Problem Fixed ...

I just found out that some readers who were using Mozilla browser to surf my blog will get jumble up layouts. No wonder Sumuk mentioned it in my last posting. Neway I have fixed the problems and now you can start reading without getting a headache!

Life's Like That - The Tai Chi Master

"Wah panjang maklumbalas Cik Jaime hari ini, meluahkan perasaan ker," Zila my boss PA said when I asked her to attach our department's feedback on an URGENT memo.

I do not know whether she was teasing or menyindir but my automatic response was, " Hehehe, kalau meluahkan perasaan pun apa salahnya, luka di hati ini tiada siapa yang tahu", chewaaaaaaahhh ...

Honestly I did not notice that my feedback to memos, letters or emails became lengthier and lengthier coz in the back of my mind I just feel like educating the sender of all the memos, letters or emails requesting the feedbacks. At the same I feel like telling people who will receive the CC copies of my feedback to understand the subject matter before start penning "Sila uruskan." or "Tindakan".

It all started when one senior officer openly mentioned in a very BIG meeting that a very "gray area" issue will be tackled by my department. Well of course, on that day not only my boss was under a hot seat but another director got a shock of his life too.

Months before, prior to that meeting, that senior officer did indicated to me that he contemplating to forward the issue to my department but I told him, there is no specific provision under the law for the Ministry to do as what he thought my department can do unless via the power of the Minister to give orders. Else, he has to use his "budi bicara" to settle the problem as we all exercise our duties using the same Act. I did not pursue the matter further as he wanted to get our legal advisor's opinion.

Knowing him, I knew that by making that statement (which will definitely go unopposed ... not in front of officers from other Ministries, NGOs and professional bodies) in the meeting, it will be captured as TINDAKAN by my department in the minutes of the meeting. So after the meeting, I had a discussion with my boss on that matter.

As the issue is a "grey area", both of us felt that the officer should at least hold a discussion with other relevant departments as well, rather than using the meeting as an avenue to Tai Chi the job to my department.

Before sempat "my blood go downstairs", we received another memo from another Tai Chi master that said "kes adalah di luar bidang kuasa Bahagian ini" and after reading through the letter forwarded by FT Minister I was like, what will happen lah if this man became a KSU or at least KP one day. Dia lama lagi in service tu.

So I decided to hand the memo over to one very junior officer and asked his opinion about the case.

"Miss J, why did this officer said that ini di luar bidang kuasa dia when FT Minister letter highlighted 2 issues - one is failure to form JMB within 12 months after vacant possession by developer which is under COB and failure to apply for full CFO which is under us".

Impressed with his answer I said, "A, lain kali ko jadi bos jangan main minit-minit saja, baca dulu kandungan surat dan fahami kehendak pelanggan, lagilah if its from a VIP. Make a habit of understanding relevant regulations and Act before you formulate an action plan "

.... lupa pulak aku nie boss dia hahaha.

Note:

I sent a lengthy email to my boss cc to the officer and my tkp on Saturday stating my opinion on the matter with facts and supporting provisions of the Act. My boss was summoned by my TKP on Monday over the issue and he defended my opinions. My boss said in the end TKP ruled to our favour :)

Life's Like That - The Nasi Lemak Teh Panas Story

Was chatting with White, Jett and Kazen yesterday via Facebook and all had been wondering about my silence the whole week. Not been anywhere, just that was very busy with office works and preparations for 2 big meetings on the 14th and 20th of July. BTW, thanks White for being my loyal blog reader. Lalu terasa pressure aku mauk mencari idea hebat untuk ditulis dalam blog tok ... hehehe

Lately I felt so hard to focus on one topic to write for this blog. Some part of me want to migrate to more professional writings, however another half of me felt that I am not ready and should focus on wat I know best ... myself! Or at least inspired others with real life stories! And another problem is that sometimes an idea will trigger other ideas and then will trigger certain memories, ended up with me not knowing where to start the story ... huhuhu.

So lets start the story with me going to Mid Valley Mega Mall at 10.00 am today ... I truly need to start my day with a nasi lemak bungkus telur mata with teh panas or teh ais. It has been my official KL breakfast since 2002. Some might asked, what happen to roti canai? And why Mid Valley and not some mamak stalls?

Hmm ... there were a few "encounters" and "occasions" that made me declare "roti canai" as HARAM. U see, when I was an M44 officer I was very unfortunate to inherit a parking lot which is next to the kitchen of a chain of mamak shops in Pusat Bandar Damansara. Not only the place smells of curry and spices, there is another pungent aroma that fills the air every morning - bau kencing! Gross ...

So one fateful morning, I arrived early to work and just imagine I caught one of the kitchen staff urinating at a corner. Kelam kabut dia when I masuk parking. Yang lebih "grossy", mana ada dia cebuk atau cuci tangan! Yeeeew ... and every morning my staff, colleagues and friends menikmati "roti canai" at the shops dgn penuh kelazatan. And satu kenangan tak boleh dilupa was when I had tea with Madam Heng at one of the shops and Madam Heng said that the roti canai there was verrrrrry nice ... Minta maaf lah .. I tak pernah order atau makan apa2 yang ada direct contact dengan tangan at that mamak shop!

OK ... next about why I choose Mid Valley to enjoy my nasi lemak bungkus ... hmmm. Actually, I quite like the normal, traditionally wrapped in banana leaves and newspaper/brown paper nasi lemak bungkus which is usually sold in Cold Storage or Jusco stores. In Sarawak, the nasi lemaks sold in canteens are usually dried prawn sambal while the more elaborate nasi lemak versions in KL sold in Kelantanese eateries have watery and sweet sambals. I love my sambal nasi lemak to be sweet salty but not to watery. Plus, I don't want to eat in big proportion - jaga jantung maaa ...

In case you all haven't notice, hyper malls like O-Utama, Mid Valley Megamall, The Curve or Ikano are turning more and more Malaysian. There are kopitiams here and there, there are also small stalls like in a flea market, you can choose to spend cheaply or extravagantly, you can even shop your groceries or fresh produce as if you are at the wet markets. And its all under one roof.

So, as if I am having my weekend breakfast at Pasar Batu 7, Kuching or Penang Street, I headed first to a book and magazine shop to buy the morning paper. Next I head to Jusco to buy some groceries and my nasi lemak. To my dissapointment, the supply of nasi lemak haven't arrived yet so I decided to detour to Cold Storage at the Garden.

On my way there, I had to fight all the urges and temptations to try out the TakoTai, the freshly baked muffins at the bakery, Papa Beard's World Famous Vanilla Cream Puff, Laksa Shack's Singapore Laksa and the list go on and on ... Yes! I have a very BIG appetite. Just few metres away from Cold Storage, I felt my body had gone all weak from fighting all the temptations (hehehe..alasan) ... aiyo torture ... torture.

Then I saw this kopi tiam-style stall named My Toast ... mcm menarik! As I walked closer ... I just couldn't hide my excitement when I saw a display of nasi lemak bungkus and nyonya kuehs next to the cashier. I quickly ordered "satu nasi lemak bungkus with teh panas with additional telur mata" before it became "tambah roti bakar, telur separuh masak and mee kari boss".

And ouchh ... reality bites!

"It's RM 7.46 miss" said the cashier.

Huh? Wah so expensive hah for a nasi lemak and teh panas ... my kiasu self said in my heart. Nak kena habiskan sehingga titisan terakhir nie.

Yea ... as I was enjoying my nasi lemak and teh in an air-conditioned kopi tiam stall sambil2 reading my paper, I realised that that's the price that I have to pay just for that little taste of home. Do you know that to enjoy Laksa Sarawak I have to spend more than RM 10 per bowl in Laksa Shack or Secret Recipe? I even have have to drive all the way to Giant Kinrara and spent RM 5.00 for a nice and decent plate of Sarawak Kolo Mee. And there is a BIG difference in Penang Hokkien Mee and KL Hokkien Mee.

Having said that, I pun takleh lama2 in Kuching or Penang. I will start craving for my nasi lemak bungkus telur mata and teh ais within one week. So either way I see it, I think I can now call KL my home.

Back to Basic

One thing I hate most after every visit either from my family or friends is having to cope with the bouts of loneliness and emptiness on the weekends. Weekdays, I don't have time to think much about it coz I will either busy worrying about my works, strategising my business plans, holding and attending meetings and by the time I reached home ... all I want is my bed and bantal busuk (ooopppppppppssssssssss).

By the way, talking about my bantal busuk, it's already upgraded and had been using it since 1994. My 2 old bantal busuks ( yes I know Mel, the one I had when we were in Kolej Abdillah) had been destroyed by my late grandma, after my nephew (that time he was few months old) were fighting with me over it. Masa si Jett and Kazen stayed at my place for the first time last few months paksa aku tapok (hide) bantal busuk ya!

So yesterday, I spent the whole morning in my insurance agency office at Old Klang Road ... updating my clients informations and updating myself on Korean Pop! Yes ... my insurance mate Rachel is a huge fans of Korean pop from Big Bang, 2Ne1, Super Junior, Girl's Generation, 2PM, 2AM, SS501 ( hehehe ... someone thought this is a Summer/Spring Levi's 501 collection) and the list go on and on. Luckily, Mr Wan (my Group Sales Manager) was not around so we had the office to ourselves. Berpeluh semalam dancing to Super Junior Sorry Sorry Sorry ... Anyway, while we were searching on YouTube for more dancing MV, this clip caught my attention ... This song, Gee, is made popular by the K-pop group Girl's Generation. However, watch when male K-pop idols sing and dance to it ... hahahaha!

Today, I didn't go to church ... (Lord ! Forgive me). Dahlah Father Joel of St. Georges Penang dah sindir that going to church only on Easters or Christmases doesn't make you any holier ... huhuhu. So I decided to do houseworks. My God, my house was in a mess. Anyway, the morning ... this is the point where loneliness will start to creep in. U see, the best part of weekends is having breakfast with family members and friends at your favourite coffee shops. Plus breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

In Kuching and Penang, we never had breakfast at home during weekends coz after breakfast we will do our marketing. I love the feeling of the morning sun on my skin, the fishy smell of the wet market and I love how the greens, reds,yellows and sometimes whites,purples and pinks just blend into each other at the tamu (marketplace). In KL, I seldom cook ... coz it is sometimes not cost effective to cook for one person - except for instant noodles. So seldomlah go to market. And I think it's more convenient to do marketing at the hypermarket.

OK .. need to continue with my houseworks. Now susah lah nak ambik amah, my 2 amahs - sorang lari with bangla to Putrajaya and sorang demand higher pay tapi kerja cuci gelas di sinki. I have had enuf !! Hehehehe

Of Being Smart, Single and Happy ...

Dear Dato' ... was touched when you said that you were thinking about me, AT14 and your daughter when you wrote this posting. Oh btw, nanti lah I ajar nak masukkan playlist into your blog as my gratitude. Datin has been telling me about it.

First and foremost Dato' it is a good sign that your daughter had opened up her heart to relationship (s) which means that she accepted love into her life and perhaps is ready to share the rest of her life with "the other half". Some single women whom I knew are not willing to share burden or responsibilty or problems with "a significant other".

Hmm, I am not sure about your daughter, but I believe there are 2 possibilities. Either she hasn't meet the love of her life or she has met but fate has it that it doesn't end as happily ever after. For that Dato' I hope you could ask her to read this entry in my blog. It was beautifully written by an unknown author and it really touch my heart.

Remember ...

"Ia cuma mengambil masa seminit untuk jatuh hati pada seseorang, satu jam untuk menyukai seseorang, satu hari untuk menyintai seseorang tetapi ia mengambil masa sepanjang hidup untuk melupakan seseorang."

In my humble opinion, this "smart women dillema" stems from our modern mums thinking (perhaps upbringing) that women must be brought up to be independent and men must be brought up to be a gentleman (and often end up as mummy's boy). Problem with smart women Dato' is, they usually have a romantic heart, sebab banyak membaca masa kecil all this fairy tale, Mills and Boons or all Alaf 21 Novel. So they tend to think that "rich, handsome,powerful" men are drawn to beautiful women with brain. Reality bites! Ouuch ... We haven't take into account those unreported cases or those who prefer to suffer in silence especially the stigma of being associated with the title "Andartu".

However Dato', I would like a share something I read from a bestselling Christian book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren but the message is universal. I believe that being smart is a greatest gift from God and I believe, whoever we are, we are created to serve God's purpose. So selagi I belum jumpa "that fated one" I guess in the days that follows ... I must put bitterness aside but to serve God's purpose.

Contohnya ... how to use my brain and my "smartness" in creating "sustainable development", how to make sure Hafiz menang AF7, how to snap the nicest pics, how to make my friends laugh every single day, how to make my friend jealous I asyik makan sedap ... and Dato' ... yang paling penting ... how to tackle AT14 or getting Guy Next Door attention .... haleluyah!!!

So far I had 2 failed serious relationships ... but guess wat Dato', I never regretted to end both relationships. U see, unconsciously, women tend to choose partners who have similarities to their dads. For me, my dad can be considered as 'almost non-existence" for more than 20 years. Then my mum and late grandma unconsciously raised me to be the "Man of The Family". I made my own decisions, I fix things at home, I taught my brother to play football, help my grandma to fix our reban ayam/itik and raised them ... You know that when my brother Jason was born, my dad was in Penang. At 7 years old, I know how to buy sayur at the market. Anyway, we stayed in Bau, a small town ... so the town folks knew my mum ... so my mum gave me a list and I went to see the aunties and uncles at Pasar Bau.

Fast forward, I realised and learned from it. I now knew wat attributes in a man that I am looking for, seriously. In my case Dato' ... I cepat terpikat dgn physical attributes hehehe .... (and some thing never change hehehe) but since turning 21 last year I mula appreciate potential candidate(s) that show that he cares rather than saying that he cares, that listen and give opinion, that think of you as a friend more than he think of you as a lover .... Even I mula lah bagi peluang "a certain guy" peluang to fix things in my house ... sekali sekala apa salah jadi damsel in distress hehehe.

I am entering an age where the fruit is almost too ripe to be plucked. However selagi jantung ini masih berdegup (oppsss kena check the cholesterol), selagi mata ini masih celik ... isikanlah kehidupan ini dengan memori yang indah, dengan amal dan ibadah, dan cucilah mata dengan yang "indah-indah sahaja" hehehe