A Loss

I never thought that my first entry after going into hiatus is to announce the demise of an important person to me. The previous entry was about her sufferings and all. I didn't expect to write an entry about her last day. At least not so soon. I guess Allah has better plans for her.

She's been a part of my life for as long as i could remember.

She's literally my second mother. I lived my early life with her, so to speak.

I never cared much if my parents needed to be away for work but I would cry my heart out when she's not around or when she had her weekend breaks.

I had the time of my life with her. She taught me everything that a girl should know. She introduced me to sanitary pads and taught me the art of frying an egg.

She has done so much for me. I just wish that I could do the same. She deserve so much more in life.

I wish that I could write more about how wonderful she was as a person but it's damn hard to do so when your sight is blurred by tears. Yes - I have not stopped crying since I heard the news at 10.03am this morning.

I am not strong enough to face the fact that she's gone. I wanted so much to be there but I won't make it in time to see her face for the last time. I know i should be there to pay my last respect but I couldn't bring myself to start the car and drive to Batu Pahat in this state.

I was thinking about death last night at 3am. I know I've not always been grateful to my creator and perhaps am not cut to be in heaven. I know I have to be a better person.

Ironic how that particular thought was actually a sign for something relevant.

I was thinking about death while someone was actually facing it.

Subahanallah.

Condolences to the family of Ngatinah Samin. Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan bersama mereka yang beriman.

Al-fatihah.

Back to Work

Today’s my first day after such a long break.

I particularly liked this year’s raya break because it was less hectic than usual. We didn’t get to visit that many relatives cause the house was receiving guests after guests till the 4th day of raya. It was fun to meet those that you only get to see once a year. The kids had fun with my largest stack of sparklers ever and keeping Baby Cat and Kechik entertained.

Yup, I brought those 2 to Johor. Was surprised to see Baby Cat so well-behaved in the car. He slept through the whole journey. Kechik on the other hand, tried his best to escape from the car every time we stopped for breaks along the highway.

Cats will always be cats.

My family are busy with my brother’s wedding preparation and all. A lot of loose ends still but I think we’ll do okay.

Well apart from that, my heart goes to my cousin who’s fighting breast cancer. She couldn’t move both her legs anymore but still had the energy to weave the ketupat cases for her family. She cried when she saw me. We were very close – she lived with my family and took care of us until I was almost 14. She moved out when she got married and is now happy with 2 lovely kids.

Anyways, she was transported to Malacca for some treatment and has no idea when she will be back with her family. It’s just sad. Our family never had a history of cancer. She’s the first and it's not hard to understand the pain she's going through. She looked so skinny and sick. Breaks my heart to see her suffer like that.

If only I could do something to help her.

We always thought bad things/disease are things we only read or hear about. Never thought that it could happen to someone so close. Shows that we are all the same.

We are not that invincible after all.

Eid Mubarak

Selamat Hari Raya to all Serilangkat readers.

Be safe, be good and be back in one piece.. :)

Latest news: The pict above was on TA's Editor's Pick!!

P/s: It's been made official. I was assigned the Functional Lead role in the project. I'll worry about this later.

Here's to Thursday!

Been busy today.

My boss is on emergency leave – his daughter had some bad allergy to something and is in the hospital. I had to tie some loose ends for him. It got me running up and down the floors, conveying the message personally to the Executive Director of Finance and taking care of some ORM papers for a project.

Adding to that, I had to sit in a 2-hours meeting to finalize a project timeline. Tomorrow is the Project Board meeting and we need to get this done for the Project Board members to sign on the project document.

One thing that has been bugging me is the fact that the Project Advisor is recommending me to become the Functional Lead for this project. I was actually called in to help with the User Requirement Studies but now that it’s completed and signed, I had to raise the issue of my existence in the project. I can’t be involved in a project without having any role. I was meaning to step out of the project myself since I have delivered what I was supposed to.

Turned out they wanted me to stay on till the project go live.

My boss said that I need to make this decision – if I’m able to handle it.

The Project Manager will propose this to the Project Board tomorrow. I don’t know if they will accept it or not. After all, it’s very uncommon to have someone outside of the business unit as the Functional Lead. Especially someone from the department that does project audit on them!

Let’s leave it to fate.

On a lighter note, I’ve got my order of sparklers!! Yey!!

Just hope that I won’t get caught blogging about it. Hehehe.

Went to the bank to change some money for my mum to give out to kids during raya. It was a long queue! Changed some for my stack as well. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t manage to get some I*G packets. Apparently they were delivered to our department while my boss and I were in a meeting. Given that our department is very small and new, people might have thought that we didn’t really exist and the packets were given out to those who wanted extras. Dang!

So this year, no I*G packet or raya cards for us. It’s just sad!

Oh yey – my afternoon meeting’s cancelled!!

All About Monday

Have made plans for iftar at Giggsy’s place since last week.

Carefully planned my Monday and made sure that everything was done and settled before going off to a meeting at 3pm. When I got to my cubicle an hour later, there were a couple of documents that needed immediate attention and to make it worse, my boss want them completed before I leave the office.

Arghh!!

So I slaved till 6pm and emailed everything to him before practically running to the car park. The road was packed!

Oh no!! I won’t make it on time!!

Reached home before iftar – thank God, despite the bad traffic. As if knowing I won’t make it to the glorious party on time, the highway toll attendant handed 2 boxes of mineral water and dates. The kids were excited to see such fancy boxes and didn’t waste any time to gobble it all up. Thank God (again) that nobody choked!



So we quickly bathe and headed straight to KFC to buy the biggest value meal on the menu.

Reached Giggsy’s pad at 7.30pm and started the feast. We talked and talked and talked till it was late. Picked up the pineapple tarts I ordered from Reena’s aunt and headed home soon after. Kakak was pouting – refusing to leave her aunties. What can I say, my kids love the company of their aunties.

So.. that was Monday.

Oh, I received more picts from Deli.

Enjoying the weekend in Tokyo
We really missed him but looking at the picts made me missed him even more.

I had this unexplainable ache in me – the same feeling I had when he left me for his first overseas trip..

One Dull Weekend

So. Weekend wasn’t much fun without my favorite guy around.

Spent Saturday at home doing laundry and the sort. I am blessed with such great kids. They did their chores without much hesitance. Kakak didn’t even whine when asked to deal with her school shoes, like she normally would.

Adik was as helpful as always. He’s more attentive towards us these days. He’s such a darling.

Anyways, I was bored to the skull by 7pm. Called up VF and asked if she’s free to catch a movie with us. I wanted to see The Devil Wears Prada but would think the kids will fidget non-stop throughout the movie, so I booked tickets to see Zoom instead.

We left before 8pm and did a bit of window shopping. Spent some time in Times bookshop while waiting for the royal highness to make an appearance.

Movie started at 9ish and it wasn’t that interesting. I say so because kakak was bored at some point and started bombarding VF with questions like ‘did you drive to get here’ and ‘where’s your car’. Adik on the other hand, almost dozed off with popcorn still clutched in his hands.

To add more to it, some idiots decided to share their not-so-interesting life stories with the audience by conversing loudly. Not to mention, making and receiving calls with the same shrill voice. Annoying indeed!!

Sunday was no different.

Went to Carrefour for groceries. I wanted to dine at Chicken Rice Shop but it was full to the brim with people for iftar. Got tired of waiting, drove back to Setiawangsa and bought chicken rice from a mamak stall instead.

Had dinner (coz I was on mid-Ramadhan raya) and prepared the essentials for the coming week.

Dang. That was one boring weekend!

Epidemic

Was out of the office yesterday. Wasn’t feeling well. So did adik.

We sent kakak to school for her last day of final exam before heading to the clinic. Yes, you read right. Kakak sat for 3 days of final exam and yes, she is in kindergarten. I can’t even recall if I had to sit for any exams while I was in kindergarten. The price of being a kid in the new millennium.

My poor baby.

The clinic was quiet. Not that many people queuing to see the doctor.

Adik was not wheezing anymore so that’s a relief. On the other hand, my tonsils were not doing well. A bit of swelling but some home remedy of yummy ice-cream should do the trick. The best medicine you could ask for!

Headed to the workshop to send my car for service. We spent 2 hours in the workshop. Adik brought Tin Tin books with him while I had my eyes glued on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I can’t remember how many times I’ve read the book. It’s the only series that I am willing to read over and over.

We picked up kakak with the newly serviced car and since kakak was done with her final exams, she requested for a trip to the mall. So off we went, kakak still clad in her uniform and adik feeling all well and merry that very instant.

I wasn’t planning on getting anything but ended up with a spanking new watch! My watch went kaput a few weeks back but I have 2 other watches to rely on so I didn’t bother to get a new one.

My baby that went kaput on me

Somehow or rather, all of my watches were attacked by some sort of an outbreak and they all went dead 2 weeks ago. Still, I didn’t think I needed another watch that urgently so I borrowed kakak’s watch.

Kakak's Baby-G

As you can imagine, kakak Baby-G was a magnet for cruel criticism and endless kutukan from fellow colleagues.

One can only take so much of such behavior. *Excuses, excuses*

Acting on that ground, I surrendered to the evil desire to purchase a new baby.

My new baby

I love you baby, I love my watch yup, yup. I love my watch.

Ramadhan in Kisarazu

I know I have to write in here more frequently.

I always wanted to but every time, something came up and I forgot all about updating my blog.

Pathetic excuse, I know.

First thing first, Deli is in Japan. Again. He’ll be back 2 days before Raya itself. He didn't really complain about iftar and sahur in Kisarazu. Judging by the picts he sent me, he's doing okay.

Iftar at a local restaurant.


Some wierd looking food. Erkk!


I’ve spent a couple of nights being the only adult in the house and frankly, I wasn’t as paranoid as I was before. Maybe because it’s Ramadhan and at the very far corner of my mind, I have this theory that bad people tend to be less evil during the holy month. The devils are safely tucked way below the grounds and thieves and robbers doesn’t have much of the hasutan syaitan, so to speak.

Then again, I might be wrong.

The thing is, I like my theory better. Helps me to sleep better at night.

Apart from that, I am celebrating mid-Ramadhan Raya since last Sunday. That being the case, I didn’t have to rush home and cook. For the past few days, I just bought desserts and kuih to last me to dinner. Depending what the kids want to want to eat, I’ll whip something up just for the three of us.

By the way, Happy Birthday to two lovely ladies - Syeri & Ana.

Also to Bossy Boss who's celebrating his 30++ birthday yesterday.

Party On!

Mummy, i think i've had too much to drink!

Had a small party for the kids. We didn’t invite that many people because of time constrain. I didn’t plan to have the party until after Ramadhan but changed my mind at the last minute.

It was super fun for both kids and the parents, I would say. The party started at 2.30pm and ended at 9ish. It went pretty well though I couldn’t seem to recall why I didn’t take that many pictures. Hmm. oh wait, i was busy gossipping away with friends. Heheh.

Anyways, Deli and I were left to manage the aftermath. The kids went to bed pretty early that night. Once we’re done with the cleaning, I decided to spend 5 minutes to watch the telly before retiring to bed. So much for the 5 minutes – I ended up dozing off on the couch, clad in the same clothes I wore during the party. I was not alone - Deli was at the other end of the couch! We woke up around half an hour before Subuh and had our meal, all prepared to welcome the first day of Ramadhan.

So.. Selamat berpuasa to all muslims, wherever you are.

Jangan ponteng puasa ikut suka-suka hati. Ikut hati, nanti mati.

Happy 6th Birthday

Happy 6th birthday to my beautiful princess.

We all love you so very much!

Happy Birthday to Adik!

Happy 5th birthday to the little boy with a big heart.

We love you so very much!

Series of Events

Wow. I have abandon this blog for too long.

I couldn’t remember most of the things that happened in between. Below are some of the highlights. I’ll update more as and when teringat balik.


Picnic at Sungai Congkak
It was super fun! The trip started a tad bit later than planned but it was worth the wait. That was the first time my Monsters Inc. had ever set foot in a river. We rented a pondok and started grilling and eating almost immediately. The kids didn’t waste any time either. One minute they were shaking hands and greeting the aunts and uncles and the next minute they were all in the river!

Check out the pictures at http://serilangkat.textamerica.com

Audition for Macam-Macam Aznil
Kakak and Adik was called for an audition for the talk show Macam-Macam Aznil. We reached Astro around 2pm and they were both called in half an hour later. Parents were not allowed to watch the auditioning process so Deli and I waited for a good 20 minutes for the session to end.

Both of them were very excited and couldn’t wait to blurt every details on what went on in the audition. Looking at the turnout, we were not that hopeful. It’s just a nice experience and exposure for the kids.


Sprained Ankle
Kakak had a little mishap while rollerblading (roller blades - the ones with 4 wheels on a row) a few weeks back. Fell off and sprained her left ankle, to be exact. We brought her to see the GP an hour after the incident. No signs of broken bones or anything like that, thank God!

I have no problem with the kids wanting to try new things and I sometimes let them have a taste of consequences of their actions. I expect my kids to be independent. I want them to know that Deli and I are not gonna be there for them all the time. They have to learn what to expect and how to deal with it. This particular incident taught them that they need a packet of ice cubes to bring down the swelling.

One lesson down, a million more to go.

The swelling turned ugly by the next day and she had a slight fever so we brought her to Gleaneagles for a check. X-rays were clean, alhamdulillah. Her fever were nothing to worry about and the swelling should be gone in a week or two. The doctor paid a little compliment to my bandaging/dressing skill. Funny thing was, I have never ever involved in any balut-membalut process in my life. When you’re a mother, most of the times maternal instincts will lead you to the right path. Mothers out there, you know what I’m talking about.

Most important thing is to not panic and try to control the situation.

I’m saying this because my better half tends to perceive a minor cut as a reason for you to go to the A&E. I’m not trying to make you look bad honey but sometimes you scared the hell out of me. Hahaha.

Once, Adik accidentally had Kakak’s finger tersepit between the car doors. Deli called me, told me what happened and mentioned that the cut was quite bad. He was nervous, I could tell from his voice. I couldn’t drive like Schumacher so the only thing to do was to curse every traffic lights that turned red when I reached the junctions and imagined nothing but the worse for my little daughter.

When I finally get to see the aftermath, it was JUST a cut with some skin scraping and a bit of blood. She didn’t even need to go and see a doctor. Imagine my ‘surprise’. Hahah.

I am also telling this to myself and parents out there. We have to be calm and take control of the situation. Think of what need to be done and don’t ever, ever, ever scream at your child. Believe me, I have seen this happened.

I was just getting out of the car with Deli for our weekly pasar malam routine when a boy suddenly ran across the street (without stopping to check the traffic) and was hit by a car. The mother who happened to be at the other side of the road, walked over to the scene with no sense of urgency or whatsoever, and started screaming at her son for not checking the traffic before crossing the road.

True that it was the kid’s fault but at times like that, don’t you think the boy’s life is more important? She should at least check if he was okay. After all, he was hit by a car. Not a bicycle.

Anyways, back to Kakak and Deli.

Kakak cried as if her kaki patah but what do you expect? To her, that would be the most painful thing that she has ever experienced in her life. Deli was trying desperately to get the rollerblades off and being nervous didn’t help much with the process. I admit I was worried when I heard her cry. It was my daughter’s first accident – I was entitled to worry. Alhamdulillah, I managed to be clam and helped her with the rollerblades and with the will of God Almighty, remembered what to do to help her condition.

I bought a book called Emergency First Aid for Kids years ago and it was a great help. We can never be too careful when it comes to safety. Accidents can happen anytime to anyone. Which reminds me that I still have the smoke detector laying on the counter. I need to get Deli to install it soon.

We have never had any fire extinguisher in the house but the day we read how a family (siblings of 4, I think) was burnt in their house while sleeping, we immediately bought the extinguishers.

Sometimes we didn’t think any of these mishaps could happen to us. We forgot that accidents happen without warning. By then, most of the times, it would be too late to do anything and we will then live in regret for not paying attention to nitty-gritty stuff like having a fire extinguisher or a smoke detector in our homes. We always say those things are too expensive and we’ll buy them when we get our bonuses. How much would you pay to get back the lives you have lost?

Dang. This is not good. I’m babbling about safety in my blog!

Okie.

I’ll write again when I have the time. Have been extremely busy lately.

Happy Merdeka Day to all Malaysians!

Please be home soon!

Am really looking forward to this weekend.

Syam NB has planned for an outing on Saturday. The Dutchman and I will be joining him, of course. Syam NB’s wife will prepare breakfast while the Dutchman will prepare his ever so famous spinach pasta. Deli and I will have the barbeque stuff ready. This is gonna be fun! It’s been a while since I last bersuka ria at or even nearby a waterfall.

We’ll be going to Astro on Sunday. The kids were called to audition for Macam-macam Aznil program. Kakak is all excited about it while adik decided not to participate coz he’s too shy to be in the lime light. Very unlike kakak who’s all in to be famous. Hahah.

On a lighter note, Deli was off to Taiwan last Sunday and he’ll be back on Wednesday. As always, I had stacks of toy boxes and stuff behind the main and kitchen doors. Just in case, you know. I’ve been walking like a zombie to work these past few days. I’m a bit paranoid when it comes to being the only adult in the house when Deli’s off to work overseas. It’s even worse after the house was broken into last 2 months. I’d wake to even the slightest noise and as if there’s a built-in alarm clock, I’d wake every 2 hours to check on the kids and have a quick peek at the living room. I’d finally wake up tired and sleep deprived in the morning.

Adding to that, I had several meetings yesterday and I hope I didn’t offend anybody by the constant yawning. Hahahah.

Just received a text message from Deli saying that they have some problem with the things they do up there. Oh no!

Am crossing my fingers and everything that’s crossable, praying hard that God will help him in solving the problems so that he’ll be home on time!!

*silent prayers in progress*

I Stink!

Don’t you just hate the Toyota Yaris advertisement?

I don’t even know what they were singing about. To my ears, they were singing lagu alien dari planet yang tak masuk dalam sistem cakerawala.

Anyways, I’ve just got my car back from the workshop on Monday evening. It looked as good as new, I would say. The paint job was marvellous. It better be coz it cost Deli a BOMB for the whole thing!

Thank you honey. You’ll always be my sugar daddy. Hehehe.

Damn. I hate the way I smell right now and I’m not talking about BO!

I just got back from the canteen with my boss who smoked like a dragon along with a dozen of other people. Once I got to my cubicle, I realized that I smelt like a freakin dragon too! I hate the stench. Yuck. It’s giving me a throbbing headache. Argh!

I need to go to the pharmacy and get something to get rid of the smell.

This whole thing reminds me of an episode of the sitcom, Friends. The one where Rachael had to join her boss and colleagues on cigarette breaks for the sake of getting business tips, juicy news and gossips.

My situation is a bit different. My boss actually asked me to join him for minum-minum and talk about business. So I couldn’t say ‘no’. I don’t mind the smoking but I can’t stand the after-effect – the stench!

With my colleagues, I always told them (jokingly but meaning every word of it) that I’ll mati cepat from being a second hand smoker. Being the smart-asses that they were, they said the best defence is to play offence - be one of them!

Yeah, like that would happen!

Anyways, I’ll see what I can find in the pharmacy.

Other than that, I need to have a plan for the ICW Project that is falling apart with each passing day. I have to start it over, kick some butts so that they’ll actually do their work and put in drastic measures. I have 2 months to see this through and make sure the project go live as planned. Please help me God!

Sometimes I think I’m not really up for this job. The challenges are huge. It takes a lot of creative thinking and I need to play multiple roles at times. I’m not used to this just yet. I don’t have to get my hands dirty and produce any deliverable – which by the way, is very new to me. Most of the times, I find it hard to be in the current position which requires me to speak more than actually do something or get involved in the project like a real team member.

In the beginning I felt (a bit) useless coz I was not producing anything tangible. It annoyed me more when I had to wait for so long to get a simple info or when I have to kick so butts (so to speak) to get things done. Maybe I’m so used to a fast-paced environment and being in a place like I*G really mencabar kesabaran.

Oh well. I’m getting the hang of it, slowly that is. I know I can be good at this. I just need to practice more and ask a lot of questions.

There’s no short cut to success, right?

Lessons Learned

It was the first road accident for me.

I've had my driving license since 1996 and as if to mark my ten years of clean driving record, God decided that I need to taste a tad bit of bitterness in life. An experience I will not forget for the rest of my life.

I dreamt about it and kept waking every hour. I was restless the whole night. I kept seeing the accident over and over like a broken dvd playing the same scene repeatedly.

My boss was kind enough to let me take the day off.

Sent my car to the workshop and after thorough inspection, we found more dents on the door, below it and and on the bumper. It'll take 2 days to fix, paint a new coat and replace the side mirror. The bill estimation is around $1500.

Ironically, we just spent that much last weekend to fix the cooling coil yang bocor. Sigh.

I learned a lot from the whole incident on July 12.

Firstly, I was upset that my car smelt and covered with coffee but I have to be thankful that it didn't happen while I was getting off the car. Otherwise, I would be the one smelling and covered in kopi basi instead.

Second, no matter how much I hated those people for not co-operating and not feeling the least remorse that their projects screwed up, I still have a boss that understands my position and most importantly believe that I'll do okay.

Thirdly, i need to seriously be going to the gym more often. I need to do that for my own good.

Next, no matter how much i need to pay the abang in the workshop, I have to be thankful that the rider is still alive and I am okay. I need to remember that one slight mistake (like not turning on the indicator) can cause more than just scratches to people and vehicles. I should have been more careful and cautious while driving like I always do and not take things for granted. Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. Am also thankful that we managed to settle the whole thing quickly and I managed to stay calm through the whole incident. No brawls or screaming - thank God. I thought I made the right decision of not telling Deli about the accident when it happened. I know he would panic and the last thing I want was for him was to worry about me. He only got to know about it when I parked my car in front of the house.

Lastly, i need to really trust my instincts. I don't know why but I had images of accidents the whole of Tuesday. My instinct also told me to take the usual route no matter how bad the traffic was but the ignorant me decided to take the 'clear' road instead coz I was too tired and too hungry to queue patiently.

So.. the car would be ready by Monday. I'll be at work tomorrow, have set a date for gym with VF and we're going back to BP with Deli's car.

Life goes on and am looking at it from a different persective now. Good luck to me.

Grrr!

Good things don't normally last.

This morning, the roads were clear and the kids were such angels. At any normal days, they're angels with little horns on their heads with teeny weeny tails just above the butts. Today's not that kinda day.

I thought 'hey, this is a good start'.

Until I parked my car.

I had just pulled the car keys from the ignition when suddenly ada air terpercik to my window and windshield. A strong smell of coffee hit the nostrils and my blood pressure pun 'go upstairs' almost immediately.

Took my bags, got out of the car and to my annoyance, a quarter of the car was covered in coffee.

The kancil next to my car actually ran over a packet of coffee lying on the ground. The driver was a guy who pura-pura looked sorry but never offered to help me wipe off the stain. His only words were, 'tak ada air ke? kalau ada air, boleh basuh' and left.

There was not even one bit of apology. I know it was not his fault but some sort of an apology would suffice. After all, bukan kereta dia yang berbau kopi!

Thank God for the stack of tissues I hid in the glove compartment! I emptied my drinking water bottle and did what i could but the stains were a tad bit stubborn.

Walked to the office, had my breakfast, filled my water bottle with tap water, took a roll of toilet tissue and walked back to the car park. People were looking while i tried to scrap off the stains. They must think that the parking management ada service cuci kereta.

Dang.

Work was no different. It's another day of being tested to the max. That's just work. Not a big deal. No matter how hard it is, it will soon end. The phase, I mean. Not the work.

Walked over to SPK building to see VF for our first session at the gym. We spent 1 and a half hour there, enjoying every bit of it. I could feel the pain in my right knee creeping up but it didn't stop me from completing the session. We had fun and planned for another session on Thursday.

I don't normally take jalan yg depan bangunan MAS tu but yesterday, that road was rather clear so I decided to take that route. I wanted to make a right turn to KLCC, at the Shangri-La junction so i stayed on the second lane which clearly shows a split arrow to the right as well as to the road ahead. I don't know why I picked that lane coz normally I would take the lane with no 'split-arrows'. I didn't even remember if I turned on the right indicator.

It happened so fast.

I was making my right turn when suddenly a bike hit my car from the right (coz he's going for road straight ahead). I hit on the brakes, saw the bike went down and the rider thrown off the bike. I felt my heart stopped beating while it all happened. Luckily the rider stood up and bystanders helped to wheel his bike away from the junction. A traffic police was there and he asked which lane was I in and when I said the second lane, he said 'okay'.

I got off the car, with wobbly legs, trying to be calm and rational.

So there we were, trying to comprehend what happened. I asked the guy if he's okay and he said 'yes'. Some minor scratches here and there. I asked if he wanted to lodge a police report but he didn't say anything. There was an Indian guy who kept on rambling about making a police report and blablabla. I don't really mind coz I was in the right lane. Only thing was, I didn't remember if i turned on the indicator. Maybe I didn't. The rider on the other hand, should not have stayed between the two lanes when he was not actually going for the right turn. Not that i'm trying to pin this on him, but it's just not right.

So i looked at his bike - not that bad. He went and looked at my car - some scratches and dents, the side bar dah tanggal and the side mirror was a total wreck.

Again, I asked if he wanted to lodge a report, to which he said 'tak apa la. saya betulkan motor saya, akak betulkan kete akak'. We shook hands, said sorry and left the scene.

That's the end of July 12th for me.

Naim and World Cup

I've been busy. With my job and everything in between.

I've cut Kakak's hair and she looked kinda cute in the new do. What say you?




Finally got the chance to register at FF last Friday. VF and I didn't get to try any of the equipments coz we had to leave by 6.30pm. She had to pick up her dad and i've got to visit Aske' at Ampang Puteri.

Oh yeah - congratulations to Aske' and Rizal! She gave birth to a charming baby boy nick-named Naim last Thursday, July 6th. He's a healty 2.8kg baby with long hair sampai masuk telinga. Baby Rock - kata Adik. Heheh.

Naim's a very good baby indeed - he didn't even stir when Adik and Kakak laughed and played like there's no tomorrow with Aske's dad.

I have no idea why I didn't even snap a pict of Naim. Dang.

Anyways, weekend was fun and tiring. We spent the whole of Saturday at home doing laundry and other chores. We had fun mengutuk AF4 students. The concert was so boring and the 'kezutan' was ridiculous. I'd rather watch Gilmore Girls (season 6) on 8tv.

Speaking of which, i knew i missed at least one sesaon of the GG coz Rory was suddenly short-haired and Lorelai had opened her own inn! I need to find GG cd or dvds soon!

Attended a wedding on Sunday - one of Deli's relative. Were off to GE Mall soon after for some retail theraphy. Aussino made a handsome profit out of our purchases that day!

The four of us napped for hours after that! Deli was obviously conserving energy for World Cup finals at 3am. Adik woke up shortly after i did while Kakak slept though till the next morning.

I for one, am glad that the World Cup is over. It's doing more harm than good in my house. I stand by my view that it should be a century's affair. Just look at the number of people caught for illegal gambling, for killing others, for hurting others and those losing money and dignity for the obvious reasons.

Sure - it has it's own benefit to the population but it doesn't justify the fighting and killing. It's just not worth it.

My Thongs

This has never happened to me.

Initially had lunch plans with ST and RR but had to cancel it coz I had to do something for my boss. Went out with Syam NB instead to the famous nasi ayam stall in Boustead Tower. I was running late and didn’t realize that I was wearing my thong (selipar ler, not the ‘other’ thong) instead of my shoes. I was in the elevator then, so I decided to go ahead sebab nak pegi makan jer, bukan nak gi annual dinner pun. Plus, the stall is just across the road.

We were walking towards the main road when my thong suddenly ‘flew’ and dropped almost 10 meters away, making a 360 multiple spin macam action dalam sarkis.

The 2 ladies walking in front of us were laughing and pointing and I know there were more to witness the ‘fear-factor’ scene!

I had no choice but to get the thong back and continued walking, pretending that nothing happened. Off we went to lunch and we never speak of it ever again.

Don’t even mention about being embarrassed – you have no idea how embarrassing it was! There wasn’t much time to look for a paper bag to cover my head.

Unforgettable indeed.

Yey for Yesterday, Nay for Today

Yesterday was a good day indeed.

Traffic was surprisingly clear and I managed to secure a spot at a cheaper car park. Tak tahan nak bayar $8 a day hari-hari. The cheaper (by $1.50) car park is just behind the office but ramai doggy dog yang suka lepak under the car. Takots la. Takut kena gigit, takut terlanggar.

Plus, the 'anney' in the ticket booth lacks PR skills compared to the one sitting in the $8-car-park ticket booth. Marketing tactics, i suppose coz secara tak langsung it got me to park there almost everyday. Heheh.

The test script proposal i presented to the bosses was accepted with minor changes. That was a relief! It was always 'no' or 'this won't work' when I tried to pitch in ideas to Raccoon. This time around, it went through - almost 95% of the original document. I rock - yeah!

In the afternoon, I was trying hard to understand PRINCE2 stuff and some project documents that I almost wanna campak my books away coz I couldn't put the 2 together. As the last resort and because I was too exhausted to think, I went to see my boss for some words of wisdom.

Let's just say that a book was saved from being thrown to the wall (like I'd really do that).

Today's supposed to be a great day coz the cat is not around so the mouse is free to do what the heart desires. Deli's off from work as well but had to settle some problem in Brazil's production or design or something like that. He sent me off to work only to take a WRONG turn and I ended up walking for 2 blocks! Annoying indeed.

I was making my way to the office elevator when I saw Syam NB puffing his smokes away and hailed me with sign-language orang cacat, ajak pegi mamak's stall for breakfast. Had one roti telur and teh tarik and I was all set to start the day.

Skipped lunch and went to The Weld for some stuff. Bought Ultraman and Strawberry Shortcake vcds for the kids and some essentials for myself.

Didn't have much to do today so I spent most of the time minimizing the mess on my desk and wondering why lambat sangat to 4.30pm. Syam NB dropped by my place - so called to kill time and we talked like tak kisah alam sekeliling. Deli called to say that he's still waiting for some vendor to sort the thingy that needed sorting out so he's stuck in the office for a few more hours.

I was a bit upset coz i was stuck in the office on a Friday afternoon when orang lain dah nak balik and i can't balik rumah coz the house keys are with Deli.

That's when VF called with a weird opening speech of 'need company?' like iklan 1-900-xxx in the US. Eh, betul ke 1-900? It's the you-know-what number to call when you're lonely and h*rny at any point of the day.

Apparently Deli called her and asked if she could accompany me jalan-jalan while waiting for him. Darn it. Nak marah pun tak jadi. He's such a darling. Ops. Ada orang yang akan kembang la ni nanti. :P

So VF and I walked to BB Plaza for a quick shopping spree. Had dinner at Johnny's and continued on with more shopping. I wanted so much to get a yummy pink shoes but managed to control myself from actually buying it. I was such a good girl - didn't even buy a thing that day!

Had a looong walk from BB Plaza to KL Convention Center. Kurus kakiku!

We picked up the kids at 8pm and got an earful from both of them. LUCKILY, i had the vcds to compensate and stop them from nagging. They're even worse than Tok Mak, i tell ya. Mengomel macam nenek tua. I almost wanna cabut my ears and put them in the glove compartment!

Have a good weekend people!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy 33rd birthday to my dearest Deli!!

We had a surprise birthday dinner for him last Friday. It was supposed to be a combined party for him and the Dutchman but the Dutchman couldn’t make it coz he was stuck in a meeting at Putrajaya. Amoi and VF were there as well. Anyway, I was pretty much out of ideas on what to get him as a present. While waiting for our table, I suddenly had this keinginan to get him something that I know will put an instant smile to his face. I left the kids with Amoi and VF and made my way to Sony Wings. in less than 10 minutes, I was back with a spanking PSP!

Deli arrived a couple of minutes later, straight from the office. We had dinner, talked and laughed like a bunch of crazy monkeys when suddenly we heard a birthday song coming from Chili’s waiters and waitresses. Imagine the shock on Deli’s face! It was not even his birthday! Hahahah. Makcik pun terkejut juga sebab tak sangka they’d sing so loud!

Thanks to Amoi for the cake.

I won't forget his smile when he saw the PSP. I know he wanted that for so long though I did get the usual ‘Kenapa membazir’ and ‘susah-susah aje’ ceramah from him later that night.

Anyways, to Deli – happy birthday! May all your dreams come true and we love you so very much!

Backdated Entries

June 19

I’m starving!

It’s almost 12 and I still have no idea what to eat or even where to go. My boss is on medical leave today so I might be able to stretch my lunch time a little bit. I need to get some stationary and I am in the mood to have a BIG lunch!

Plus, I need to find a birthday present for the Dutchman. It’s the hardest thing to do, I tell you. It’s damn hard to find a great present for a guy that doesn’t involve any electronic stuff, computer or mobile gadgets. Books might be good but I need to dig for more info on his reading interest. I wanted to get him something to do with the World Cup or at least something to do with Netherlands. Oh well, I guess I will have to go to the neighbouring shopping mall and do a bit of scouting for the right gift.

Talking about presents for guys, I have no idea on what to give Deli for his birthday next week. Yep, its next week and I still don’t have a clue on what to get him. I bought him Motorola Razor for our wedding anniversary last March. I can’t possibly get him another mobile phone. I know that he’s all into plasma telly lately but no way am I going to get that for him! Our telly is functioning as it’s supposed to and there’s no reason to get a third! I was thinking about either PSII or PSP. Ours was stolen during the break-in last month.




June 21

I had lunch with VF today. Apart from eating, we made a point of talking about anything and everything in the universe.

Today’s juicy news was that her ex-boss in M*xis was called for an interview in VS. Weird thing about the whole thing was the interviewer. Don’t you feel it’s a bit odd that the Director of Project Management interviewed someone for a HR position?

Oh well. We all know that weird things can happen in VS.

Then we talked about our bosses. VF is stuck with a freaky boss to whom I think is as bad as Raccoon if not worse. Mine on the other hand, has been nothing but good to me for the past month. We have quite a number of common interests. I hope this is the real him and not just a temporary affair.

I told VF that I’ve had my share of cranky bosses and it’s about time that I get a good and nice boss for a change. I’m crossing my fingers that I’m not speaking ‘too soon’ about this.

Still about my boss, I think he’s either free or he’s just taking a break from work, today. First, he asked if I have everything I need, like the phone, ID tag and so on. Not only that, he personally went to see the persons in charge for all of those things and demanded for updates. Mind you, he’s an AVP. AVP’s don’t normally do things like that. Not that I know of anyways.

Then he asked if I have any James Blunt songs in my mp3 player. I didn’t have any but I lend him my player anyway so that he can download songs that he wants. He ended up copying all of the songs!

I bought James Blunt cd for him at Cosway. My little way of saying thanks for being such a nice boss. Heheh.

Oh yes, I’ve just signed up for FF trial membership for a spanking $25 for one whole month – for all the facilities! A good deal indeed!

Managed to persuade VF to join FF as well – we’re gym buddies now! Heheh.




June 22

I couldn’t help but wonder if I have mistakenly entered the Gents rather than the Ladies washroom.

Why?

For obvious reason – the toilet seat was up, almost all of the times!

It’s not that big a deal but it’s really annoying. Bad enough that the whole washroom is poorly lit and looked spooky, now I have to deal with toilet seats! Don’t even get me started with the tissue rolls. I was there a couple of minutes ago and there was not a single tissue roll in sight. It’s only 10am for goodness sake!

Have you ever been to the washrooms in Puduraya? They are 3 times better than the ones we have here. Really, I’m dead serious.


Later that night, lawak jenaka bersama Durrah:

Location: Front yard

Durrah: Mummy tengok ni (with super excited voice). Siput! Siput Barbie!
Me: Siput apa? (trying hard not to laugh)
Durrah: Siput.. siput babi.. heheh

The Story Begins

Alrighty.

I've got a few minutes to spare. Let me begin by giving u a sneak peek at my cubicle.


Nice eh? Too bad this is only temporary.

Okay. Gotto go.

Later peeps!

The End of a Long Wait

i've been here for a couple of weeks but still very much without a connection to the virtual world.

Yesterday, my boss decided to give up his pc and let me use it while waiting for the long awaited spanking new one for me.

Today.. i'm making my first entry from the office. It was the greatest thing. You have no idea how liberating it was to be able to do this again after working without internet access in VS.

I will post more backdated entries later on. Thursdays are always full with meetings so i might not be able to spend much time at my desk.

So... stay tuned!

I'm back!! Yeehaaa!

The Second Day

As any first few days in a new job, there were a lot of materials to be read.

Since i have a very short attention span, i didn't really enjoy this task very much. I was much more interested to get my hands 'dirty' rather than staring at the papers which by the way, i thought the fonts were getting smaller and smaller by the page. It's a clear sign that i was extremely bored and sleepy.

My prayers were answered when the Dutchman asked me to help a fellow colleague with Visio. Weehuuu! Now we're talking.

Once done with Visio, i managed to get that collegue to exlplain to me about the current project they're involved in. At least i have some idea on what's going on at the moment.

By the way, the Dutchman is not my boss. He's the one who introduced me to my boss. Since he's the project advisor and my boss is one heck of a busy man, he kinda took the liberty to show me around and get me prepped for the job.

Best thing is, we're off at 4.30 on Fridays - yey!!

Have quite a number of things lined up for the coming week. I don't really mind as long as it doesn't involve anymore thick reading materials!

So.. wish me luck and i hope i'm gonna love my job!

Another Beginning

Today's my first day in the 'orange' building.

Hope that everything will turn out fine *cross my fingers*.

I'll be at level 4 for a couple of days. I'll be moving to level 15 when everything's ready.

Will definitely blog about it soon!

100%, The 2 Tanjungs & Ghost Stories

Wah. Macam glamer je bunyi tajuk kat atas tu.

The 100% Story
Saturday lepas was teacher-parents day kat skolah Kakak. We were there at 9.15. Tak ramai sangat parents yang datang when we got there. Agaknya masih ramai yang still in bed. Given a chance, I'd rather tido jugak coz the previous night tu hujan. Syiok berbungkus atas katil.

Anyways, Mrs Foong's overall comment for Kakak was 'Okay la. No comment.' Macam stail artis la pulak ni. She said Kakak did okay in school. Dulu she was very noisy tapi now dah tune down sikit. Selalu siap her homework on time and so on. Benda-benda yang baik belaka. Macam tak percaya pulaknya! Is she talking about Kakak? Tersilap orang kot ni?

When she showed us Kakak's mid year exam results, i almost fell off the chair. Terkejut yang amat sebab she scored A's and B's only! Nak dijadikan cerita, Deli and I didn't know schedule mid year exam Kakak sebab dia terlupa bagi the notice about exam schedule to us. I found the notice in her bag on Friday - the day yang we all balik from JB trip hari tu. Luckily, her exams were from Monday to Wednesday. The same Wednesday that we went to JB. Nasib baik dia tak ponteng on Wednesday!

Now you know why I almost fell off the chair when I saw her exam results. She even scored 100% in her Math exam! I know for sure, she's got that from Deli!

We were there for a mere 15 minutes.

Went to Giant soon after to get some stuff for the trip. Kena tunggu RR yang teramat la lambat sampai. Ada sebab-sebab yang tak dapat dielakkan, katanya. Iyo la tu!

Went and picked up VF from her condo and we were off to Malacca. Tengok-tengok, bad traffic all the way from Ampang to Bandar Tasik Selatan. So much for the semangat yang berkobar-kobar to reach Malacca early!

Not only that, the traffic kat Seremban pun boleh tahan jugak. Slow. Macam siput naik basikal.

The 2 Tanjungs
We finally reached Alor Gajah exit at almost 1pm. Somehow the 'pilot' wanted to venture new routes and yep - we ended up in Tanjung Bidara instead of Tanjung Kling!

The Ghost Stories
The Dutchman and his fiance were waiting at the hotel's restaurant when we (finally) arrived. We checked in and started chatting about Malacca, places to visit and ghost stories. Yes, ghost stories. Of all the things in this whole wide world, we picked ghost stories instead. Very clever indeed.

The Dutchman left for KL soon after while the kids and the two aunties were all excited to mandi manda in the pool and sea. There were some sort of family day for Maybank at the same time and place so you could imagine the amount of people crowding the pool. We spent less than an hour in the pool. Tak selera tengaok ramai sangat orang in there. The kids were dissapointed but we all promised to bring them in early the next day for a longer session.

Balik bilik and got ready for dinner at Umbai. It's my second time to the place so memang tak ingat sangat the route. Thanks to our hungry instincts - we found the place!

The food was fabulous, (mostly) fresh and undeniably cheap. VF had fun eating the sambal crabs. I have a picture to prove that!

Perut kenyang, hati pun senang. Nobody had any trouble going to sleep that night.

Had an early breakfast the next day. Lepas makan, everybody was pretty much in the mood to mandi manda. Well, except me. The kids and their dad jumped in the pool while the aunties strolled by the beach. We joined them not long after that. The beach was a bit dirty but everything else was just beautiful.

We finally checked out at noon an headed straight to KL.

The trip was super fun. I just wish that more people could join us but nonetheless, it was one fun event. Next time kita boleh try lepak kat tempat lain pulak.

A Night in JB

It's strage that i've never accompany Deli to any of his business trips. Not once.

When he was scheduled to go to JB, i thought that it was a good time to go with him. Kakak had just finished her mid year tests and Adik had no worries about school whatsoever.

The trip started late in the evening. Deli and his colleague picked the kids and I from the house and started the journey at 6.30pm. Stopped at Seremban rest area for dinner and at Pagoh for a short break. The whole journey took 5 hours.

It's been so long since I last visited JB that i couldn't recognize most of the buildings and surroundings. Checked into Puteri Pacific and headed for bed almost immediately.

We had an early morning the next day. Had breakfast at 7.30am. That was by far, the earliest breakfast we've ever had on a vacation! Adik and Kakak feasted on the cereals while Deli and I had nasi lemak. It was undeniably yummy! Deli was off for work an hour later while the kids and I retired to our room.

Headed to the pool at exactly 10am coz I just couldn't stand the monsters literally checking the swimming pool from the window every 2 minutes! They had the whole kiddies pool to themselves. They had fun for more than an hour before calling it a day. Besides, they were concerned when they saw the wrinkly skin they donned after a while. Heheh!

We had buffet lunch but the kids didn't eat much. Apparently they were more concerned about getting some sleep than eating. Both Adik and Kakak had only desserts. I took my own sweet time savouring the spread. The cakes and desserts were heavenly delicious!

We checked out at 6pm and reached home at almost 11.30pm. The trip was indeed short but fun. JB was fun.

We've made plans to go to Malacca this weekend. Half of the gang wil be there as well. Can't wait!

Here's My Story

Today’s Monday, May 15th 2006.

I’ve got Barry White CD popped in the player. I’m all set to write my story.

I’m at home, writing this and wondering if I’ll survive the day all alone at home.

I’m at home from now till end of the month (maybe) coz I have left VS. I will be starting my new job by then with the foreign company I mentioned in my previous entry. As for my last days in VS, I admit I left heavy-heartedly and had mixed feelings altogether.

My last day was supposed to be on May 7th but one day before my last day, the Indian consultant, AK, mentioned that HR wanted me to stay and they are willing to transfer me to AK’s team if I said ‘yes’. When I had my exit interview with HR earlier, they were shocked to learn that VF and I wanted to leave because we’ve had enough of Raccoon. We had no problem with the job but we couldn’t stand working in Raccoon’s team for obvious reasons. I knew I had to make a decision fast so I wrote an email to the gang and said I will be extending my stay for another 2 weeks. The phone immediately rang and ML was on the other end, hoping to talk me out of the decision I have made earlier. She did, at one point made me realized that I was too hasty. There were things that I overlooked and that I was blinded by the offer to join AK’s team. I admit that the offer was tempting. I would rather join AK’s team coz the job scope was far more interesting. Not to mention that AK and I got along so well coz we tend to think alike.

When I made the decision, my sole intention was to help Doorbell and AK. I didn’t realize that by helping them, I was actually helping the project as a whole. This is the issue. It’s a big issue among the gang. They didn’t want me to help the project in particular. They said this is the best time for revenge. After all, the management has done so many things to us all. Me included. To the gang, by extending my stay, it was as if I’ve forgotten all the hard times that the management had made us endured and it was like repaying cruelty with kindness.

I was torn between wanting to help those in need and satisfying the urge of revenge.

I went and see HR to say that I will only stay for a week instead of two.

Against the gang’s advise, I showed up to work the next Monday. As expected, I received emails from the lot. The Dutchman gave me an earful about my decision. Not to mention the calls from the rest. I almost lost my temper to ML because of what she said on the phone.

I told them, it’s a personal battle for me. A battle between principles, ego and compassion. I won’t know if it’s the right decision but if it’s not, then I’ll learn my lesson. If it’s the right thing to do, I should be proud that I could closed my eyes and ignore the ‘things’ that they’ve done and do them this last deed. I couldn’t say ‘no’ when Doorbell and AK asked for help. I felt it’s my responsibility to at least teach Doorbell what I know and give her that sense of confidence to perform UAT. After all, the clients will be there to judge our every move and decisions. I even came to work on Wesak Day; just to help them out coz it didn’t feel right to leave them when they’re facing such problems. The problems were huge, by the way. I have made a decision to stay on for another week just to help them, sort out the problems and to convince the clients that we know what we’re doing coz they are losing their confidence just by looking at how Doorbell performed the UAT and the amount of problems we’re having. AK confirmed my concerns when the clients started asking him about SAP and that they were surprised to learn that I was leaving.

I was willing to stay for the second week but I finally decided not to because Raccoon did not even bother to ask me to do so.

In fact he didn’t bother to ask me anything at all since the day I hand him the resignation letter. He didn’t ask why I wanted to leave, let alone asked me to stay longer. He didn’t even have the decency to say ‘thank you’ when I decided to stay for the first week. Heck, even the PMO Director thanked me for making that decision!

Doorbell and AK was upset, I could tell. It was hard for me as well but I have to teach Raccoon a lesson. I’m not too proud of my action – leaving them in such condition but I think it’s about time that I get even with Raccoon. Like I mentioned, this was a personal battle for me. They have used me over and over, all these while. Now it’s time for them to see that what goes around, comes around.

So, that’s why I’m at home today. Taking a break for a couple of weeks before i start my new job.

*****************************************************************************************

I hope I’ll survive the days alone in the house coz my house was broken into a few weeks ago. In fact, 2 times in less then 2 weeks!

The first occurred on a Thursday. Deli got home a few minutes before me to find the sliding door wide opened. He went in to switch on the light and called the cops. They arrived almost 45 minutes later. Apparently they went to the wrong house and surrounded the house thinking that the thieves were still in there. Meanwhile, we were standing outside ours for almost an hour like idiots.

The house was a total wreck. I lost all of my jewelries, some money, the kids’ piggy banks and Deli’s PS II. They didn’t touch others and most importantly, they didn’t do anything to the cats. We were just thankful that nobody was home and harmed.

Less then 2 weeks later, on a Tuesday, Deli picked up the kids and Tok Mak whom has just arrived from BP by bus. I was still in the office when Deli called to inform that the house was broken into again! I was shocked and immediately lost concentration on work. I didn’t drive that day so I had to wait for Deli to come and fetch me. Got to know later on that the thieves didn’t manage to get pass the grilled door so they didn’t manage to get in this time. Still, the thought of somebody trying to break into the house haunts me. Especially when Deli was due to fly to Sydney the next. Boy, am I glad that Tok Mak agreed to accompany me this time around!

So, hopefully nothing bad is gonna happen while I’m alone in the house.

The Little Ray of Light

I seriously need to update this blog more often.

I know the last entries were nothing but grumbles and complaints about Raccoon and how he’s been treating the team. Nothing much has changed. He’s still the Raccoon that I despise.

I am still amidst of unit testing. The Indian consultant left for Mumbai last Friday. I guess he couldn’t handle the pressure. There’s a new Indian consultant in house but he’s much worse than the first. He fixes things, all right, but only to initiate more problems. My failed test cases are still open since last Friday. I have more than 80 test cases to complete by end of the month. I don’t even want to think about the yakking that I’m going to get from raccoon.

Oh well. Sigh.

VF is leaving VS in 2 weeks. Am totally happy for her but sad at the same time coz I’m losing another ally. So in 2 weeks, I will be the only one with PS v8 experience in the team. I don’t even know if that’s an advantage for me or otherwise.

Speaking of leaving, I was promised a position in a foreign company. It’s a verbal agreement and there’s no black and white yet so I’m not going to elaborate further. I’m crossing my fingers that it’s materializing. Besides that, I have 2 more interviews in tow, thanks to recommendation from friends. (Hey Elin, you’re totally right about this!)

I’m hoping that things will be better and I pray that I’ll be able to close ‘the deal’ soon.

OMG!

Goodness! I have totally abandoned this blog!

I blame it all on the revoked Internet access a few weeks back. I didn't think it would matter much coz I'm still able to go online from home.

Until one day, Raccoon offered me the assignment of a lifetime. I was tempted to accept it though close friends were strongly against the idea. I understood their point. We all know the consequences and that my head will be on the chopping board if things go wrong. I could either accept the assignment and work like a cow OR refuse it and have to slog on the project paper that I absolutely have no interest whatsoever.

The choice was obvious.

So, I have been working like a mad cow ever since and thank God, it all went according to plan. Setup was done in a week and I'm been doing component testing till next week. It's a one-man show from my section and I deserve the right to gloat. Raccoon was pleased and was impressed that I can even deliver additional assignments on time.

He called me to a meeting room yesterday. I couldn't stop thinking if I've done something wrong coz you won't be called to a meeting room unless you're about to be yelled at or screwed by your boss. Well at least, that's the culture in this office.

I was surprised when he showered me with praises and all. It's not like him at all. I was a bit shocked but decided to accept the good words anyways. After all, I didn't put a knife to his throat and force those words out of him. It's good that he's mellowed a bit. Which proves the theory that man can be sweet and nice after they've 'got some' and can be bitter if they didn't 'get any'. Raccoon just tied the knot a few weeks back, so go figure. Hahahah.

Oh, back to my point. I worked like a mad cow (the attitude, not the disease!) these past few weeks that I didn't get to update my blog as frequent as I wanted to.

Apart from that, Kechik has been in and out of the hospital for a couple of weeks. We tried visiting him as much as we could when he was boarded for a little over a week, earlier this month. After he was discharged, there were frequent visits to the vet to change his wound dressings and all. Whenever the appointment was due, we'd rush back from the office, pick up the kids and Kechik before heading off to the hospital. It was really taxing to both Deli and I.

Thanks to all the prayers, well wishes and the amount of dosh spent, he is now his normal self again. He needs to grow some coat over the shaved area but apart from that, everything else is just great.

On a lighter note, I have made a decision to end my tenure in this company. I don't have a specific date at the moment but I have a hunch that it's gonna be soon. I will leave this hellhole even without any job offer. That's how much I hate this place.

Having said that, I am currently looking for a job that is HR or PeopleSoft related.

Hopefully.

Welcome Home!

Kechik's home!!

He's doing okay though still bandaged. He's eating his normal food and the stitches looked okay. He's back to lounging on my bed again.

As expected, the bill's a killer but we can always find more money. The amount we paid is nothing compared to the joy that Kechik brings to my family. He is indeed a family member.

Baby Cat is trying to get used to Kechik's new look. Frankly, he looks a bit funny around the shaved area. Look at the picts..

We're glad that he's okay and most importantly, is back home with his family.

Happy Anniversary

Deli dearest,
happy 7th wedding anniversary!

You are the greatest partner, a terrific dad to the kids and the best friend i've ever known.

Hey, we've made it this far! Can't believe it myself but we did it!

Thank you for being such a wonderful person and always be there for me.

I love you always and forever.

Kechik oh Kechik Part II

Left the office quite early today. Couldn't wait to see how Kechik was doing. I was very worried coz we're scheduled to leave for Tok Mak's place tomorrow.

Reached the animal hospital to find the same doctor on duty. He was indeed a nice and patience man. He led us into the boarding room and spend some alone time with Kechik. He looked distress, which was expected when he's left in a room full of other cats. He refused to let us touched him at first but started to purr softly when we stroke and patted him later on. I was close to tears, looking at him like that. He was shivering and his movements were limited due to the anesthetic. His wounds were still open coz they wanted to properly clean the area and make sure there was no infection.

Heavy heartedly, we left the hospital half an hour later. Adik was sad that we didn't get to bring Kechik home. My poor babies!

Kechik oh Kechik

Was shocked to find trails of blood when I opened the door. Baby Cat was lounging on the sofa, obviously healthy. I asked the kids to look for Kechik.

Kakak & Adik: Mummy! Banyak darah dalam bilik air mummy!! Cepat mummy!

I almost lost my balance climbing the stairs to my bedroom. Indeed there were more blood stains and some larger pools in the bathroom. Kechik was nowhere to be found.

I finally found him hiding between the boxes in the room downstairs. I lifted him up - his body was cold and I started to worry. Didn't see any cuts or wounds at first until I saw a matted area on his chest. Mind you, his coat is long and thick. Fetched some lukewarm water to clean the matted area to found a gaping wound that I could literally see his flesh. That was when i started to panic. I called the animal hospital and informed them of the situation. Luckily they're not attending any emergency case at that time. Called Deli and coaxed Kechik to his carrier.

Reached the hospital around 9pm and after a series of questions, the vet informed that he needed to shave Kechik's neck area to have a better look at the wound. It was quite big. He was immediately boarded and the vet asked us all to come and see him again on Friday.

Shaving Kechik

Please pray for my 9 years old Kechik. Just hope that he won't need any surgery. *crossing fingers*

Note: Kechik was admitted to the same hospital on the same date 7 years ago due to kidney problem. Ironic.

It's Monday already?

I was reluctant to leave the bed this morning. My whole body was aching and i can't stop yawning since i step foot in the office. Maybe I am getting too old for a full swing weekend.

Last weekend was packed with events that i didn't even get to do the usual weekend-spring-cleaning. The house dons a classic ship-wreck theme at the moment.

Attended Deli's cousin's wedding at Kelana Jaya on Saturday. It was so darn hot that most of the guests left right after eating and congratulating the happy couple. Not many of them lounge around. The uncle who sells ice-cream from his bike made a fortune, i tell ya. Kids and adults flock his ice-cream-on-wheels for quick, satisfying thirst quenching agenda. My kids, included. Me? I was too busy minding the hot weather and making sure i didn't sweat to death!

Went to Toys R Us right after the wedding to get Adik's skates. He was jumping with joy and tried it on as soon as we got home. Deli and I automatically switched gears to become the kids personal trainers. They spent almost an hour on skates before getting ready for dinner and movie at TGV.

The kids took their own sweet time in the bathroom that we had to change plans and get food from McDonald's instead. After gobbling up (looked like that to me) the food, off we went to TGV KLCC to pick up tickets for Pink Panther. It was hillarious,i tell ya! Kakak laughed the loudest, as always. Reached home at half past mid night.

Was up quite early on Sunday. Wanted to avoid the crowd as much as possible in Ikea. I promised Along to buy some stuff for her sister-in-law's wedding next month. The kids were dissapointed that they couldn't get into Ikea's playland. It was full to the brim. We had a nice brunch at Ikea cafe. The meatballs were yummylicious! Left Ikea at 2pm and headed straight to Cycle & Carriage for Deli's new car. If things go well, we might get it in 3 weeks. That's settle then. I don't have to worry over him driving an ancient thingy to work any longer.

The next stop was Carrefour Wangsa Maju. I promised Adik his Ultraman vcd and we need to do groceries as well. It was packed with people that you can't even feel the air condition any longer. Spent less than 2 hours there. Finally!

I started cooking dinner at 8pm. I was too lazy and tired to cook but the tiger prawns hailed and i had to succumb to cooking sambal tumis udang & petai. One fried promphet and stir-fry veges and wallah! Dinner was served! Kakak helped herself with the 'sayur pokok' a.k.a broccoli and the fish. And yes, the house smelt of petai and prawns for a few hours.

Oh my. I'm too tired to even move. It's 6pm now and i need to pack and leave to get the kids.
Have a good Monday peeps (what's left of it)!!!

I'm Not Chinese!

I was too lazy to cook for dinner yesterday so I asked Deli to buy some from our regular eating place.

Deli: Kakak nak makan apa?
Kakak: Nasi goreng.
Me: Get her chinese fried rice. Tak pedas sangat.
Kakak: No, no. Kakak nak nasi goreng melayu! Kakak bukan cina!

Hahahahahahahahahah!

The Series of Unexpected Events

I came in the office today with an urgent (but still manageable) need to pee. I boarded the elevator with plans to visit the washroom before having my morning cup of Milo. Just then, the elevator stopped at level 4 and 2 tea ladies cum cleaners rushed in and noisily talked about the water shortage.

What? Now? But I need to pee!

Hoping those ladies were talking about another building, I braved myself into the washroom.

Dang.

It was smelly and dry.

My last resort was to go to KL Convention Center and do my business there.

Not a very good start for the day.


*******************************************************************************


Last week was not worth mentioning.

I hated the fact that Mr. R has crossed the line and I have to start treating him like Bossy Boss now. He is becoming more and more like Bossy Boss. I guess people with the same surname are from the same mould. He's just a duplicate of Bossy Boss - which by the way, I hate so very much. Yuck!

So, Friday happened and I left the office, all upset and annoyed.

Things will never be the same again.

I wanted to say mean, sarcastic things to him but I know I'll regret it, so I kept my mouth shut and walked away holding my head high. Well, not that high actually. I'm bad at hiding my emotions. It's just my weakness.

Reached home 10 minutes later - so yes, I was driving recklessly. If the director of The Fast & Furious were looking for a third, he'd pick me in a heartbeat, judging by the way I handled my machine that day!

The most irrational thing I did that day was to send out a text message to my close friends saying that I'm leaving the company.


*******************************************************************************


Was on medical leave on Monday. I purposely left my mobile phone turned off. Was not in the mood to entertain anybody at all. Besides, I was not done thinking.

I totally forgot to notify the office about my absence. VF called in at 10am and talked to Deli. I practically slept the whole day.

When I switched it on at midnight, text messages flowed in non-stop from concerned friends. Thanks guys. It meant a lot to me.

Yesterday, my mailbox was flooded with emails from the same bunch. They were worried coz I didn't talk to anybody and didn't reply any of their text messages. Again, I really appreciate the concern but this is something that I need to think through and decide on my own.

No, I have not decided on anything (yet).

I know for sure I'm handing in THE letter but I don't know when. I just know it will be soon.

I'm being bitter again. *sigh*

Bits of Everything

Last weekend was fun. Went to Melissa's for post-CNY party. As usual, we were the first to arrive and the last to leave , at midnight.

I just hate the fat guy in the next cubicle. I don't know what he has against me but he was rude and annoying. He was surprisingly nice to other people, though. What the heck, he's not that important.

I'm aching all over and my throat hurts. Classic signs of a fever coming my way. I need to rest anyways. It's been a while.

January is normally the time for family vacation. We didn't have any this year coz both Deli and I were too caught up with work last month. Plus Deli was in San Diego for a week. Hmm. Need to plan for one real soon. The kids are vouching for HK Disneyland but we wanted something simple and relaxing. We'll see how it goes.

To my darling husband, thanks for the sweet email this morning. I meant every single word in my reply to your email. Smooches!

A Loss

Condolences to Elin and family who've just her beloved mother this morning.

Al Fatihah.

Shimmering Beauty

Bought Deli a V3i last Monday. It's a gift for our 7th year anniversary next month. It's damn slim, i tell ya!



He was definitely surprised coz our anniversary is not for another month and gave me the normal phrases like 'this is too expensive' and 'you shouldn't have'. It's a sham, I tell ya. First he'll be saying all those things and next thing you know, he's spending more time with the phone than with me. Typical of them man - they'll get all excited (overexcited, at times) with their new gadgets. Nothing else matters.

Have just finished reading Jools Oliver book. It's a good read. Plus, she has a few simple, yummy recipes in there too. Give it a try!

The Long Break

The long break was definitely rejuvenating!

Deli and I managed to spend quality time with the kids. The whole of 6 days were filled with events. Parties, movies, catching up on sleep – you name it, we’ve done it all.

Left the office quite late on Friday. A lot had to be done before the long break. Furthermore, Raccoon wanted us to update him on some issues so that he would have more time for Chinese New Year gambling. Whatever you say boss!

Started Saturday very early for breakfast at McDonald’s. Bumped into Anedra and family while wrestling for marinated chicken and beef at Carrefour. Nice meeting you again Anedra! Kakak had a good chat with her and later on kept asking if she could visit the aunty who stays near the zoo! Heheh!

Deli started working on the charcoal and the sort right after Asar and the grilling began soon after. We had chicken, beef, tiger prawns, squids and mini sausages for the grill. I prepared steamed broccoli and baby carrots, apart from the fried beehoon. Kakak and Adik especially enjoyed the dishes and the eating environment. Chu Boy and his friend arrived right before Maghrib. We had mandarin oranges and mata kucing (what do you call this in English?) for dessert and the feast continues on till after 10pm.



Sunday saw us waking up a tad bit later than usual. Had a decent lunch and headed for MBO to see Baik Punya Cilok. It was damn funny! Definitely a must see. Visited VF and family at Ampang for Chinese New Year celebration and proceeded to Giggsy’s pad for her birthday party. Food was abundant and totally good!



We decided to stay in on Monday. The whole day was spent in front of the telly and stuff ourselves full like there’s no tomorrow. Oh yeah, we did laundry too. Heheh.

Tuesday was spent in One Utama where Kakak got herself her first rollerblades and Adik bought an airport in a box. The engineers started working on the airport as soon as we got home while the interior designer was busy decorating the airport with colorful stickers that came together with the set. The outcome was brilliant!



Kakak had a go on her new rollerblades on Wednesday. Adik was of course a bit jealous coz he didn’t get his skates but Kakak was kind enough to let him borrow hers a couple of times. Under her watchful eyes, that is. Deli decided to show off his skills and took his blades from the storage. Let me tell you, it was not a good sight – seeing a grown man tumbles over his blades!



Went to GE Mall later that night for some stuff for the cats. Adik dragged us to the toyshop for his skates but unfortunately they didn’t have any. Poor Adik! We bought the thingy-for-the-seatbelt for the kids and they loved it!



Deli had to work on Thursday so the kids and I stayed home. Went to Alpha Angle later that day, still trying to get Adik his skates but Jusco didn’t have any. Adik was disappointed but we promised him to keep looking for his skates. That cheered him up a bit.

It was back to work on Friday. The office was empty, as expected but unfortunately Raccoon was there! Goodness! He spent the whole day harassing me for stuff to be documented for the project paper. Instead of going back at exactly 6pm, I ended up packing an hour later. It was so tiring!

Attended Razmil’s wedding on Saturday at Wadieburn camp. It was my first time there. The place is huge! The food was different and of course, scrumptious. Adik couldn’t stop eating down to the oranges! Went to Toys R Us right after for Adik’s skates. Found it but since he didn’t behave in the store, we decided that he didn’t deserve the skates after all. He cried at first and politely said ‘sorry’ over and over. He didn’t get the skates still. We wanted him to understand that misbehaving has its price. We knew he learnt his lesson. We’re gonna get him the skates but not now. Maybe later on, when he knows how to behave and be a good boy.

He’s been a very good boy since then. He willing followed Deli to the barbershop and I saw him doing the dishes after lunch. He proves that he can be a good boy indeed and he might get his skates soon!

On The Way? Underwear?

Venue:
In the car, talking to Deli on speaker phone.

Deli: Where are you now?
Me: On the way to KFC.
Deli: Ha?? Where?
Adik: Underwear KFC...
Me: *laughing*
Deli: Ha???
Kakak: Underwear KFC la Dada...
The proud parents: *laughing out loud*


Footnote:
Underwear = On the way

Disease

I know I've said it so many times in this blog but I'm just too pissed to let it slip.

When I'm really psyched to do something and get it done, I often get an annoying response to just hold my thoughts and put the issue aside. Why? Why can't I just proceed with what I was doing? It will save me time and effort. I'm all ready and eager to get things done. Again, why can't I continue with the task? Why?

Jeez.

It happened again today. Raccoon posted some technical questions and I went to see the IT guy for confirmation. Once I got that, I reported it back to Raccoon and asked if I can proceed with documentation for client sign-off? Being an efficient man that he claimed to be - I was surprised when he told me to hold on to the info until he's done with the project plan. When I questioned him, he said he'd need to finalize the project plan before he can start on any other things.

Goodness. It's like a universal disease - man can't multitask!

A New Beginning

An email with trails of discussion and the sort greeted me today.

If and I say IF, this is what i think it is, then i might be getting the long-awaited letter today.

Had the usual team meeting before Doorbell was off to client's site in Singapore. Lunch was brief and while waiting for some peanut butter waffle, we saw Raccoon! He ordered some waffles as well and joined VF and I on the bench. It was weird that we're sitting on the same bench and not talk to each other, so i started asking him about his wedding photo shoot. He didn't seem enthusiast to talk about it so i stopped asking him questions and coincidently, our waffles were ready. Phew! That was odd.

To make things brief - at exactly 6.45pm today, Raccoon handed me the letter. THE letter. Nothing much except for the change of designation. All other terms and benefits remain.

I'm just thakful i finally got it. Beggars can't be choosers, aye?

The Weird Stuff

It’s weird when you are all hyped to get some work completed but there’s nothing to be done at all. None at all. This is so wrong.

So much had happened since the last entry.

The End of an Era
Belang is no longer the Project Manager for our project. We talked to the Director last week about Belang not doing her job, etc. We were hoping that the Director would be able to help convey the message to Belang and that she will pull up her socks for the benefit of the team and project as a whole. We didn’t expect to get a new PM – the fourth PM in six and a half months!

The transition was officially announced this morning in the boardroom. So now Mr. Raccoon is our new PM. His pep talk was a bit annoying and arrogant but what the heck, the show must go on. Our concern now is to get the project going and to sign off all documents. Maybe he'll screw things up; maybe he’ll do wonders, I don’t know. I’m hoping for the best for the sake of the project.

By the way, his family name is exactly like Bossy Boss’s. I was not surprised that he acted exactly like Bossy Boss during the meeting this morning. You know, the ‘I am the manager, you are all beneath me’ kind of thing. Sucks!


The Significant Other
Deli is now in San Diego for a few days. He’ll be back on Friday. This time around, Kakak was the most uncomfortable with his absence. She kept on asking about her daddy and asked me to call him this morning, on her way to school. Deli normally read to her before bed and I would be somewhere in the house making sure that things are in order for the next day. I never get to read her anything just yet and totally forgot about it last night. When she was talking to Deli, she asked if he’s gonna be home soon. She said nobody’s reading to her last night and I was pretty sure I heard Deli said that I could read to her. She quickly answered, ‘Mummy doesn't read like you do’. Oy, this is not fair! I have not even read to her yet!

Hurry back honey, we miss you so much! Your daughter needs you to read her stories before bed!


The Good Girl
On a lighter note, Kakak has started to help with chores. I asked if she’s up to helping me with the laundry. She said YES and I coached her on the things to be done. Am taking it one step at a time. I tried to not pressure or push her to get things right the first time. Will just let her take it slow, do things at her pace and make sure that she’s safe while doing so.

She helped put the laundry on the clothesline during weekends and helped to load and unload the laundry last night.

She’s okay with washing her plates and cutleries. So does Adik.

I want to make sure that she’ll be able to take care of herself and maybe help Adik when needed, to do simple chores around the house. I want and expect them to be independent.

Like they say, teach someone how to fish rather than just give them the fishes. It’s for the sake of survival.

By the way, my little brother is jobless right now. The company wasn't making much profit so they had to shut it down. Anybody looking a technician? He's good with wiring and stuff so if u need any of the sort done, please let me know and we might be able to strike a good deal here. Leave me a note, okay!

Happy New Year

Happy 2006 people!

A lot had happened in 2005. Good and bad. At least there’s a balance to it. There must be a reason when people say, too much of good things will kill (is not good for?) you. So you kinda have to take it all – good and bad, just to stay alive! Heheh.

2005 saw me moving to a new company and leave behind the place where I have been loyal to, for exactly 6 years. Yep, my last day in the previous company was on the 6th anniversary of my employment there. It was time to move on and move out of my comfort zone. I needed to face different challenges and that was exactly what I get in VSA – the current company I’m working for. Except that the challenges are packed with vicious, heart-wrenching management politics that caused the team to fall apart. We started off with 6 team members, including a project manager, all relatively new and eager to start the project. The fort started to crumble just a few months after. They left, one by one. Six months after that, I am the only one left from the initial team. I am now actively looking for a job that is HR oriented, preferably with PeopleSoft environment coz that’s what I’m good at.

No more work talk for now.

2005 also saw Deli and I in a dilemma when it comes to choosing the best kindergarten for Kakak. We were torn between ECK and CK. I wanted her to go to ECK, which is a bit posh for a kindergarten, but have everything she needs to prepare her for primary school and most importantly (to Kakak that is) has a swimming pool. The bad news is, they have strict learning program and the students are expected to do homework everyday. They are expected to do a series of tests and will be evaluated and reported to the parents every now and then.

CK on the other hand is a regular kindergarten with Montessori teaching method. It’s just like the kindergarten I used to attend, but of course without the Montessori thingy. She will have a few friends from LF attending CK with her and the owner of the two places know each other while the bus driver has previously transported kids from LF to CK and vice versa. Sounds like a good place for her but it was not my first choice. I think ECK would give her more compared to CK

After giving it much thought and after numerous discussions with Deli, we both agreed to send her to CK. We quickly paid off the fees and got Kakak all prepped up for it.

Why did we settle for CK? Well, in terms of monetary, learning method and the environment – yes, we had settled for less for reasons both Deli and I have agreed upon:

We want her to enjoy kindergarten and not worry unnecessarily on homework.
We want her to be comfortable with her friends and teachers.
We want to instill self-confidence in her.
We want her to feel as competent as the next 6 years old.
We are actually investing on her self-worthy.
We want her to attend school because she wants to, not because she had too.
Most importantly, we want her to love learning stuff and not because she had to.

Before realizing all those, I was a parent who is so selfish and ignorant that I didn’t put my child’s welfare on top of everything else. How can I not see that to pressure her to learn and perform will destroy her love and passion for leaning? My parents pushed me so hard to excel in my studies that I had to give up (some of) my dreams. I am not blaming my parents – I won’t be here if it’s not for them and their constant yakking. I was a lazy bum anyways, so I deserved all the yakking. I studied (memorized) well but I did not learn much. Why? Simply because there’s no passion in learning. All I know is that if I studied hard enough, I will do well in my exams. I will get to attend great schools and I’ll score better jobs and position in life. I didn’t remember much of the stuff I studied in school but that was not the case during my college years. I had the opportunity to experience and choose the field I liked best (with minimum Math subjects, of course) and I used the things I learned then, in the office now. Interest and passion will make you appreciate the knowledge more than you can imagine.

I want exactly the same things for Kakak as my parents once hoped from me but I want to do it differently. I want her to have the interest and the passion in learning. I’m hoping when she finished high school, she would be able to tell her parents want she wants to do with her life and be able to pursue her dreams.

Do you remember when your teachers asked you of your 3 ambitions every year? What do you want to be when you grow up? Mine changed each year. I can tell you right now that I am not who I imagined or wished I would be during those years. Not even close. I always wanted to be working in a bank because during those days, bankers are the wise and respectable people in society. Later on in life I found out that I hate Math. Down the drain it went. I remembered wanting to become an investigator when Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys books were as famous as Harry Potter books nowadays. Didn’t happen either. I still enjoy reading that kind of books though. I am almost a fanatic for CSI series (except CSI: NY) and Murder at 1600 is my all-time favorite movie. Maybe there’s something to it after all. * Grinning *

A lot of us are forced to study and excel in education whether we realized it or not. We have read about teens or even a seven year old (in the Utusan yesterday), were pressured by their parents and perhaps society, to perform and excel in education until they couldn’t take the burden anymore and some did take their own lives. I do not want to be those parents who treat their children as trophies and compare them to every other kid in town. Every child is unique. Their learning abilities differ from one another. We parents, of all people should know that. We went through the same thing when we’re their age (not too long ago) and I’m sure you still remember how it felt to be compared to your cousins and neighbours' children.

Well, January 3rd came and we were glad that she enjoyed her first day. She sang and responded to the teacher with such enthusiasm. She stayed cool and calm when some of the kids cried and held tight to their parents. She was excited about going back to LF with her friends on the bus. Her eyes sparkled when she told us all about her first day at school.

It all paid off. Her first day of kindergarten was fun and she loved every minute of it.



Here’s to a good start in a child’s life – cheers!