practically "fry" the Surrogates eyes & in turn kills the owner of the Surrogate. Bruce Willis is involved in the investigation. During his investigation, his surrogate was "destroyed" by a group of ppl who don't belief in surrogates & advocates living in "the flesh" as we were created. This forced him to continue his investigation in "the flesh". Naturally he solved the case (not going to spoil the fun of watching how he did it by elaborating too much here) & an unexpected ending.
I can't say it's extremely good tht it'll be your biggest regret to miss it, but I'd say it's worth the watch.
Bagan Pinang By Election - After Thought
I realize I forgot to mention about the campaign rally which Anuar Ibrahim gave his speach. No doubt some Chinese treat him with doubts. There's always talks tht "he was once as extreme as the BN gangs; why should we trust him now?" But, I still think he's truly a great orator & I also belief in choosing between the lesser of 2 evils.
Anyway, back to his speech. He mentioned a lot of things tht night (the last night before the election) & I'm sure it's covered extensively in Malaysia Kini. But there's 1 comical part tht somehow stuck on my mind... He referred the campaign billboards, flags etc by the BN "Macam Sarkas!" (i.e. like a Circus). Hahaha...
I remembered tht morning I was just complaining abt it being a waste of tax payer's money. I'm sure tht is our money... I doubt the party would have spent it so lavishly if it's their own. Even if it's not tax payer's money, am sure it's a "forced tax" from a number of Chinese / Indian businessmen - the so called "pendatang"s (apparently they are not "pendatang"s when it comes to money... but after the cheque is cashed, they are back to being "pendatang"s). However, Anuar really did sum the whole set-up quite accurately... "Macam Sarkas!"
Anyway, back to his speech. He mentioned a lot of things tht night (the last night before the election) & I'm sure it's covered extensively in Malaysia Kini. But there's 1 comical part tht somehow stuck on my mind... He referred the campaign billboards, flags etc by the BN "Macam Sarkas!" (i.e. like a Circus). Hahaha...
I remembered tht morning I was just complaining abt it being a waste of tax payer's money. I'm sure tht is our money... I doubt the party would have spent it so lavishly if it's their own. Even if it's not tax payer's money, am sure it's a "forced tax" from a number of Chinese / Indian businessmen - the so called "pendatang"s (apparently they are not "pendatang"s when it comes to money... but after the cheque is cashed, they are back to being "pendatang"s). However, Anuar really did sum the whole set-up quite accurately... "Macam Sarkas!"
Proud to be a Penangite! :-)
Today I receive an interesting e-mail from a nice friend who remembered I was from Penang. The current government has done us (Malaysians) proud on an international scale! The article is as follows.
"Congratulation to all Penang People!!
While Pahang governed by Barisan Nasional for past 52 years is facing bankruptcy, Penang is praised by Global Anti-Corruption watchdog Transparency International for its anti corruptions efforts.
What makes Malaysia all of a sudden to be ranked on 47 out 180 countries?
Answer : The Malaysian People made the right choice by denying 2/3 majority enjoyed by Barisan Nasional all this years. Its a well check and balance by Pakatan on Barisan that led to this 47th position.
If Malaysians want to enjoy this, then you should know what to do in the next election!! Anyway congratulations to Pakatan led by DAP in Penang. In just 18 months CM Lim turned around Penang into corrupt free State. Shame on BN & ex-CM Dr Koh of Gerakan.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Global anti-corruption watchdog ranks Malaysia 47th least corrupt, praises Penang
By Lee Wei Lian
GEORGE TOWN, Sept 24 – Global corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), has ranked Malaysia as the 47th least corrupt nation in the world and commended the island state of Penang for its anti-corruption efforts.
Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden was listed by TI as the top three least corrupt countries as measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries in terms of the degree to which businessmen and country analysts perceive corruption to exist among public officials and politicians. Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada rounded off the top least corrupt countries.
Malaysia came in 47th out of 180 countries in the index, tied with Hungary and Jordan.The CPI is part of TI’s Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2009 released yesterday.In its report on Malaysia, TI highlighted the Malaysian practice of the “revolving door” whereby individuals move from government to business, or business to politics, and back again, and estimated that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year.
“Significant government participation in the private sector and considerable business participation in politics means that the movement of gatekeepers to players and players to gatekeepers has a negative influence on the concept of checks and balances,” said TI. “The complexity of the relationships between politics and the public and private sectors means that corruption may take place with impunity. Until drastic action is taken to separate the cosy relationship between government, business and politics, the anti-corruption effort will remain no more than a token gesture,” said TI.
Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng says he is “humbled” by the recognition by TI and added that he was concerned over the fact that that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP as pointed out by the GCR when it cited the findings of the special government business facilitation task force Pemudah and the World Bank.
Additional report contents that were of concern to Lim was Malaysia’s per capita spending of only RM5 on anti-corruption efforts and the fact that only about 10 per cent, or just 7,223 potential corruption cases, of the total 71,558 reported between 2000 and 2006 were investigated by the Anti Corruption Agency, the precursor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with a conviction rate of less than one percent. “The GCR 2009 concluded that this illustration of the Malaysian government’s inaction in the light of the serious corruption allegations, along with its seeming inability to catch the big fish instead focusing on the ‘small fry’, suggests that what anti-corruption efforts exist are mere tokens,” said Lim.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Lim also today announced that the state has managed to cut about RM36 million or 12 per cent of in operating expenditure this year due to its efforts to curb corruption.“Transparency International’s recognition of anti-corruption efforts by the Penang state government through CAT (Competency Accountability And Transparency) governance is backed up by savings of nearly 12 per cent of the 2008 Penang state budget of RM 36 million from operating expenditure. This RM 36 million savings has allowed the state government to carry out social programs and implement its people-oriented government,” said Lim.
TI said that the Penang state is the first Malaysian state government to implement the open tender system for government procurement and contracts. It also recognised the state government’s directive barring administrators and state executive councillors from making any new land applications and efforts to attract professionals to serve on various boards, such as the Penang State Appeals Board.
“On behalf of the Penang state government, we feel humbled by the recognition given by a world renowned body such as Transparency International and would redouble efforts to ensure the anti-corruption reforms are institutionalized and ensure more professionals are appointed to key bodies. Fighting corruption generates savings for the people,” said Lim. He added that the two local authorities in Penang are expected to save another RM34 million over three years from a “transparent” negotiation over the price of solid waste disposal that reduced the rates agreed to by the previous Barisan Nasional administration by a further 42.4 per cent.
Lim said that the savings would go towards the state government’s “3E” programme to:
“enable” the people with skills and knowledge so that they have an equal opportunity to create wealth,
“empower” them with fundamental rights and basic freedoms, and
“enrich” the people by sharing wealth and economic benefits."
Well, finally! My 1 vote made a difference. Hope the next step - making Penang as economically competitive as we were 10-20years ago, will materialize. Penang used to be the Silicone Valley of the East & we're neck-to-neck with Singapore. Lately we have dropped off the radar in both industry & tourism. If Penang can get back on its feet in this area, I'm sure many professionals (me included) would return to the beloved island!
Naturally I don't expect the current Penang government to perform miracles in less than 5 years before the next GE. However I hope we can see at least some small results by then. Actions & results are stronger than words. If the people can see the visible difference in governance, even with less campaigns / talks, small budget tht can't afford lighted & blinking campaign signboards, flags tht got shredded - the truth will persist.
I'll end with my favourite quote by Mahatma Gandhi "I may look despicable, but when the truth shines through me, I am invincible!"
"Congratulation to all Penang People!!
While Pahang governed by Barisan Nasional for past 52 years is facing bankruptcy, Penang is praised by Global Anti-Corruption watchdog Transparency International for its anti corruptions efforts.
What makes Malaysia all of a sudden to be ranked on 47 out 180 countries?
Answer : The Malaysian People made the right choice by denying 2/3 majority enjoyed by Barisan Nasional all this years. Its a well check and balance by Pakatan on Barisan that led to this 47th position.
If Malaysians want to enjoy this, then you should know what to do in the next election!! Anyway congratulations to Pakatan led by DAP in Penang. In just 18 months CM Lim turned around Penang into corrupt free State. Shame on BN & ex-CM Dr Koh of Gerakan.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Global anti-corruption watchdog ranks Malaysia 47th least corrupt, praises Penang
By Lee Wei Lian
GEORGE TOWN, Sept 24 – Global corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), has ranked Malaysia as the 47th least corrupt nation in the world and commended the island state of Penang for its anti-corruption efforts.
Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden was listed by TI as the top three least corrupt countries as measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries in terms of the degree to which businessmen and country analysts perceive corruption to exist among public officials and politicians. Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada rounded off the top least corrupt countries.
Malaysia came in 47th out of 180 countries in the index, tied with Hungary and Jordan.The CPI is part of TI’s Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2009 released yesterday.In its report on Malaysia, TI highlighted the Malaysian practice of the “revolving door” whereby individuals move from government to business, or business to politics, and back again, and estimated that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year.
“Significant government participation in the private sector and considerable business participation in politics means that the movement of gatekeepers to players and players to gatekeepers has a negative influence on the concept of checks and balances,” said TI. “The complexity of the relationships between politics and the public and private sectors means that corruption may take place with impunity. Until drastic action is taken to separate the cosy relationship between government, business and politics, the anti-corruption effort will remain no more than a token gesture,” said TI.
Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng says he is “humbled” by the recognition by TI and added that he was concerned over the fact that that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP as pointed out by the GCR when it cited the findings of the special government business facilitation task force Pemudah and the World Bank.
Additional report contents that were of concern to Lim was Malaysia’s per capita spending of only RM5 on anti-corruption efforts and the fact that only about 10 per cent, or just 7,223 potential corruption cases, of the total 71,558 reported between 2000 and 2006 were investigated by the Anti Corruption Agency, the precursor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with a conviction rate of less than one percent. “The GCR 2009 concluded that this illustration of the Malaysian government’s inaction in the light of the serious corruption allegations, along with its seeming inability to catch the big fish instead focusing on the ‘small fry’, suggests that what anti-corruption efforts exist are mere tokens,” said Lim.
“RM 10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be greater commitment from the Federal government towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully combating corruption.”
Lim also today announced that the state has managed to cut about RM36 million or 12 per cent of in operating expenditure this year due to its efforts to curb corruption.“Transparency International’s recognition of anti-corruption efforts by the Penang state government through CAT (Competency Accountability And Transparency) governance is backed up by savings of nearly 12 per cent of the 2008 Penang state budget of RM 36 million from operating expenditure. This RM 36 million savings has allowed the state government to carry out social programs and implement its people-oriented government,” said Lim.
TI said that the Penang state is the first Malaysian state government to implement the open tender system for government procurement and contracts. It also recognised the state government’s directive barring administrators and state executive councillors from making any new land applications and efforts to attract professionals to serve on various boards, such as the Penang State Appeals Board.
“On behalf of the Penang state government, we feel humbled by the recognition given by a world renowned body such as Transparency International and would redouble efforts to ensure the anti-corruption reforms are institutionalized and ensure more professionals are appointed to key bodies. Fighting corruption generates savings for the people,” said Lim. He added that the two local authorities in Penang are expected to save another RM34 million over three years from a “transparent” negotiation over the price of solid waste disposal that reduced the rates agreed to by the previous Barisan Nasional administration by a further 42.4 per cent.
Lim said that the savings would go towards the state government’s “3E” programme to:
“enable” the people with skills and knowledge so that they have an equal opportunity to create wealth,
“empower” them with fundamental rights and basic freedoms, and
“enrich” the people by sharing wealth and economic benefits."
Well, finally! My 1 vote made a difference. Hope the next step - making Penang as economically competitive as we were 10-20years ago, will materialize. Penang used to be the Silicone Valley of the East & we're neck-to-neck with Singapore. Lately we have dropped off the radar in both industry & tourism. If Penang can get back on its feet in this area, I'm sure many professionals (me included) would return to the beloved island!
Naturally I don't expect the current Penang government to perform miracles in less than 5 years before the next GE. However I hope we can see at least some small results by then. Actions & results are stronger than words. If the people can see the visible difference in governance, even with less campaigns / talks, small budget tht can't afford lighted & blinking campaign signboards, flags tht got shredded - the truth will persist.
I'll end with my favourite quote by Mahatma Gandhi "I may look despicable, but when the truth shines through me, I am invincible!"
It's a Baby Girl!!
I thought I would feel depressed... Sigh.... Another person has safely delivered a baby while my womb is still empty...
Strangely, I handled such depressing thought much better this time. I can even feel happy for my boss who has just delivered a baby girl at around 7.30am this morning. Maybe I've learnt to accept tht I can't shy away from all the pregnant women around me (seriously... I used to avoid pregnant women like the plaque because I can't handle their protruding tummy presence).
Come to think of it... why do I want to endure such pain of labour when a small ear piercing sent me howling... when a centipede bite made me cry & vomit (hehe... tht is another story fr my past... I'll see if I have time to write abt it later). My boss shared with me tht the feeling after delivering a baby is like the southern region has "koyak-rabak". My sis-in-law described it as worse than having someone slashing your arm... :-) Maybe all these talks is making me think twice of having a baby....
Hah! Who am I kidding... I still want at least 1. I'll just bid my time... again...
Strangely, I handled such depressing thought much better this time. I can even feel happy for my boss who has just delivered a baby girl at around 7.30am this morning. Maybe I've learnt to accept tht I can't shy away from all the pregnant women around me (seriously... I used to avoid pregnant women like the plaque because I can't handle their protruding tummy presence).
Come to think of it... why do I want to endure such pain of labour when a small ear piercing sent me howling... when a centipede bite made me cry & vomit (hehe... tht is another story fr my past... I'll see if I have time to write abt it later). My boss shared with me tht the feeling after delivering a baby is like the southern region has "koyak-rabak". My sis-in-law described it as worse than having someone slashing your arm... :-) Maybe all these talks is making me think twice of having a baby....
Hah! Who am I kidding... I still want at least 1. I'll just bid my time... again...
Wednesday 21 October 2009
I'm Back....!!!
Wow... Feels like it's been some time since I'm back here writing. I think if it's not for a comment I got for 1 of my articles, I would have forgotten it's already towards the end of Oct! Yikes! How did time pass by so fast!
I wanted to wait for the photos from my Krabi trip downloaded before I update about my trip to Krabi... & from past track record - you'll know it'll really be some time later. Meanwhile.... I'll just share some interesting pix on the creativity of advertising... enjoy...
I wanted to wait for the photos from my Krabi trip downloaded before I update about my trip to Krabi... & from past track record - you'll know it'll really be some time later. Meanwhile.... I'll just share some interesting pix on the creativity of advertising... enjoy...
Wednesday 7 October 2009
Bagan Pinang By Election
For those who follows politics, would have heard about the Bagan Pinang By Election. I know it's in PD, but I didn't know how close to home until last week after candidate nominations, bunting & posters being put up and stage being prepared for talks & rallies.
I just found out that the place tht hubby & I have been staying for the past 4-5 years is within the Bagan Pinang area! I always thought tht it's just Teluk Kemang / Mukim Si Rusa.
Anyway, the reason I wrote about this in my blog (which I usually try to avoid writing... I'll leave it to the experts to write all the facts / expose the lies out there) is because while having dinner at a local restaurant, we found tht there's a political talk held in a large empty bungalow land right next to the restaurant. It's organized by the DAP+PAS+Keadilan coalition party = Pakatan Rakyat. Just after we paid the bill for our dinner, we heard some commotion near the entrance to the gathering area.
We then saw a large group of people circling a van; effectively trapping it (& the passengers) with no room to escape. Out of curiosity, we walked towards the scene. After asking the by-standers, we found out tht it started with 2 staff of the MPPD pulling down the flags of DAP & even tearing some of the flags tht was taken down too. Naturally, the ppl supporting the Pakatan Rakyat were furious, so they blocked the escape route of the ppl involved & practically surrounded the van. Police had to "come to the rescue" & "negotiate".
The reason given for the act was also laughable. Apparently because the candidate is from PAS, no other party's flags can be displayed. Errr.... ok.... that's strange... I do know tht the candidate from BN is from UMNO (the infamous Isa), but I remember seeing flags being put up for MCA & Gerakan. Why weren't these flags taken down & "shredded" on site?! This is the double standard treatment tht the opposition / government (depending on which state they're in) is talking about. I'll not elaborate further on this as it was discussed at length in many other blogs.
My take on this is... quit with all this "sandiwara" cos' it looks like the more "drama" tht's put on show to "tell" the public tht the Pakatan Rakyat folks & their supporters are creating riots / disharmony has all seem to back-fire. The "kepala lembu" incident became a hot topic used against the current ruling party; not to mention the recent fiasco of a certain minister being bashed & had his neck in cast from some "scuffling" during nomination day. Now this...??? Some ppl just never learn...
I just found out that the place tht hubby & I have been staying for the past 4-5 years is within the Bagan Pinang area! I always thought tht it's just Teluk Kemang / Mukim Si Rusa.
Anyway, the reason I wrote about this in my blog (which I usually try to avoid writing... I'll leave it to the experts to write all the facts / expose the lies out there) is because while having dinner at a local restaurant, we found tht there's a political talk held in a large empty bungalow land right next to the restaurant. It's organized by the DAP+PAS+Keadilan coalition party = Pakatan Rakyat. Just after we paid the bill for our dinner, we heard some commotion near the entrance to the gathering area.
We then saw a large group of people circling a van; effectively trapping it (& the passengers) with no room to escape. Out of curiosity, we walked towards the scene. After asking the by-standers, we found out tht it started with 2 staff of the MPPD pulling down the flags of DAP & even tearing some of the flags tht was taken down too. Naturally, the ppl supporting the Pakatan Rakyat were furious, so they blocked the escape route of the ppl involved & practically surrounded the van. Police had to "come to the rescue" & "negotiate".
The reason given for the act was also laughable. Apparently because the candidate is from PAS, no other party's flags can be displayed. Errr.... ok.... that's strange... I do know tht the candidate from BN is from UMNO (the infamous Isa), but I remember seeing flags being put up for MCA & Gerakan. Why weren't these flags taken down & "shredded" on site?! This is the double standard treatment tht the opposition / government (depending on which state they're in) is talking about. I'll not elaborate further on this as it was discussed at length in many other blogs.
My take on this is... quit with all this "sandiwara" cos' it looks like the more "drama" tht's put on show to "tell" the public tht the Pakatan Rakyat folks & their supporters are creating riots / disharmony has all seem to back-fire. The "kepala lembu" incident became a hot topic used against the current ruling party; not to mention the recent fiasco of a certain minister being bashed & had his neck in cast from some "scuffling" during nomination day. Now this...??? Some ppl just never learn...
This Is It! I'm Going To Krabi....
My flight will be at 1+pm today. This is it! Hubby & I will be boarding the plane (AirAsia) via LCCT in a few hours time. Just finished packing & finishing some work assignment at 2am in the morning.... :-p
People normally say, if you don't feel good about a trip, don't go... It might be a premonition. I can't say I don't feel good... but I can't say I feel good either... There's only... err... how to describe it... nervousness? Not sure how to describe the mixed feelings. But it all came about because ppl keep harping abt how "dangerous" the place we'll be visiting...
Indonesia just experienced a quake... Samoa experienced it too... What is to stop the area between Sri Lanka to Krabi to have the same quake? There's even prediction tht says a quake as huge as 8+ Richter will hit North East of India some time in Oct. Errr.... It is Oct... North East of India is kinda close to Thailand don't you think?
Aiyo.... all these talks just makes me nervous, but we've already made all the bookings... Oh well... Just some ramblings while waiting for my file to slowly load... Man... the connection is ridiculously slow even at this hour of the day!
People normally say, if you don't feel good about a trip, don't go... It might be a premonition. I can't say I don't feel good... but I can't say I feel good either... There's only... err... how to describe it... nervousness? Not sure how to describe the mixed feelings. But it all came about because ppl keep harping abt how "dangerous" the place we'll be visiting...
Indonesia just experienced a quake... Samoa experienced it too... What is to stop the area between Sri Lanka to Krabi to have the same quake? There's even prediction tht says a quake as huge as 8+ Richter will hit North East of India some time in Oct. Errr.... It is Oct... North East of India is kinda close to Thailand don't you think?
Aiyo.... all these talks just makes me nervous, but we've already made all the bookings... Oh well... Just some ramblings while waiting for my file to slowly load... Man... the connection is ridiculously slow even at this hour of the day!
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Here We Go Again.....
Yikes... I'm invited for another session with the EVP this Friday (different group of ppl from the last)... There goes the rest of my week...
Arrrggghhh!!!!!!! I've not even recovered mentally & emotionally to face another session & here I am invited for another. I've not even started to gain skill sets to "polish apples".... How!? How!? How?!
Sigh.... maybe gotta start doing my homework now... Pre-plan some questions. Pre-plan some discussion topics... & yes.... Stay away from topics I dunno like horses & expat life! Groan... I'm dreading this....
Arrrggghhh!!!!!!! I've not even recovered mentally & emotionally to face another session & here I am invited for another. I've not even started to gain skill sets to "polish apples".... How!? How!? How?!
Sigh.... maybe gotta start doing my homework now... Pre-plan some questions. Pre-plan some discussion topics... & yes.... Stay away from topics I dunno like horses & expat life! Groan... I'm dreading this....
Thursday 17 September 2009
Planned Holiday to Krabi - Oct'09
Hubby's friends invited us to join them for an outing in Krabi (4D3N). Of course, hubby being the diver was excited by the place. He has been pestering me to get the leave to join him since the idea was brought up! I finally relented.
However, I don't want to be stuck just reading novels around the hotel compound / seaside while hubby & the men goes diving (which I don't mind to be honest, it's my form of relaxation - but it would be a waste considering it Krabi). If anyone has been there, do suggest if there are any particularly good places to visit in Krabi.
I'll also do some research on-line.
However, I don't want to be stuck just reading novels around the hotel compound / seaside while hubby & the men goes diving (which I don't mind to be honest, it's my form of relaxation - but it would be a waste considering it Krabi). If anyone has been there, do suggest if there are any particularly good places to visit in Krabi.
I'll also do some research on-line.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
09-09-09...... Radio Day?
It's 09-09-09 today..... I have a feeling I'll be seeing 10-10-10 very very soon.... Time really flies....
Oh & also just found out from the radio tht 09-09 is also declared as Radio Day. I was just telling my colleagues, I'm not surprise if there's Sushi Day, PS (Playstation) Day, Handbag Day etc... Soon we'll run out of the 365 dates / year to allocate the days after something... or maybe it's already fully taken up with some double / triple overlap too.
Should I declare 10-10 as Fern's Day! On tht day, everyone should be wearing nothing else but Ferns! haha.... Ok obviously my work is making me a bit crazy right now. I'll stop before I write any more silly stuff... :-p
Oh & also just found out from the radio tht 09-09 is also declared as Radio Day. I was just telling my colleagues, I'm not surprise if there's Sushi Day, PS (Playstation) Day, Handbag Day etc... Soon we'll run out of the 365 dates / year to allocate the days after something... or maybe it's already fully taken up with some double / triple overlap too.
Should I declare 10-10 as Fern's Day! On tht day, everyone should be wearing nothing else but Ferns! haha.... Ok obviously my work is making me a bit crazy right now. I'll stop before I write any more silly stuff... :-p
Movie Review: On His Majesty's Secret Service (Canto)
The Cantonese version of this movie's title sounds like 009 (like Bond's Agent 007). It sounds like 9, but the Chinese character is actually "Dog" (similar sounding). It's about an emperor who has his Royal elite bodyguards - 12 in fact. Each of the royal guards is named after the animals on the lunar calendar (i.e. Rat, Snake, Dragon etc). Agent "Dog" is slightly unique. While the other bodyguards are highly skilled in martial arts; he's the brainy one who rid the enemies with his gadgets.
The movie is certainly very funny with Louis Ku's poker face & Sandra Ng's hilarious facial expressions. However got to admit, as in most comedies, it's not really worth going to the movies for. Probably a VCD / DVD (original pls.... cummon lar... only RM19.90 for the whole family wor... still cheaper than going to the cinemas right) would suffice.
Not as belly aching funny as Kungfu Hustle, but still a good watch. More suitable for those who are well versed in Cantonese / Chinese, cos' some of the jokes can only be understood if you know the language.
The movie is certainly very funny with Louis Ku's poker face & Sandra Ng's hilarious facial expressions. However got to admit, as in most comedies, it's not really worth going to the movies for. Probably a VCD / DVD (original pls.... cummon lar... only RM19.90 for the whole family wor... still cheaper than going to the cinemas right) would suffice.
Not as belly aching funny as Kungfu Hustle, but still a good watch. More suitable for those who are well versed in Cantonese / Chinese, cos' some of the jokes can only be understood if you know the language.
Holiday in Penang - travel home
Although we had good breakfast of Curry Mee, an equally fantastic Chicken curry lunch (home cooked) & we rested before starting our journey home, but the incident on the way home snatched the highlight of the day.
We crossed the Penang bridge without much special incident, but just as we cross the slight slope near AutoCity Juru, the cars in front suddenly braked. Hubby braked & swerved to the left to avoid head on collision, but we still rammed on the left rear of a black Honda City. The sound was deafening but surprisingly hubby & I were not badly "flung" forward by the impact. The seat belts must be very good. Fortunately the airbag did not get blown up as well (I was told tht airbags could cause slight scrapes / superficial injury especially since both of us wear spectacles). I can't describe how I felt at tht time, but I was more shocked from the sound of the collision rather than the collision itself.
The sound was so scary tht I dare not even get down from the car to take a look at the damage. Immediately there's a whole group of ppl with walkie talkies on motorbikes swarmed our car offering towing & repair services. Goodness, I've not even recovered from the accident & all these strangers keep bombarding us with "advise", questions etc; tht I'm amazed hubby still had the presence of mind to calm me down first, said sorry & leave the car to talk. I was still zoning out, when hubby asked me to take the details of the car we bumped into.
Anyway, after much discussion with my brother-in-law over the phone, hubby finally decided to just clear the metal pieces tht got partially torn out from the front right corner of the car to avoid it scraping the tyres & continue driving back to KL. Of course the buzz around us intensified scaring us with "advice" tht we will cause more damage & we should wait for a tow truck. We left anyway, but we stopped by at Bukit Mertajam police station to lodge a police report (apparently because the accident is in Juru, we must report in the same area & not in KL). It was at the police station tht I caught the first glimpse of the damaged area. Wahliao! Like someone took a can opener & open the whole side cover above the right front wheel. Even the headlamp & cornerlight was crushed out of shape. Surprisingly, the headlamp is still functional; which is a blessing cos' by the time we left Bukit Mertajam & head back to the North South highway, it's already 6+pm.
Just when we start to settle in to our journey, with the torn metal flap protruding to the side (from the force of the wind as our car move forward) & ppl from other cars pointing at us. Smack! Crack! Suddenly a medium sized solar system appeared on our windscreen! A %$@$#@$% lorry drove over a piece of stone & it sling shot against our windscreen... Really really like the Malay saying "Sudah Jatuh Ditimpa Tangga"... Real Soey.... I think if we're more traditional thinking, we might have said "Aiya... we didn't check the lunar calendar to see whether it's safe to leave the house or not... That's why lar..." :-p
Anyway, we finally reached home without much incident. Phew... whattaday.... Fortunately we took an additional 1 day leave to run some errants. Now we have 1 additional errant... repair car!
We crossed the Penang bridge without much special incident, but just as we cross the slight slope near AutoCity Juru, the cars in front suddenly braked. Hubby braked & swerved to the left to avoid head on collision, but we still rammed on the left rear of a black Honda City. The sound was deafening but surprisingly hubby & I were not badly "flung" forward by the impact. The seat belts must be very good. Fortunately the airbag did not get blown up as well (I was told tht airbags could cause slight scrapes / superficial injury especially since both of us wear spectacles). I can't describe how I felt at tht time, but I was more shocked from the sound of the collision rather than the collision itself.
The sound was so scary tht I dare not even get down from the car to take a look at the damage. Immediately there's a whole group of ppl with walkie talkies on motorbikes swarmed our car offering towing & repair services. Goodness, I've not even recovered from the accident & all these strangers keep bombarding us with "advise", questions etc; tht I'm amazed hubby still had the presence of mind to calm me down first, said sorry & leave the car to talk. I was still zoning out, when hubby asked me to take the details of the car we bumped into.
Anyway, after much discussion with my brother-in-law over the phone, hubby finally decided to just clear the metal pieces tht got partially torn out from the front right corner of the car to avoid it scraping the tyres & continue driving back to KL. Of course the buzz around us intensified scaring us with "advice" tht we will cause more damage & we should wait for a tow truck. We left anyway, but we stopped by at Bukit Mertajam police station to lodge a police report (apparently because the accident is in Juru, we must report in the same area & not in KL). It was at the police station tht I caught the first glimpse of the damaged area. Wahliao! Like someone took a can opener & open the whole side cover above the right front wheel. Even the headlamp & cornerlight was crushed out of shape. Surprisingly, the headlamp is still functional; which is a blessing cos' by the time we left Bukit Mertajam & head back to the North South highway, it's already 6+pm.
Just when we start to settle in to our journey, with the torn metal flap protruding to the side (from the force of the wind as our car move forward) & ppl from other cars pointing at us. Smack! Crack! Suddenly a medium sized solar system appeared on our windscreen! A %$@$#@$% lorry drove over a piece of stone & it sling shot against our windscreen... Really really like the Malay saying "Sudah Jatuh Ditimpa Tangga"... Real Soey.... I think if we're more traditional thinking, we might have said "Aiya... we didn't check the lunar calendar to see whether it's safe to leave the house or not... That's why lar..." :-p
Anyway, we finally reached home without much incident. Phew... whattaday.... Fortunately we took an additional 1 day leave to run some errants. Now we have 1 additional errant... repair car!
Monday 7 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 3
Ming's back in Penang in the early morning! hehe.... mummy's "kai toi" (i.e. naughty boy in our dialect). We went to Ayer Itam for dim sum breakfast, then to Batu Lanchang to buy Nasi Kunyit & angku for prayers. We the crossed the bridge to Sungai Petani to pray at Datuk's worshiping place. Not tht we're very holy lar... go to 2 worshiping place in 1 holiday to Penang, but just thought of praying for my father-in-law's health, mummy & daddy continued good health & hopefully hubby & I can have a child for them to play with soon.
After prayers, we adjourned to a local banana leave rice stall for lunch. We had chicken vareval (dunno if it's spelled so, but it does sound so...), mango lassi & lime with mint! I must say, the best part of the lunch was the lime with mint.... It's so yummy & you don't feel so jelak after the heavy lunch. Most importantly, thanks to the mint, we had fresh breath as well (or so we thought)! :-)
We came back to Penang Island by around 3-4pm cos' we wanted to catch a Cantonese movie at the Cinema - "On His Majesty's Secret Service". I'll provide the review to this movie separately. Anyway, so we went to Queensbay again to have dinner (Japanese food) & then adjourned for movie at 9.30pm. Before dinner, we managed to go shopping for Ming's stuff at Padini's. He actually only wanted a long sleeved shirt for presentation, but we found a really nice & cheap coat on 70% off! Can't resist it, so insisted tht I buy it for him.... See... this che che so nice.... :-p but then... like tht easy to take advantage also.... ;-)
Before leaving for home, we again found a live stage performance for you-know-who/what near Sunshine Square (Bayan Baru). hehe... we stayed there till they finish at 12midnight, had supper at a nearby mamak place & back home to zzzzzzzzzzzzz.............
Sadly, the next day is time to leave.... so fast! I thought 3.5days is long enough.... sigh.... Oh but wait.... the story did not end with just a simple drive home.... wait for my next post to find out....
After prayers, we adjourned to a local banana leave rice stall for lunch. We had chicken vareval (dunno if it's spelled so, but it does sound so...), mango lassi & lime with mint! I must say, the best part of the lunch was the lime with mint.... It's so yummy & you don't feel so jelak after the heavy lunch. Most importantly, thanks to the mint, we had fresh breath as well (or so we thought)! :-)
We came back to Penang Island by around 3-4pm cos' we wanted to catch a Cantonese movie at the Cinema - "On His Majesty's Secret Service". I'll provide the review to this movie separately. Anyway, so we went to Queensbay again to have dinner (Japanese food) & then adjourned for movie at 9.30pm. Before dinner, we managed to go shopping for Ming's stuff at Padini's. He actually only wanted a long sleeved shirt for presentation, but we found a really nice & cheap coat on 70% off! Can't resist it, so insisted tht I buy it for him.... See... this che che so nice.... :-p but then... like tht easy to take advantage also.... ;-)
Before leaving for home, we again found a live stage performance for you-know-who/what near Sunshine Square (Bayan Baru). hehe... we stayed there till they finish at 12midnight, had supper at a nearby mamak place & back home to zzzzzzzzzzzzz.............
Sadly, the next day is time to leave.... so fast! I thought 3.5days is long enough.... sigh.... Oh but wait.... the story did not end with just a simple drive home.... wait for my next post to find out....
Friday 4 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 2
It's Saturday, day 2 of our trip. It was 1 of those days in Penang where we do nothing but eat! We started our feasting with Hockien Mee (Penang term... KL-ites will call it Prawn Mee aka Har Meen). Then we went to pray at the oldest Kun Yam temple in Penang. Felt an itty-bitty guilty cos' we had beef last night & Kun Yam preaches against taking beef. Oh well, the deed is done... I'm sure being the forgiving goddess she is, she'll be merciful on the slight errr... :-)
Oh... By the way, this is where I got my ears pierced... cried buckets then, but not because of pain... more because of the fear of it... hehe. Can you imagine the scare I got when I saw some stalls using fish-hook-like needles 'stabbed' into pieces of ginger & these hooks are then used to pierce some poor kids' ears?! Horrors! Although my parent finally brought me to the stall using more modern equipments - a 'gun' loaded with earring studs - & due to the accumulated fear from walking the "Green Mile", seeing the gruesome sights along the way... I was so scared tht the fella suggested to have 2 guns piercing my ears at once (I guess he's afraid tht I'll balk for the 2nd piercing & left with only 1 ear pierced). So imagine a small kid of 9 or so (tht's me), having 2 'guns' pointing to her ear lobes & BANG! Waterworks lar... :-p (my mum always said, how to have baby lar like tht... pain threshold so low...)
As usual I digress & now back to present. We then went around the Indian streets, where most of the spices, silks, saris, bangles, food, sweets - everything of Indian culture is there. It's just walking distance from the temple. The spices there's so cheap! 1 big bag of cinnamon sticks is just RM5! Naturally we bought tht. Then, there's my favourite Indian sweets - bought some of tht too... We had a good time exploring the streets with mum & dad - if only the continuous drizzle & occasional downpour would just cease! sigh...
We then drove to Chowrasta on Penang road to check on the favourite 'Tau Sar Peah' shop (Ping Kuan), but it was closed. So we adjourned to our favourite old establishment - Cintra Street Bachang! We've been going there since my childhood & grandpa's still around. Unfortunately the Chu Chap Chok stall is not open (another old establishment known only by locals).
My parent by always obliging their precious beloved daughter's every request ( :-p yeah... am quite spoiled I know...), we went to Penang Ayer Itam dam. I love this place. It's always cooling, breezy & I always loved walking around the dam (not running... just strolling... ahhh....). It's the best place to bring a book & just read (which I did! while the rest of the family napped in a small 'hut' / pegola) beside the dam.
As usual, my dad gets restless after a short period of inactivity (speed up by the flies & mosquitoes - Note to Self: remember to bring insect repellent in future). We then adjourned to Ayer Itam market area (at the foot of the hill Penang dam is located) to see if there are good Tau Sa Pea shop around. Unfortunately because it's so near Kek Lok Si, it's at touristy price. So we ended up....? Eating again! This time Char Kway Teow, Curry Mee & good thick Hainanese coffee. Wah... really no rest in food leh....
After resting for a bit, we went out for dinner at Relau. Funny thing was, we didn't plan to stay back late, but a nearby temple is hosting a live performance (singing) stage show & the music was blaring really-really loud, so we went & take a look. The performance is actually staged for the spirits, but I think there are just as many people as there are spirits watching tht show. The singers are surprisingly good. We ended up staying there till about 11pm! hehe... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Oh... By the way, this is where I got my ears pierced... cried buckets then, but not because of pain... more because of the fear of it... hehe. Can you imagine the scare I got when I saw some stalls using fish-hook-like needles 'stabbed' into pieces of ginger & these hooks are then used to pierce some poor kids' ears?! Horrors! Although my parent finally brought me to the stall using more modern equipments - a 'gun' loaded with earring studs - & due to the accumulated fear from walking the "Green Mile", seeing the gruesome sights along the way... I was so scared tht the fella suggested to have 2 guns piercing my ears at once (I guess he's afraid tht I'll balk for the 2nd piercing & left with only 1 ear pierced). So imagine a small kid of 9 or so (tht's me), having 2 'guns' pointing to her ear lobes & BANG! Waterworks lar... :-p (my mum always said, how to have baby lar like tht... pain threshold so low...)
As usual I digress & now back to present. We then went around the Indian streets, where most of the spices, silks, saris, bangles, food, sweets - everything of Indian culture is there. It's just walking distance from the temple. The spices there's so cheap! 1 big bag of cinnamon sticks is just RM5! Naturally we bought tht. Then, there's my favourite Indian sweets - bought some of tht too... We had a good time exploring the streets with mum & dad - if only the continuous drizzle & occasional downpour would just cease! sigh...
We then drove to Chowrasta on Penang road to check on the favourite 'Tau Sar Peah' shop (Ping Kuan), but it was closed. So we adjourned to our favourite old establishment - Cintra Street Bachang! We've been going there since my childhood & grandpa's still around. Unfortunately the Chu Chap Chok stall is not open (another old establishment known only by locals).
My parent by always obliging their precious beloved daughter's every request ( :-p yeah... am quite spoiled I know...), we went to Penang Ayer Itam dam. I love this place. It's always cooling, breezy & I always loved walking around the dam (not running... just strolling... ahhh....). It's the best place to bring a book & just read (which I did! while the rest of the family napped in a small 'hut' / pegola) beside the dam.
As usual, my dad gets restless after a short period of inactivity (speed up by the flies & mosquitoes - Note to Self: remember to bring insect repellent in future). We then adjourned to Ayer Itam market area (at the foot of the hill Penang dam is located) to see if there are good Tau Sa Pea shop around. Unfortunately because it's so near Kek Lok Si, it's at touristy price. So we ended up....? Eating again! This time Char Kway Teow, Curry Mee & good thick Hainanese coffee. Wah... really no rest in food leh....
After resting for a bit, we went out for dinner at Relau. Funny thing was, we didn't plan to stay back late, but a nearby temple is hosting a live performance (singing) stage show & the music was blaring really-really loud, so we went & take a look. The performance is actually staged for the spirits, but I think there are just as many people as there are spirits watching tht show. The singers are surprisingly good. We ended up staying there till about 11pm! hehe... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 1
Took Friday off to go back to Penang during the Merdeka w/end (was there from Friday till Monday). As usual, a trip to Penang means eat-eat-eat & eat.... We practically didn't have the chance to have an empty stomach for even a short hour in a day! :-p
Wah, very long oledi... I think I better break my updates on my trip into several 'bite-size' portions... Otherwise would be too long. Day 2 coming up...
Day 1: Didn't do much on Friday.... We started around 7+am in the morning. Stopped at Simpang Pulai (I think....) to refill petrol - we tried Ron95 on Camry for the first time!... (che..... a bit of advertising... Camry oso can use Shell Ron95 wooo.... no problemo....). Oh... forgot to mention... It rained the whole time we travelled from South to North tht we were amazed the Peninsular did not "drown" from the amount of rainfall it's getting! Choi!....
Stopped at another rest area right before Ipoh cos' hubby is getting sleepy & finally entered into Ipoh town for dim sum b/fast. Whenever we cross Ipoh early in the morning, hubby will definitely make it a point to visit Foo Shan (an apparently famous & long time establishment) to have dim sum... Took us a while to find though, cos' they've moved to a new building. When we found it (thanks to the help of a local uncle & auntie), wahliao! The crowd! It was drizzling on a weekday & yet it was so packed, we can't find a seat in the 2 storey, 3-4 shoplot space area! You know me... I'm always the type who just hates it when I have to stand/walk around hunting for place to seat & the waiters / waitress are just too busy (or too good business to bother... you-don't-wait-it's-your-loss-I-have-100-lining-up-outside-attitude) to assist. I mean, I'm paying good money & yet need to go through the stress of "fighting" stares with other ppl who are equally trying to get seats? No way... So despite hubby's fixation of having Foo Shan & the mentality tht the neighbouring dim sum shops (long tht street alone, I think there are 3-4 other dim sum shops) will never beat Foo Shan, we left. I can't remember the name of the restaurant we went to, but the dim sum is delish! The "wu-kok" (fried yam pastry filled with savoury "chasiew" pork) is the size of our fist! eh wait... to be more accurate, hubby's fist... mine is small in comparison! :-p
Wow... Can't belief I used 1 whole paragraph writing up just on my 1st day b/fast! Oh well... The rest of the journey was uneventful & we reached Penang around 1pm & had lunch with mum & dad at a local economy rice stall. The day is then spent on doing banking work & renew our Touch & Go card (we just found out tht the card has 10-yrs expiry & ours will be expiring in Oct'09 - better change now) since it's a working day.
After dinner of Beef Kway Teow, we went to Queensbay Mall just to walk off the dinner... :-) Did more window shopping than serious buying. Oh! found Judith McNaught book at a bargain in Borders, so I bought it for my collection. Also bought a pair of knee-length shorts cos' I didn't pack extra shorts for travelling on hot days - just in case...Wah, very long oledi... I think I better break my updates on my trip into several 'bite-size' portions... Otherwise would be too long. Day 2 coming up...
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Packed Like....
I'm referring to the packed condition of our commuter. I know I know I've ranted enough on this topic, but just want to add another comment.
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
Tiring Weekend
Last weekend was tiring & what's worse, I felt like most of it are from non-value adding activities (yikes! talking like a corporate robot now....)
We spent nearly 6hrs listening to a vacation club talk! Worse, we ended signing up for it. It's a Club membership with Golden Crown Resort (GCR) & a cruise membership with OVR (can't remember the full name). After hearing all the scary stories of scam etc & despite being able to verify the company to be "reputable" with its dealings with M'sia Tourism Board, we're still worried tht there's a catch somewhere. Fortunately there's a 10-Days cooling off period, so hubby is planning of cancelling the subscription be it genuine / fake. If anyone of you know about the above companies & have news abt them, do share. Even if I plan to cancel the membership, doesn't mean tht I don't plan to join it in future (if it's indeed a genuine membership).
That was Saturday... By the time we reach home, have dinner & clean up the dishes, I can't even lift up my eye-lids... The minute I put my head on the pillow, I fell asleep. Hubby said it was abt 10pm at tht time.
Sunday we had a full day course on forex trading. Hubby lar... I didn't wanna go, but he insisted... So go lor... To be honest, after the training, I'm more convinced tht stocks market is a better & safer investment than forex. No doubt there are ways to ensure we don't lose everything / techniques to track for opportunities, but it'll require full time monitoring because it only takes a few minutes to lose all your capital. Anyway, we left home at around 8.30am, had b/fast & arrived at the "class" at 9am. We finished at 5pm & I was already zombie like. Amazingly, I managed to stay awake to watch Death Race (see Movie Review) to the end at my sis-in-law's hse (she has a home theatre room - complete with reclining chairs, surround sound system & sound proofed / padded walls).
And on Monday I woke up at 6am so tht hubby can start journey back to PD at 6.40am! How we managed to stay awake I had no idea....
We spent nearly 6hrs listening to a vacation club talk! Worse, we ended signing up for it. It's a Club membership with Golden Crown Resort (GCR) & a cruise membership with OVR (can't remember the full name). After hearing all the scary stories of scam etc & despite being able to verify the company to be "reputable" with its dealings with M'sia Tourism Board, we're still worried tht there's a catch somewhere. Fortunately there's a 10-Days cooling off period, so hubby is planning of cancelling the subscription be it genuine / fake. If anyone of you know about the above companies & have news abt them, do share. Even if I plan to cancel the membership, doesn't mean tht I don't plan to join it in future (if it's indeed a genuine membership).
That was Saturday... By the time we reach home, have dinner & clean up the dishes, I can't even lift up my eye-lids... The minute I put my head on the pillow, I fell asleep. Hubby said it was abt 10pm at tht time.
Sunday we had a full day course on forex trading. Hubby lar... I didn't wanna go, but he insisted... So go lor... To be honest, after the training, I'm more convinced tht stocks market is a better & safer investment than forex. No doubt there are ways to ensure we don't lose everything / techniques to track for opportunities, but it'll require full time monitoring because it only takes a few minutes to lose all your capital. Anyway, we left home at around 8.30am, had b/fast & arrived at the "class" at 9am. We finished at 5pm & I was already zombie like. Amazingly, I managed to stay awake to watch Death Race (see Movie Review) to the end at my sis-in-law's hse (she has a home theatre room - complete with reclining chairs, surround sound system & sound proofed / padded walls).
And on Monday I woke up at 6am so tht hubby can start journey back to PD at 6.40am! How we managed to stay awake I had no idea....
Monday 24 August 2009
Movie Review: Death Race
I know it's an old movie, but I missed it when it was aired on cinemas, so hubby & I bought the DVD to watch at home.
Not bad... I'm officially a fan of Jason Staton. The race in the movie is really cool & I love the ending.
The show is abt US in 2012, where the economy collapsed & unemployment rate increased to an all time high. The government, bankcrupt, had to corporatize the prisons into profit making establishment. That was how Death Race was born. Not only the prisoners had to race, their race cars are also equiped with machine guns, bombs, smoke, oil etc to shoot down their opponents (now you know why it's called Death Race - it's racing, cheating death & cross the finish line! literally).
These races (in 3 stages) is then sold live on the internet for a fee (like Astro On Demand like tht lar)...
Good show & it's not all about races. Am not going to tell more abt the extras... find out yourself (if you've not watched it). Warning: It can be very violent though.
Not bad... I'm officially a fan of Jason Staton. The race in the movie is really cool & I love the ending.
The show is abt US in 2012, where the economy collapsed & unemployment rate increased to an all time high. The government, bankcrupt, had to corporatize the prisons into profit making establishment. That was how Death Race was born. Not only the prisoners had to race, their race cars are also equiped with machine guns, bombs, smoke, oil etc to shoot down their opponents (now you know why it's called Death Race - it's racing, cheating death & cross the finish line! literally).
These races (in 3 stages) is then sold live on the internet for a fee (like Astro On Demand like tht lar)...
Good show & it's not all about races. Am not going to tell more abt the extras... find out yourself (if you've not watched it). Warning: It can be very violent though.
Friday 21 August 2009
Dream Home In Smithereens
Hubby & I have been house hunting for a long time. We know we can't stay at my parent-in-law house forever. The eldest son's daughter is going to enter Primary School in a year's time. We can't be expecting the poor girl to sleep with the parent all the time. That would be so inconvenient to ahem.... beget another sibling.
However, our Dream Home is a tough one because it needs to fulfill several of the following criteria:
1. Should be around Seremban because it's a manageable drive between PD & KL, a good place to bring up children & not too "ulu" (i.e. rural) that we can't enjoy some city pleasures
2. It needs to have enough land for a swimming pool (hubby insists tht it's a pre-requisite for his dream home. Nothing I / dad say can change his mind)
3. The house needs to have at least 5 sizable rooms. 1 Master bedroom, 1 Girl's room, 1 Boy's room, 1 Library / Study & 1 Media Room
4. Safe neighbourhood for children to play outside of the house compound & for me to return home without fear of snatch thief.
However, our Dream Home is a tough one because it needs to fulfill several of the following criteria:
1. Should be around Seremban because it's a manageable drive between PD & KL, a good place to bring up children & not too "ulu" (i.e. rural) that we can't enjoy some city pleasures
2. It needs to have enough land for a swimming pool (hubby insists tht it's a pre-requisite for his dream home. Nothing I / dad say can change his mind)
3. The house needs to have at least 5 sizable rooms. 1 Master bedroom, 1 Girl's room, 1 Boy's room, 1 Library / Study & 1 Media Room
4. Safe neighbourhood for children to play outside of the house compound & for me to return home without fear of snatch thief.
After viewing houses after houses. Bungalow land after bungalow land. Nearly committing on a so-so new bungalow facing West at Seremban 2; we finally found a gem!!! We found a house on 960, Bukit Rasah with the setting like Gasing Hill. Picturesque, cooling green trees, old but comfy houses, joggers / people walking their dogs... sigh... it was heaven. The house itself is extremely old - more than 25yrs, double storey with 6 rooms, 1 wet & 1 dry kitchen, large dining & living room with total build-up of about 5,000sqft. It's on a piece of 11,000sqft freehold land, with enough space for a swimming pool, vegetable garden (wishful thinking), badminton court, dog kennel, tool shed, tea house & still have space for more (mmm.... dreaming of shady trees around some koi pond / bonsai garden around the tea hse). We found it!! Our dream home....
ok gotta admit tht it's not all heaven lar.... there's still the concern of the psychedelic coloured tiles from floor to ceiling for the 4 walls of the hse, the pillars & the floor (imagine brown water drop shape & blue background squares & repeated throughout the outer walls of the building! purple, lilac, pink & white small-small tiles like the ones you still see in some toilets, for the floor & the pillars... arrrggghhh!!!!). So there's still be a lot tht we need to put in to make it nice & livable. We finally agreed to purchase at RM4ook - just nice for our budget & some spare for us to renovate.
We immediately engaged a lawyer & issued a cheque as earnest money to secure the property. 1st bad omen came in the form of the seller wanting to change lawyer from 1 in Seremban to another in KL. Was later told tht the new lawyer is actually the granddaughter of the land owner. So, we have to recall the cheque & await for the new lawyer's details to issue the cheque.
2nd bad omen... We were told the new lawyer don't want any earnest money to commit the property. Upon signing of the S&P, then only they collect the full 10% deposit. However S&P signing can take weeks / mths depending the disputes raised between the 2 lawyers. So it's really strange that the seller doesn't want to accept the deposit / earnest money / sign any letter of offer / provide any written confirmation tht she's agreeable to sell the property to us. A sense of foreboding envelops us.....
The bad news was finally delivered about 1 week after we have engaged our lawyer & submitted my loan applications along with all my documents.... The new lawyer-cum-granddaughter is asking for RM405k & she even said tht we should not "disturb" the old lady (her grandma & owner to the land). Any disagreement should go through her. Hubby & I was puzzled at first... RM5k?!?! RM5k to break her grandma's words... Isn't tht "insulting" tht her grandma's words / commitment to us is just worth RM5k? However considering the small sum, hubby agreed anyway.
However, the more we talked, the more we felt cheated. It isn't about the amount. What is RM5k, when we're already paying RM400k & another RM100k for renovation? Even dad thought that it was really shoddily done. What if we agree with RM405k & later they say RM410k, cos' we still have not signed any letter of offer... So, hubby quickly called back the agent & said, our stand is still RM400k. If RM405k, the deal is off". A few minutes later, we got our reply, "Deal is off mar deal is off lor..." @#%@$#@%&*#$@... the cheek to even use tht tone!
Dunno if the story tht was told to me about this owner is true, so I'll just take it with a pinch of salt. The story tht was told to me was tht this old lady (land owner - her name is on the land grant) is the 2nd wife & her husband has died, but bequeathed the property to her. She had no children of her own, is very sick & is relying on the 1st wife's children to take care of her. The children are now fighting for the "inheritance" / share of the "spoils".
Book Review: The Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings
Before I start this review, I would like to record that my friend (Ee Lin, who's also a fan of Eddings' books) & I are deeply saddened that our favourite author - David Eddings has passed away. Though it was already a few months back, but since I'm reviewing his books.... I thought it was only appropriate to mention it here.
Now, about this book.... where do I start?.... I think so far this has to be the longest 1-book story that I have ever read from Eddings (913 pages!). Maybe because the story is completed in 1 book, while most of his other books are in series (The Belgariad - 5 books, The Elenium - 3 books, The Mallorean - 5 books etc). If you're not familiar to Eddings' works & are wondering what's all this funny names about - well, just imagine Tolkiens & his work for Lord of The Rings, they are the same genre.
Anyway, back to Althalus. The story is about a young, skillful & "lucky" thief called Althalus, who 1 day ran out of luck & on several occasions barely escaped with his body intact. Depressed & with light pockets, he went into hiding at his favourite campsite "tavern" (of sort). There he met a strange character called Ghend, who tasked him to steal a book for him from the house at the edge of the world (at tht time, people thought that the earth was flat) in return for gold equivalent to the weight of the book.
Ghend is actually the follower of Daeva - God of Darkness, pro-creation, nothingness. Deiwos is the God of Creation & Light. Dweia is a Goddess of Life (birth & death, fertility, tending to the creatures created by Deiwos). While Althalus, after meeting Dweia at the house on the edge of the world (at tht time he doesn't know she's a Goddess) & learn to read / utilize the white book of Deiwos, ended up being the defender of all creations.
To cut a long story short, Ghend & his minions with his black book of Daeva vs Althalus, the white book of Deiwos & his assortment of followers - each with their own special characteristics / powers do battle in their bit to (1) destroy the world into nothingness (Ghend / Daeva) or (2) maintain the world & its creatures (Althalus / Dweia - lastly Deiwos). Of course in the end, good managed to overcome evil & the world is saved. Althalus ended up "married" to Dweia (oh.... I forgot to mention tht Althalus is in a way immortal because he lived to 3000-4000 years while in the house at the edge of the world / Deiwos' hse).
Ah..... how satisfying.... A true Eddings work... witty characters, thick plots & keep you on your toes from start to finish. Wonder if they'll do something similar like LOTR for Eddings' works? Would also love it if Raymond E. Feist books are turned to movies (hopefully of the same quality as LOTR). Now who's Feist? I'll write about his books sometime.....
Now, about this book.... where do I start?.... I think so far this has to be the longest 1-book story that I have ever read from Eddings (913 pages!). Maybe because the story is completed in 1 book, while most of his other books are in series (The Belgariad - 5 books, The Elenium - 3 books, The Mallorean - 5 books etc). If you're not familiar to Eddings' works & are wondering what's all this funny names about - well, just imagine Tolkiens & his work for Lord of The Rings, they are the same genre.
Anyway, back to Althalus. The story is about a young, skillful & "lucky" thief called Althalus, who 1 day ran out of luck & on several occasions barely escaped with his body intact. Depressed & with light pockets, he went into hiding at his favourite campsite "tavern" (of sort). There he met a strange character called Ghend, who tasked him to steal a book for him from the house at the edge of the world (at tht time, people thought that the earth was flat) in return for gold equivalent to the weight of the book.
Ghend is actually the follower of Daeva - God of Darkness, pro-creation, nothingness. Deiwos is the God of Creation & Light. Dweia is a Goddess of Life (birth & death, fertility, tending to the creatures created by Deiwos). While Althalus, after meeting Dweia at the house on the edge of the world (at tht time he doesn't know she's a Goddess) & learn to read / utilize the white book of Deiwos, ended up being the defender of all creations.
To cut a long story short, Ghend & his minions with his black book of Daeva vs Althalus, the white book of Deiwos & his assortment of followers - each with their own special characteristics / powers do battle in their bit to (1) destroy the world into nothingness (Ghend / Daeva) or (2) maintain the world & its creatures (Althalus / Dweia - lastly Deiwos). Of course in the end, good managed to overcome evil & the world is saved. Althalus ended up "married" to Dweia (oh.... I forgot to mention tht Althalus is in a way immortal because he lived to 3000-4000 years while in the house at the edge of the world / Deiwos' hse).
Ah..... how satisfying.... A true Eddings work... witty characters, thick plots & keep you on your toes from start to finish. Wonder if they'll do something similar like LOTR for Eddings' works? Would also love it if Raymond E. Feist books are turned to movies (hopefully of the same quality as LOTR). Now who's Feist? I'll write about his books sometime.....
Thursday 20 August 2009
Movie Review: GI Joe
This show can be summarized in 1 sentence : Typical male movie.
Not that it's bad. The girls are hot, the men are... oklar... The sci-fi gadgets were amazing & believable, the CGI nicely done, story line.... oklar... not fantastic, but not like totally non-existant like some similar genre movies... So verdict is so-so...
Not that it's bad. The girls are hot, the men are... oklar... The sci-fi gadgets were amazing & believable, the CGI nicely done, story line.... oklar... not fantastic, but not like totally non-existant like some similar genre movies... So verdict is so-so...
Book Review: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
That's right, Quinn did a good job in getting me hooked to the Bridgerton family. This time it's Anthony's story. Since his name started with "A", so you're correct if you guessed that he's the first child (for those who read my previous reviews on her books).
I can't remember if I mentioned tht the Bridgerton children lost their dad to a bee sting at around 38/39 yrs of age (apparently he got stung the 2nd time & tht took his life...). Anyway, Anthony being the eldest (he was 18 when his father died), was the most impacted because he was daddy's boy through & through. Co-incidentally his uncle also died at the young age of late 30s. So he had this notion that the men of his family will not live beyond their 30s.
As a result, he went all out to "enjoy" his life (women, card games etc), but without sacrificing his "duty" to his family & lineage. His 1 greatest fear is to fall in love because he doesn't want the burden of a heartbreak when the time comes for him to expire & he doesn't want his widow to suffer like his mum (for his mother & father is a love match). So in his early 30, in trying to ensure tht he has an heir, he decided to get married BUT without falling in love.
In came the Sheffield family. It consists of Mary (the second wife), her daughter Edwina & her step daughter, Kate, whom she cared for as her own after the death of her husband - Kate's father. While Mary & Edwina is fair, blonde & petite, Kate is all the opposite. While they are soft spoken, gentle & graceful, Kate is the exact opposite as well. However they loved each other dearly.
Edwina attracted the attention of Anthony as a suitable wife candidate because she's pretty & smart enough, but there's no risky spark tht would make him fall in love with her. However due to his reputation of being a rake, Kate went all out in preventing him from pursuing her sister. In a chain of events & a "scandal" (not going to go through the details - if it piqued your interest, do read it), Anthony & Kate ended up married to each other instead!
Anyways, it started "without" love (or rather they refuse to acknowledge there's such feelings), but all ends well. Oh yea... and Anthony managed to the ripe old age of 92!
I can't remember if I mentioned tht the Bridgerton children lost their dad to a bee sting at around 38/39 yrs of age (apparently he got stung the 2nd time & tht took his life...). Anyway, Anthony being the eldest (he was 18 when his father died), was the most impacted because he was daddy's boy through & through. Co-incidentally his uncle also died at the young age of late 30s. So he had this notion that the men of his family will not live beyond their 30s.
As a result, he went all out to "enjoy" his life (women, card games etc), but without sacrificing his "duty" to his family & lineage. His 1 greatest fear is to fall in love because he doesn't want the burden of a heartbreak when the time comes for him to expire & he doesn't want his widow to suffer like his mum (for his mother & father is a love match). So in his early 30, in trying to ensure tht he has an heir, he decided to get married BUT without falling in love.
In came the Sheffield family. It consists of Mary (the second wife), her daughter Edwina & her step daughter, Kate, whom she cared for as her own after the death of her husband - Kate's father. While Mary & Edwina is fair, blonde & petite, Kate is all the opposite. While they are soft spoken, gentle & graceful, Kate is the exact opposite as well. However they loved each other dearly.
Edwina attracted the attention of Anthony as a suitable wife candidate because she's pretty & smart enough, but there's no risky spark tht would make him fall in love with her. However due to his reputation of being a rake, Kate went all out in preventing him from pursuing her sister. In a chain of events & a "scandal" (not going to go through the details - if it piqued your interest, do read it), Anthony & Kate ended up married to each other instead!
Anyways, it started "without" love (or rather they refuse to acknowledge there's such feelings), but all ends well. Oh yea... and Anthony managed to the ripe old age of 92!
Friday 7 August 2009
Series Review: It Started With a Kiss
"It Started With a Kiss" is a Taiwanese romantic comedy drama series. It's actually quite some time back already, but am only starting to watch it recently. I'm up to Episode 15 now & I think I'm only hitting the half-way mark.
I can't belief I'll actually follow a drama series. Sometimes I find it a chore to follow episode by episode. I was the sort who likes everything over & done with in 3hrs (like the regular movies). I'm ok with Lord of The Rings length of like 3-4hrs x 3. But 1hr x 40/50 episodes? It grates on my nerves. Not to mention tht series can be quite slow paced at times. Even crying & moaning can take almost an entire episode, turning me into an impatient child in a long trip repeating the mantra "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" every other minute.
The good thing about this drama series is that every single episode has something really funny / really embarassing on the heroinne, so it makes plodding through the many-many episodes bearable & I actually look forward to finding out the result of her mishaps. Not to mention Jiro fr Farrenheit is in the show. Although he's all goofy & all, but I kinda like looking at his face. He has a clown's face when acting silly characters but looks really cool when not. I've gone past the phase of "hero worship" like in my teenage years where I only look at Take That members, Jimmy Lin & Takeshi Kaneshiro; & whoever more handsome / more talented / more whatever will not shake my "loyalty" to them... Thank God that was over! Now I just admire looking at good looking guys / sweet looking gals in general & tht's it! phew....
I can't belief I'll actually follow a drama series. Sometimes I find it a chore to follow episode by episode. I was the sort who likes everything over & done with in 3hrs (like the regular movies). I'm ok with Lord of The Rings length of like 3-4hrs x 3. But 1hr x 40/50 episodes? It grates on my nerves. Not to mention tht series can be quite slow paced at times. Even crying & moaning can take almost an entire episode, turning me into an impatient child in a long trip repeating the mantra "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" every other minute.
The good thing about this drama series is that every single episode has something really funny / really embarassing on the heroinne, so it makes plodding through the many-many episodes bearable & I actually look forward to finding out the result of her mishaps. Not to mention Jiro fr Farrenheit is in the show. Although he's all goofy & all, but I kinda like looking at his face. He has a clown's face when acting silly characters but looks really cool when not. I've gone past the phase of "hero worship" like in my teenage years where I only look at Take That members, Jimmy Lin & Takeshi Kaneshiro; & whoever more handsome / more talented / more whatever will not shake my "loyalty" to them... Thank God that was over! Now I just admire looking at good looking guys / sweet looking gals in general & tht's it! phew....
Wednesday 5 August 2009
More Funnies in Quotable Quotes
I came across this quote from Rita Rudner (errr... dunno who is she)
"I know I want to have children while my parents are still young enough to take care of them"
then I thought...
"I know I want to have children while my parents are still alive to see them!!!"
Lately, everyone in hubby's family is super worried of my father-in-law. This year is really a bad year for him, health wise. He had pneumonia & his heart enlarged for some reason. So he was put on medication that he has to take daily - about 10-15 pills. He lost a lot of weight that his "smiling-Buddha" tummy has totally disappeared! A few months later, he recovered a bit....
Recently he had prostate problem again (this is his 3rd / 4th re-occurance) & had to go for a minor surgery again so that he can urinate without pain. But he needs to be on medication again & his already haggard body looks worse now...
The pressure is on me again to quickly have a kid & hopefully it's a boy too!! Sigh..... So now you know why I came up with the statement above?
Status update on my current un-pregnant condition?
Well, I was refered to another gynae who supposedly made numerous women with problem, pregnant (errr.... by the way, the gynae is a she, so when I said made women pregnant, I don't mean the gynae doing it! :-p) & the clinic is in Seremban. As usual, she got my background & stuff & she found out tht my hubby & I live separately because of our work location, but we do meet about at least 4 nights a week (more if it's my "fertile" period). What she said next was surprising.... maybe it was her attempt of joking & putting us at ease. She said "Well, meeting more often might not neccesarily mean higher chances anyway. After 5yrs of marriange, it's not like you wanna do it everyday anymore..."
huh.... hubby & I looked at each other....
:-) Well.... I'm not going to declare my sex life in the internet, but after 5-yrs, so far so good.... (minus the sometimes stress of baby-making thoughts)...
"I know I want to have children while my parents are still young enough to take care of them"
then I thought...
"I know I want to have children while my parents are still alive to see them!!!"
Lately, everyone in hubby's family is super worried of my father-in-law. This year is really a bad year for him, health wise. He had pneumonia & his heart enlarged for some reason. So he was put on medication that he has to take daily - about 10-15 pills. He lost a lot of weight that his "smiling-Buddha" tummy has totally disappeared! A few months later, he recovered a bit....
Recently he had prostate problem again (this is his 3rd / 4th re-occurance) & had to go for a minor surgery again so that he can urinate without pain. But he needs to be on medication again & his already haggard body looks worse now...
The pressure is on me again to quickly have a kid & hopefully it's a boy too!! Sigh..... So now you know why I came up with the statement above?
Status update on my current un-pregnant condition?
Well, I was refered to another gynae who supposedly made numerous women with problem, pregnant (errr.... by the way, the gynae is a she, so when I said made women pregnant, I don't mean the gynae doing it! :-p) & the clinic is in Seremban. As usual, she got my background & stuff & she found out tht my hubby & I live separately because of our work location, but we do meet about at least 4 nights a week (more if it's my "fertile" period). What she said next was surprising.... maybe it was her attempt of joking & putting us at ease. She said "Well, meeting more often might not neccesarily mean higher chances anyway. After 5yrs of marriange, it's not like you wanna do it everyday anymore..."
huh.... hubby & I looked at each other....
:-) Well.... I'm not going to declare my sex life in the internet, but after 5-yrs, so far so good.... (minus the sometimes stress of baby-making thoughts)...
Tuesday 4 August 2009
Massive Jam Last Saturday
Yea.. yea... I know it's not news.... everyone had to go through that ordeal the minute they leave home.
Hubby & I initially hoped tht we can stay home & hole ourselves in PD to avoid the jam, but his boss is throwing a party for his baby's full moon celebration. Worse, it's right in Bukit Pantai, so we have to really "redah" all the "hot-spots" in KL...
Since the party starts from 4pm right to the evening, we thought we'll leave Cheras at 4pm. The crowd at the Istana should have dispersed by then... Boy were we wrong...
We left Cheras close to 4pm. It was smooth sailing till somewhere in front of UE3, then the real jam starts. We managed to reach Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka & thinking that the Istana road should be open by now, we tried to take the road to Istana, only to find out that it was sealed. We had to make a u-turn at Sg Besi & come back to the main road towards Chinese Assembly hall & hope to hit Federal Highway from there. We drove all the way there only to find that it was sealed as well. We had to make a u-turn & enter Petaling Street. At that time it was nearing 6pm. Hubby was boiling mad by that time & cursing all the police that were standing around guarding the blocked roads.
We finally took a road towards Brickfields & cut into Bangsar. Finally we get to cut into Bukit Pantai via Lucky Garden near Bangsar Village. By the time we arrived, it was nearly 7pm! Wah... damn tiring man....
Hubby & I initially hoped tht we can stay home & hole ourselves in PD to avoid the jam, but his boss is throwing a party for his baby's full moon celebration. Worse, it's right in Bukit Pantai, so we have to really "redah" all the "hot-spots" in KL...
Since the party starts from 4pm right to the evening, we thought we'll leave Cheras at 4pm. The crowd at the Istana should have dispersed by then... Boy were we wrong...
We left Cheras close to 4pm. It was smooth sailing till somewhere in front of UE3, then the real jam starts. We managed to reach Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka & thinking that the Istana road should be open by now, we tried to take the road to Istana, only to find out that it was sealed. We had to make a u-turn at Sg Besi & come back to the main road towards Chinese Assembly hall & hope to hit Federal Highway from there. We drove all the way there only to find that it was sealed as well. We had to make a u-turn & enter Petaling Street. At that time it was nearing 6pm. Hubby was boiling mad by that time & cursing all the police that were standing around guarding the blocked roads.
We finally took a road towards Brickfields & cut into Bangsar. Finally we get to cut into Bukit Pantai via Lucky Garden near Bangsar Village. By the time we arrived, it was nearly 7pm! Wah... damn tiring man....
I am a Cactus No More - errrr Attempting....
I got a firm message the other day to drink lotsa water because my body is having like 20/30% less water than a normal person should have. I was so used to being a cactus, suddenly asking me to drink more than 2L/day vs my normal 2 mugs is making me dizzy at first. I'm not talking about drinks... Drinks I have aplenty. Teh tarik, barley, herbal tea, ice lemon tea, lemonade etc... But what I'm still short of is pure water (H2O) without the "additives".
The first amazing discovery since forcing myself to gorge abt 2L of water/day (though admittedly some days I only managed 1++L) for the last 1 week, was that I get to sleep better. No more waking up 3-5times a night to go to the toilet. I now go to the toilet max 2 times a night (sometimes even less). However, during the day when I drink so much water, I was peeing every other hour lar...
As a result of that, towards the end of the week, I was more refreshed, probably from the uninterupted sleep (or maybe because it's nearing the weekend & I naturally start to perk up).
So far, the results looks good.... Let's see what other improvement it can bring... I was told it should help me lose weight... dunno if tht is true, but it's sure a cheap way of doing it.... not to mention safe.... :-)
So.... with all the drinking I need to do lately, it's no wonder I dun have time to update my blog..... ;-) (excuses..... :-p)
The first amazing discovery since forcing myself to gorge abt 2L of water/day (though admittedly some days I only managed 1++L) for the last 1 week, was that I get to sleep better. No more waking up 3-5times a night to go to the toilet. I now go to the toilet max 2 times a night (sometimes even less). However, during the day when I drink so much water, I was peeing every other hour lar...
As a result of that, towards the end of the week, I was more refreshed, probably from the uninterupted sleep (or maybe because it's nearing the weekend & I naturally start to perk up).
So far, the results looks good.... Let's see what other improvement it can bring... I was told it should help me lose weight... dunno if tht is true, but it's sure a cheap way of doing it.... not to mention safe.... :-)
So.... with all the drinking I need to do lately, it's no wonder I dun have time to update my blog..... ;-) (excuses..... :-p)
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Choose your boss not your job
As much as possible I try not to resort to plagiarism, but this article written by a coleague (I don't know him, but it's posted on the internal web blog) that is too good not to be shared. I won't copy the whole article but I'll just pick a few key phrases / points on this topic :
A good boss will usually rescue a bad job. Think about it - is it in the interests of the boss to leave you, multitalented you, languishing in something that is not fulfilling or value adding? No. In most cases, you can do a deal to fix it.
And a bad boss will usually destroy a good job. Who gives you a mandate? Who do you stress about all the time? Who writes your staff report? Who fixes you up with later moves? Yes...choose badly and you are in big trouble, my friend.
If I think through my career, probably the single biggest determinant of whether I was happy, productive, developing or duly rewarded was the boss at the time.
Oh tht is so... so.... true! I can't agree more! A lousy boss can be a nightmare to work with (or for...) even if the job is easy-peasy, the stress generated from & by these lousy bosses is enough to make you go bonkers..... I had an occasion when I was seriously contemplating resigning, not because I can't handle the work load, but more because I can't handle the boss.
There was another occasion where the workload was just inhuman! Working fr 7.30am - 12midnight / even 2-3am! Skipping meals & stress eating etc... Yet, because I had a really nice boss, it made the work still bearable.
What do you think?
A good boss will usually rescue a bad job. Think about it - is it in the interests of the boss to leave you, multitalented you, languishing in something that is not fulfilling or value adding? No. In most cases, you can do a deal to fix it.
And a bad boss will usually destroy a good job. Who gives you a mandate? Who do you stress about all the time? Who writes your staff report? Who fixes you up with later moves? Yes...choose badly and you are in big trouble, my friend.
If I think through my career, probably the single biggest determinant of whether I was happy, productive, developing or duly rewarded was the boss at the time.
Oh tht is so... so.... true! I can't agree more! A lousy boss can be a nightmare to work with (or for...) even if the job is easy-peasy, the stress generated from & by these lousy bosses is enough to make you go bonkers..... I had an occasion when I was seriously contemplating resigning, not because I can't handle the work load, but more because I can't handle the boss.
There was another occasion where the workload was just inhuman! Working fr 7.30am - 12midnight / even 2-3am! Skipping meals & stress eating etc... Yet, because I had a really nice boss, it made the work still bearable.
What do you think?
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