It's one of those days when you thought things are going surprisingly smooth & that maybe... just maybe, you can go home early... and suddenly... WHAM... "disaster" strikes and you need to go on a frenzy to tie everything up before the day ends. Dateline is today (be it now / 12midnight, it doesn't matter - but today)
That day is today.
It's past 6pm and I'm still waiting for one person down the chain to get something completed before I can activate the next action to be completed by another person at the other end of the chain... At this rate, am not sure when I can get home! *sigh*
Strange that a few years back I wouldn't have complained & worked till midnight if I have to. The baby really changed me. Now I'm not sure if I can get back to my old self of putting all in for work & dateline...
But hey... I'm still doing it now, so I guess it's a given. The difference is the willingness (& the amount of grumbling at the background... :-p)
Showing posts with label office moods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label office moods. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
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...
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....
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?
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Formula For Success - Rise Early, Work Hard & Strike Oil!
I open my blog this morning with this quote (forgot the name of the "quoter") & recall the conversation I had yesterday with my boss.
In this age & time, there is no such thing as Rise Early & Work Hard to get to the top. It's all:
- Work Smart
- Work Hard only for the "right" people
- Have the gift of a gab that can charm birds from trees
- Polish / suck-up / feign interests during conversations that doesn't entirely got anything to do with you / your work - you know wht I mean... It's called "Network" by the "sucker up-per"
You might be wondering how did this "ranting" come about. Well, recently I was invited to a dinner involving all the "big shots" - VP, VP-1, Finance Mgrs etc. I was told this is to give us "exposure" & "chance to network" / "give a good impression for future job movements". In this supposedly "crucial" event I did :
1. Pretty well - I spoke to the first person I met during the dinner & went on explaining about wht I do currently & even wht I did in my past assignments in the refinery. What I learnt along the way. Though need to brush up on my reply to the infamous "Where you see yourself 10-years from now?" question.
2. Stumble - because when someone asks me "Wht are you doing?" I misunderstood him & told him the department I was attached to, without elaborating further.
3. Soar - or at least I thought I hit the right note with my discussion / contribution to the topic of Brazil's "disastrous" fuel price de-regulation & how Malaysia is unlikely to experience that mess / how M'sia is different in negotiations / treatment of de-regulation plans / the political background behind such plans etc. I also brought in my experience when I was based at the refinery to talk about the supply end.
4. Be a good listener - even if they're bragging abt their new "expensive" hse, their nice "expat pool" in S'pore (I called d pool by tht name cos' only expats can afford their own private pool in crowded / expensive S'pore), their horses tht they ship from UK to S'pore... roll-eyes... Like I said earlier most of us had to feign interest cos' most of us can't even imagine, let alone afford tht kind of lifestyle. Wht inteligent conversation can we contribute to this, but listen?
On an overall, I thought I did quite well.
Until I was later advised by my boss (because aparently she got feedback for my less than lustre "performance") that it's perceived as I'm a person who's too quiet, has no potential to move up the corp ladder & wonder why I was invited in tht dinner in the first place! My God! Just from my 1 lousy reply (refer to 2), I'm sentenced to Death Row! That was just harsh!
The guy who gave tht feedback to my boss (may I add tht it was done in front of the out-going & in-coming Finance Directors!!) was busy "sucking-up" to someone & fretting about the food quality of the dinner (cos' he's the organizer) tht he didn't even notice when I was conducting "inteligent" conversations (refer 1 & 3) & picked on the 1 freaking time I stumbled because he happen to be listening in.
In all fairness, my current boss was very nice. She didn't judge me / make me feel as if I was written-off. In fact she was sympathetic & empathize my situation (w/out even knowing abt 1 & 3). She just said, it's her responsibility then to ensure she develops me in this area. She even tried to console & tell me not to be de-motivated by all this. She's telling me this so tht I know & can work towards developing my networking skills.
I was really really thankful for that understanding. It's only after I left her room & the more I thought about it, the more angry / indignant I was with the "evaluation" I got fr tht guy. Bet he thought he was a saint tht didn't make ANY mistakes. Oh well.... at least this experience tells me that the Formula for Success is NOT brains / effort... It's our gab... (that also explains some of the lousy managers tht I can't figure out how they can climb so high - the power of suck-up!)
Bottomline. Agree I need to learn how to network properly BUT.... I will never ever stoop down to suck-up! Afterall, if you think about it... These ppl whom we're trying to "polish" are also employees... "Slave" to the company (albeit a highly paid 1), so there's nothing extra special to command tht respect (except those who earned it - like the dear Mike T. Then the conversations will be genuine - not suck-up materials).
In this age & time, there is no such thing as Rise Early & Work Hard to get to the top. It's all:
- Work Smart
- Work Hard only for the "right" people
- Have the gift of a gab that can charm birds from trees
- Polish / suck-up / feign interests during conversations that doesn't entirely got anything to do with you / your work - you know wht I mean... It's called "Network" by the "sucker up-per"
You might be wondering how did this "ranting" come about. Well, recently I was invited to a dinner involving all the "big shots" - VP, VP-1, Finance Mgrs etc. I was told this is to give us "exposure" & "chance to network" / "give a good impression for future job movements". In this supposedly "crucial" event I did :
1. Pretty well - I spoke to the first person I met during the dinner & went on explaining about wht I do currently & even wht I did in my past assignments in the refinery. What I learnt along the way. Though need to brush up on my reply to the infamous "Where you see yourself 10-years from now?" question.
2. Stumble - because when someone asks me "Wht are you doing?" I misunderstood him & told him the department I was attached to, without elaborating further.
3. Soar - or at least I thought I hit the right note with my discussion / contribution to the topic of Brazil's "disastrous" fuel price de-regulation & how Malaysia is unlikely to experience that mess / how M'sia is different in negotiations / treatment of de-regulation plans / the political background behind such plans etc. I also brought in my experience when I was based at the refinery to talk about the supply end.
4. Be a good listener - even if they're bragging abt their new "expensive" hse, their nice "expat pool" in S'pore (I called d pool by tht name cos' only expats can afford their own private pool in crowded / expensive S'pore), their horses tht they ship from UK to S'pore... roll-eyes... Like I said earlier most of us had to feign interest cos' most of us can't even imagine, let alone afford tht kind of lifestyle. Wht inteligent conversation can we contribute to this, but listen?
On an overall, I thought I did quite well.
Until I was later advised by my boss (because aparently she got feedback for my less than lustre "performance") that it's perceived as I'm a person who's too quiet, has no potential to move up the corp ladder & wonder why I was invited in tht dinner in the first place! My God! Just from my 1 lousy reply (refer to 2), I'm sentenced to Death Row! That was just harsh!
The guy who gave tht feedback to my boss (may I add tht it was done in front of the out-going & in-coming Finance Directors!!) was busy "sucking-up" to someone & fretting about the food quality of the dinner (cos' he's the organizer) tht he didn't even notice when I was conducting "inteligent" conversations (refer 1 & 3) & picked on the 1 freaking time I stumbled because he happen to be listening in.
In all fairness, my current boss was very nice. She didn't judge me / make me feel as if I was written-off. In fact she was sympathetic & empathize my situation (w/out even knowing abt 1 & 3). She just said, it's her responsibility then to ensure she develops me in this area. She even tried to console & tell me not to be de-motivated by all this. She's telling me this so tht I know & can work towards developing my networking skills.
I was really really thankful for that understanding. It's only after I left her room & the more I thought about it, the more angry / indignant I was with the "evaluation" I got fr tht guy. Bet he thought he was a saint tht didn't make ANY mistakes. Oh well.... at least this experience tells me that the Formula for Success is NOT brains / effort... It's our gab... (that also explains some of the lousy managers tht I can't figure out how they can climb so high - the power of suck-up!)
Bottomline. Agree I need to learn how to network properly BUT.... I will never ever stoop down to suck-up! Afterall, if you think about it... These ppl whom we're trying to "polish" are also employees... "Slave" to the company (albeit a highly paid 1), so there's nothing extra special to command tht respect (except those who earned it - like the dear Mike T. Then the conversations will be genuine - not suck-up materials).
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Technology Has Taken Over Our Lives!
Arrgghh!!! I can't send out a single work related e-mails & receive any e-mails. How to work like tht....
What's more difficult is to pretend tht I'm actually productive when I practically can't do anything without my e-mail. what to do.... What to do...
What's more difficult is to pretend tht I'm actually productive when I practically can't do anything without my e-mail. what to do.... What to do...
Monday, 8 June 2009
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Last Day
Again I had breakfast in bed (can't help it. I love being pampered.... :-p) before heading off to the short walk to Times Square again. We target to stop work at 11.30am so tht I'll have enough time for lunch & catch the plane back to KL. My colleague was kind enough to send me all the way to the airport by car because he stays near Tsing Yi (which is on the way to the airport). So he'd work from our Tsing Yi plant after dropping me off at the airport.
We finished around 12noon & was worried we'll be late & thought of skipping lunch (since b/fast was really good). But my HK colleagues are confident there's more than enough time, so we finally had the infamous HK Dim Sum for lunch somewhere within Times Square as well. It was really good, but I think Malaysian's Dim Sum (the high end restaurants tht is... not the cikai RM3/plate variety) are equally good (in taste & price!).
Off we rushed to the airport (no last minute shopping for me). It would have been an uneventful check-in & flight back if not for a "leak" tht was detected from the aircraft I was on board. Fortunately they found it when the plane was still on the ground & the plane was not cleared for take-off until the cause of the leak is found & repaired. The pilot was communicating to us over the PA system throughout the whole 1.5hrs delay - updating us on the status of the repair, while apologising profusely each time he's on air to update. Chronology of update :
1. Technicians found source of leak
2. Engineers inspected the leak & identified repairs / spare-parts to be obtained
3. Awaiting the engineers to secure the spare part required
4. The efficient ground crew & engineers of HK airport has finally managed to repair the leak. The flight is now fit for take-off (hurrah! ;-))
Throughout the whole announcements, I keep whispering inside - take your time.... no need to apologise. Just get me back in 1 piece & alive, I'm happy. Who cares if I'm delayed for 5hrs, rather than not arrive at all!
A lady sitting in the other side of the aisle was a bit worried though. She & her family were suppose to board a plane (Air Asia) fr LCCT to Kota Bharu. With the delay, she may very well miss her flight. So throughout the 1.5hrs wait, she was asking the steward on what can be done for her tickets (which understandably she was a bit agitated cos' she'll burn 4 Air Asia tickets because of this delay). As much as he tried to help, the fact tht it was Air Asia, the steward was not able to help her much (or at least tht was as much as I managed to pick - not tht I was eaves-dropping, but the conversation was occuring right beside me!). I was praying tht she'll not make a fuss because I don't want to put too much undue pressure on the steward, which will then transfer it to the pilot, which then transfer tht pressure to the engineers, who'll then do a shoddy job just to shut everyone up (I certainly hope not even if this does happen!)!
Sigh.... This happens too close to the Air France incident to bring comfort in air travels. However the fact tht I can relay this story on this blog, shows tht I got home safely.... :-)
Thanks to the engineers & all the working crew of the airline who helps ensure tht every aviation trip is a safe one. Am also glad tht I managed to always remember to tell my hubby I love him every chance possible... so even if (touch wood) anything happened, there won't be any regrets tht I didn't say this / express tht etc... etc...
Around 7.15pm, 4th Jun'09... Home Sweet Home....
We finished around 12noon & was worried we'll be late & thought of skipping lunch (since b/fast was really good). But my HK colleagues are confident there's more than enough time, so we finally had the infamous HK Dim Sum for lunch somewhere within Times Square as well. It was really good, but I think Malaysian's Dim Sum (the high end restaurants tht is... not the cikai RM3/plate variety) are equally good (in taste & price!).
Off we rushed to the airport (no last minute shopping for me). It would have been an uneventful check-in & flight back if not for a "leak" tht was detected from the aircraft I was on board. Fortunately they found it when the plane was still on the ground & the plane was not cleared for take-off until the cause of the leak is found & repaired. The pilot was communicating to us over the PA system throughout the whole 1.5hrs delay - updating us on the status of the repair, while apologising profusely each time he's on air to update. Chronology of update :
1. Technicians found source of leak
2. Engineers inspected the leak & identified repairs / spare-parts to be obtained
3. Awaiting the engineers to secure the spare part required
4. The efficient ground crew & engineers of HK airport has finally managed to repair the leak. The flight is now fit for take-off (hurrah! ;-))
Throughout the whole announcements, I keep whispering inside - take your time.... no need to apologise. Just get me back in 1 piece & alive, I'm happy. Who cares if I'm delayed for 5hrs, rather than not arrive at all!
A lady sitting in the other side of the aisle was a bit worried though. She & her family were suppose to board a plane (Air Asia) fr LCCT to Kota Bharu. With the delay, she may very well miss her flight. So throughout the 1.5hrs wait, she was asking the steward on what can be done for her tickets (which understandably she was a bit agitated cos' she'll burn 4 Air Asia tickets because of this delay). As much as he tried to help, the fact tht it was Air Asia, the steward was not able to help her much (or at least tht was as much as I managed to pick - not tht I was eaves-dropping, but the conversation was occuring right beside me!). I was praying tht she'll not make a fuss because I don't want to put too much undue pressure on the steward, which will then transfer it to the pilot, which then transfer tht pressure to the engineers, who'll then do a shoddy job just to shut everyone up (I certainly hope not even if this does happen!)!
Sigh.... This happens too close to the Air France incident to bring comfort in air travels. However the fact tht I can relay this story on this blog, shows tht I got home safely.... :-)
Thanks to the engineers & all the working crew of the airline who helps ensure tht every aviation trip is a safe one. Am also glad tht I managed to always remember to tell my hubby I love him every chance possible... so even if (touch wood) anything happened, there won't be any regrets tht I didn't say this / express tht etc... etc...
Around 7.15pm, 4th Jun'09... Home Sweet Home....
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 2
Day 2 & I was too lazy to go wandering the streets of Causeway Bay to find for breakfast. So I had Breakfast in Bed courtesy of Excelsior's Room Service! (boy.... this is so not the Hong Kong experience).... I ordered for it to be delivered at 6.30am so tht it can serve as a wake-up call as well. I guess the guy who delivered the food must be cursing cos' I asked for food to be delivered so early in the bloody morning when I'm not even awake to have it yet (judging from my disheveled hair)...
Anyway, after a most satisfying breakfast of eggs (sunny side up), pork sausages, grilled cherry tomatoes, muesli, danish pastries with assorted butter & jams, orange juice & hot chocolate - I felt like curling back in bed!!! Freshen up my face & slap on some make-up & off I left for Times Square again on on foot.
The discussions were good & I'm at least comforted tht the work indeed requires my travel to HK. Released some of the "guilt", tht I was spending precious travel budget for things tht can be done remotely via net-meeting; but it felt good to know tht I can say on my conscience tht it's less effective & more time wasted if we went on the option of me working from MY. I'll not understand what they want / the help needed....
For lunch we went to a Yunnan restaurant serving spicy food. It's right in Times Square. Because it was raining, we couldn't be bothered to waste time driving out. The food was quite good & it was packed! You can hardly find a place to eat without reservations!
By the time we finished it was around 7pm & was in no mood to continue working. So packed my bags & left to scout for places to eat. This time I asked my colleagues for recommendations. I was given 2 places in the World Trade Centre building tht is directly opposite to Excelsior Hotel. The first recommended place was a Japanese Restaurant, but there were abt 200+ waiting list number being handed out & I was number 100++. I couldn't be bothered to wait even if they said it was the best Tongkatsu in the whole of Hong Kong.... So I went scouting for the 2nd recommended place - a restaurant serving Shang Hai noodles & other specialties. It was just 1 floor below the Japanese restaurant but same phenomenon... 100++ ppl in front of me. My God!! & they said the economy was bad... These are considered high-end restaurants & we have 100+ppl lining out in front of it!
So I just randomly picked another Jap restaurant situated on the 13th floor, way above the shopping complex in 1 of the tower blocks. It serves grilled meats, so thought of splurging on Wagyu beef. It was quite good, but it's no fun grilling your meat on a hot grill alone & getting your mouth burned (alone)... Wished I brought my story book along.... Oh well...
After dinner (& after all the time wasted on finding for a place to eat), I didn't have much time left to shop. Was attracted by several shops but can't buy anything :
1) A shop selling Shoes & Bags on 70% discount.... but Nine West after 70% sale is still RM200-300 for something tht's not even leather & with killer heels that can either sprain your ankles / cause you to lose 2 front teeth on the sidewalk (knowing how uneven our sidewalk surface in MY is)... So no thank you....
2) FrancFranc - wow this place is heavenly! The designs are so beautiful, finishing well made, but the price is also sky high! I love the designs on the stationery, the glassware was classy & divine, the bath products (bath salts & aromatheraphy stuff) were so tempting! It took all my restraint not to splurge there. Walked out empty handed but am proud of it.
3) Sasa - yea.... I know we have Sasa in MY too.... but the prices here is CRAZY!! Imagine - Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue (75ml) is only RM50 & Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea (100ml) is only RM55! Regretted I did not buy more. I just bought a bottle each (5th Avenue for mum & Green Tea for me) cos' I thought there's only so much EDT tht a person can use.
The Green Tea fragrance brought back sweet memories.... :-) I remembered hubby (then b/f) loved tht fragrance very much. He used to hold my hands & later bring it over to his nose because he loved the fragrance so much (admittedly I was freaked out at tht time - "err.... why are u sniffing at me? Am not a bitch in heat ok!" hahahaha..... but now I thought the gesture to be so sweet.....)
Anyway, by the time I got back to the hotel it was about 10+pm. Just enough time to bathe & cuddle in bed for a midnight movie..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............
Anyway, after a most satisfying breakfast of eggs (sunny side up), pork sausages, grilled cherry tomatoes, muesli, danish pastries with assorted butter & jams, orange juice & hot chocolate - I felt like curling back in bed!!! Freshen up my face & slap on some make-up & off I left for Times Square again on on foot.
The discussions were good & I'm at least comforted tht the work indeed requires my travel to HK. Released some of the "guilt", tht I was spending precious travel budget for things tht can be done remotely via net-meeting; but it felt good to know tht I can say on my conscience tht it's less effective & more time wasted if we went on the option of me working from MY. I'll not understand what they want / the help needed....
For lunch we went to a Yunnan restaurant serving spicy food. It's right in Times Square. Because it was raining, we couldn't be bothered to waste time driving out. The food was quite good & it was packed! You can hardly find a place to eat without reservations!
By the time we finished it was around 7pm & was in no mood to continue working. So packed my bags & left to scout for places to eat. This time I asked my colleagues for recommendations. I was given 2 places in the World Trade Centre building tht is directly opposite to Excelsior Hotel. The first recommended place was a Japanese Restaurant, but there were abt 200+ waiting list number being handed out & I was number 100++. I couldn't be bothered to wait even if they said it was the best Tongkatsu in the whole of Hong Kong.... So I went scouting for the 2nd recommended place - a restaurant serving Shang Hai noodles & other specialties. It was just 1 floor below the Japanese restaurant but same phenomenon... 100++ ppl in front of me. My God!! & they said the economy was bad... These are considered high-end restaurants & we have 100+ppl lining out in front of it!
So I just randomly picked another Jap restaurant situated on the 13th floor, way above the shopping complex in 1 of the tower blocks. It serves grilled meats, so thought of splurging on Wagyu beef. It was quite good, but it's no fun grilling your meat on a hot grill alone & getting your mouth burned (alone)... Wished I brought my story book along.... Oh well...
After dinner (& after all the time wasted on finding for a place to eat), I didn't have much time left to shop. Was attracted by several shops but can't buy anything :
1) A shop selling Shoes & Bags on 70% discount.... but Nine West after 70% sale is still RM200-300 for something tht's not even leather & with killer heels that can either sprain your ankles / cause you to lose 2 front teeth on the sidewalk (knowing how uneven our sidewalk surface in MY is)... So no thank you....
2) FrancFranc - wow this place is heavenly! The designs are so beautiful, finishing well made, but the price is also sky high! I love the designs on the stationery, the glassware was classy & divine, the bath products (bath salts & aromatheraphy stuff) were so tempting! It took all my restraint not to splurge there. Walked out empty handed but am proud of it.
3) Sasa - yea.... I know we have Sasa in MY too.... but the prices here is CRAZY!! Imagine - Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue (75ml) is only RM50 & Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea (100ml) is only RM55! Regretted I did not buy more. I just bought a bottle each (5th Avenue for mum & Green Tea for me) cos' I thought there's only so much EDT tht a person can use.
The Green Tea fragrance brought back sweet memories.... :-) I remembered hubby (then b/f) loved tht fragrance very much. He used to hold my hands & later bring it over to his nose because he loved the fragrance so much (admittedly I was freaked out at tht time - "err.... why are u sniffing at me? Am not a bitch in heat ok!" hahahaha..... but now I thought the gesture to be so sweet.....)
Anyway, by the time I got back to the hotel it was about 10+pm. Just enough time to bathe & cuddle in bed for a midnight movie..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 1 (Part II)
I checked in to Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay. It's the nearest hotel within walking distance to office, but the rates is pricey - HKD1,000 (i.e. abt RM500) per night's stay with no breakfast included! The service is superb though. I lost count of the number of times the reception says "Thank you" & "Miss Boey". She said it so often tht I grew dizzy fr it after some time. Good directions & complimentary maps to help me on my walk to office. Well with the price they're charging, they better at least have free maps! :-)
On the way to Shell Tower in Times Square HK, I "bumped" into Gigi Leong doing some event on stage with some fans. Wished I could stay but I was already late as it is. So I just caught a glimpse of her very tall & fair self, then rush off...
I also noticed tht although not everyone is using face masks (probably only those having flu / cough - which is very thoughtful of them), hygiene is certainly top in the agenda. Examples of the extent of their precaution:
1) Lift buttons are "sanitized" every hour & some lifts are manned by someone to press the buttons for you (this person wears gloves)
2) Around the lift area, you'll find an automated alchohol based non-rinsing soap / sanitizer to clean your hands
Anyway, by the time I was finally united with my host, thank God they confirm they had the charger tht I need. As for my lack of hp.... Well, maybe it's for the best.... No distractions during discussions (but sure miss talking to hubby in d evenings though).
In the evening, I wandered the area around my hotel for place to eat. As I only brought limited cash (HKD500 - reserved for taxi rides to airport etc), my options are limited to restaurants tht accepts credit card. So as much as I'd like to try the local cuisine tht costs HKD30 or less per bowl, I was scouting for the bigger restaurants. I found some neon signboards advertising Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai & Indonesian food & they are all on the 11th-20th floor!... Trouble is, I can't seem to find the entrance to this place. Found escalators... but I can't be going 20 floors by escalator! The lifts seem to be hidden.... somewhere....
So guess what.... Instead of a nice traditional Hong Kong style chinese food, I found myself in a Japanese restaurant called "Sen-Ryo". I consoled myself tht I know for a fact, Hong Kong has many good Japanese restaurants.... Maybe I got lucky & found 1 of those? Tough luck.... It was towards the end of the meal tht I found out it was operated by Genki Sushi.... sigh..... I can get this back home!!! Wel... there's always Day-2....
On the way to Shell Tower in Times Square HK, I "bumped" into Gigi Leong doing some event on stage with some fans. Wished I could stay but I was already late as it is. So I just caught a glimpse of her very tall & fair self, then rush off...
I also noticed tht although not everyone is using face masks (probably only those having flu / cough - which is very thoughtful of them), hygiene is certainly top in the agenda. Examples of the extent of their precaution:
1) Lift buttons are "sanitized" every hour & some lifts are manned by someone to press the buttons for you (this person wears gloves)
2) Around the lift area, you'll find an automated alchohol based non-rinsing soap / sanitizer to clean your hands
Anyway, by the time I was finally united with my host, thank God they confirm they had the charger tht I need. As for my lack of hp.... Well, maybe it's for the best.... No distractions during discussions (but sure miss talking to hubby in d evenings though).
In the evening, I wandered the area around my hotel for place to eat. As I only brought limited cash (HKD500 - reserved for taxi rides to airport etc), my options are limited to restaurants tht accepts credit card. So as much as I'd like to try the local cuisine tht costs HKD30 or less per bowl, I was scouting for the bigger restaurants. I found some neon signboards advertising Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai & Indonesian food & they are all on the 11th-20th floor!... Trouble is, I can't seem to find the entrance to this place. Found escalators... but I can't be going 20 floors by escalator! The lifts seem to be hidden.... somewhere....
So guess what.... Instead of a nice traditional Hong Kong style chinese food, I found myself in a Japanese restaurant called "Sen-Ryo". I consoled myself tht I know for a fact, Hong Kong has many good Japanese restaurants.... Maybe I got lucky & found 1 of those? Tough luck.... It was towards the end of the meal tht I found out it was operated by Genki Sushi.... sigh..... I can get this back home!!! Wel... there's always Day-2....
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 1
Yesterday, 2nd June was my first of the 3-days tht I'm in HK for business trip. Quite a bumpy start to the day, because before I can even land on HK, I already forgot to bring along 2 things :
1) My h/p - used it as my alarm clock & after tht forgot to put it back in my h/bag... sigh....
2) My hp charger (;-p) am refering to the hp laptop charger... To lighten my laptop bag, I often removed the charger, since both my Cheras & PD home has chargers, so I don't need to carry it around. You know how heavy a charger can become when you're standing for about an hour on the train to Seremban?!
I was so worried tht the HK team has upgraded their laptops (like KL), cos' in KL it's impossible to share chargers in meetings when most of the others are carrying new laptops & mine (thank goodness) was still the older model. Why thank goodness? Cos' the new one is damn heavy & bulky.... I'll be drowned by the size of the bag!
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic. Nothing exciting after tht throughout the plane ride. Read a book - Cecelia Ahern, eat, watch a movie (Wall-E... I know, very kiddy... but...) & napped a little towards the tail end of the 3hrs 45mins journey. Ppl used to say, "haiya! a few mins shy of 4-hrs only!!", because our company policy says, when travel over 4-hrs, staff gets to sit biz class. I don't mind though... To be honest, even 4-hrs is not worth biz class.... You don't get to enjoy the extra service much + I can bear with the lag of leg room when it's 4hrs journey (but of course, tht's because I don't have tht much legs to "store" anyway... hahaha). Am digressing again...
Then I reached the airport. The signage was superb! KLIA should learn from them. I went through immigration, bought the airport express train to HK station & found the platform to the train easily! Best of all, immigration was a breeze. The minute there's a flood of passangers, I saw with my own eyes, men / ladies personel starts entering the cubicles to start processing entries (unlike MY). Upon reaching HK station, I was told to take the cab. However I found a free ride to the hotel tht I'm staying. So I thought I should take tht, check-in & walk out again to Times Square where Shell HK is located. Boy! Bad move... It's good when you're on holiday. But when you're going for a biz meeting, it sure is not relaxing to see the bus go from 1 hotel after the other & still not arriving to yours. It was about 40mins later tht I reach the hotel (when I'm sure it takes say 10-15mins direct drive?). So.... I sheepishly entered Shell HK very late & my host - very worried (I forgot my hp remember?)... sigh.... all in a day's work.... (& actual work has not even started yet!!) :-p
Ok.... Serious meeting going on. Will update the evening activities & Day 2 events later.... Bye....
1) My h/p - used it as my alarm clock & after tht forgot to put it back in my h/bag... sigh....
2) My hp charger (;-p) am refering to the hp laptop charger... To lighten my laptop bag, I often removed the charger, since both my Cheras & PD home has chargers, so I don't need to carry it around. You know how heavy a charger can become when you're standing for about an hour on the train to Seremban?!
I was so worried tht the HK team has upgraded their laptops (like KL), cos' in KL it's impossible to share chargers in meetings when most of the others are carrying new laptops & mine (thank goodness) was still the older model. Why thank goodness? Cos' the new one is damn heavy & bulky.... I'll be drowned by the size of the bag!
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic. Nothing exciting after tht throughout the plane ride. Read a book - Cecelia Ahern, eat, watch a movie (Wall-E... I know, very kiddy... but...) & napped a little towards the tail end of the 3hrs 45mins journey. Ppl used to say, "haiya! a few mins shy of 4-hrs only!!", because our company policy says, when travel over 4-hrs, staff gets to sit biz class. I don't mind though... To be honest, even 4-hrs is not worth biz class.... You don't get to enjoy the extra service much + I can bear with the lag of leg room when it's 4hrs journey (but of course, tht's because I don't have tht much legs to "store" anyway... hahaha). Am digressing again...
Then I reached the airport. The signage was superb! KLIA should learn from them. I went through immigration, bought the airport express train to HK station & found the platform to the train easily! Best of all, immigration was a breeze. The minute there's a flood of passangers, I saw with my own eyes, men / ladies personel starts entering the cubicles to start processing entries (unlike MY). Upon reaching HK station, I was told to take the cab. However I found a free ride to the hotel tht I'm staying. So I thought I should take tht, check-in & walk out again to Times Square where Shell HK is located. Boy! Bad move... It's good when you're on holiday. But when you're going for a biz meeting, it sure is not relaxing to see the bus go from 1 hotel after the other & still not arriving to yours. It was about 40mins later tht I reach the hotel (when I'm sure it takes say 10-15mins direct drive?). So.... I sheepishly entered Shell HK very late & my host - very worried (I forgot my hp remember?)... sigh.... all in a day's work.... (& actual work has not even started yet!!) :-p
Ok.... Serious meeting going on. Will update the evening activities & Day 2 events later.... Bye....
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Farewell to my favourite Finance Director - a mentor
Last Friday was the company held farewell tea for our Finance Director. It's held at our theatrette only, but I guess it had to be done in-house because of the size of the crowd. Nevertheless, I think the organisers went over the norm for him, catering satays, roti jala, delicious choc cakes & cream puffs.
I remembered he was the one who guided my career path by steering me to move out of PD, either to Miri / KL. Naturally due to hubby's work location, it was finally decided for me to move to KL for further exposure.
I was surprised that about 1-2 years after the 1 & only mentoring session I had with him, he still remembered me & said "Hi Fern? So how do you find KL? Is your husband still in PD?"
Wow!! Who would have thought a guy who looks after thousands (ok... maybe not 1000, but hundreds?) of staff - remembers all the staff he meets! I found that everyone else commented the same - that he remembers them... Even the personal sharings they told him. Amazing...
Sadly he's leaving for Brunei as his 4-yrs assignment is over. Am sure many of us in MY will miss him.... :-)
I remembered he was the one who guided my career path by steering me to move out of PD, either to Miri / KL. Naturally due to hubby's work location, it was finally decided for me to move to KL for further exposure.
I was surprised that about 1-2 years after the 1 & only mentoring session I had with him, he still remembered me & said "Hi Fern? So how do you find KL? Is your husband still in PD?"
Wow!! Who would have thought a guy who looks after thousands (ok... maybe not 1000, but hundreds?) of staff - remembers all the staff he meets! I found that everyone else commented the same - that he remembers them... Even the personal sharings they told him. Amazing...
Sadly he's leaving for Brunei as his 4-yrs assignment is over. Am sure many of us in MY will miss him.... :-)
Friday, 20 February 2009
Part II : Why Are There No Sitcoms on Accountants?!?
Auditor
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.
Auditor, noun: an accountant with a grudge.
Contents
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
2 Evolution of Auditors
3 Characteristics of Auditors
4 Auditors and Reproduction
5 Becoming an Auditor
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
Auditors are a species of nomadic mammals, who came to Earth from the planet Debitor in the1960s. Auditors are paperivores, and hunt in packs, known as audit teams. Each audit team is part of a bigger tribe. There is much tribal rivalry and situations are subject to change as large tribesseek to exterminate one another, but at the time of going to press, the ruling tribe in the audit world was PWC (Pricks with Calculators).
An audit team typically changes its hunting ground every couple of weeks. Hunting grounds normally take the form of offices, but may also include factories, shops, schools and hyperspace. Any place of work is a potential source of nourishment to the paper-hungry auditor. All audit teams have a leader, who runs ahead of the pack in search of an audit trail. Should he find something suspicious, for example a file that has not been organized in alphabetical order, he will begin baying to attract the attention of the rest of the pack. Once the pack has a sniff of the scent, they are released upon the unsuspecting company, and tear around the offices of the internal accounts department, hunting out similar transgressions. When they find another offending item, they will let out a characteristic whoop of delight, and fall upon the filing cabinet, tearing the paperwork to shreds with their bare teeth in their eagerness to devour it.
Audit packs have their own dens, known as home offices. The pack visits the office on average once a month, in order to refuel on stationery. Auditors can survive several days and nights without water, sex or sunlight but are liable to fall seriously ill if deprived of paper clips and yellow post-its. These, along with Tippex, are considered special delicacies. Tippex is particularly high in nutrients,and swallowing a small bottle of correction fluid before breakfast is widely believed to have beneficial effects on an auditor's digestive system.
2 Evolution of Auditors
Among laypeople there is a common perception that auditors and accountants are the same thing. Until 4 January 1972, this may or may not have been true. Before this time accountants and auditorshad rested secure in the knowledge that debit was the side nearest the window. This is the firstcommandment of auditing, as given by Journalus Creditus and is believed by all auditors with adeep religious devotion. On this fateful day, however, Pricks with Calculators opened a brand spanking new den in the centre of London. Due to a tragic misunderstanding with the architect, a terrible mistake occurred; namely, that the building was constructed on a corner. The result was that the office now had windows on two walls. The accounting world was thrown into a dark and terrible confusion and a dreadful schism occurred. One group believed debit was the side nearest the window overlooking the high street, whilst the other could not be shaken from the conviction that it was the window overlooking the multi storey carpark. The matter was referred to an independent government committee, who eventually ruled that it was indeed the high street facing window. Those accountants who had believed in the multi-storey carpark were distraught and flew into a violent frenzy with much wailing and shredding of papers. They felt so embittered that they vowed never to perform any constructive book-keeping tasks again. Instead they swore to roam the earth in search of other people’s book-keeping mistakes, in an attempt to dull the pain of their own unforgivable error.
Initially they were content just to detail the errors in Audit Reports. The recession of the 1980s, however, meant times soon became lean and it was then that the custom of consuming erroneous paperwork was born.
3 Characteristics of Auditors
Whilst auditors come in both genders, males outnumber females in a ratio of 2:1. There is a good evolutional reason for this since the first thing a trainee auditor must master is the art of double entry. It is customary for large tribes of auditors such as Pricks With Calculators to send their new recruits on month-long residential courses to practice this useful skill. For obvious reasons of practicality, only one female auditor is required for every two men.
In general, the best time to spot an auditor is during the so-called Audit Season which runs from January to April. Auditors with their distinctive pin-stripe plumage will be present in large numbers in all major offices, factories and places of work. If you think you have seen an auditor, approach with caution. Avoid making eye contact, as this may be viewed as antagonistic. Should the auditor begin to behave aggressively towards you, asking what proportion of your contingent liabilities you consider probable, the best advice is to shout "Enron!" and run very fast in the opposite direction. This will make the auditor in question shrivel up and die.
4 Auditors and Reproduction
Stocktaking is a strange version of foreplay peculiar to auditors. The audit pack will arrive at an industrial site at 6am in the morning and demand to know how many widgets they have. The auditors will then spend many happy hours counting the widgets and comparing their results to the figures on the company stock system. The more unexpected discrepancies that they find, the more sexually aroused they become. If at the end of the day they conclude that the company has been overstating their widgets, they will spontaneously orgasm en masse and begin to practice their double-entry by way of celebration. It doesn’t have to be widgets; it could be grains of sand. So long as its something which there is absolutely no value in counting, it will do the trick.
5 Becoming an Auditor
In order to become an auditor, it is necessary to pass the initiation rites of the ICAEW. There is a common misconception amongst lay people that these initials stand for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. In fact, they represent the Institute of Calculator Addicts and Excel Worshippers. Trainee auditors spend many years at auditing colleges, where they study diverse subjects including BF (Better Filing), BM (Being Miserable) and FR (Finding Romance). In order to become officially qualified it is necessary to achieve a high pass in BF and BM combined with a bad fail in FR.
If reading this article has made you feel you would like to become an auditor, you are advised toseek immediate psychiatric help.
Retrieved from "http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Auditor"
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.
Auditor, noun: an accountant with a grudge.
Contents
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
2 Evolution of Auditors
3 Characteristics of Auditors
4 Auditors and Reproduction
5 Becoming an Auditor
1 Life Cycle of an Auditor
Auditors are a species of nomadic mammals, who came to Earth from the planet Debitor in the1960s. Auditors are paperivores, and hunt in packs, known as audit teams. Each audit team is part of a bigger tribe. There is much tribal rivalry and situations are subject to change as large tribesseek to exterminate one another, but at the time of going to press, the ruling tribe in the audit world was PWC (Pricks with Calculators).
An audit team typically changes its hunting ground every couple of weeks. Hunting grounds normally take the form of offices, but may also include factories, shops, schools and hyperspace. Any place of work is a potential source of nourishment to the paper-hungry auditor. All audit teams have a leader, who runs ahead of the pack in search of an audit trail. Should he find something suspicious, for example a file that has not been organized in alphabetical order, he will begin baying to attract the attention of the rest of the pack. Once the pack has a sniff of the scent, they are released upon the unsuspecting company, and tear around the offices of the internal accounts department, hunting out similar transgressions. When they find another offending item, they will let out a characteristic whoop of delight, and fall upon the filing cabinet, tearing the paperwork to shreds with their bare teeth in their eagerness to devour it.
Audit packs have their own dens, known as home offices. The pack visits the office on average once a month, in order to refuel on stationery. Auditors can survive several days and nights without water, sex or sunlight but are liable to fall seriously ill if deprived of paper clips and yellow post-its. These, along with Tippex, are considered special delicacies. Tippex is particularly high in nutrients,and swallowing a small bottle of correction fluid before breakfast is widely believed to have beneficial effects on an auditor's digestive system.
2 Evolution of Auditors
Among laypeople there is a common perception that auditors and accountants are the same thing. Until 4 January 1972, this may or may not have been true. Before this time accountants and auditorshad rested secure in the knowledge that debit was the side nearest the window. This is the firstcommandment of auditing, as given by Journalus Creditus and is believed by all auditors with adeep religious devotion. On this fateful day, however, Pricks with Calculators opened a brand spanking new den in the centre of London. Due to a tragic misunderstanding with the architect, a terrible mistake occurred; namely, that the building was constructed on a corner. The result was that the office now had windows on two walls. The accounting world was thrown into a dark and terrible confusion and a dreadful schism occurred. One group believed debit was the side nearest the window overlooking the high street, whilst the other could not be shaken from the conviction that it was the window overlooking the multi storey carpark. The matter was referred to an independent government committee, who eventually ruled that it was indeed the high street facing window. Those accountants who had believed in the multi-storey carpark were distraught and flew into a violent frenzy with much wailing and shredding of papers. They felt so embittered that they vowed never to perform any constructive book-keeping tasks again. Instead they swore to roam the earth in search of other people’s book-keeping mistakes, in an attempt to dull the pain of their own unforgivable error.
Initially they were content just to detail the errors in Audit Reports. The recession of the 1980s, however, meant times soon became lean and it was then that the custom of consuming erroneous paperwork was born.
3 Characteristics of Auditors
Whilst auditors come in both genders, males outnumber females in a ratio of 2:1. There is a good evolutional reason for this since the first thing a trainee auditor must master is the art of double entry. It is customary for large tribes of auditors such as Pricks With Calculators to send their new recruits on month-long residential courses to practice this useful skill. For obvious reasons of practicality, only one female auditor is required for every two men.
In general, the best time to spot an auditor is during the so-called Audit Season which runs from January to April. Auditors with their distinctive pin-stripe plumage will be present in large numbers in all major offices, factories and places of work. If you think you have seen an auditor, approach with caution. Avoid making eye contact, as this may be viewed as antagonistic. Should the auditor begin to behave aggressively towards you, asking what proportion of your contingent liabilities you consider probable, the best advice is to shout "Enron!" and run very fast in the opposite direction. This will make the auditor in question shrivel up and die.
4 Auditors and Reproduction
Stocktaking is a strange version of foreplay peculiar to auditors. The audit pack will arrive at an industrial site at 6am in the morning and demand to know how many widgets they have. The auditors will then spend many happy hours counting the widgets and comparing their results to the figures on the company stock system. The more unexpected discrepancies that they find, the more sexually aroused they become. If at the end of the day they conclude that the company has been overstating their widgets, they will spontaneously orgasm en masse and begin to practice their double-entry by way of celebration. It doesn’t have to be widgets; it could be grains of sand. So long as its something which there is absolutely no value in counting, it will do the trick.
5 Becoming an Auditor
In order to become an auditor, it is necessary to pass the initiation rites of the ICAEW. There is a common misconception amongst lay people that these initials stand for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. In fact, they represent the Institute of Calculator Addicts and Excel Worshippers. Trainee auditors spend many years at auditing colleges, where they study diverse subjects including BF (Better Filing), BM (Being Miserable) and FR (Finding Romance). In order to become officially qualified it is necessary to achieve a high pass in BF and BM combined with a bad fail in FR.
If reading this article has made you feel you would like to become an auditor, you are advised toseek immediate psychiatric help.
Retrieved from "http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Auditor"
Why Are There No Sitcoms on Accountants?!?
Outrage of all outrage! I have complaint & raved with Storm many an occassion that Accountants are really a bunch of sad fellows lar... We're even beaten by Housewives in the Sitcom race...
What am I ranting about? Well have you noticed that we've got sitcoms / serials on almost all the characters on earth, such as:
1. Friends
2. Lawyers
3. Police Officers / other types of law enforcers (FBI / CSI / CIA etc-etc)
4. Doctors
5. Housewives
6. Footballer's wives!?!?
7. Army wives
8. the Nanny!?!?
Even a Serial involving "NUMB3RS" are revolving around Mathematician.
Goes to show how low the status of an Accountant.... Yea... right below the Nanny / Footballer's wives! Everyone says accountants are boring... hey... look at Storm... Road Bully... Gangsta Mama...
Anyways, then I come across this article as a joke (be warned, it's going to be long....). On second thoughts, I think I'll post in a separate post. Then you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
p/s: Accountants / Finance professionals... It's a very sad definition indeed. Read at your own risk... :-p
What am I ranting about? Well have you noticed that we've got sitcoms / serials on almost all the characters on earth, such as:
1. Friends
2. Lawyers
3. Police Officers / other types of law enforcers (FBI / CSI / CIA etc-etc)
4. Doctors
5. Housewives
6. Footballer's wives!?!?
7. Army wives
8. the Nanny!?!?
Even a Serial involving "NUMB3RS" are revolving around Mathematician.
Goes to show how low the status of an Accountant.... Yea... right below the Nanny / Footballer's wives! Everyone says accountants are boring... hey... look at Storm... Road Bully... Gangsta Mama...
Anyways, then I come across this article as a joke (be warned, it's going to be long....). On second thoughts, I think I'll post in a separate post. Then you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
p/s: Accountants / Finance professionals... It's a very sad definition indeed. Read at your own risk... :-p
This Is What We Do When We're Stressed...
Old story, but I was unable to locate the picture & now tht I found it, I can finally tell my story.
Last September, we receive an e-mail with the following adorable picture in conjunction with National Girlfriends Day. Coincidentally we have just watched the movie "Don't Mess With the Zohan" tht has scenes where Adam Sandler gives "special treatment" to all the old ladies in town after each shampoo session at the Saloon where he works. Thus, I started by commenting :
Fern: Does this pix reminds u of something..... (hint = FOC "extra" service after shampooing)
Storm: Hahahaha!! That's exactly what I thought when I saw this pic earlier.....
Don't make fun of them, Fern, this could be us in the future....THE THREE OLD HAGS!!!
Road Bully: This is definitely the 3 of us la. I'm the sane looking one in the middle, Fern is the kindly looking one on the right...and ML is the psycho looking one with the evil glint in her eye, on the left....
Storm: HAHHAHAHHAAHA!!!!!
OMG, u seriously sent Fern and I into fits of CLM laughter!!!
Hey the middle one doesn't look so good either k!!....just tht she has a quiet simmering insane look, while mine is an outright blatant demented look.
Ur quite spot on with the Fern hag though, she looks really kindly..... =p
Road Bully: ok la..so we agree that both of us are the psycho ones who'd go for movies called "4bhia", and "midnite meat cleaver", while Fern is there to keep us in check...
So Storm, I hold you to your words that you are blatantly demented ok.... So don't bother defending your actions lar... Beyond recovery.... Hahahaha.....
Last September, we receive an e-mail with the following adorable picture in conjunction with National Girlfriends Day. Coincidentally we have just watched the movie "Don't Mess With the Zohan" tht has scenes where Adam Sandler gives "special treatment" to all the old ladies in town after each shampoo session at the Saloon where he works. Thus, I started by commenting :
Fern: Does this pix reminds u of something..... (hint = FOC "extra" service after shampooing)Storm: Hahahaha!! That's exactly what I thought when I saw this pic earlier.....
Don't make fun of them, Fern, this could be us in the future....THE THREE OLD HAGS!!!
Road Bully: This is definitely the 3 of us la. I'm the sane looking one in the middle, Fern is the kindly looking one on the right...and ML is the psycho looking one with the evil glint in her eye, on the left....
Storm: HAHHAHAHHAAHA!!!!!
OMG, u seriously sent Fern and I into fits of CLM laughter!!!
Hey the middle one doesn't look so good either k!!....just tht she has a quiet simmering insane look, while mine is an outright blatant demented look.
Ur quite spot on with the Fern hag though, she looks really kindly..... =p
Road Bully: ok la..so we agree that both of us are the psycho ones who'd go for movies called "4bhia", and "midnite meat cleaver", while Fern is there to keep us in check...
So Storm, I hold you to your words that you are blatantly demented ok.... So don't bother defending your actions lar... Beyond recovery.... Hahahaha.....
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Killing Me Softly.....
Strumming my pain with VPN....
Wringing my life with its sluggishness....
Killing me softly with Excel....
Killing me softly.....
With it's curse.....
Tearing my whole life....
With its pace...
Killing me softly...............
When it hangs.....
I felt all flushed with fever
All stressed up from the wait
I felt it sapped my spirits
& made me curse out loud....
I prayed tht it would start-up...
But it just kept right on.....
Strumming my pain with VPN.... Wringing my life with its sluggishness.... Killing me softly with Excel.... Killing me softly..... With it's curse.....
Tearing my whole life....
With its pace...
Killing me softly...............
When it hangs.....
Sigh.... crazy? I know... childish? sort of... but wht am I to do as I wait for my to retrieve my excel from the network? vent out lar... Not therapeautic, but who else can I vent to? My poor labrador (& a stuffed-toy 1 too)?
Wringing my life with its sluggishness....
Killing me softly with Excel....
Killing me softly.....
With it's curse.....
Tearing my whole life....
With its pace...
Killing me softly...............
When it hangs.....
I felt all flushed with fever
All stressed up from the wait
I felt it sapped my spirits
& made me curse out loud....
I prayed tht it would start-up...
But it just kept right on.....
Strumming my pain with VPN.... Wringing my life with its sluggishness.... Killing me softly with Excel.... Killing me softly..... With it's curse.....
Tearing my whole life....
With its pace...
Killing me softly...............
When it hangs.....
Sigh.... crazy? I know... childish? sort of... but wht am I to do as I wait for my to retrieve my excel from the network? vent out lar... Not therapeautic, but who else can I vent to? My poor labrador (& a stuffed-toy 1 too)?
It's So Stressful When Everthing Seem To Go Wrong!
Arrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!! I think the Ox Year is really a baaad.... baaaad year for the Ram / Goat year folks like me (& my hubby)...
It's been 2 weeks that I had to endure all the system issues & laptop crashes at the moment when I absolutely had to get something out SUPER URGENTLY. Today it happened again... My excel just refuses to open & I can't seem to get any work done! It's already 3+ freaking pm! Waaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Venting....
Venting....
It's been 2 weeks that I had to endure all the system issues & laptop crashes at the moment when I absolutely had to get something out SUPER URGENTLY. Today it happened again... My excel just refuses to open & I can't seem to get any work done! It's already 3+ freaking pm! Waaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Venting....
Venting....
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Finance Away Day 2008 - Putrajaya
I always have mixed reactions whenever the company organizes an Away Day.
Wary cos' I such outings can be quite political... i.e. people trying to show tht they have teamwork / leadership qualities in front of their bosses. Activities / "games" ended being a competition to show who's best & some might end up making the experience horrifying when they turn into "mini-Hitler" on a misguided impression tht it is "Leadership" qualities...
Dread cos' the teambuilding sessions can be quite taxing & God knows I have not been exercising / not fit to endure an "Amazing Race" style teambuilding activity.
Fear in case we're paired with a "Room-mate from Hell". Some of us had tht horrible experience last year & the year before.
Fortunately, this year is rather pleasant...
First off, the Dinner. Rather than having difficult themes like "Tribal" / "Vegas" / "Oscars night", where ppl spend hundreds on a rental just to look good / fit the theme, this year it is "Traditional Costume tht is not of your own race". Great! I have a Philipino blouse called a "Saya" tht I've been dying to wear but have not found the occasion to. I bought it during my last trip to Manila when I was on business trip. It's made of Banana Fibre & is semi transparent - the more famous kin of this costume is the men's version called the "Barong". Am suppose to wear a white camisole underneath & pair the blouse with a long black skirt. Unfortunately I don't have a white camisole, so I had to settle with a black one, but looking at it, it still works. The really traditional version is actually made out of pineapple fibre, but was advised by my Philipino colleagues to avoid tht cos' it tends to be rough & irritates the skin. Bought a matching Barong for hubby dearest too on tht trip. Didn't expect to win "Best Dressed" / anything, but it's the first time tht I followed the theme.... :-p
Secondly, the activities were not as strenuous as before (or so I thought... had aching shoulders & aching tummy throughout the weekend from doing 20 x push-ups & 20 x sit-ups). It was scary at first cos' the facilitators were from a company called "The Jungle People" & as they said "Cos' it's a Jungle out there"... You Bet!!! It was rather fun in fact & more meaningful / insightful. I was nervous though when we were asked to make a "self-propelling vehicle" out of a limited number of stuff (the usual - straws / satay sticks / cardboards / balloons / rubberbands etc)... I was like "Hello! We're Finance ppl... not engineers... How would I know how to make a self propelling "vehicle" tht doesn't involve pushing / pulling / using a slingshot (unless the slingshot is in-built on the "vehicle)! The key word here is "Self-Propelled". Irregardless, it was all good fun & we did have a number of "vehicles" tht actually can move a foot or 2 (though, we do have many more tht did not move at all)... :-)
Lastly, I was paired with Storm! Which, although was a relieve, but maybe not a very good idea... We ended talking & talking till 3+am & we had to wake up at 6+am!
I chose to stay back & enjoy the hotel room cos' I juzz didn't like getting drunk when I know I have to attend many activities the following day - end up watching Norbit on telly. While Storm went out to "party". She came back rather drunk but we chatted as we usually do. Somehow, the conversation turned towards serious stuff like Lubs business / Product Costing / Pricing etc-etc... I was surprised wondering since when Storm talks about work after work? Then I thought, maybe she just wanted to tap on my past experience... ok... layan lar...
When she's sober the next day, she said - "Eh! Did I ask you about lubs stuff & work last night? I must be really drunk! I remembered asking you about work, but for the life of me I don't know why I did that!"... Well she better remember what I told her, cos' I sure won't repeat that "tutorial"!!
Wary cos' I such outings can be quite political... i.e. people trying to show tht they have teamwork / leadership qualities in front of their bosses. Activities / "games" ended being a competition to show who's best & some might end up making the experience horrifying when they turn into "mini-Hitler" on a misguided impression tht it is "Leadership" qualities...
Dread cos' the teambuilding sessions can be quite taxing & God knows I have not been exercising / not fit to endure an "Amazing Race" style teambuilding activity.
Fear in case we're paired with a "Room-mate from Hell". Some of us had tht horrible experience last year & the year before.
Fortunately, this year is rather pleasant...
First off, the Dinner. Rather than having difficult themes like "Tribal" / "Vegas" / "Oscars night", where ppl spend hundreds on a rental just to look good / fit the theme, this year it is "Traditional Costume tht is not of your own race". Great! I have a Philipino blouse called a "Saya" tht I've been dying to wear but have not found the occasion to. I bought it during my last trip to Manila when I was on business trip. It's made of Banana Fibre & is semi transparent - the more famous kin of this costume is the men's version called the "Barong". Am suppose to wear a white camisole underneath & pair the blouse with a long black skirt. Unfortunately I don't have a white camisole, so I had to settle with a black one, but looking at it, it still works. The really traditional version is actually made out of pineapple fibre, but was advised by my Philipino colleagues to avoid tht cos' it tends to be rough & irritates the skin. Bought a matching Barong for hubby dearest too on tht trip. Didn't expect to win "Best Dressed" / anything, but it's the first time tht I followed the theme.... :-p
Secondly, the activities were not as strenuous as before (or so I thought... had aching shoulders & aching tummy throughout the weekend from doing 20 x push-ups & 20 x sit-ups). It was scary at first cos' the facilitators were from a company called "The Jungle People" & as they said "Cos' it's a Jungle out there"... You Bet!!! It was rather fun in fact & more meaningful / insightful. I was nervous though when we were asked to make a "self-propelling vehicle" out of a limited number of stuff (the usual - straws / satay sticks / cardboards / balloons / rubberbands etc)... I was like "Hello! We're Finance ppl... not engineers... How would I know how to make a self propelling "vehicle" tht doesn't involve pushing / pulling / using a slingshot (unless the slingshot is in-built on the "vehicle)! The key word here is "Self-Propelled". Irregardless, it was all good fun & we did have a number of "vehicles" tht actually can move a foot or 2 (though, we do have many more tht did not move at all)... :-)
Lastly, I was paired with Storm! Which, although was a relieve, but maybe not a very good idea... We ended talking & talking till 3+am & we had to wake up at 6+am!
I chose to stay back & enjoy the hotel room cos' I juzz didn't like getting drunk when I know I have to attend many activities the following day - end up watching Norbit on telly. While Storm went out to "party". She came back rather drunk but we chatted as we usually do. Somehow, the conversation turned towards serious stuff like Lubs business / Product Costing / Pricing etc-etc... I was surprised wondering since when Storm talks about work after work? Then I thought, maybe she just wanted to tap on my past experience... ok... layan lar...
When she's sober the next day, she said - "Eh! Did I ask you about lubs stuff & work last night? I must be really drunk! I remembered asking you about work, but for the life of me I don't know why I did that!"... Well she better remember what I told her, cos' I sure won't repeat that "tutorial"!!
Thursday, 27 November 2008
The Joys of Working from Home!
Ahhh..... Probably my cough is a blessing in disguise!
I developed a really bad cough last Monday & I really didn't feel like going back to my in-laws' house & sleeping in bed all on my own... Wanna be pampered & hugged like a baby when he / she is not feeling well. So, I asked my boss if I can work from home for the next 4 days of the week instead of the agreed 2. So thankful she agreed.
So here I am working from home & strangely it is a rather therapeutic experience. Not tht I can spend more time writing on my blog, but in some ways I feel less stressed up & thus become more productive.
Most importantly, I get to have lunch & dinner with hubby dearest.
It's amazing how abt a year plus ago when we used to work together & meet each other 24-7; small things like eating together, watching tv together, washing dishes together & sleeping together, seem to be mundane stuff. Stuff tht you wouldn't think twice of. But now.... suddenly it became activities tht we (or at least I) treasure. Sometimes I feel like just a hug at the end of the day melts all the frustrations / stress away. It never felt like tht before when we had each other all the time.
Interesting....
I developed a really bad cough last Monday & I really didn't feel like going back to my in-laws' house & sleeping in bed all on my own... Wanna be pampered & hugged like a baby when he / she is not feeling well. So, I asked my boss if I can work from home for the next 4 days of the week instead of the agreed 2. So thankful she agreed.
So here I am working from home & strangely it is a rather therapeutic experience. Not tht I can spend more time writing on my blog, but in some ways I feel less stressed up & thus become more productive.
Most importantly, I get to have lunch & dinner with hubby dearest.
It's amazing how abt a year plus ago when we used to work together & meet each other 24-7; small things like eating together, watching tv together, washing dishes together & sleeping together, seem to be mundane stuff. Stuff tht you wouldn't think twice of. But now.... suddenly it became activities tht we (or at least I) treasure. Sometimes I feel like just a hug at the end of the day melts all the frustrations / stress away. It never felt like tht before when we had each other all the time.
Interesting....
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Where Do I Start?!?!
Boy there's lots to update after the long period of silence. Where do I start?..... Well, there's 1 piece of update that I would really want to record here, so I'll start with whatever that comes to mind.
Storm recently got her teeth bleached (ok... the right term to use is whitened; but I always feel that for the case of Storm, anything normail is abnormal). As a result, she must refrain herself from staining agents like all caffeinated drinks. However to a caffeine addict like Storm that is like asking her to stop breathing! "What!! No teh tarik for my evening breaks?!?"
The Solution? Typical Storm came up with the "brilliant" idea of using a straw to drink her Cafe Latte & Teh Tarik. Whenever we go to the normal restaurant we frequent, she will order a Cafe Latte & then asks for a straw. The first time she asks for it, the waiter practically cocked his brow. Don't blame him... It's my first time hearing of someone drinking latte out of a straw too.
Anyways, that's not the end of it.... Oh yes... There's more...
So, since she does it so frequently, it comes to a point when the waiter automatically brought her latte along with a straw without her asking for it! Worse... Sometimes, they were waiting for her to ask for it & when the request was not forthcoming, they come to Storm & ask "Need a straw?"
Our lunch group became known / remembered because of Storm! sigh... what's new...
Storm recently got her teeth bleached (ok... the right term to use is whitened; but I always feel that for the case of Storm, anything normail is abnormal). As a result, she must refrain herself from staining agents like all caffeinated drinks. However to a caffeine addict like Storm that is like asking her to stop breathing! "What!! No teh tarik for my evening breaks?!?"
The Solution? Typical Storm came up with the "brilliant" idea of using a straw to drink her Cafe Latte & Teh Tarik. Whenever we go to the normal restaurant we frequent, she will order a Cafe Latte & then asks for a straw. The first time she asks for it, the waiter practically cocked his brow. Don't blame him... It's my first time hearing of someone drinking latte out of a straw too.
Anyways, that's not the end of it.... Oh yes... There's more...
So, since she does it so frequently, it comes to a point when the waiter automatically brought her latte along with a straw without her asking for it! Worse... Sometimes, they were waiting for her to ask for it & when the request was not forthcoming, they come to Storm & ask "Need a straw?"
Our lunch group became known / remembered because of Storm! sigh... what's new...
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Busy May
It is amazing how time flies! Work just over-ruled almost all other activities (including blog writing!) that I have not written in a long time.
Besides, Storm was not around for the for about a week which also reduced the amount of blog materials tremendously.... ;-)
Fortunately, we found a new acquaintance & surprise... surprise... he's an auditor (but performing documentation services for us). He contributed some blog materials which I will share here. To provide anonymity (he's very shy.... blah....), I'll introduce this new character in our group as..... as..... as..... hmmm..... I'm stump... my creative juice is just not flowing.... Let's just leave him as Blade... until I can think of a better name...
Anyway, the first glimpse of the mischief behind the always proper & professional facade is a very funny character... Unlike Storm who show you right in the face, Blade's character only shows up when he's stressed / when he finally lets his hair down.
To cut straight to the story, it was one of those days with particularly difficult dose of Voldy, Blade finally broke his "cool as cucumber" profesional expression & burst out - "I think I should have been a chef! Then I will only deal with 'benda-benda yang sudah mati' (i.e. dead materials only). I can cincang-cincang (mince) them / do anything to them & will not get any complaints!"
Hmmm.... that's a thought. When Gangsta Mama & I first heard it, we both burst out laughing out loud (disregarding Voldy's presence).
uh-oh.... I'll need to stop now & continue about his antics in my next article. Hubby dearest want to have some "quality together time" (I know what you're thinking Storm...... go scrub your brains!) watching Indiana Jones. Adios!
Besides, Storm was not around for the for about a week which also reduced the amount of blog materials tremendously.... ;-)
Fortunately, we found a new acquaintance & surprise... surprise... he's an auditor (but performing documentation services for us). He contributed some blog materials which I will share here. To provide anonymity (he's very shy.... blah....), I'll introduce this new character in our group as..... as..... as..... hmmm..... I'm stump... my creative juice is just not flowing.... Let's just leave him as Blade... until I can think of a better name...
Anyway, the first glimpse of the mischief behind the always proper & professional facade is a very funny character... Unlike Storm who show you right in the face, Blade's character only shows up when he's stressed / when he finally lets his hair down.
To cut straight to the story, it was one of those days with particularly difficult dose of Voldy, Blade finally broke his "cool as cucumber" profesional expression & burst out - "I think I should have been a chef! Then I will only deal with 'benda-benda yang sudah mati' (i.e. dead materials only). I can cincang-cincang (mince) them / do anything to them & will not get any complaints!"
Hmmm.... that's a thought. When Gangsta Mama & I first heard it, we both burst out laughing out loud (disregarding Voldy's presence).
uh-oh.... I'll need to stop now & continue about his antics in my next article. Hubby dearest want to have some "quality together time" (I know what you're thinking Storm...... go scrub your brains!) watching Indiana Jones. Adios!
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