Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Saturday with Jane Austen & Catherine Anderson

Azrin could not make it for the morning shift last Saturday. Her car refuses to start & since it is an automatic transmission car - nothing much I can advice. I know that for manual transmission cars, you can have someone pushing your car & putting it in 2nd gear and slowly letting go of the clutch. Eventually she has left the car for three days, opting to go back to her hometown in Muar by bus. It is after all middle of the month and I believe all of us needs to carefully spend our money in order for us to be able to survive until pay day which is at the end of the month. ;) Going home to Muar by bus seems to be the best option doesn't it? You pay about RM25 & everything is taken care of. If you were to drive, then you have to think of the petrol & toll, and not to mention servicing your car before you can drive it back home for the long journey. Well, not to say that just because you are not going anywhere far you don't have to service your car but calculating everything needed for the long trip, you might not have enough budget for a one shot payment, right?

Well, for me, I make sure I send my car for inspection almost every month. Well, :) has a cousin who works for Honda Services. So, I usually send my car to him for inspections & opinions related. He will advice on what needs to be done accordingly from the most critical to the less. Well, for ladies its kinda easier if you get second opinion before sending your car for services to any workshop; unless of course you are already familiar with a particular workshop or mechanic. Like going to the same workshop your father sends his car to etc. Why? Because male dominant vehicle service industry tends to treat us as dumb blondes when it comes to anything related to cars or any vehicles for that matters. They will ask you to change and service anything & everything there is on the engine. Obviously I will not have enough budget if everything needs to be done in one shot won't I? So that's what I usually do.

Well, Azrin is carefully calculating her budget as she just moved into a new rental apartment. Both her & Zura (her housemate) just paid for the deposit & still looking for a third occupant. A few candidates seems to be interested; but eventually changed their mind last minute. There was one time; both of them took leave just to help accommodate the new so-called-interested candidate. But at the end; she just called to inform that she could not make it. What a waste of their Annual Leave. There was even a girl who called up in the middle of the night asking about the house but then called back at 2 AM to cancel it. Well, anyone who needs a room in Kota Damansara area feel free to drop a line - I'll sent your message to Azrin & Zura and see how it goes. Not to worry, they are a bit psychotically insane, with a bit temperamental due to stress of work. Other than that, they are fun loving creatures who has a strong sense of friendship.

Well, anyway. Since according to the schedule, 1st Floor staff is more than enough I was placed on the Ground Floor - as the cashier. Ala, its been a while since my last experience at the Register. Well, my guess is that management assumed that senior staff is more competent to be placed at the Registers on weekends & public holidays - to accommodate the crowd ;). Then just before noon; a Chinese lady came over with three books & a credit card. She placed them all on the counter & called someone through her cell phone. As I scanned the price; I checked the title of the book just to double confirm - and to my surprise the priced that was stated on the sticker did not at all match the titles of the book cover. Those were Catherine Anderson's book with Jane Austen's Penguin Classics price stickers. Yup, all three of them. There were also indications that the stickers had been tampered with. I paged for my manager & the Chinese Lady panicked. She quickly asked if there were problems with the pricing (how would she have known it if she weren't doing something fishy right?) & then quickly snatched her credit card and running out of the store saying that she was in a hurry. My manager was still blur as she was in the middle of inspecting the books when she ran out of the store. My only regret is that I did not keep the credit card near to me so that she would not have been able to snatch it and run. Why? Erk, hello there's a name printed on the card right? I surely would like to have the name & lodge a written report to our management. Or better still, put her name in my blog. ;) My manager went straight inside the office to check the CCTV. He informed me that the lady sure spent a lot of time at a remote area tampering the stickers. And he will highlight the matter to the upper management level.

I know there are a lot of people out there who thinks book sellers are dumb, school drop out, etc. Thinking they can easily be intimidated by these so-called highly intellectual creatures with attitude. But they are not. Most bookstores that I know are actually hiring undergraduates, especially in so-called elite area. And they are even trained to handle almost any issues. So, better think twice before actually doing something bad not to mention stupid in the store. Well, other than that everything seems fine I guess. The story telling session, or should I say Story Reading session was not with a big crowd. Quite only a few people actually. It seems that Saturday was with a little crowd in the store. Let the Story Reader spent time with the kids while I continue what I was doing earlier on. Azrin went to hear some briefing from the Supreme Supervisor. I could not care less. I might as well ask Azrin later on. Talk and talk and more talk will contribute to less and lesser and lesser job done.

I am only here during the weekends and I had better get things done as much as possible. Less time for gossip and no time to loiter around. Plus it seems It-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named seems to be in her comfort zone with beloved younger sister who will be leaving in March. In the mean time It-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named seems to find happily find faults with other or making the rest feels as if they are worthless. Hm, good job It-Who-Must-Not Be-Named! Bravo, good enough you are spending more time with your beloved while us the "Machai" are doing the work, clearly showing your favoritism towards your litle sister, showing your supreme power clearly; showing the staff how hopeless they are by finding their faults - a swell job don't you agree?

Maybe IT ought to learn a few thing or two from IT's father since, IT does come from a socialite family. Act like one. Learn the leadership skill IT's father possesses. IT's father is a well known figure and highly respected by the community so a lot of things can be learned even though just by observing. Bapa Borek Anak Rintik - doesn't apply to IT I guess. Well, this is based on what I heard. Yup, I "kena" already and since then I just kept it to myself. If anything needs to be done I'll straight away inform Kak Zue as my Manager. As what my Store Manger would remind me, I am only here during the weekends so enjoy myself and try to have less stress and less gossips around the office. That surely what I am gonna do. Meet my friends over there while working and enjoying myself is certainly what I aimed to do. I'll be there to listen to their cries over what happen, but I'll just keep my comments to myself. For one thing, you can not be too sure on whom you can trust. But to you guys, hang on it there friends. Not all upper management are like It. So don't worry be happy ok? ;)

Well, another thing that we are planning; is the convoy to Ida's wedding this 9th of March. But the program might be disrupted by the unexpectedly announced election day which falls on the 8th of March. I have registered to vote in Ulu Tiram Johor Bharu. My beloved hometown, which I haven't been to in about almost a year. Hm, it is time for me to the perform my responsibility for my country and nation. Hmm, so poyo yes I know. :) So far, me, :), Zul, Azzam, Kak Iza & hubby and Ying Ying have confirmed our attendance. Theme color will be purple. Lucky me as I have already 2 pairs of purple baju kurung :). Now needs to find new tudung, it's been ages since I last bought any new tudung. I have been so stingy with my budget for tudung, I think now is the time to buy some more for my own collection :).

We are planning to go on 2 separate cars, but if there are more to join then perhaps three then; Kak Iza's Red Viva, My Perawan Gold Iswara & Ying Ying Green Kancil. If not enough attendees; then just 2 cars then. Text Lai Wah but as usual, that former boss of mine; still keeping quiet. Ever since Chinese New Year... ker dia yang dah nak kahwin hehehehe. Its all between us, nothing involving others. Planned by me & beloved Kak Iza, so we do the invitations and confirmation for the attendees. Others can go, by themselves that is. So far that is all the people that planned to go anyway. I most probably will be bringing Ira as that marks the beginning of school holidays. She just went back to MRSM last Monday and the school holiday is coming already?! Its either time flies extremely fast or I am beginning to slow down hehehe. Dah tua lah kawan. Well, anyway. Most likely I will be taking a weekend off to spend time with my little sister. Poor girl, I have been too busy to even spend time with her.

My Babah & Bonda will be going to the Philippines & Vietnam for a week. Instead of sending Ira to Johor, as my Babah are positively sure she will not be doing her school work, she'll be spending her time with me in Sungai Besi. I will be spending my time there for a week. Will be going to & from work from Sungai Besi then. Then I have to cook. Oh no, I hope she can managed my cooking. With my cooking, one needs to have a super extra immunity system hehehe. Or else God knows what will happen. I am tougher because of my cooking you know. Well, we'll see what its like later. Have to plan my spending as well. Already missing my little sister here. Sob sob sob

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Weekends

I took leave on Friday. I need to send my car for service, as I will be sending Ira back to her hostel in Batu Pahat. Takder kereta, patah kaki jugaklah rasanya. Jadik, cuma selesaikan urusan di bank bank yang berdekatan rumah ajer. Went to CIMB to deposit money for a friend who helped to buy the battery for my car. When we went around asking for battery prices; it ranges up until RM270. Pergh, its kinda too expensive for me. So a friend managed to buy a battery for a slightly cheaper price. I mean like, its the same thing; same brand why should I be paying for more. Hm, everything is increasing -meaning the PRICE that is. Price of oil increases, price of food increases, price of highway increases (toll that is) etc. The list goes on and on and on. The one thing that is not increasing - salary. Boo hoo hoo. :(

As I was there, I might as well ask for the personal loan procedures. I thought of applying for personal loan mainly to settle my phone bills with Telekom. Another 2k to go. It was during the time when I was staying with my sister, but since she is having financial problem (not to say that I don't), I might as well try to settle it by myself. I can't be waiting and asking for it every month, can I? The phone line was under my name and so the summon was written to me. I need to clear it because a letter by the lawyer indicates difficulties in future for loan applications etc. Yeah, I know, some will question my personal loan application to pay for my phone bill will increase my credits. But seriously I can still afford to pay small amount of RM as compared to settle the lump sum amount at one shot. Hehehehe, I already have 3 previous loans that I am still paying. Study loan, car loan & FaMo loan - Father & Mother loan :). the the officer by the name of Yati ( well, I call her Kak Yati out of respect) offered me credit card services as well. Hehehehe I am interested with only the CIMB Petronas Credit Card - from her explanation; up to RM50 discounts on petrol per month. Well to those who uses lot more petrol than I am perhaps the RM50 rebate doesn't worth that much. But to a person like me, who is stingy and tries to save whatever I can; that offer sure sounds ok. There is no annual fee which is good. I mean why pay for a credit card which you don't normally use (save your raised eyebrow for later part of my blog ok). I asked the mode of payment; the interest rate etc. Just to ensure that having credit won't trap me into more and more debt like what it did to a colleague. Every day receiving a call from the bank; regardless at what time of the day sure ain't good. I kept thinking why would the bank kept calling & haunting? Really scares me of wanting to have a credit card. Then I found that IT didn't pay the minimum payment required each month from the bank. No wonder the bank kept haunting. Well, people don't usually tell the whole stories right? Especially if it embarrasses themselves. Well, I just signed the credit card application forms anyway. I am not even sure if it will be approved.

Then I went to Maybank to update my bank book. I have learn my lesson. waiting too long & the transactions will be summarized; & then it will be harder for me to track whatever transaction that I have made. Especially now when I have started to use Maybank2u.Com. Yeah yeah I know, others are now experts at using Maybank2u.Com while I am still "crawling" (direct translation from Bahasa Melayu's merangkak-rangkak). As I was there, I asked about the Petronas Credit Card. Unfortunately it was only meant for those with minimum salary of 2k. So, instead they offer me the Flex card which has no annual fees imposed for the service (I think Flex stands for Flexible). It needs to be swiped at least twice a month regardless of the amount or they will charge you the service charge of RM 3.95 per month. Sounds good, and plus my salary goes into my Maybank account so definitely it will be easier for me to settle my credit card payment. I had intended to use Citibank Shell Credit Card earlier, but I was informed that the interest rate for Citibank Credit Card was slightly higher than other banks. Hm, I don't think its wise for me to do that.

I think credit card, pretty much like what cell phone used to be; is now a necessity. People used to think that those with cell phones are just show offs - well if you are always seen with the latest cell phones all the time; then perhaps indeed you are a show off. But then again, if you can afford it and you have nowhere else to spend your money lavishly - why not. I have had my share of the experience not having enough cash when I need to buy my new battery for the car. But I like they way the credit card consultants at both banks handled my inquiries and their concerns with the credit card concept for my clear understanding. Credit card is definitely not how you are lavishly spending your money (but you ARE spending the bank's money & later paying them back) with an interest if you failed to pay on time with the minimum amount required. That is what most people failed to understand. They make sure I understand the responsibility of having a credit card. A good advice I must say. For an emergency situation, a credit card is very much needed.

Once everything was settled, I went home, cooked some lunch, sweep the house, wash the clothes - well, actually the washing machine did most of the jobs on my behalf :). I love my old washing machine :) After all has been done, I took a nap. Replacing all my loss sleeps due to overworked huhuhu At about 3pm I received a message from Kak Yani informing me that due to HIGH SUSPECTS my leave application for this Monday 18th of February was rejected. Ala, I wish I was informed earlier so that I can try to apply for a swap of Leave since I managed to obtained the leave today. Drats. I had planned to send Ira back to MRSM this Monday. Damn damn damn!!!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day :)

Today is 14th of February (Malaysian Time is 8:16 AM) & so its Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!!! Now what is Valentine's Day? How it all started? How is it celebrated? What is so special about Valentine's Day? Well, lets see what can I come up with through my search on the net.

From this website - http://www.history.com/

Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.


While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.


To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.


Well, I think it will be helpful to know the history before actually celebrating it. Why? Because I am a Muslim (btw have you read a book of the same title written by Dina Zaman? A cool author who speaks sincerely of her mind about the things surrounding her). Reading from the history mentioned, one cannot help but to make a conclusion regarding the main important basic for the celebration of Valentine's Day. It was first celebrated to honour the 3 saints who fought for the glory of Christianity.

So what are we actually celebrating when we say we celbrate Valentine's Day? Exactly - we are actually celebrate the history that is associated with Christian's glorifying 3 saints. Okay people, don't get me wrong. I am not condemning the Christians or anything. But today's blog is mainly to remind myself and others who seems to be celebrating Valentine's Day blindly and not to mentioned foolishly. Well, personally I have nothing against celebrating the day itself. During my "Jahiliyyah Age"; I do celebrate Valentine's Day by sending cards to my family members and friends. During my Matriculation years in Bangsar, the old Jusco in Jalan Telawi used to sell pretty card during Valentines. What makes them different from other cards? They didn't have the word Valentine printed on it, which is a relief. Each time I send a card to my Ayah, he will definitely give me the "Valentine's Tazkirah" over the phone, on why we are not supposed to celebrate Valentines, why Valentine's is not part of our culture - and of course me being me will retaliate each statement given. Father's day, Mother's Day are also not part of my culture - but why are we still celebrating it? Yup, Ayah had to put up with my strong headed arguments.

Perhaps its because love is supposed to be celebrated every day. I mean myBabah did not have to wait for Valentine's day to give my Bonda a bouquete of roses. Then I thought perhaps it wass wrong to celebrate Valentine's because virgins are so ever eager to lose it during this "Holy Day" or because to many sins are being done during this time - for us Muslim as adultery are a strict No-No (I am sure all of you knows right?). Basically my conclusion was that its not right to celebrate Valentine's Day because of the sins Muslims do during the day.

Personally I think that nowadays the Valentine's celebration has been too commercialized. A spokesperson from a local florist mentioned that every year around Valentine's day the price of flowers will be increAsed by at least 30%. No wonder a bouquet of Red Roses now costs around RM 150 and above. It means that couples will have to plan sooo ahead before Valentines Day. Merely because of the money spend on the flowers, gifts and not to mentioned that bloody expensive diners.

Imagine having to spend average of RM 150 for the flowers, another RM 150 for the bears ( it can be more if we were talkingabout jewelleries)

Some interesting facts regarding Valentines Celebration:

- 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
- Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)


Haha, I do not celebrate Valentines as per say but I still participate in the event activities in the office or my work place with the intention of only bringing joy to others and none personal. So don't expect me to give you flowers and chocolates etc okay love :)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

A Lot Of Things That Happen - But Not Much To Say

A lot of things have been going on lately. Well, some are EXTREMELY HOT, some are MILD and some are COLD. The EXTREMELY HOT pick would still be the VK Lingam's case. These are considered hot as it involves top & big names here in Malaysia Tun Mahathir Mohamed, Tan Sri Vincent Tan. What I know is what I read. But it all started when the former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that he has a hot video clips showing of a plot on judicial appointments in 2002. From the news I obtained from www.malaysianbar.org.my

An explosive video clip released today shows senior lawyer VK Lingam in a phone conversation, purportedly with current Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, allegedly fixing the appointment of ‘friendly’ senior judges.

The eight-minute clip, said to be originally 14 minutes when recorded sometime in 2002, was made public this morning at the office of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in Petaling Jaya.Among the matters discussed during the telephone conversation were the potential appointment of Ahmad Fairuz as the Chief Judge of Malaya (CJM) and his promotion as the Chief Justice (CJ), which eventually took place in 2003.In 2002, Ahmad Fairuz was the CJM, in charge of all High Court judges in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as acting President of the Court of Appeal (PCA). Reading from a prepared statement, Anwar said the revelations proved that his appeals against his sodomy and abuse of power convictions were tainted and that he was denied a proper and fair trial.

In 2002, Ahmad Fairuz was the CJM, in charge of all High Court judges in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as acting President of the Court of Appeal (PCA).Reading from a prepared statement, Anwar said the revelations proved that his appeals against his sodomy and abuse of power convictions were tainted and that he was denied a proper and fair trial.

Such a scandalous expose... only serves to corroborate our allegations of a political conspiracy of the highest level and corruption of the highest judicial office, seriously bringing into question the impartiality of judicial proceedings involving the affected parties,” said Anwar.PKR will seek to submit a special appeal to the Conference of Rulers to take appropriate steps. The party will also lodge a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency and a complaint with the Bar Council.Ahmad Fairuz was on the three-member bench which had dismissed Anwar’s appeal against the corruption charge in the Court of Appeal in 2000.

Anwar did not disclose the identity of the person who recorded the video or who had given the clip to the party, but said it had been edited to conceal the identity of a ‘third party’.The recording shows Lingam walking up and down in a room, talking into a handphone.The inference from the discussion was that “key players” should be nominated for judicial appointments in order to hear cases and deliver judgments accordingly.A main point of the conversation - believed to be with Ahmad Fairuz in the context of the conversation - was that there appeared to be two camps in the judiciary belonging respectively to former CJ Eusoff Chin and his successor Mohamad Dzaiddin Abdullah.“You see, he (Dzaiddin) has now up for [sic] six court of appeal judges, so that he can put his men before he retires,” Lingam said.Later in the conversation, he alluded to this matter again, saying: “No, don’t worry, Datuk. I know how much you suffered for Tun Eusoff Chin... and Tun said ‘Datuk Ahmad Fairuz, 110 percent loyalty!’“We want to make sure our friends are there for the sake of the (then-) PM (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and the sake of the country. Not for our own interest [repeated], we want to make sure the country comes first.”Lingam himself had been embroiled in controversy after photographs emerged of him and Chin on holiday together in New Zealand in 1994. However, Eusoff denied any wrongdoing. At one point, the lawyer also indicated that earlier efforts to appoint judges aligned to Chin had been thwarted by former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.“You know that’s the same problem that Tun Eusoff Chin has. He tried to do all this and yet, he has run out of soldiers. He couldn’t do it because many are from the other camp. Last time was unfortunate because Tun Daim was doing everything, sabotaging...”Lingam then revealed that “they are going to organise a campaign to run you down; but you just keep quiet. Don’t say anything. Even (when) the press asks you, say ‘I leave it to God’. That’s all."Also implicated in the conversation were business tycoon Vincent Tan and then-Minister in the PM's Department and current Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.Based on what Lingam let drop, both Tan and Adnan had apparently played an instrumental role in the appointment of judges as well to secure the honorific title of ‘Tan Sri’ for Ahmad Fairuz.“I will also get Tan Sri (Vincent) to remind PM to put a Tan Sri-ship this year, lah. This will elevate you, you know,” said Lingam.Towards the end of the conversation, Lingam acknowledged that “you have suffered...so much you have done, for the election, Wee Choo Keong, everything. How much nobody would have done all this”.Following the 1995 general election, Ahmad Fairuz had upheld a petition contesting DAP candidate Wee’s victory as Bukit Bintang member of Parliament. The ruling saw the Barisan Nasional candidate Dr Lee Chong Meng being declared the winner.Lingam could not be contacted for comment. His office said that he was abroad and is only due back later this month.When contacted this afternoon, the personal assistant to the CJ relayed a message that he wanted to have a look at the video before saying anything. However, subsequent calls to the office were not answered up to 5pm.


Well, it comes to politics I can't really say much. I am in a community where press holds the right to say anything and everything as long it profits the government I guess. 'sigh'. But nevertheless, one know for a fact that this kind of scenario is faced by everyone and anyone in any country where the current government has the hold of almost everything to ensure that they remain in power. Still have a lot of reading to do from any source available :)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Happy Chinese New Year @ Gong Xi Fa Cai

I received my FIRST & most probably my only Angpow yesterday from Auntie. Seriously, I was not even close to her, since I am only there during weekends only maa. But nevertheless I am happy happy happy as the Chinese New Year celebration unwritten policy states that as long as you are not yet married you are entitle to get the Ang Pow, as many as you can. Yippee yeay yeay, unlike Aidil Fitri where only the children gets to collect the money money money hehehe.

As usual its kinda slow in the morning but as the afternoon approaches more people are coming in, basically just to loiter around before going for lunch or tea or dinner :) Some are in for the free read, some are really looking for reading materials, some are in for the relaxation, some are in to have a date and clueless aiming for anything and everything in the store. Its kinda funny :)

Honestly, I don't think that a bookstore is an ideal place for a date. Why? Because I for one am a sucker to books books and more books so automatically I will be in the "I-am-alone-do-not-disturb-me" mode and most often I shall ignore everyone and everything else around me. I can actually spent hours in a bookstore without even realizing it.

I don't actually have a preferred genre but I love to read books written by Sidney Sheldon, Tess Gerritsen, Dan brown just to name a few and so I think I am more into fiction :). Heavy non-fiction books are something I am forcing myself to read because I know for a fact that these books are full of knowledge and more knowledge. But each time I tried to read one I will feel very sleepy. At the moment I am also reading Bibles and books about Jesus and Mary Magdalene - Dan Brown ignited my curiosity to the world of Christianity.

Well, everything went well and I enjoyed working, heck I won't be doing this just for the extra allowances ok :) I like seeing younger generations putting their interest in books, kinda remind me of my younger years. Books are a great companion, you can talk to them and they won't talk back, they share your pain as you cried reading, they share your joy are you laugh reading :) That is why I love books so very much - thank you to my Ayah who nurtured the reading habits in me.

Well, that's all for now folks. Maybe I'll see ya sometime later :)

Happy Chinese New Year and may you have blessed year ahead!!!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Happy Birthday Kak Yani

I was not feeling well today. Worse than the past few days. My head is spinning; my body felt weak & I am basically not in a such healthy state. But alas, with no MC I still have to go to work anyways. I was extremely early today. Drove to pick Nawa around 6:30 AM. He was a bit late today, well later than usual that is. He needs to pack some things to be send to the laundry later. As we arrived at Jai's apartment, I asked him to drive instead. I need to sleep for a while. Really felt exhausted now. Pergh, Jai sure can "rempit". Not only were we early, we managed to stop by Petronas to buy some food. Jai was a very cautious driver, so I did sleep soundly while he was driving. As we arrived in the office, we were told to close our monitor and were ushered into the meeting room; waiting for Kak Yani with the cake. Well, Andre came in & we hurriedly gathered in the meeting room. We saw Kak Yani walking in, but she did not come into the meeting room. Instead, with a puzzle look (one can see she was puzzle as to why the office was dark with no lights & where have all those staff gone to; I think). Then, to kill the suspense Kak Lorna opened the meeting room & shouted SURPRISE!!! As Kak Yani made her way to the meeting room we sang
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To Kak Yani
Happy Birthday To You

Hard to tell whether she was surprised or overwhelmed because she was so calm. Then as she cut the cake; she mentioned "I saw the cake inside Nazrin's car yesterday - So I guess she pretty much have guessed it. After cutting the cake we went back to our respective places and resume work. The cake will have to wait until morning break later on.

The movie activity this evening will have to be postponed to a later date. Kak Lorna's grandma will be arriving this evening so she has to go and pick her up. Ain't that sweet? Granny came just in time for Kak lorna's birthday next week :). So lucky. I shall not be going to my hometown for this CNY. I chose to work. Thursday in BTC, Friday & Saturday in MMC & later on Sunday back to BTC. Friday 3ple pay & Saturday double pay! Pergh, not to be missed. God knows when the next OT will be coming to us. So, better do it anyway. Saving my AL for May. Parents going to Germany during school holidays and I wanna spend some time with my sister. Well, that's my plan; but it depends on how the job situation will be during May as well. I can't guarantee a free schedule though.

There's a lot thing on my mind but I just don't know what to be written first. Some opinions I would like to express from reading the M-Star column; from what I heard from BTC; etc. We'll see later if I have the time not to mentioned the ideas as well. But for now, that would be it.

Happy Chinese New Year to all.
Gong Xi Fa Cai