Haven't done this in quite a while so here goes :)

Food Review: Spicy Oriental Chicken Salad (Starbucks) ~ RM 11.90

Rating: <> <> <> <> <

What can I say, I love good salads! Especially chicken ones. This salad has it all! Generous portions of tender juicy chicken breast, crunchy leafy lettuce and a tossing of the slightly bitter kind (pardon my gourmet inadequacies), and this great dressing of vinegar and chilli somewhat reminiscent of chicken rice chilli sauce but funkier. Great meal although could do with more vege. It is however somewhat spicy but oh so yummy! Garlic bread will probably go well with this, although none available to order. Lack of side dishes is my main gripe but the salad itself is delicious!

Food Review: Jumbo Hot Dog (Ikea) ~ RM 2.50

Rating: <> <> <> <>

Boiled hot dog in a bun. Simple pleasures :) What's great though is the unlimited supply of relish, onions, and mustard! NYAM! I love lots and lots and lots of onions and relish and bad breath withstanding, this is just a feel good simple meal :) NYAM!

Warning: Windows may showcase nudity

To anyone who's moving into a new house, first thing you should do is put up curtains. I say again, before anything else, make sure your windows (especially the ones looking out to the street) has curtains (or blinds or newspapers even). And do this ESPECIALLY before you undress for the shower. Nuff said.

(I don't see how I'm ever going to get any students from my neighbours.)

20 Car Trips, 12 Hours, One Exhausted Dan

I've moved! Woke up like any other day, then went to sleep in a brand new house in a brand new room and with my entire body aching. Sorry Saw for the disappearing act! Got so caught up that I didn't quite kept you informed. But it was either this weekend or next anyways.

First of all, not to say this is of any use, but to my irritating ex-neighbours who insist on taking up my parking space, sweeping leaves to where I park, and numerous evil eye exchanges, SEE YA! It is so frustrating to not have a place to park at home to the point where you hesitate going out in case your spot gets taken. FREEDOM!!! :) Gonna miss being near to Taipan tho and living in a home with friends. Renting out rooms to strangers takes a way some privacy but having the space helps give Creativekids a boost.

Have my room settled, TV plugged in to crystal clear reception. Next up, the rest of the house... GAH. Gonna take quite a bit of work. Will also be starting on the studio setting up. Anyone wants to come and help let me know :) Also, those wanting to teach, do bring over some of your artworks for display. Lots of bare walls to liven up. Come come help.

Gonna be welcoming first room tenant today, a TGIF chef and his wife, a pastry chef. And tomorrow, room tenant #2, an aerobics instructor :) talk about opposites. Lalalala....

ps: walked to work today, woohoo!

Putting a Price on Education

My prevailing optimism seems to be nose-diving these past few days. After giving out my 2nd exam, and my first subjective one to the One students, I've been going through academic hell and back with the results. Appaling is to put it nicely. If I had it my way, only 10% of the students will pass. What with the incredibly poor command of English (that has already been dumbed down), zero commitment, intense cheating, and probably downright stupidity, I have no idea how any of the students made it to final year. Now, most people would say, 'but they're designers, they don't need to know business management'. That's probably like saying designers are stupid ignorant folk who's only fascination is with colours and font-type.

I am beyond disgust at the way these colleges are bringing up their students. Taking money from the students and deluding them into skill-based superiority. The students have no vested interest to be better, their only concern is to pass (and being ONE, draw quick sketches). They are happy regurgitating old ideas and don't see any need to question, test, or challenge anything. If this applies to all other colleges in Malaysia, we might as well rename the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Population Cloning for Mental Degradation and Subjugative Control. GAH! You know, lecturers should NOT HAVE TO DUMB DOWN TO THE STUPIDITY LEVEL OF THE STUDENTS but students should strive to meet the pre-set bar! I am so incredibly pissed not because of the sheer pointlessness of giving them marks but the affect it has on the overall growth of society and country.

Needless to say, I can't fail them all. College admin has already told me to pace down to the students. I've already revised the syllabus twice. At its current level, a Form 5 student can take it and do well (probably better). Education is a misnomer. These students are not learning, heck, they're not even memorising. I actually don't know why they are there in the first place. Probably needed a justification to hang out at Sunway all the time.

Now, that's let out. I'm never accepting a lecturing position at the One again, though I doubt they'll want me after I land my wrath on the students tomorrow. There are a lot of things I can tolerate, like inefficient admin, greed, corruption even... but messing about with education is jeopardising our future. Can you imagine our kids (if) being under leaders like these? ARGH!!!

Goodbye my dear bunny...

On this day and hour, my dear bunny, Wallaby Wallace the Fourth has passed on leaving behind his brother, King Wombat. Wallaby had to be sadly put to sleep due to the worsening of his illness. Sob sob... he is sorely missed and dearly loved and hope he can now hop free and happily in the lush green fields of rabbit heaven. God bless...

2 Weeks to April

March seems to be the most interesting month of all this year. In this month, I've started a new job, signed a tenancy agreement for a house, planned and came up with CreativeKids and committed to the business model, met a new friend and we're now good buddies and it's only middle of the month still. Wonder what April will bring but life at least seems exciting now :) Can't imagine that just 3 months ago I was in a dead-end job, complaining and griping, and living a routine dull life. Change is exciting, not to mention highly addictive. It's like once you start something different, you just keep wanting more. :)

Can't wait for this weekend. Been awhile since I've had the opportunity to go home. Work and all. Will be good to spend a weekend in Melaka and catch up.

Oh Friday, Oh Friday, where forth did you go?
For though now you are here,
You were not days ago...
Come save us from Monday, malicious and sly,
Stay with us through tomorrows,
Never do say goodbye...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Two whole weeks have gone in new work place :) Time sure did whizzed by. Been having a pretty good time so far, probably due to me still not having a full work load. Slowly starting to realise what I got myself into. Managing the Multimedia major means being proficient in software such as Flash! Gawd... back to the computer then...

One interesting thing about this place is that it is very chinesed. And me speaking zero dialects and a handful of Mandarin words makes me stick out like a sore thumb. Haven't been called a banana for ages. Ah well... got to start learning Mandarin I guess. Maybe I'll take a class at the CreativeKids@Studio in USJ. Muahahahahaha!

Happy Friday everyone :) Enjoy the weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AH MENG!!!

First up, happy returns for the day Meng :) Someone turns 24 today! (Applause) No cracks needed about the age (since we're all of the same age anyways). Sorry for forgetting though, hope you can forgive me! (Bila makan?).

Work for me has been good so far. Finally got my desk settled and my computer moved from the central workstations to my desk. Yay... surfing in private! Woohoo... weird thing tho is that my PC has no CD-ROM drive. Ah well... LAUNCH @ Yahoo! it is then.

Gonna be moving out soon so gonna be real occupied. All of you guys on the Groups thingy, well, let's get it rolling! Don't want to bring out the whip just yet.

So once again, best birthday regards to meng meng :) Have a good Thursday everyone!

Cheerful Dan logging out.

Blardy Frigid on a Hot Saturday Afternoon

I have finally 'personalised' my computer and suddenly feel at home again. Getting a new computer is like a new house I think. You take some time to take stock, evaluate the potential, and then get right on making it look and feel like your previous home. Comfort is such a driving human ambition!

Anyways, I am at work this blistery cold Saturday... with the air conditioning at full blast and me tucked in my sweater. College has an open day event today so all staff out at full force. This is officially the end of my first week at work and things have been interesting. Here are some notable insights.

~ Big company environment: We all get a monthly ration of one ream of A4 paper, two rolls of toilet paper, and enough Milo, Nescafe, and Coffeemate for each day.

~ Working hours: I have a punchcard. It feels weird but at least I don't have to justify to anyone when I leave. Hoorah!

~ Working Saturdays: Only twice a month and occasionally for fairs and etc. Have to work next Sunday but there's immediate leave compensation and etc. And no one complains. Unlike previous company where everyone does. It's amazing what an understanding boss and good office morale can do. Everyone here is very cheerful :)

~ Having more colleagues than you can remember: It feels weird coming to work and seeing more than 3 familiar cars and 6 familiar faces.

So far, things have been interesting. No complaints and I have a feeling I will be pretty contented here for a while :) Largely also due to the fact that I can walk to work. I just cannot stress enough how liberating it is to be free from bad traffic snarls! WOOHOO!!!

2004: Change is in the Air

Seems I'm not contented with just a new job. Am also moving out from Saw's place. Thankful to Saw for putting me up the past year or so but it's time to move on :) Most of you who have gotten the (da da da dam) SMS'es (except Saw who had the verbal version) would know what's up with the move. In a nutshell, basically going to rent a house, and convert the halls into learning studios to give tuition and a host of after school activities such as arts and crafts. Quite a bit of the gang have shown interest but if anyone can commit at least an hour a week, have something to teach, and can do so in a fun way, buzz me :) If you don't know how to reach me then maybe I don't know you enough! Hehehe... or in other words, this is a friends thingy... so not looking at strangers joining. After all, I am living there.

Anyways, moving out in April to USJ 2. Which also means I can WALK to work from then on. Woohoo... such a bliss to move from 6am bleary morning drives to 8.30am walks to work. Sigh... bliss...

New job has been good so far though I really have done nothing these past 2 days. Not much work for me yet and being a semester break, office has been real quiet. Not to say I'm complaining but I hope when I get evaluated they remember that my slacking is not by intention. Hehe... only other drawback though is that this place seems to be a very Chinese environment. Not being able to speak any makes me stand out a fair bit. Hope to gradually blend in though. Fingers crossed.

Anyways, for the SMS'ed, don't forget our first meeting on the 13th. Check out the Yahoo Groups for details alrighty :)

....................................................

Announcement:

LIGHTOLOGY

Presented by The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur & Toki Doki-Jido. "What's Lightology?" The theme is about 'light' and it shows the conflict between human's despair and hope. The premiere was in Tokyo, 2002. Many people appreciated it as a true contemporary art piece with the organic linkage of music, dance, audiovisuals and words. For premiere, we created various scenes together with many volunteer performers. The word "Lightology" was originally named by the director Naoyuki Asahina, with the meaning of "to think about light (=hope)."

Date: 20 - 21 March: 3.00pm 20 March: 8.30pm
Price: RM 35 (Adults) & RM 15 (JFKL members, students)

Hi again one and all... after a month long hiatus off work and a good 3 weeks from the blog, it's somewhat good to be back (and working). :) Office setup is till ongoing so until I get my own machine, this blog will be short and sweet. (just like the 10 min drive to work).

Short story is, moi am back! And with some of you receiving my sms'es, there's a lot of stuff I have planned for year 2004! :)

WOOHOO!

Woke up this morning, tuned in to Mix.FM, heard the horrendous traffic report, then snuggled back to sleep while laughing ever so contentedly. I am so relishing my month off work.

Got back from Cambodia last Friday. It was a great trip. Needless to say that the temples are breathtaking. Having two pretty good guides helped. Very fascinating and eye-opening, though having everything in US dollars make for a somewhat pricey event. Have photos with me so do drop by and visit moi to view them. (let's not consider putting them online considering i'm now using a dreadful dialup).

Have found a job and will be starting in March. Did some test drives and it takes me 5 minutes to get to work now :) Distance from home of 3km. WOOHOO! Dan will no longer be complaining of traffic. Hooray!

My desk is 80% cleared of my personal belongings.

My computer has been wiped clean of any traces of personal usage and work folders streamlined.

I should be getting my final paycheque today and will be surrendering my pc to replacement staff for file familiarisation.

Woohoo! Second last day of work and I'm already doing the dance of joy. :)

AND I'm going on a trip next week :) Heading for a short 3 day tour to Cambodia. Woohoo!

Back to work on an inauspicious Monday (according to Feng Shui). I'm bored and tired after a week long celebration with family and friends. Coming back to work after a long holiday is really such a bummer. Especially when there's only one other person in the office and everyone else is still away. Oh well...

WOOHOO!!! FRIDAY!!!

Last day of the work week and the 6th to last day of work in my current company. Bliss...

Going to be heading home to Melaka tomorrow for a week's vacation so to everyone, Happy Chinese New Year!

Oh... The Joys of Commuting to Work.

During the school holidays:

Time of departure: 7.00am
Time of arrival: 7.30am

Last week (the first week of school):

Time of departure: 6.50am
Time of arrival: 7.45 - 8.00am

This Monday:

Time of departure: 6.50am
Time of arrival: Freaking 8.35am

Yesterday:

Time of departure: 6.50am
Time of arrival: 8.00am

Today:
Time of departure: 6.30am
Time of arrival: 6.45am


*bangs head on wall*

Also, this has to be the funniest stuff ever on the web! HILARIOUS!!! Check it out >>>

If I could, I scream profanities right about now. 90 minutes of travelling for a distance of 15 km. That's an average of 10 kmp/h. I could have walked to work and be earlier. Grrrr.... Traffic is just ludicrous... don't see how much earlier I can leave than my current 650am... Cool cool cool...

On other things, my tutorship application met with no immediate success. Something about lack of funds or mismatch of needs. I think it has more to do with my company doing business with the university, so potential conflicts of interest maybe. Whatever it is, somewhat disappointing considering I had my heart set on working in education. Ah well...

First class at The One went very well. This must be the first time people clap after class, even AFTER I gave assignments! Hahaha... very rewarding... not to bask, but I like to think I did alright. But darnit, those kids should really learn to dress. Had this bunch of girls in super short pants sitting right in front. Wonder if that's on purpose? Hmm...

Also, my new year poem (few blogs down) won me a CD from Mix.FM. If I ever did win the GSC stuff (no news yet from them), this will be my second contest win for the new year, and it's only January. Cool...

Anyways, gonna be flooding the job market with my CV's. Wish me luck! Can't wait for Chinese New Year as well! :)

ps: If you see a rampaging Satria on the roads tomorrow morning, you'll know who it is. Muahahaha!

Yohoho... was on sick leave yesterday. Don't worry, wasn't too sick (uh hum). Needed a day off and had no more leave, so well, there's that. Irony is, I am a little under the weather TODAY. Can't quite take sick leave now since I conned one yesterday. Sigh... I hope no one uses the toilet much today. Never eat stale salads (especially when the dressing is dubious).

From www.gsc.com.my:

WINNERS
20 x Special prize
Limited edition LOTR: ROTK T-shirt
4 GSC Complimentary passes

My name is on the Winners List!!! Woohoo... outside of the fact that it could be someone else with the same name, and that GSC has not called with how to collect the prizes, let me naively be thrilled for the moment :)

Anyways, a little over a week before Chinese New Year. Hoorah! Did some CNY shopping yesterday and ended up with a large piece of artwork at a really good price. It was a Horse oriented piece, mass produced type, that had weakened resale value considering it's the Year of the Monkey coming up (though gawd knows who wants to hang monkeys on their walls). Since my mom, dad, and bro are Horses and Dad just loves Chinese art pieces, thought it was a good buy. Shopping can be fun. :)

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Yawns... back to work again after yet another blissfully long weekend. First day of school today as well and gawd, traffic was a killer. Sigh... hope things settle down after a few days.

Am excited with the prospect of the year. First up, by the end of this month, I'm leaving my current company! Woohoo... will be a big change seeing how the past 2 years of my life have been spent here. Also, this Friday will be my first real teaching class at The One Academy. Mighty nervous but thrilled. Gonna be an interesting year. :)

Made some resolutions as well, among them being more open with friends. Talked with some friends and in some ways it does help to limit interpersonal walls. Life is really too short to be too caught up with short sighted maladies.

Anyways, thanks for all the new year wishes and a great year to everyone! :) And to quote Batbabe, let's all wish for world peace!

An Ode to a Year's End
by Dan

I sit in quiet to think about,
This day one year ago,
To recollect the months gone by,
As the endless minutes flow,
I think about the joys and triumphs,
Of life's little precious gifts,
New babies, new mornings, new friends and old,
New dreams in mind they drift...
I cherish the moments of happiness,
And remember most peaceful times,
And bask in warmth of love and family,
And days of song and rhyme,
I treasure life and all its beauty,
Its colours bright and true,
Though bleak may be some days, some mornings,
The light will always burst through,
Amidst all this thanks, and gratitude,
I pause for a single breath,
To say a prayer and mark reflection,
For those that the year brought death,
It has been a time when wars were fought,
In the irony of global peace,
When tragedy and disasters struck,
And to many promised grief,
But through this all, the pain and loss,
The human spirit must prevail,
For life is ever eternal,
And goodwill we all must hail,
So as the year come to an end,
Let's bid a final adieu,
To the past distant but always remembered,
And welcome the coming new,
To one and all, to friend and foe,
I wish you happiness dear,
And the blessings of love and kindness,
A very happy new year.

I wonder why my alarm clock seem to ring ever so loud and ever so ominous on Monday mornings.

Oh what a blissful 4 day weekend. It was so much fun I've decided to take leave again this coming Friday. This will mean that I won't have very much leave days to spare for Chinese New Year but what the heck. I think anticipating and gearing for Chinese New Year is a heck more fun than the day itself. Granted I've had enough of paint and brooms but getting spruced up for the fesitivities and doing it as a family is very rewarding, aches and pains aside.

I think I'm a little pampered with 3 day work weeks. Gawd knows how I'll ever cope with normal work weeks come January 2004. And ack! School is reopening! With the NKVE out of whacks for another 7 months, it's going to be a grueling 3 weeks before I can kiss corporate life goodbye (at least for a while).

Job hunting is kinda stalling. Nothing really stands out and at this point, I'm just going to hinge my next working life episode on tutorship at my former university (whenever they reply). If that doesn't work out, I'm going to venture into something different. That's definitely decided. 20,000 + people died just overnight recently and that got me thinking that life is way too short to not take some chances.

On other news, boss is returning Wednesday and have sent in anticipation an email asking for reports. If he thinks the office is working on full steam when he's away, he is definitely intoxicated.

Looking forward to the new year! Woohoo! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!



May goodwill and peace prevail on earth.

(uh hum)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SQUIDICIOUS, LANDLORDY, OWNER OF TOFFEE THE PUPPY, SAW!!!

(birthday song to follow)

(Saw to proceed to blow imaginary birthday cake)




:)

*YAWNS*

Sleepy Monday mornings are such a chore... zzz... type type... zzz...

~

Return of The King: Final Instalment of the LOTR Trilogy

Watched the movie last Friday night. Wasn't as hyped as I thought I would be, probably because I was mostly sleepy. Watching the endless stream of trailers before the movie didn't quite help either. Honestly, I was very intrigued with Prisoner of Azkaban and Torque, then ROTK. Some trailers can really just blow you away.

Anyways, movie was as expected :) Highly entertaining, great story telling. Granted there were some artistic licenses but a great movie nevertheless. Fitting ending for a superb epic. Although once again, I really could have done with less of Frodo's wide eyed drugged looks. Gandalf and his spotlight staff is a little more macho as well. But the hero of the movie for me is definitely Eowyn. Fuwah, that girl rocks!

I really wonder what would happen if the trilogy was undertaken by a Malaysian studio. We probably would have a rock song, Arwen will be played by Erra Fazira and Gollum would be someone from Scenario. Hmm...

~

A little belated but Happy Birthday Beng! :) Been somewhat of a hectic week or so for you but hope things have settled.

~

Decided at the last minute to take Friday off for an extended weekend. Got house painting to do. Every door, grill and gate is now orange, thanks to Dad's choice of colour. It's really a little erm, bright, but definitely won't have any problems giving people directions to my house now. Hahaha...

Enjoy the week ahead and a Merry Christmas in advance.

I have just sent off my gazillionth job application. Not to say I'm desperate, yet, but nothing has clicked so far. This might be of some interest to some of you but I've also applied for a tutorship position at our 'favourite' university. Felt like a change of pace and it's a good reason to do a Masters. Hmm...

Some good news though, you are now looking at the new part-time lecturer (contracted for 1 semester) at The One Academy. :) I won't tell you what subject I'm taking on, just that it's a minor and it's unexpected. Should be fun though.

Will be watching Return of The King tonight. All hail THX! I just hope I won't fall asleep (yawns) or have an achy back. (I am looking forward to see Eowyn take on a Nazgul). :)

On other news, newbies in the office is driving me nuts, especially a mutual friend of ours. You should never work with a coursemate you never liked AND be his superior. Been very nice so far but almost came to a shouting blow. I've honestly never felt the need to shout at someone so strongly. Some people don't seem to take hints very well.

Anyways, Christmas is coming, so's the New Year. Best to stay in the positive and bask in the glow of goodwill :) And may the Watermelon Monster go to Singapore this year. (hehehe).

Goodbye weekend, sob sob, till we meet again. Oh, Monday, it's you...

Welcome back Saw and Chun! I gathered Bali was great :) Tell us all about it once you've slept it off!

Had a great dream last night. I was on the Starship Enterprise (with a twist). Am not going to bore you non-trekkie fans with a dream narative, but let's just say it was great fun! :)

LOTR:ROTK this Wednesday. Probably catching a Friday show. Not much hype since everyone knows what it's about and it's bound to be visually pretty as before. Just need closure I guess! After Revolutions however, I'm sure this will be more entertaining.

WOOHOO!!! Survivor 7 Finale tonight! :) WOOHOO!!!

Facts of Joy - by Dan

#1 - IT'S A FRIDAY!!!

#2 - Boss is away! For 2 weeks!

#3 - It's tang yuan time! NYAM!!!

#4 - It's close enough to Chinese New Year that a mental countdown can be started!

#5 - I don't have to travel to Penang for work anymore!

#6 - IT'S A FRIDAY!!!

(happy weekend everyone)

I love the INTERNET!!! :)

This past week or so, I've:

~ Sent Christmas cards to my US cousins using Hallmark.com for USD 3 a card. That equates to RM 12, including a great card, personalised note and posting. If I were to buy a similar Hallmark card here, it will already set me back RM 12 minus the post. (plus with Hallmark.com, it'll get to them within 3 days :) )

~ Bought a book, Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy that I've been wanting to read for USD 0.75. Shipped it to aunt at marginal cost of USD 3 and she'll bring it down to me during Chinese New Year. RM 16 for a book? Woohoo...

~ Did the usual stuff of managing my online banking accounts, checking my online credit card applications and etc. Bliss...

~ Tried to buy ties from Amazon.com priced at USD ZERO. Only eligible for one tie per customer so wasn't worth it. (I tried to buy 50).

I wish Malaysia catch up with this trend. It's a hassle shopping online with Malaysian sites.

It's Tuesday and for the 2nd time this week, I'm at the office by 7.30am. Why you may ask? Two reasons really...

1. By leaving the house 20 mins earlier, I cut my travelling time by half. Instead of the usual 40 mins, it's only 20 mins to get to work. :) Of course the only drawback is the psychological barrier of waking up before 7, but it's only for 2 months and then I'm off to new shores (hopefully closer ones).

2. By reaching the office at 730'ish, I get to sneak into the nearby parking area free of charge since parking attendant guy comes in only at 745. Hehehe, this way, it saves me a long walk to the car and speeds up my going home time by 5 mins.

Weird part is, by the time everyone starts coming in the office, I feel like I've been here forever. Too bad I can't go home dramatically earlier as well.

Wah... Monday again...

Weekend was like living life in slow motion. If I wasn't sleeping, I'd be watching TV. And that's about it. Really took it easy. Did a lot of thinking however, so it wasn't a total waste! Hehe...

Spent 2 hours on Saturday talking to college kids at One Academy on online advertising. Very receptive crowd and my worries about not being able to talk so long was unfounded. Had to reduce my slides to two thirds otherwise I'll probably take 3 hours instead! Went generally well, I hope they call me back :)

Have a good week ahead.

Oh my gawd...


Power Rangers Movie!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Traffic is hell again. Ah well... looking forward to when GPS technology come to our shores.

Read a report yesterday about fuel lasting only 50 years or so. I would assume a lot of that will be reserved for the military and aviation so we're looking at consumer fuel for 3 decades or so? Kinda makes buying a car a pointless affair. Should save up for hybrid vehicles. Hmm...


You are Google. You are always on a quest for more
knowledge, a hunt for more connections. You are
intelligent and driven, and don't forget your
sense of fun from time to time (love those
holiday logos!) Just try not to let your quest
for knowledge get in the way of your friends...
take some time to just ... be.

If you don't get the reference, check yourself out
at http://www.google.com/


What Internet phenomenon are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Oh nooo.... back to work! wwwwaaaaahhh..... (kinda feels like Monday tho, minus the traffic)

Raya break was pretty decent. Went visiting a colleague and had good Malay food. Wished I had more open houses to visit tho. I need ketupat and rendang!

Also got myself Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds for PC! WOOHOO! YAY! Took me quite a while to search for it and so darn thrilled to find it. SADLY, my stupid PC cannot play it. Darn 3D requirements. So went to shop to realise that notebooks can barely be upgraded. GAH! You know, it just never occured to me that notebooks come as is with little upgradability. I just assume with all the advances in technology, how hard can it be to upgrade a notebook? GAH!!! Sigh...

Anyways, so I sneaked into the office the 2nd day of Raya to play the game on my office machine. After clearing my mails and finishing the long installation, I was all ready to start when who walks into the empty office on a holiday but MY BOSS!!! ARGH!!! Ended up working for a couple of hours involuntarily and quickly left. SOB SOB... I want to play my game!!! :(

And oh, I ate a whole Chocolate Top Sundae Cone from McD. Whole meaning the with paper thingy that they put the cone in. Didn't realise it was there. Figured it out when I found myself chewing awfully long. I hope it's non-toxic. :)

First up, Selamat Hari Raya to all muslim friends :) And to all the rest, HOLIDAYS!!!

This week is so bad for working. Totally demoralised and just dreaming of ketupat and rendang. Gonna just be visiting one colleague tomorrow, no one else seems to be doing an open house thingy. Darn...

Weekend has been laidback. Did some crafts and some other stuff. Played Magic the Gathering on PC. Love the game! Watched lots of TV as well. Such a pig I tell you. Oink Oink!

Tis a rambling blog but it's a rambling type day... lalala... which mall should I visit for lunch today... hmm.... (boss isn't around)....

I've either been asked, been subjected to in a conversation, or listened to this one singularly grating topic: marriage all in this past week. Everything so far revolves around:

1. We are getting older and need to consider getting married so we can have kids by 30.

2. You can't buy that car! How are you going to fit your future children in?

3. Marriage is inevitable what... we all have to do it.

Since when is marriage inevitable? Death yes lar, maybe even the cancellation of Charmed, but marriage? You know, I'm not a big proponent of anything forced and although marriage is all good and pretty, it's not something you do because you have to. It should be something you do because you want to! I mean, the world has changed so much, what is inevitable is the fact that the institution or concept of marriage needs some changing too.

This is all personal obviously, but I feel that marriage is an option. You can be as happy dating, single, playing the field all the way to your deathbed I am sure. And let's not even go at how 'happy' marriages can sometimes be.

All I'm saying is, when you meet people like me, who really couldn't be bothered to choose a car for future children or starts saving vigorously for a wedding, take a breather to understand why. :) Please don't force down age-old propaganda that marriage will make your life complete, just like you have to work very hard when you are young to enjoy life when you are old. (Why can't we enjoy in moderation everyday?)

Imposing principles on others is something that I have a tough time with I guess. Within acceptable limits, and especially if you do not hurt or endanger anyone else, I truly believe we should be able to do as we please.

Marriage... bah humbug.

I'm giving a 2 hour talk at The One Academy on December 6th. My talk will be about 'Getting Your Message Across The Internet:
E-Learning Approaches to Online Advertising'. A little nervous and slowly prepping up presentation slides but should be an interesting experience. I hope they allow public members to sit in so I can force all you people reading this to come and ease my nervousness. What on earth do I know about online advertising? ARGH!

Matrix seems to be a divided topic, people either love it or hate it, get it or don't. Personally, I wished I had my money back. Effects and all is really nothing to blah over now, since it's really something expected than out of the norm. Story wise tho, well, I believe in communicating a clear message. I have no idea who they are trying to target. Only die hard fans willing to sift through the metaphors and analogies can probably surmise a version of the story. Since hardly any versions are alike, who's to say what the heck the original story was? Well, coming from someone who enjoys low brow brainless romance comedies, (hehe), I guess the Matrix isn't something I easily appreciate. Movies that works best for me are the ones who play me out exactly, with feel good all over. :)

Oh no... I'm a... VAMPIRE????


You are Form 9, Vampire: The Undying.

"And The Vampire was all that remained on
the blood drowned creation. She attempted to
regrow life from the dead. But as she was
about to give the breath of life, she was
consumed in the flame of The Phoenix and the
cycle began again."

Some examples of the Vampire Form are Hades (Greek)
and Isis (Egyptian).
The Vampire is associated with the concept of
death, the number 9, and the element of fire.
Her sign is the eclipsed moon.

As a member of Form 9, you are a very realistic
individual. You may be a little idealistic,
but you are very grounded and down to earth.
You realize that not everything lasts, but you
savor every minute of the good times. While
you may sometimes find yourself lonely, you
have strong ties with people that will never be
broken. Vampires are the best friends to have
because they are sensible.


Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday morning... bluergh.

Weekend was good. Went back home and just chilled. Relaxing... :)

Landlordy got me a new fan! Yay! Now I don't have to freeze every morning since new fan can oscillate. Old one was so twisted out of shape that it falls if I oscillate it. :) Yay!

I'm leaving current company at end of January. Quite a way to go still and office dynamics has changed. 3 new staff today. Lots of new faces. Changes! At least my last few weeks will be intriguing :) Boss has kindly extended an offer to return to the company whenever I like to. Mighty nice of him but I hope that's one offer I won't have to take up. Please please please let there be another job for me! :)

Feeling way better now. No more nausea and diarrhorea, yippee... but allergies all a flaring. Couldn't resist a junk food session last week. Sigh... darn food chemicals. Grr...

Happy work week everyone.

Woohoo... Friday. :)

Back to work after a 2 day hiatus, thanks to the public holiday on Wednesday and sick leave yesterday. Got hit with another dizzy spell (thanks to some inner ear imbalance). Gone now thankfully. Doc said that if it doesn't go away with meds, he'll need to do a brainscan. Spooky.

Today in the office is rearranging tables day. 3 new staff coming in on Monday so got to make room for them. Bluergh... it also looks like I'll be leaving end of December instead of mid-January. Long story that but I guess it'll be good to go. Job hunting still in process, not too much success yet.

Gonna spend this weekend making lamps for colleague who's going away and sis birthday present. Anyone wants to order one? :) Cheap cheap... let me know :)

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

Bluergh... I am unwell...

Stomach was crappy all through Monday so I took sick leave and spent the day finishing 'The Bear and The Dragon' by Tom Clancy. It's such a great book, and so compelling that I even forgot to take my nap. Hehe...

Thought all was well today until halfway through the journey to work I get overwhelmed by nausea. Thank goodness I don't eat breakfast until after I reach the office otherwise I'll be puking in the car. Bluergh... anyways, contemplating another sick leave but we'll see if this clears up.

I hope I'm not allergic to work! Muahahaha...

Let's say this together, FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

Things sure are changing in the company. We have 3 new people coming in by mid-month. Lots of seating rearranging and transitions to do. And I will be passing on my workload slowly to the new staff. Changes man, and I'm somewhat excited with the prospect :)

Next 2-3 months will be somewhat different though. I'll probably be grounded to the office once new staff comes and I wonder how the dynamics of resigning staff and new staff will be like. I also wonder what my boss has told them about me and my reasons for leaving and what I should say should the new staff ask me? Hmm... will probably let it all glide. So Dan will be a grinning and a looking stupid until he leaves for CHINESE NEW YEAR for one LONG LONG BREAK! YAY!

Happy weekend everyone!

Woohoo! I am free! Free! Last day of work: January 20th 2004. YAY! Hooray!

(boss was so hyped about a new 'million' dollar proposal that he couldn't be bothered about my departure. works for me just fine.)

YAY!

(dan now available for employment. anyone out there wants me?)

Over the weekend:

1. Decided to resign from job. If I can't get another within my 3 months notice, so be it. HOLIDAY!

2. Had constant nightmares of boss. This is seriously neurotic. Decided to dream of the Charmed Ones instead... (bliss).

3. Craved food non-stop. Am (yet again) on a new diet. So far so good this time. Lost 3kg. For my sanity, don't mention food when you're with me.

4. Met an old friend. He said he suspect he's schizophrenic. He's been hearing voices. Darn my friends are weird.


And today:

1. Boss isn't here. Darn... gonna delay my notice giving ceremony. How am I supposed to reschedule the band? Sigh...

2. Contemplating dropping by Ikea during lunch. Need to get present for Dad. Calculating the time it will take. Hmm...

3. Can't wait for the weekend.

Woohoo... Friday :)

Well, thanks for the throwback everyone. It helps but like I said, this decision is mine. Being the stubborn, irritable, grumpy person I am, not to mention highly indecisive, I've kinda avoided committing to a decision but it's inevitable I guess. Although there are some concerns, mind is made up. To new shores I go.

But I'm going to play this safe and secure a job first. My work performance is sure as heck going to go down the drain but when you've set to leave, it's amazing how suddenly easy everything is. It feels mightily unfair and I'm really happier to give my notice now, but seeing how once you give your notice the boss treats you like dirt, well, I'm doing it only when I'm good and ready.

Lalalala... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Watching Freaky Friday tonight. :)

I'm in such a headache... argh...

Past week or so has been spent contemplating resignation. And when I thought I had finally decided, boss called me in for a heart to heart. He said he noticed me being dour (eww...) and unhappy so he wanted to know why. Although boss has alleviated some concerns and made some promises (sincerity to be doubted), I feel like I do not have adequate investment in interest and passion to continue. Plus the fact that I'll drop this for a new job without a second thought gives me an indication that my notice is due.

So for the moment, I think I've decided to resign. But the compelling worry is that I fail to secure another job before I go. Since I have to give a cruelly long notice of 3 months, this means if I were to submit my notice now, I will need to find another job by February next year.

This is one decision that I have to make alone I know but just hoping to feel out you guys for brickbats and opinions. Not wanting to be whiny, but needing some reinforcement, one way or another.

:)

ENTJ - "Field Marshall". The basic driving force and need is to lead. Tend to seek a position of responsibility and enjoys being an executive. 1.8% of total population.

Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test

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Howdy...

It's been so long since I last blogged I almost forgot my password. Gah...

With so many people so busy and deprived of online access... blogging seems to be a little pointless. Simply because it is such a socially driven activity that without interaction, why even bother posting your thoughts right? Hmm... will probably be blogging on and off from now onwards...

A little lack lustre with work and with life in general. Life outside of work is fine, it's the 9 hours daily at the office that's a real morale killer. I'm sure (contrary to what everyone says) not all companies are the same, and I have to believe that some careers are worthwhile. It's looking for it that's tough. Hmm...

Long weekend coming up again. Let's all say YAY!

Acks... it's Monday.

Had a weekend spent at MVEC Megamall manning a booth during the Postgraduate Fair, supposedly the largest. It's really a no biggie and crowds were good but not massive. So not too much work, though throat is a little coarse from all the talking (and rendang). Glad it's over though.

Going to go up Penang again this weekend. Leaving Friday and back on Sunday. This time with family so shouldn't be too bad :) Let's hope rain stops and flood recedes by then.

It's been a little duller at work seeing how my yahoo kakis are all deprived of access. Hai...

The Story of The Boastful Elephant and The Slimy Green Frog

It was a clear sunny day in the lush green forest,
When a thump-thump suddenly thundered through,
It was the stomping of the Elephant, big and huge and gray,
And oh, he was a boastful one too...

And he thundered through the trees and the bushes and the grass,
And the birds went a shrieking skywards,
He thundered till he came to a pond with a frog,
A small slimy green creature with warts...

And the Elephant said,

'Oh you're so small, and ugly, and green, and slimy!'
'How I'm glad I'm not like you!'
'Because you're small, and ugly, and green, and slimy!'
'And oh, so icky too.'

And the Frog replied,

'Small may I be, and green that I am,'
'But ugly I disagree,'
'For though small and green and well, probably slimy'
'I could do things you have never seen.'

And the Elephant laughed.

'Ha ha HA! Ha ha HA! What can you do that I cannot?'
'For you're small and ugly, and oh green and slimy!'
'Whereas I'm big and strong, with a trunk that's long'
'I don't envy you but instead I pity!'

And the Frog shrank inside, his heart skipped a beat,
Disheartened though as he was,
He dismissed the boastful Elephant and sat quiet on his pond,
For he was content without an ego vast...

Amidst all the boasting, of the big gray elephant,
A fly came whistling by,
And the fly saw the huge ears, of the big gray elephant,
And thought, 'Shade from the sun! Oh my, oh my!'

So the fly whizzed round the Elephant, seeking promised shelter,
And in doing so caused much fear,
For the mighty Elephant could hear the loud whizzing,
And it was only the sound he could hear,

For the fly was too small and too fast to be seen,
And the Elephant was terrified!
And he thumped and he thumpered, with his ears flapping wild,
And the frog sat there mummified,

And the Frog wondered,

'Gawd this is strange, what a turn of events'
'I would laugh but it would be impolite,'
'Maybe I should help? Would the Elephant appreciate?'
'Maybe he'll see me in another light?'

So the Frog leapt in the air, with legs all aloft,
And streaked his tongue out like a whip,
With a split second dash, the fly met an end,
And the Frog had a decent midday treat,

But the Elephant had not noticed, so wild was his fear,
That he thump and thumpered so ever more,
And the Frog in midair, had to abide by the law,
Of gravity so down he soared,

From the safety of his pond, he landed on land,
In a bewildering looming shadow,
He briefly wondered, where the sun had gone,
But the Frog would see no tomorrow,

For under the feet of the big and gray Elephant,
Did the frog unfortunately land,
And after a minute, when silence echoed round,
Did the Elephant stopped his rant,

The Elephant said,

'Ah my might has prevailed! It is silent once again'
The threat must have scurried to cover!'
'For I'm big and strong, with a trunk that's long!'
'And no other can make me cower!'

And he stood in full boast, and looked at the pond,
At the spot where the Frog (now deceased) once sat,
'Oh Frog did you not see, how brave I was'
'OH FROG! Where are you now, you coward!'

And the Elephant said,

'Oh how rude was he, to leave me alone'
'A coward! But that is no surpise,'
'For he was small and ugly, and green and slimy,'
'And I'm a mighty Elephant, big and wise!'

So on a clear sunny day, in the lush green forest,
The boastful Elephant thump and thumpered through,
And the kind hearted Frog, laid splattered by the pond,
With nary a memory as the birds by flew.

Another colleague of mine has announced her resignation. That brings down the office staff by 40%. Gawd... we're out in JobStreet scouting about and hoping to be able to hire some people soon. Looks to me like everyone is joining my quitting bandwagon, except for me! Hahaha... I guess I'm still undecided and although some change will be good, there is also perks in seeing things through. Doors always kept open anyways.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am officially not servicing my car at Proton Edar or any 'official' Proton centres anymore due to stupidity (theirs, not mine). Wanted to service the car yesterday, here's a quick dialogue snippet:

Proton: We're full until the 6th.
Me: (darn) Alright, I'll make an appointment for the 6th then.
Proton: Sure, leave your car number then come early to get your number otherwise you won't be able to get a service.
Me: Aren't I making an appointment already? Why do I need a number?
Proton: Our policy, first come first serve.
Me: If that's the case, why can't I just come early tomorrow?
Proton: Because you don't have an appointment.

(grr)

Me: Fine, anyways, how long will a 20k service take?
Proton: 20k is actually a big service, probably 2 hours. What's your mileage now?
Me: (duh) 20k.
Proton: You can actually wait until 21k since that's the actual mileage for a 20k service.
Me: Aren't you supposed to service it every 5000 km, irregardless of what it says in the meter? Since I did mine at 14,600, it's definitely due.
Proton: No, 20k service should be done at 21k.

(this guy is obviously confused. although we do service at the first 1000 km for new cars, the next service is at 5000 and every 5000 afterwards, so although in stupid math it may seem like 21, it's really actually 20)

Me: Fine, bye.

(proceeded to regular service centre for great service at a way cheaper cost PLUS it took them only 30 mins, AND they gave me back the extra engine oil).

At 24, just short of half a century past, my dad got married and had me a year later. With a pay cheque barely 200 a month and fresh from school, my mom and dad took the leap into marriagehood and subsequently parenthood at an age where we are all concerned about how we can buy the luxuries we want with our 'meagre' thousand over dollar salary. Whether I came into the picture by choice or circumstance, all I know is that for all of their younger years, I was in the picture in a life changing way for both of them.

I'm relating this because everywhere I go, I hear people complain. Look at the headlines, we are a nation of whiners. We whine, gripe, complain about everything under the sun but when push comes to shove, we take the road of complacency and expect problems to resolve on it's own. Everyone has problems, no matter rich or poor, lucky or otherwise. The best way however, I realise to deal with all the problems in life is a change of perspective. For example, as much as traffic jams bother me, it only does because I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford a car. Everything is about perspective and though it's great to aspire, don't forget to count the blessings along the way. And let us just stop the whining and try to become a nation united.

Through it all, the best rewards in life are truly the simplest things. Take a breather, think about the things you are truly thankful for and share it with everyone. I will look forward to reading the comments :)

First up, thank you everyone for the birthday well wishes :) It was appreciated.

I had a good weekend. Kicked off birthday celebrations by watching The League of Extraordinary Gentleman on Friday. Love the movie :) Realise that most serious reviewers were turned off for a myriad of reasons (including the usual not keeping true to the graphic novel) but heck, it was a fun watch. Who cares if super cool vampiress could stand in the sun and has a reflection. It was such a visually pretty movie and loads of eye candy that's really a no-brainer. Ending I could have done without though.

Went home to Melaka on Saturday and did massive shopping. It was also my grandma's, aunt's and cousin's birthday so we had an extended family dinner, primarily for grandma of course. I don't know why but I had to pay for everything in advance (dinner and gifts and etc.) to be reimbursed by the family fund later. Charged over a K to my card... (woohoo, points). Pretty good day but darn exhausting.

Sunday was shopping and lunch. Bought fruits by the kilos at Tesco seeing how cheap it was. My fridge is well stocked now. Hehe... also finally got myself a proper outdoor antennae. Pretty nifty one that can rotate itself via remote. Installed it just outside the door, much to the amusement of neighbours. Laugh all you want, I now have a clear snow free reception :) and whenever I rotate the antennae, I can just hear the oohs and aahs from outside. :)

All in all, good weekend. A little tired still but well worth it. Housemate Rick also had his birthday the same as mine so it was pretty fun. :)

Alas... all that's gone and done with... it's Monday now.... Grrr...

Woohoo! Friday! Woohoo!

Can't wait for the weekend. This week went by really fast though. Didn't even had time to gripe proper and whang! Friday is here. Woohoo...

Some of you will already know that Sunday is my birthday. :) Looking somewhat to it for the prospect of well wishes. I already had my cake (thanks Chun and Saw) and some pressies (thank you). Seeing how I have not received any soft toys or flowers (I got a rose bouquet last year, yes, for real... I have no idea what my friend was thinking), I am glad.

Looking deeper however, birthdays are really not so much about the presents and cake (wouldn't mind another), but more about being remembered and cherished. Friends are most felt on this day and a milestone marking another year into life does hit you. There's always the thought of what have you done with your life? I've gone past that by the simple measure that what I do with my life is on my own accord. I would love to be able to contribute more to the world at large (and get out of the greed oriented corporate culture) but I first have to be happy with myself and my life. And that one single task takes the most effort to accomplish.

Happiness is relative. To some people, it is a measure of material wealth. Others, by love. For me, I think it is a combination of many things. Even though wealth is appealing, I treasure the freedom of moving about with anonymity and so average that the impetus to rob/kidnap and etc. is not something I have to worry about. I love having enough education to hold my own yet not too much to be pompous. I also willingly admit to having a lot more to learn, and with this life, that journey I will willingly take.

With the world in a chaotic mess, and with so many people unhappy for the simplest of things, it is really a depressing time to live in. We really should learn to find happiness whatever the circumstance and find a belief that is more resilient than opinion and adaptive to change. I think religion is something we all can do without, just imagine the wars that will not have been fought. Good in humanity I like to believe is innate. The bad however is instilled. We do not need the restrictive imposition of religion to tell us what to do, we should be able to do it with clear conscience and without fear for the after life. You are not here today to live for tomorrow.

At the end of the day, when all is spent and done, the only certainty in life is that today is here. Don't live for tomorrow, don't dwell on yesterday. Live for today and let love be shared.

It has been a busy month and seeing how under-staffed we are, it looks like the hectic pace will not cease for quite a while. Thank goodness for wholesome cheesecakey goodness... hehehe!

Life in the office has been surreal. Boss is on some kind of overdrive where the inner chinaman prevails over good management sense. In not so many words, he has indicated that bonuses and increments are nowhere near in sight. Tone of the office is also one that's taut with frustration and overworkedness. Sigh... and to think that all it takes to change it will be things as simple as giving us extra leave in exchange for bonuses, or things like actually listening to the staff when he asks for an opinion, rather than always 'correcting' us. Remind me never to run a company.

Anyways, looking forward to the weekend :) It's Friday tomorrow! Whoopeedoo!

Wow... I've not blogged for a whole week. Must be a personal record. Have been occupied though... :)

Monday again, sigh. Monday is the most blargh... especially after a good weekend. Had some small makan with Chun, Saw and Jin at Shakey's. Pretty good stuff. New menu is cool...

Went for bowling, archery, pool and foosball afterwards. Needless to say I suck at most of the games. :) T'was fun needling Jin tho.

And to Chun and Saw, big thank you for the cake. :) It's good... though do expect hyperactive Dan for the next few days, what with the sugar rush and all.

Happy workweek everyone.

Morning... Gah... (I hate Mondays...)

Traffic is back to usual after a slight school holiday reprieve. Darn... Good news is, I'm off to a 3 day workshop/seminar in MMU so it'll be commuting to Cyberjaya the next 3 days. A little further but usually jam-free. :)

Weekend was alright. Stocked up the office with baby goldfishes. Did some arts and crafts. And slept at least 14 hours on Saturday. A pig I am... I am, I am.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIMO!!! :) May frenzied naked hamsters find their way to you! Hahahahaha!

(pauses for a moment)

Two years ago, the twisted actions of a few led to the death of many, and a turbulent change of policies and outlooks of the world at large. Discrimination, hate, fear, anger, and destructive tendencies swept the world led by the charges of powerhouses, driven by the blinded need to 'make things right'. There is just no justifying terrorism but when you fight fire with fire, all that happens will be a bigger blaze of heated fury and tension.

We have to learn to sometimes step back, bite our tongue, and consider the merits before pride. Ego lost is no lost at all... A moment's prayer and thought to the perished and the innocents who lost lives to the actions of a disturbed few...

First up, on this wet rainy Wednesday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHUNNIE!!! Warm birthday wishes to long time blogger Kotak! :) May you enjoy the bounty of age and cherish the lines of time. Muahahahahhaa....

Morning! Back from an exhaustive and dull Penang work weekend and smack, it's Monday. Cruelnyer!

Anyways, here are some 'highlights' of my trip:

1. Bus to Penang due at 6pm left at 7.3opm. Concluded that NICE buses at double the price are not worth it. Unreliable with lousy service staff.

2. Arrived at Penang and followed this taxi guy for ride to hotel. His taxi turns out to be a beaten up car, unlicensed obviously, that broke down midway due to lack of petrol (it was prob leaking). Reached the hotel smelling like diesel.

3. Grand Continental seemed a decent hotel but room sucks. Pillows were icky and hard and room had a smell. At least TV works... phew.

4. MBA preview the next day was an episode of patience. Gosh... very pushy and demanding people turned up. Including one soft spoken guy who spoke in barely audible whispers.

5. Classes went off alright, except for one terrible student who doesn't ask, but demands. Thank goodness for Aewis who helped save me from future student torment. Thank you!

6. Hotel had elevator problems so only one worked on Saturday and Sunday. And bus loads of school kids and the biggest herd of uncles and aunties I've ever seen arrived then. Those people never queue, hog the elevator, push you at the breakfast buffet and talk at a volume of jets taking off. GAH!

7. Left hotel on Sunday at 3.50pm to catch a bus at 4.00pm. I told the taxi driver to charge me whatever as long as he gets me there on time. It felt like the Amazing Race for a short while! Hahaha....

Pretty dull trip, seeing how I was in the hotel mostly. Dropped by Komtar and Prangin for a bit but nothing much for me to do there. Anyways, happy work week everyone!


Overall...

Darn... it's a Friday... never thought I'd say that... but darn...

Have to go to Penang today. I am working over the weekend in Penang, manning an MBA preview as well as monitoring the classes. Sigh... leaving by bus this evening to arrive close to midnight. Then sleep, then start work the next morning at 11'ish all the way till 9pm! muaaa..... may not be difficult work but it sure will be boring. Sigh... Sunday work again from 8'ish to 3 then leave Penang at 4. Won't even get to enjoy my hotel stay... MUAAAAAA!!!!

Hope you guys have a good weekend. Sigh...

GAH! Today must be the worst work commute ever...

I've been experimenting with new routines. Waking up at 6 and moving out by 630 is getting too exhaustive, especially now when workload seems ever piling. So decided to try leaving an hour later. Traffic is undoubtedly worse then but it has been pretty alright... taking up on average an additional 10-15 mins and that I can live with. Today however was a killer... but stupid ol' me made it worse.

After 15 mins of crawling through Jalan Tujuan (this usually takes just 5) I was expecting the worse when I reached the Federal Highway. The 3 lane highway miraculously became 6 lanes on entry so gave up and tried a diversionary route thru the old Subang airport highway. Roads there was clear and I was at the exit to the LDP in less than 5 mins before I realised I missed it. Turned off then at the highway exit and ended up at Damansara which was BADly jammed. After more crawling I ended up at Tropicana and then took the LDP back down to Kelana. GRRRRR... all in all... it took me 1 hr 15 mins to get to work this morning. I'm pissed.

Back to work! ARGH....

Weekend has been long, fun, albeit exhaustive. Here's a quick rundown for those interested.

Friday: Watched Bruce Almighty. Alrite lar... somewhat funny, very touching... very the hallmark'ish.

Saturday: Went to SPCA. So many dogs... so keen to help them out. Only to be told by gruff and irritable SPCA lady that 'dogs are only to be adopted by families, bachelors are not allowed'. Considering how they have so many dogs and any home is better than a queue to the gas chamber... well, SPCA can go to heck.

Sunday: Family came down so did the usual routine of shopping, eating, sightseeing. Caught a movie as well, The Italian Job. GREAT movie! Best one yet this year.

Monday: Lethargy central. Tired, bored. Did some shopping again and had a good Vietnamese lunch before family went off to Melaka. Spent the evening having a great Western dinner with Chun and Saw and Mr and Mrs Tan. Waiter was weird but food was good. Proceeded to Chun's aunt's mini zoo. Wows... 2 dogs, 4 puppies, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters and chickens! Wows...

Tuesday: Took leave... became a pig. Cooked dinner. :)

Woah... steady boy... *gallop gallop gallop*

:) Been busy lately doing previews and the like. I seem to be able to capture interest of middle aged ladies only. Hahaha... every preview I've done, only the ladies seem interested and eager to learn more. Hmm...

Anyways, just a quick notice... I'm buying webcams in bulk for company so anyone wanting to buy one can join in. Details as follows:

Webcam: Logitech Quickcam Express

Website: click here

Usual price: RM 100-110

Discounted price: RM 80


If you want one, let me know by next week latest. Cash only yeah, and please pay upfront. You just have to trust me! :)

OogaBooga - adj. 'ooo-gaaa-booo-gaaa', the worst day of the week. Source unknown.

Ah... overslept this morning... as usual for the day but even though I arrived 40 mins later than usual, I was still earlier than everyone else. Hehehe... phew.

Amazing Race was great! Favourite team won! Woohoo! For followers of the series, you'll know who I'm talking about. I so love reality TV shows. Can't wait for Survivor Panama.

New rabbit cage is built, at a cost of RM 120. Took the whole family almost one day to complete the project. Cage is huge... 7x2 ft with two levels. Well worth the effort though. Wallaby and Wombat now have a more roomier home, though they're somewhat hesitant to go up the 2nd level. I'm on a lookout now for a third bunny... Dusty is a bit pricey at RM120 so will probably check out SPCA. Am also looking for a small terrier. :)

Merdeka weekend coming up. Woohoo... long break awaits :) woopeedoo!

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

Amazing Race Finale today! Woopeedooo!!!

Made myself lunch today... pork and potatoes... :)

Ack ack... throat dry from lengthy preview... ack... had to shout across the room at a class of 40 for an hour each time. Three groups came, so 3 non-stop hours of shouting, 'you need to complete 14 subjects to qualify for the MBA....'. I hope I was convincing... never had such a big group before. Phew.

I won invites (me and a guest) to the launching of the new Guiness bottle tonight at Atmosphere. Decided against going, since I found it's a disco (blech) and free flow of drinks will be provided... (I don't drink and I hate being around drunk people). Too bad I can't give the invite away though.

Woohoo... tomorrow is Friday!

It has been a busy busy week... day long presentations and meetings yesterday, and I have MBA previews to conduct today and tomorrow. Ack ack... water please...

Decided against puppies... for now. Am going to stick to my original plan to get a shih tzu so don't want to be sidetracked by free puppies of other breeds. Need a small dog since it's going to be mobile. Gonna co-care it with housemate Rick and it'll follow us wherever we go, be it USJ, KL or Melaka. So the smaller they are, the easier lar. (and shih tzu's are SO cute). But piggies I will take :) Oinkers and Porkchops should be fun to have as pets.

Saw: you planning to keep a puppy as well? :)

Back to work on a ... urgh...

Wallaby is still alive and kicking (somewhat). Couldn't bring myself to do it. Am building a bigger rabbit cage so maybe that'll help make things easier for him. Sigh.

Got boss a bigger tank for fishies. Aquarium manager Dan now has two tanks to manage. :) I also got a smaller tank for me to put in my USJ room. 14 little goldfishies swimming about... :)

Deciding between a puppy or guinea pigs... help?

It's a Friday :)

Am planning to put Wallaby Wallace the Fourth to sleep tomorrow. Sigh... am sad but don't see any other way. Don't want to drag his suffering. King Wombat will be lonely for a week or so until I get the replacement bunny, a gray Jersey Wooly, which I've named Dusty bin Blueberry. The next friendly white rabbit I get will be named Wallaby Wallace the Fifth to commemorate the memory of Wallaby Wallace the Fourth.

Decided to use their full names today since the event is a sombre one. I always give my pets a first name first, and then add on a last name when something suitable comes along. Wallaby has Wallace the Fourth affixed because there was a Wallace the Third character in Kim Possible that was so like Wallaby. Wombat is King Wombat because he's fat, grouchy and ruler of the rabbit cage.

Jumbuck (my hamster, now deceased and whose name is commemorated in this blog) is also called Indiana Jumbuck the Great. :)

I'm also getting two guinea piggies from Chun. They have been named Oinkers and Porkchops, though I've yet to see them. Animals are very endearing to have and losing one makes you want to have even more.

Wallaby oh wallaby... I hope you had a pleasant and comfortable life.

Amazing Race 2nd last episode is tomorrow! WOOHOO!!! (must get ready cheer chants and pompoms). 1st season finale also tomorrow but since I already know who wins, and have no affinity with any of the teams, lacklustre lar.

Rain was pouring yesterday. Am so thankful I managed to get home without any bad traffic. Forecast predicts rain again this afternoon... fingers crossed.

I have a new position in the office: Aquarium Manager. Boss got a small tank with goldfish and no one has any experience with keeping fishes. So task has been left to me. Haha... no biggie lar... can do it with eyes closed. Silly though to invest in something you don't really like, and know nothing about because some 'master' tells you so. Asians are way too superstitious.

Morning all.

Was on sick leave yesterday. Wasn't exactly dying lar... and if I was committed enough, I probably could have dragged myself to work. Had a slight fever and an irritable throat and seeing how tired I was, decided to opt for a sick leave instead. Getting really jaded with my desk job and I think that's really the whole problem. Tough figuring out what to do with your life when you yourself aren't sure. All I know is, doing business like this just isn't my thing.

Went to my usual doctor, the crap quack doc who I think is doing some shady business. Everytime I go there, I see very healthy looking people coming all smiling and all, and doc will greet them, bring them in for a bit and send them off. How many docs do that? Unless you're bringing in tonnes of money lar. If I had to guess, I think he's selling some pretty funky cough mixture. Hehehe... but that's just a biased, possibly undeserved, remark on unfounded truths. :) Then again...

Am thinking of a local holiday. Anyone has suggestions? Where's the best place you've been to? Budget friendly please.

Oh no... OogaBooga already? Gah...

I've watched about 20 hours of television over the weekend. Partly due to the Amazing Race Marathon of which I watched 11 episodes spread out over 2 days. I've been following the first one since it came on terrestrial tv and since the fourth one is on astro, not too convenient to watch it weekly. Marathon was a great way to catch up and gawd it's fun. Survivor is still my favourite but the Amazing Race is a close second. Simply because the only way you can enjoy the Amazing Race is to have a favourite team to root for. I am SO hoping my favourite team win the fourth one. Argh the agony of anticipation!

For no reason whatsoever, I also watched the finale of Akademi Fantasia. My first time switching to Astro Ria and gosh, the show was such a draggy soppy event. It's a game show, so why is everyone crying? It's not like they're gonna die. And Aznil the host should be smacked. He's worse than Jalaludin in his time stretching antics. Got winner, announce lar. No need to keep people guessing for 10 mins. An interesting observation however is that all three winners were guys. Since winners were chosen via sms... all I can deduce is that the majority of viewers are girls, and the only way to win is to cute and charming (and occasionally manage to sing).

Wallaby is getting sicker by the day. He has a degenerative bone problem, either due to inherent genetic disorder or a spinal fracture (which is actually common in rabbits). He can barely move his front paws now and thus get about like a seal. He spends all his time just lying down and Wombat will occasionally take time off to help Wallaby clean himself. It's so sad... but I think I'll have to put Wallaby to sleep. :( MUAAAAAA..... Wombat will be devastated but once Wallaby can't pull himself to eat... I'd rather he die quick then slowly starve or put himself through torture to get fed. Sigh... sigh... sigh... how how how do you kill your pet? :(

Woohoo! Friday! Friday! Friday!

Cleared my desk this morning. Took me 4 hours but well worth it. Got rid of at least 1000 pages worth of documents. Though I still have tonnes of filed documents to keep. Amazing the amount of paperwork one person can collect in just over a year. And we're an e-learning company somemore. Irony.

Can't wait to go home. Only skipped going back last weekend but it feels like forever. My entire backseat is filled with dirty laundry. Hahaha... :) Dad was afraid I'd changed my mind (as if I would) so he called this morning and tempted me with durians. Woohoo! I have durians tonight! I have durians tonight!

Housemate has been sick. I think I've caught the bug. No outbreak yet, just irritated throat and slight wooziness. I hope I get real sick on Monday. Fingers crossed.

Had a weird dream yesterday. I dreamt I had an infant son. :O Was both terrified and in awe of the miracle of life at the same time. Dream was also 'high'. Funky lights everywhere with butterflies flirting here and there in my home. Sigh... FREAKY!

Happy weekend everyone! :D

YAWNS... blogging after snacking on some buns shortly after noon. Had a morning meeting which was like making a cow do gymnastics, or in boss's words, getting water out of stone. At least they served food... fried vermicelli, cake (at least I think it is, seems eggy) and sugar with some tea (I've eaten candy that's less sweet).

After calmly accepting the suckiness of this job for a few more months, boss reignited drive to move on. You don't play premier league football with an inexperienced team of 5, without any reserves and expect to win. Some people have no common sense (or think too highly of their staff). Boss's world will probably cave in some if I resign. Don't like subjecting him to that kind of stress (and not to say I'm irreplaceable) but however tough it is for him to replace me, I think I've made up my mind more or less. Putting it down in words for the whole netverse to read makes it so. So there.

Jacq, this is a bit delayed but thanks to your fertiliser, the plants you gave me died even quicker. Did you want to kill them swiftly to avoid being barely living and in torment by moi? MUA HA HA HA!!! Well, your plan failed. Thanks to mediocre B-grade movies and lightning, I've brought them all back to life. Come meet my frankenplants next time you visit. They have a surprise for you. (da da da dam...)

Days like this I wonder why I just don't drop this job and move on. I actually wrote a whole diatribe about boss but realised it's not a good thing to post. So rant will end with, GAH!!!

It's a Wednesday... midweek, phew. Short hop to the weekend and there'll be an Amazing Race marathon on Sunday. Good time for me to catch up on the series. :)

Tuesday morning... time sure drags when you're having 'fun'.... HOLA....

I'm starting to wonder how this country is run. Ban something today, unban it tomorrow and blame it on over eager power hungry staff. We get excited over our world's tallest kuih lapis while taking light of our most flood prone city. We organise the biggest and gawdiest opening ceremonies for everything from new toilet openings to the launch of Kasut Gombak, but never seem to be interested in seeing them through. How did we ever get so apathetic? And if I ever hear that Cuti Cuti song again, I'm tempted to go on a mall rampage and bite tourists. When you build a building for a 1000 occupants, you don't just build a 100 carparks. And when you buy a medium sized house, don't buy 4 large sized cars.

And what's with this piracy issue? Yes piracy is bad so go and do more crackdowns. Fine the public, send the vendors to jail. You cannot impose a price ceiling on a luxury item. It is not a necessity for everyone to be able to buy CD's. Let market forces work on it's own. Stupid silly price barrier hurts not just the industry but the country. Getting votes is one thing, being smart is another. We don't go around slapping ceiling prices on cars do we? Even though that's more of a necessity than a CD. They may all look the same but a dangdut album from Matahari Sangat Terang Records costs incredibly less than Sarah Brightman operatic renditions with the London Philharmonic.

Yes, it's one of those days when I wake up and wonder why oh why is the world is the way it is. Times like this, I can understand why terrorists do the things they do. Stupid as they are, you can't help but understand their motivation. Irritating as things can be however, being alive and free is infinitely better than bullet ridden and dead. And is it just me but isn't it curious how 800+ Malaysians can enrol into that illegal special forces thing? Sigh... what a world, what a world...

Morning... urgh... oogabooga... urgh...

Weekend was decent. Went shopping on Saturday. Traffic was a killer. Crowds unbelievable. Escaped with new socks and new underwear. Sungguh the worthwhile. Gah... Am never shopping again until after August, or unless I can go on a weekday.

Celebrated kid devil cousins birthday's on Sunday. Most of it was spent eating cake and playing dominoes. T'was alrite. Can't wait to go home though come Friday. Don't know how I'll survive the 5 interminably long days.

Cover letter, done. CV, done. Companies, identified. Now I got to psyche myself up, get ready and do it. Online applications are not as committal as a traditional letter. So gonna spend a day or two contemplating my decision and then take the leap. I hope boss wont kill me when I tell him.

May this day be over with as soon as possible.

There should be a Friday morning joy song. I need to burst into one.

I'm still with my current company, and will be for a few more months probably. Job search is ongoing but market is soft so won't rush into anything. Hopefully able to move on before the year is out.

JobStreet is tough. Every application gets almost a thousand replies. Wows... best bet will probably the mail-ins. Hmm...

Chun, Saw and unknown mystery lady. Tomb Raider, The Crade of Life tomorrow (Sat) 9.40pm at Summit. THX screen, woohoo... show me some skin Lady Croft!

(Enjoy your weekend everyone, tis the month for shopping)

Dan is now actively looking for a job. Out went resumes to the online employment search engines. Next up, spamming companies I like. Third up, probing my contacts for jobs. What yet to do, inform boss. Don't plan to talk to him until I find another job. Don't want him to psyche me out of it. So till cafe materialises, to another job I go. Help appreciated :)

Food Review Day

Restaurant: Vietnam Kitchen
Location: USJ 9, same row as Maybank

Food ordered: Vermicelli with spring rolls and chicken, Rice noodles with chicken balls

Price: RM 6.90 per dish

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall: Pleasant ambience, cozy and well designed. Food is served at a fairly good speed and service is commendable. Non-stop free flow of iced water and a good range of desserts I have yet to try. Price is good for the portions. Great place to eat, sit back and relax.

Another day, another rant, another torment on the lifeless soul killed by misguided ambitions... (melodramatic ala spanish soap operas).

Sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. Colleague Beng came up to me this morning and said, 'hey, this is for you, from Jacq' and he presented me with two small plastic bags of black and brown bean thingy. I said, 'what's this' simply thinking that it's too little to make a meal, and Beng knows i'm not a junkie. After some pondering, we realised it was fertiliser for my dreadfully dying plant. (sorry jacq, I tried). Maybe the fertiliser will help, maybe... maybe... maybe...

Ladida ladida...

Darn... OogaBooga day... the weekend sure went by fast... especially since I had extra days off. Darn...

Am undecided about my future career plans. Cafe has to wait until I'm more financially secure. In the meantime, I don't know whether to stick to current company and hope it makes it or make a move to somewhere different. I don't like my current job though and that's starting to grate on me. Hmm...

Am keeping my options open for now. Will be on the lookout for a career change. No job is worth being unhappy.

Something is wrong with me. Woke up this morning in such a lethargic state. Alarm ranged at 6, woke up, stood up for 10 seconds then dropped on the bed again till 7. Got freaked out, tried to go shower, then the next thing I knew, it was already 8+. And I was still tired. Seeing how I slept at 9 the previous night, I gave up going to work and went to see doctor.

Extremely unfunny doctor was going, 'So, girlfriend dumped you? Boss scolded you? Diabetes? Family history of psychological problems?'. GAH! Got diagnosed as fatigue, given medicine and have to come back after 5 days. If medicine and rest makes me better, it's just physical and nothing to worry about. If it doesn't, I have to do a blood test! WAHHHH!!!!!!! Good part of it is, I get two days off which means I have a four day weekend. :) Going to go home Melaka for some good home style pampering tomorrow.

So sorry Meng, I can't join you for lunch. Happy returning to the workforce though. :) Hope you're enjoying your job.

Cheers everyone, enjoy your weekend.

Good Wednesday morning. Woke up today energised, thanks to 9 hours of blissful slumber. I am such a pig.

No more freaky dreams last night. :) Had good dinner. Had dessert. Lots of tambun piah's (courtesy of Saw). Ah... pig heaven...

Can't wait to go back home this weekend. I've decided to join FirstShot and give it a go. Ladida...

Had to drag myself out of bed and did it by tempting myself with cold dessert. So sad... I hate mornings...

I had a nightmare that's still at the back of my mind. Worse part is, I remember each scene so vividly. Gah... Nightmare goes something like this:

'It was a dark and overcast evening in Malacca, when I waved my family off. Standing at the front gate, I felt a chill seeping through me and noticed that the once grey clouds had a tint of luminiscent blue. All of a sudden, appeared in the middle of the road two huge snakes, slithering menacingly with features unlike any snake I've seen. Shocking as it was, I stood agape in dream trance, unsure whether this is to be expected. What followed was a string of other animals, seemingly normal, resembling creatures familiar, but yet different. A spike, an extra limb, geometric patterns. It then striked me that we were invaded by aliens and all panic broke loose in my head.'

'The aliens were everywhere. Alien animals ravaging hidden lands. And alien controllers, human looking as they are, infiltrated corporations and government and began killing humankind while replacing them with their alien doppelgangers. The infiltration was so perfect that no alarm sounded. No one knew of it and humanity's death toll rose. I was struck by fear and panic until a rogue alien made approach.'

'The rogue alien was a defector, a rebel against this planetary onslaught. "Kill the leader and you disband them all", he said. So we made plans and identified the base of operations. After brutally making our way through perimeter defenses, the rogue alien left me for he was not able to go further. With instructions on how to eliminate the alien, I made way through with as much stealth as possible, and fear brimming inside.'

'I stood eye to eye with the bulky alien. Beneath the American beefcake exterior was the root of the invasion and it had to be extinguished. It was a hand to hand combat driven by fear and need. It was the scent of sweat that I remembered. The blood and gore flickered through my consciousness while the clumsy leader flayed as he fought to control the new body. It was an opportunity and with a massive swing of a steel pipe, he was beheaded. But that isn't all. In order to kill him (and save the world) he was to be disembowelled. And to task I went with bloodied hands wretching through skin and bone. '

Pardon the clumsy literary attempt (it's early in the morning, yawns). Just felt that the nightmare story needed an angle! hahaha... but seriously, tis the first dream where I had to behead and disembowel someone (alien or otherwise) and it was so disgustingly fun. As frightening as it was, kicking alien butt was exhilirating. I'm scaring myself... (DA DA DA DAM!)

Interesting article for the day and another reason why we shouldn't eat pork! < read this >

Morning... wet and bleak OogaBooga... how I wished I could be in bed. Am late for work as well... gah... not a good start to the work week.

Weekend was fun, though somewhat exhausting. First up, the Andromeda finale was disappointing. All soapy drama and not enough starship action. Grr... Then went to Megamall to meet Jin and his significant other. Had a good time talking though the crowd was a bit overwhelming. Had a nice Coffee Bean lunch thanks to buy 1 free 1 vouchers. :)

Also watched tween movie Lizzie McGuire. Yes yes... I know it's a somewhat kiddie show. Really no brainer but relaxing and very the feel good. Weird part was, kids made up only 1/4 of the movie goers. Everyone else there was in their mid-20's and above. Hmm... fun though... it's a Disney movie wot.

Sunday was great. Meng and HL came over for breakfast (which had to be hurriedly cooked at my aunt's place since the gas ran out). Standard American breakfast of ham, dogs, eggs and toast. Bobbie made sure to visit every one seated for scraps. Chun came later and off we went to San Francisco Pizza for a great lunch, courtesy of HL. Pasta's were half off and were good. Pizza is different and very the delish. Worth a second visit I think. Rest of the afternoon was spent with Monopoly. The winner goes without mention. Mua ha ha ha!!!

All in all, good weekend with lots of friends. Makes me dread today ever more. ARGH!

What Finding Nemo Character are You?
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Weird (and funny) site.

:D

A Friday! A Friday! It's finally a Friday!

My 6 yr old cousin David has watched Finding Nemo a gazillion times and he has memorised the Dory song (including operatic impersonations). So all you have to do is say, 'David, sing the Dory song!' and he'll pucker his lips and 'Ohohohoohohhh... swimming, swimming....'. :)

I have a public service announcement for visitors to Kiara Park. If you see a black and white rabbit (by the name of Domino), please tell him that he's been away too long and needs to return home.

Will be staying back this weekend, a first after a long while. I've been going back a lot simply to avoid being called back on weekends to work by boss. Seeing how boss is away this weekend and lots of plans in place, I foresee a pleasant weekend without highway driving. :)

Woohoo... gonna start my day tomorrow with 2 hours of Andromeda. Those who have watched it, don't tell me anything. I so love space ships.

Anyways, have a good weekend everyone! Safe driving to Penang Saw.

Ah... after only a two day blogging hiatus... my blog already seems grossly out of date. :)

It has been a weird week. If I was a Boeing 777, I would have had a hijacking foiled, near mid-air crash, and endured stormy turbulence, while my 1st class passengers drank wine and watched movies. Contradiction... tis the word. (would be nice to be a plane though... somewhat heavy I would think).

Been reading the heated HP5 debate in The Star. Seeing how the articles have no editorial value, I'm guessing The Star is giving them print space for the sake of sensationalism. Tis sad. Stupid debate. A book is a book is a book. Everyone has opinions, and seeing how it has no consequence whatsoever to anything (HP is a fictional character, Daniel Radcliffe not withstanding), people really should keep their emotions in check. And Star really shouldn't have published that spoiler article.

My car is still electronically dead. I am never buying a Malaysian made car ever again. (Except possibly the Proton Jumbuck, aka Arena.)

Now, important announcement for today:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HSIANG LIN! WOOHOO! BILA MAKAN?

:D

Oh... what a beautiful morning... oh what a beautiful day... (am trying to psyche myself up to be positively happy ala mary poppins).

I've decided to blame hormones on my recent spate of grumpiness. For a while there, it felt like being in university all over again! Hehehe... especially since I was grumpy almost all the time there. Can't stay grumpy for long though so gonna take a leaf from Dory's book and just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

I have lost trust in Proton Edar, seeing how everytime I go there for a service, I leave with bigger problems. An intermittent electrical problem claim to require replacement of parts (thankfully under warranty) but just a few days after the service, the intermittent problem became permanent. My car has a dead clock, dead interior lamp, dead radio, dead central locking... luckily the aircond and lights still work. Grr...

I had the most nerve wrecking dream of being in a fight for your life situation. Situation being taken from a chapter in Order of the Phoenix (those who read it will know). Wizards and witches everywhere. Wands ablazing and everyone shouting spells. What was nerve wrecking is that I had to constantly run and crack my head twice over to remember the spells galore. All I could sadly remember was the lame-o spells that did nothing but made enemies laugh in feigned terror. GAH! Thank goodness however that (uh hum) dream witch Piper (yes, Charmed again) came to save me day. Hehehehe... sigh... dreams are good...

Checked company site statistics since we had some adverts running recently. We have an average of 500 hits daily, 2000 when we have an ad out but this time, it hit the 8000 mark! Woohoo... :) It feels great to have ads you designed pulling in that much interest. Hehehe...

Happy OogaBooga everyone... if that is in any way possible...

It has been an emotionally eventful week and like many others, I'm grateful for the weekend. Happy Friday everyone and a good weekend to one and all.

Was boggled by nightmares last night. Here are snippets:

1. Went to Cameron and accidentally stirred the wrath of a vengeful demon thing. (I know, I know, I watch too much Charmed). So, on a bicycle (yups, bicycle) I had to pedal like heck avoiding splitting roads, fireballs, lorries deadset to run you down and etc. only to reach sea level and realise that the demon can find me there as well. Thus ends snippet 1.

2. Was at a family picnic and I brought Wallaby and Wombat (they were both still babies in the dream). Let kid cousin play with them and they suddenly got loose and a whole group of cats began chasing them down. Rest of the dream ensued by cat chasing rabbits, and me chasing cats. Needless to say it was both exhausting and futile. Wallaby and Wombat died. Muaaahh....

3. Was reading through documents and realised that I was reading autopsy reports. Got pretty engrossed until I realised I was reading my own report. FREAKY!!!

I need a break...

Yawn! Don't quite know what I did today but it felt like I was busy the whole time. Yawns... which explains why I'm blogging in the evening instead of the morning as per usual. Darn OogaBooga.

Woke up sleepy and grouchy and came to work to an empty office. All the programmers were on sick leave. So it's me, by myself, in the main office area. Bored bored bored.

Also realised that an interview me and Boss did for a company program for Computimes is out today. Photo included. Not going to reveal more but if you go by hints, you can probably find out where I work now! Hahaha...

I'm also very doozy today. Lightheaded and dreading the week. We have two more ads out and everytime that happens, we get a flood of phone calls from people who can't read. Nearly everything they need to know is in the ad but they seem intent on making me repeat verbatim my sales pitch over and over again. Cruel...

Dreaming fondly of Friday...

The dark of early morn bade greeting with a chilly breeze wafting through the half-open shutters. In the daze between sleep and awakening, I welcomed the new day with a renewed vigour unique only to this particular moment. Because darnit... IT"S A FRIDAY!!!! WHOOPEEDOOO!!!!

Had an interesting workday yesterday (note: 'interesting', not ARGH!). I went for a last minute meeting casually dressed (I wasn't expecting a meeting), had to wait in a bank for 30 mins for the car to pick the more important guests, then waited another 30 mins for meeting to begin and then got ushered out to wait for another important (and late) guest outside the bank by the main road, only to wait for 60 mins and realise that the late guest has entered the meeting covertly by sneaking behind my back and that the meeting was over. Weird... but hey, 3 hours of paid loitering! Woohoo!

Did some preliminary research on Summit. Rental rates are less than 2k, cafe operators there make on average a nett profit of 5-6k. Also, I've received a pleasant and unexpected windfall yesterday that has left me almost debt-free! I'm so positively encouraged I could just pretend to cry! :)

Have a good weekend everyone.

ps: Meng, if you are in Melaka, give me a buzz.

I will not complain about work anymore. It's pointless. I will now focus energy on making my plans work. Ta da.

It's finally the middle of the week and I'm downright excited about the future prospect of tending in my resignation, grumpy with the neighbour and they're inconsiderate parking, miffed with the weather and bad traffic, and finally am all on edge about what will happen with Harry and his friends and hopes my guess on who dies isn't correct. Tis a day of jumble'ism. And I suspect that the Order of the Phoenix is having a big effect on my mood. I can't believe it'll take 2 more books (and hopefully not 6 years) before this series ends! GAH!

On another note, my tasks for this week is to manually scan about 100 documents, assemble them together with powerpoints and notes, and on top of that answer marketing phone calls, draft emails, format Word documents, and nods head to boss. Does that sound like something a manager would do coz I feel like a PA minus the skirt. Maybe I SHOULD wear a skirt and complete the image. Hmm...

It's a sad morning when you have a friend retrenched. Best wishes Meng and I know you'll bounce back stronger than ever. And at the worst case scenario of not finding another job, you can always come and work for me! :) I need a chief pastry chef. Hehehe...

Anyways, I need honest feedback from you guys. I'm all about ready to plunge into this cafe thing. Briefly, I'm describing it as an arts cafe with a niche market of students and young adults designed for lounging and arts appreciation. Basically, kick back, drink, and soak in the art work while playing board games and pokemon. But before I go any further, I need to know what you guys think. Is this a good idea? Is it workable? And more importantly, I would need to depend on friends even more! Share your opinions :)

*ponders name of cafe while I aimlessly waste time behind my desk*