The MC Gang: episode CNY06 … The Ipoh Induction

Today’s the trip to Ipoh with the usual gang and it’s something new for me as it’s the 1st time I am going with them as I missed the past 2 years’ due to work.

For all the worth, each outing with the gang has grown in content & number over the years … so this time was good to catch up over the times even the last time we all met was 2 weeks ago … and it’s cool to be at Jarod & Justin’s places … with a lunch to boot

Some interesting stuff that came up were like ‘impending’ marriages, career progressions, holiday destinations, investments, housing, romance / relationships and cars. The most interesting was yet a hint of probably the 1st wedding within the gang, followed by meeting CS’s French BF; Bernard.

The inconclusive topic as discreetly brought up was again about the singles club in the gang … and no solution seems in sight for the lone rangers.

I think the solution is much easier for guys … since they always have the open option of ‘purchasing’ a Vietnamese wife if nothing turns up.

Kicking off the Year of the Doggie

It’s amazing to think that another festive year has rolled in so quickly and it was barely weeks ago that was the start of the Gregorian calendar.

But Chinese New Year bears a significance compared to the 31st December party as CNY is more of a family affair & traditional overtures compared to the former, very much like Christmas season for the Western world.

While years slip by quickly and ageing hastens, I just realized that the occasion has reduced in pomp & significance as time passes by; like the atmosphere in KL in the month (even weeks) leading to CNY is less colorful & vibrant as per my childhood. Come to think of it, is it really so? Or is it that growing up with all the work & responsibilities has blinded me from the fun, joy & anticipation a student holds close to the heart? Maybe the people around me talk less about it? Perhaps I have missed the wonderful TV adverts in my sojourn from watching the tube? Possibly, yes.

Admit the fact that as I age, my taste for humor & pranks has dwindled to more mature & dry stuff rather than the slapstick & juvenile stuff, which I scoff with impunity & disdain. That goes too with people my age. So as I ‘survived’ the family reunion dinner, I guess the night is very much about politely smiling at lame jokes, family politics & watching drunk relatives drown themselves silly & rendering stone age classics at the karaoke box.

The rest was the usual fare of playing cards over the days, enjoying the company of my family & also a short trip to Seremban for lunch with my brother’s GF.

Thoughts on CNY eve

Life as a manager

I finally got my pack of name cards, after 2 weeks into the job. It’s quite embarrassing to meet people and to be given cards but with nothing to reciprocate. Is it good to get it just before the holidays? Missed out on giving to so many people I’ve met. But then again, good point to give to people that I shall meet in the holidays.

And to top it off nicely, my brother surprises me with a promotion gift … quite cool name card case from Selangor Pewter, but me on the other hand … didn’t get him one last year … sigh sigh sigh … the guilt in me

Rolling into the year of the dog

28th Jan 2006 … aka Chinese New Year eve … sigh … still no Chinese New Year hype or feel … seems like any other holiday … albeit we have all the works … the mandarin oranges, the cookies, the huge amount of cooking (by mum & not me) … the plans to go house visiting … just don’t feel it ... probably cause of all the work I have …

But I started receiving my GXFC & CNY SMS wishes already … so maybe by this evening, the atmosphere might lighten up. But I guess it’s going to be nothing flash, since it’s without my piggy … but she’s having her own blast in Osaka tonight also.

Ok, guess that’s it. Feeling quite drained out these days … just want to laze around & do nothing serious. At least for the while, until the end of the holidays.

Maximizing your MBA

If you are a proactive, risk averse & principles centered executive, for sure in each action of daily life, involves a lot of considerations, forecasting and assessment of the ever changing landscape of business. I know that in my previous work experiences (including AIESEC) I learnt to view tasks & jobs in their many possible consequences … and while I knew that they will serve me well in my future positions, little did I see the future academic value it would bring to my MBA.

As such realized in finance class recently (yes, it’s back to school again after a brief exodus) … some basic analysis described was something I’ve done previously when it came to accounts, especially in ratio analysis. The same goes when I did my papers on my many papers such as HRM and OD (organization design).

But are they so universal & basic sense for every man? Surprisingly, no. And while I grasped the basic & appliance of concepts in class well, it was different for my classmates, like in acquisitions due diligence, compensation, marketing … just to name the few. Perhaps this is the reason why part time MBA is recommended for people who have quite a few years experience & preferably managers.

Write more about this soon, when I have more time. Work is really burning up on my toes. Lots of thoughts but no time. Sigh.

Kids will be kids ...

My mum takes care of 2 girls (sisters actually) as a pastime ... and the younger one is the tigress of the pack because she is the boisterous, chatty, mobile and inquisitive one. The only problem is, she stands up to people and really test their limits. My mum sometimes have trouble handling her.

Now luckily, she fears me quite a bit. Ok, maybe a lot. So sometimes, when she turns on the defiant & cheeky side (especially when it comes to homework) ... she tries to play the fool with my mum. Mum's a softie compared to me, so I would sometimes walk in (I see them both after work as they go home later at night) when it's homework time and all I had to do was ... "take out all your homework ... NOW. If I find anything (which you did not take out) from you bag, that's it."

Voila, everything comes out. If mum asks her, she might take the mickey out of mum. And when mum asks her to do, she will dawdle, slouch, daydream & anything else except doing it. Until the Merciless General (me, of course) gives the ultimatatum (no prisoners, no negotiations) and she does it all.

But I think I am a fair dude ... I might be tough, but I reward her if she does her work as I wanted (chocolate or sweets or short TV show helps). So feared am I, maybe but as long as not hated. Kids after all, will be kids. Give them an inch & they ask for a mile.

Seems so different from my time ... sigh. But guess that's another ball game altogether.

Angels & Devils II

The revenge of the devils ...

The angels & devils game is turning out to be THE signature game of all MC gatherings … and from the last one at Duta Vista, which ended in confusing terms (devils lost), I was pretty sure that the devils will return to haunt everyone sometime soon.

So, in the sleepy hollow of unit 11-10 at Glory Beach Resort, Port Dickson, the greatest game so far commenced with a record turnout of players with the Lee brothers, KP, YL, Lisa, Carmen & Vivien adding flavour to our high octane atmosphere. The first game was a blooper as people were struggling to understand the purpose of the game, but coming on to the 2nd one … was the highlight … with more devils & angels than usual.

Now, the objective of the game is simple; devils are to kill off the doctor (who’s the symbol of survival in the game) and for the rest (who are not devils) is to eliminate all devils. So, we have main characters as devils, angels, doctor & villagers … and the game is in the format of Survivor, where we have to vote people off in each round, until either the doctor is killed or the devils eliminated.

The game has become a little stale as the MC team has already noted the usual tricks & arguments, but the arrival of more players have given a lot more other questions to the equation. Now, one problem … the game tends to drag where by the time it was finished, half people were not involved & were bored. Who won? The devils … but notice one thing, they were all BS Boys … does that mean anything?

If you see the New Year Party pictures, you will see the devils lined up in the front of the group photo (our distinct feature is that we hold the bottles) … the bottles of triumph.

Well … till the next one. See ya!

The journey continues ...

Starting of a new challenge …

After getting sick & all that, my job finally started off last Thursday and although I know the work & industry well … it still took some time to adapt to the surroundings because things are different now.

For one, I have always sat in open floor systems, where I am usually placed in the open and being totally transparent to others (you know the feeling where you back is NOT against the wall & knowing who’s coming to you all the time) … but to be placed in a somewhat enclosed area with a window view is totally wonderful, because in my past 4 positions, I have never had this pleasure. It’s so good to sit next to the window, seeing what’s going on in the world around me (even though it’s only a view of other offices) and the feeling is great when I took my short breaks just to look at the world & remind myself that although I have my problems, the world still moves because it’s so small in relation to everything else. Nice reminder & feeling.

It’s a little strange because I hold more decisions now & people see me more often to get approvals than before … and when they stand at the entry of my enclosure, I feel strange & signal them in … because in my old place, people just walk up to me, or tap my shoulder or shout over … things have become more formal. And it’s ironic you know … because in my old place at Marcus Evans, I had no real privacy & there’s a feeling of enclosure because of an additional desk I placed to ‘mark’ my territory …. and I wanted that feeling … but now that I have it totally … I am uncomfortable. Guess I am just human after all.

At the end of the days, I just sighed that yes, work has begun, a new challenge at the breath of morning once again after the hiatus and the battle continues. On my way home … I start to wonder where all these takes me? But only for the moment; then my thoughts floated to the lights of the city and the Friday night out.

Ah, life.

The magic behind the name ...

Have you deciphered your name's meaning? If not, hop a moment to acrophonology & check out what your name means ...

Recent studies by name societies disclosed that names influence character and do have a definite bearing upon one's life path; letters carry their own energy patterns relating to personality traits and needs. Name analysis using letter qualities is called ACROPHONOLOGY. This analysis of your name is a brief summary of the hidden meanings found within the letters of your own name.

So, I took a moment to do this again after some time ... and voila ...

Jason: You have a love of travel and adventure, and you enjoy sports. You also have a very strong sense of fair play and want justice. You have much enthusiasm with a driving attitude toward achievement in life. You try to be prudent. You have good business acumen. You have a great deal of loyalty to those you love. You have much inner strength. You can handle details well. You have a methodical mind.

Kah Keong: You have good recuperative abilities and strong mental determination. You are very private and dislike others prying into your affairs. You have a need to be up front. You work hard to achieve material success through your own efforts. There is a compulsion for change and rebirth on all levels. There is a need to guard your health. You can be quite inventive and quite curious. You need to learn flexibility. You must learn to give 'wise' service and not be a martyr. You are a hard worker when you make up your mind to do a job.

Teoh: You are an overly sensitive person, often falling into a savior-martyr role. You are very skeptical and have more than your share of bad luck. You need to learn to be expressive. You are a person who cannot tolerate being misunderstood. You need to learn flexibility. You need to learn the true value of material possessions. You have a natural protection in life. You are always saved - especially from yourself.

Pics from New Year bash

View from our apartment at Glory Beach Resort

Please click the title to access other pictures

Housewarming at SF's

My usual MC gang (plus extended family of BU Boys and UPMers) met up recently at SF’s housewarming party & what can say, except that this bunch of people has been keeping in touch recently?

The Lees, the Lings and KP arrived before me, so I just caught the tour de house in time (just missed the kitchen) but good enough to see the hotel-like bedroom and the wonderful ‘hidden’ fridge on the 2nd floor (which KF was dumbfounded by it’s location in a wardrobe (though I think it’s a cool concept)

Now, after a brief moment hanging out in the TV room (there’s so many rooms in the house that it’s cool … one for TV, one for guest, one for dining, one which looked like a store … ), we adjourned outside for some chow-chow.

So, then goes our usual barrage of jokes & ‘stories for the posse’ … with KF playing the extended role of ‘gracious host’ pouring wine non-stop into our glasses (it must be the most I drank at any party, sigh). The best of the food would be the chicken wings, which I believe most guys took 2nd servings …

So while sitting under the tent, we also took a chance to observe the security system with it’s sensors, spotlights, the wonder fence (with missing pinnacles) and yes, the new lawn freshly laid out.

Anything interesting? Finally met fellow blogger Christina (did not talk too much as KF labeled me the stalking blogger, he & his usual terlalu-ness) … there was also a violin performance by someone and yes, the party had 2 notable politicians from MCA present. Luckily they did not release KF’s favourite dog (which bit him sometime ago). Now I am only dreaming of buying my 1st plasma TV like the one they have (but 15k ... sighhhhhhhh)

Quest for Kerachut Beach

26th December 2005 … is the day to conquer the hike trail to the beach through the Pantai Acheh reserve forest in the north of Penang Island.

The hike started late morning, around 1000 hours … so the party of over 15 people started off from Teluk Bahang in a scorching morning heat …

Now, I was probably the weakest of the gang and I remember my last climb with relatives from mum’s side, I was always the last one … huffing & puffing way back & complaining, so this time, I started way front. The path was well covered & not hot, but as we ascended … the altitude started to toll on me … but I just told myself to continue & slowly left others behind. Now, the trick for me (as I found out during university) was to keep going & never stop … cause once I stopped, my tiredness would sink in … so while looking back & realizing others were far behind, I just went on (even though I didn’t know the way) & kept looking for the sign boards.

For companionship, I had my two young cousins (the youngest actually), ZW & ZS running behind me & keeping up with my pace. The track was quite interesting as I moved swiftly while looking out for ‘things’ from my path ahead & around … so it was not too long before I was rewarded with the finding of a leaf snake … and it was quite easy to spot it, being bright green basking in the limited sunbeam as if on the spotlight on a stage. Simply beautiful …

Arriving at the beach, it was even hotter than when I left Teluk Bahang … but to have the sea breeze from the choked up forest air was still a good refreshing change. So, we just took a spot while waiting for the rest to arrive, and it was almost an hour before everyone finally came.

Since I was not much of a beach person & didn’t want to get wet, I just relaxed in the shade & enjoying watching the rest splash around. It’s fun to see my younger cousins splash around & remind myself of how I used to be as a kid. It was then I realized that I was the oldest kid onthat block. Sigh.

And when we left … the trek back seemed shorter … even when I really dreaded it … & I thought I would not make it., but I made it back first, much ahead than the rest. I guess we all fear a lot, but when we put them to task … they reduce as we go along & sometimes, the fears are unfounded.

That wraps my quest & conquest of the Kerachut beach hike.

Tales of rain …

“Don’t go near the rain boy … if you get wet, you will get sick, then you will suffer, then you will die …” Mum

Sometime 1980 … when my brother was just a skinny wailing baby … I heard the words ring in my head, as mum indoctrinated (nicer word for brainwashed) into my operating system about the dangers of rain (in relation to cold & pneumonia). Those were the days whe I was the roadrunner buzzing around giving everyone a hard time keeping up with what I did, so maybe it's easier to limit my borders through mental simulation. Since then (until sometime 1995 onwards), I have avoided incoming rain as if it was the plague of locusts swooping from the horizons to devour me. But I love to sit by the window to hear the pitter-patter of raindrops & howling wind from the storm as it chills me into a cool relaxed atmosphere …

Then I saw a few movies (I think Rain Man was the earliest) where the characters just waltzed in the rain, so my mind came to motion … why aren’t they writhing in agony or dying with utmost suffering? Interesting question (pardon my ignorance & innocence?) … but still scared stiff, and while my young mind wandered off to other muses, the question eluded me for a while.

One day, as fate has it, it rained when I was on my way back home … (my house is quite near to school), but the distance seemed so far away (still small sized & dwarfed by my massive schoolbag, yes, my batch spawned the generation of monster size bags) … by the time mum reached me with a brolly, I was drenched (but so was my homework, wheee!!!) … so she quickly put me to a hot bath, gulped down a Panadol & went straight to bed. But the thing was, I did not get sick, I hated to be wet all over, so hence it strengthened my disdain towards rain.

I remember well my coldest rain encounter, and for a moment of time, the rain in Cameron Highlands was it, but it all changed when I experienced Autumn rain in Slovakia … unfortunately wet to the core at the bus stop, the wind dropped by to chill me all the way upon the spine at 9 degrees … and it felt like the end of the world because the feeling stayed after the wind subsided. Was so glad to board the bus minutes later cause it had a heater (I WAS SAVED).

There’s also a questionable encounter (still wondered if it really happened) … sometime in 1995, I was stuck at a bus stop at the mercy of a peak monsoon rain, so I was standing on the seats to avoid being further drenched by the marauding drops and since it was next to a drain, I just gazed at the high rushing waters. Soon, I saw something sticking out of the water coming my direction … and some lightweight stick I presumed. No, it was a big cobra, with it’s head all fanned out swimming with the current & as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared into the horizon. But mum said she believed me cause at that time, they were developing USJ (2nd stage of my township), so it’s possible this snake was ushered out of its zone.

My best memories of rainy days are thunderstorms, when I sit at the coolest spot in the house, reading my favorite books, with great music & food. The warm feeling of comfortably snug in my own corner, oblivious of the storms & enjoying time for myself. Just like now.

The rainy lament

"Rain, rain, go away
come again another day ... "

The sky is grey and there’s no sunlight beaming silhouettes into my kitchen this morning. Come to think of it, for most of the week. January, sigh. My beautifully washed & polished car is awash with rain even it’s parked there for days without being used, already ridden by stain from previous rains. And the forecast says nothing but thunderstorms in the horizon. Gloomy, eh?

The monsoon is a season of mixed feelings, happy to snuggle into bed … nice and toasty from the raging storm & cool breeze … having nothing else to do (actually nowhere to go) than to comfy myself with a book or a nice DVD. Probably play some R&B music to set the tone, with some nice drink and voila, hopefully lull myself into a beauty sleep. Sounds good huh? Maybe …

Actually, I remember that for every December-January period has been bleak for me because I always seem to catch that irritating cold, I cannot go out for my jog, get stuck in multiple flash flood jams, cannot really go anywhere because it’s wet, icky & cold (a deadly combination indeed). In my days away from home, it’s the worst to be sick because I have to do everything myself, when I feel so weak (probably lazy too) to get out of my bed & return to it when it’s no longer warm to perfection. Those were times I wished desperately to be back at home.

Rain is not deadly but annoying. Winter is deadly, but something I immensely enjoy because once you harness it, the joy of a white world is beautiful. Rain is, well … too unpredictable & hard to harness unlike winter.

Now that I am home, I better enjoy the comfort (& sometimes nagging) … before my next adventure, in a few hours actually.

Dear everyone & myself,

Happy 2006! Happy New Year!

Today, I just realized one thing; it’s been a week since I last wrote anything here. Well, guess I have been busy & also away from my beloved internet for a while … in Port Dickson, Malacca, 1-Utama & Singapore …

This year’s new year bash was great in many ways … one of it was with the extended group of friends who joined together in this year’s celebration, quite fun to see how everyone jived together in a big way & it’s quite a good change from the usual smaller groups that I hang out with. Had a goo time chatting & catching up with friends on plans for the future, when else is better than in the new year? Other than that was rolling around PD & Melaka for food, then going home after chowing on durian cendol & teochew food ...

Next day, Subang Jaya ...

Watched "Wallace & Gromit – Curse of the Were-Rabbit", in post New Year with Ed, and it was a so-so movie, considering the plot was corny & predictable. Yes, I know my proclamation that I would not watch it, but to kill time effectively while waiting for my parents to finish King Kong, this was the only option available.

The journey to Singapore fell flat on my face. Already weary from a sleepless in Subang night … I was placed in a vulnerable position of the air blowing straight into me … so by the time I arrived, I was a half invalid & almost fainting … and struggled to stay alive I the hotel with my cold until the next day … so my boss told me to see the doc & take the rest of the week off. What a way to start my week. So took the Friday evening bus back to KL … cause I needed to sort out my stuff back home. What a way to start 2006, sigh.

But I believe, next week will be better. Have a nice weekend!