Lisa Lisa

Very old but still nice to listen to, especially on a gloomy day. Probably the only song you'd be familiar with is Lost In Emotion. The song is not a sappy one as the title suggests. She sounds like the vocals from The Jets. (the old one). Happy Merdeka guys!

NO Merdeka for Endroo

Looks like there wont be a nasi lemak celebration for www.endroog.com. The wires are here to stay and so is the liquid diet. :) Merdeka anyways!

I've Resigned!

The 2nd time with the same company. But this time, i'm leaving for good. For a better opportunity. A more exciting job and better prospects in a totally new industry. I'm just glad that i still have a chance to jump onto another wagon and re-learn again. Why take the risk to embark on a totally new industry now at 29, you might ask, but i thought if not now then when? Automotive is going down the drain anyways.

I've even resorted to a demotion. No longer in a managerial position but the salary is way better. Different industries do pay differently so people who are not yet working, choose the industry u wanna be in carefully. Who cares if you're a manager but you're paid like an operator?

But as much as i want to leave the company, i really feel berat hati to leave such wonderful 'family' we've built. Is it weird to feel that way? I'll miss the laughter, especially the laughter and all the heart-to-heart talks with the aunties and uncles and friends that i've made at work. The PANTRY POLITICS and the Friday long lunches we have. As crazy as it seems, i seem to hook well with the older crowd here. Maybe coz i'm naggy (like what andrew says). I would also miss my boss. A wonderful and quiet man who's been a mentor to me.

Here's saying adios to my wonderful colleagues. My last day is on 28th, Sept, 2007. We'll have a karaoke session for sure.

GWEN STEFANI CONCERT

SHE WAS FANTASTIC! Great awesome show. I mean, thank gawd PAS or any other lousy PARTIs got in the way of one the best concerts to date. We hardly got any international acts because of all these PARTIs. KUNO partis.

It's just entertainment, and I have no regrets spending tuesday night roaring after her songs. There were some songs i never heard of, The Real Thing or something like that. The crowd went wild. It was only an hour and a half and i really expected it to be longer, but great nevertheless.

And all that jazz about her clothings, well, that it 'menjatuhkan akhlak" of the rakyat. Well, WHATEVER! It's the music that counts. How u expect gwailos to visit our country anymore in our quest to 'menjayakan VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR" if we can't even handle a bit of skin..

Bad Hospital Customer Service

The whole ordeal that endroog went through was made worse with our bad hospital customer service. I kept thinking what would happen if he was to admit himself alone.

Upon arrival at the emergency ward in UH, they didn't do anything to help him spit out the blood. i mean the guy was practically spitting blood and was still holding on to the cardboard tray that we got from the Tmn Desa Hosp.

We had to spend the night at the emergency ward because there weren't any beds available. Then because of the excessive bleeding, he felt really cold and i went to the nurse counter and requested for the hospital clothings so he can change from his t-shirt already drenched with blood. The nurse didnt even look at me, and i asked the other nurse if she heard me. HAHAHA. That other nurse came back with the clothes and chuck in on the table and left, not a word from her.

The next day at the dental ward, the ladies at the registration counter were of no help. Everytime i asked them anything, even before i finished my question, they just said "tunggu, tunggu la" showing a lot of irritation.

Inside the dental operation room, another fucked up doctor asked me to stand at a corner so he can help andrew. Which i obliged. Then he asked andrew to open up his mouth and kept pushing his jaw, kept insisting he's fine and asked why andrew was screaming in pain when it shouldnt hurt at all. The BLOODY doctor can't read the x-ray i suppose because another doc came and said he made a wrong diagnosis, there's definitely a fracture. All that when andrew kept telling the doc that he can feel that his upper and lower jaw are not aligned anymore. Bah! Me and andrew combined probably made a better doctor than that idiot!

Right after a 2 hour surgery, he was to be sent to the observation ward, and that was another one and a half hour wait! I assumed it was lunch time, but that's not an excuse. He even dozed off, with the jaws shut tight and all. One and a half hour later, the nurse came and she left us to wheel andrew to the observation ward. She even asked us to hurry up, as if we are interrupting her time of the day.

Bad customer service only adds up to the patients' misery. Never ever admit yourself to the hospital alone if you can help it. And if any hospital staff is reading this, well, being nice doesnt hurt, so BE NICE.

New Kelabs & Parti

In celebration of the upcoming elections, here are some new Kelab and Parti that may be of interest. These are strictly recommendations only.

1) Parti Anti-Polis & Authority of Any Kind

2) Parti Get-Back-Our-Taxes

3) Kelab Anti-Tol Malaysia

4) Parti Blogger-For-The-People

5) Kelab Anti-Duit-Kopi

6) Parti Accountants-For-Politicians

7) Parti Pencegah Kotoran Malaysia

8) Parti Pemusnah Sampah Masyarakat Malaysia

:) Feel free to add on.

When You Have To

Was talking to the other tihtahpah and she was asking me about endroog . So i told her he has both his jaws shut tight and can't really speak properly and has upgraded from drinking from the syringe to straw. While i was explaining the mechanics of how he does the drinking from a straw (water seeps thru from the 'celah gigi'), she was amazed... but she did say, human can do a lot of amazing things when they have to.

And that's so true. Recently gallivanter also had a slight misfortune. They're both recuperating and have vowed to meet up again when all's well and strong again. This call for a celebration, guys. A celebration for surviving anything.

I guess determination and the willpower do play a part in steering to a speedy recovery. Of course with a little help from courage and loads of guts. How many people can get through a 2 hour plus dental surgery with the eyes wide awake and 20 trainee students looking at ya?

Anyone knows when was the last day of the chinese ghost month?

One Morning at Carcosa

My family's not a typical one. Imagine that my 2nd sis didn't even did her wedding album like what everyone else did. Well today, we had a little photoshoot that she arranged. All the family members gathered today at Carcosa Seri Negara for our shoot. Well, not after breakfast of course, food's very important to this lil family from Ipoh!

It was quite an impromptu thing considering that we didn't really get a proper attire and Peter, my bro-in-law's friend did this voluntarily to build up his portfolio. All we knew was to dress in red, black or white. My mom was informed late and dressed up in brown and orange...hahaha...but oh well, everything goes for us. Although my mom did wonder why we all chose to dress in black. Must be the slimming effect we were hoping for, hehe.

The family members are a little scattered now so this came just in time since more would be away from home from now on. And remember the 'lil addition' in the family???? She was a star of course, a real poser.

If you haven't done a family photoshoot, well, it's a good time to do it now. Peter says that photos look nicer after a slight rain where everyone is cool and more willing to pose for a good effect. And besides, it's a great way to make a momento of how the family was. And as Peter says (as he struggles to make the guys less stiff), "Feel the love." Hehe

Endroo's Fine

If you've read www.endroog.com latest post, you'll know why i haven't updated my blog for some time. On Tuesday night after the Gwen concert, and after a few drinks, he blacked out and fell on his face while on his way to get his car. Luckily he regained consciousness and called me, i was just 2 mins away. He was bleeding badly and luckily Karyee and Bernard (thanks guys) were there and we ushered him to the Tmn Desa Hospital and then later refered to University Hosp.

Then it was some stitches, a night at the emergency ward and some x-rays, before he had to go for a dental surgery due to 2 fractures on the jaw and one vertical fracture on the chin. It was a 2-hour ordeal, and he consented for the trainee docs to watch the operation. He was awake during the operation, i can't imagine how that must have been like, i get scared even by a minor tooth extraction.

He's discharged now and resting at home. His jaw is all wired up (upper and lower one) so he can't speak properly and will be on a liquid diet. I am his private nurse now hehehe, like a timeout time for me.

The news sure spread fast and i got a lot of concerned calls from fellow bloggers, colleagues, friends abroad, and friends here. Endroo's got a visit from his good friends last night and i think it cheered him up a bit. Babybandit also tried to cheer him up (checkout the blog).

Will update all soon, after his checkup on 30th. Thanks all.

The Right Concoction

Getting the right job is like getting the right concoction for a perfect cocktail. It has to be meticulous, sometimes you have to compromise with what you have available, and it has to be of the right timing and right mix. And great ingredients gives value-added taste.

1) The right timing- working hours ideally should be 5 working days. And how many of you guys are getting up as early as 6am to beat the jam because your working hours starts 8am? Rather work at 9.30 and clockout at 6.30.

2) The right salary- Salary and bonus ought to be proportionate to your scope of work. OK, so maybe it's too much to hope for, but at least justifiable then it should be reasonable enough.

3) The right people- Hey, colleagues are very important. I don't think age matters, but i do think the level of professionalism is important. I mean, you can't expect your chinaman-primary-school-dropout boss to understand KPI, milestones and all those other work jargons.

4) The incentive- This is value-added, you give me peanuts, i give you monkeys! People to tend to work harder if they know they'll be rewarded at the end of the day.

5) The CLAIMS- I dunno how many of us actually have to fork out first for maybe 1 month or more because the company's policy is to do claims once per month, and that's excluding the 1 week wait for processing and approving the cheques.

Did i miss out any other IMPORTANT ingredients?

Fine Young Cannibals

Best known for "Good Thing" and "She Drives Me Crazy". Yet another British band that made it big briefly in 1980s. They had only a few albums out, namely, The Raw and The Cooked. (that's some strange album title). Great vocals though and good for easy listening.

Bad English

Sometimes I wonder

If I'd ever make it through

Through this world without having you

I just wouldn't have a clue
Cause sometimes it seems

Like this world's closing in on me

And there's no way of breaking free

And then I see you reach for me- WHEN I SEE YOU SMILE

One of my all time favourite song, was singing to it when Endroog asked who was it. Bad English was an American rock band, best remembered for this song, When I See You Smile. They remind me of Living In A Box who did the song Room In Your Heart. Wonderful rock ballads but not as big as the other rock bands. Good nonetheless.

When was the last time someone's smile made your day? All your troubles and worries washed away with another person's smile. In some cases, like my 1st sis, i guess my lil niece has that effect. And for me, maybe my other half, especially when everything seems to fall apart. It's not a wishful thinking anymore. A person's smile CAN make a difference.

When You Can't Have It

Last night, I got a call again from this guy who recently started calling me up regularly ever since he heard i was attached. Bf was pissed but I did tell him that it's just a natural reaction from some guys. They want what they can't have it. And when they have it, they don't give a damn about it.

Just like that JRR Tolkien book. Before LOTR, nobody paid attention to that great masterpiece. When it hit the cinemas, now everyone wanna read that book.

Some people do it just because they are competitive. Or they wanna be the WINNER. The one who has it all. Winning a sought-after girlfriend or a trophy wife is very important for their portfolio or status. Phonies and fakes to the core.

Have you reacted the same way before?

Turning 29

Can't believe i'm gonna be hitting 29 soon. It's been 5 years since my graduation. Can't help but assess and re-assessing what i've done and what i've achieved so far.

Unlike most people i don't really measure my achievement by my job. Ohno, that's just a vehicle to get what i wanna achieve. Instead i count my blessings by the friendships i've made, if i've done my best to nurture all friendships. Sadly there are some that i've lost touch with, most are no longer in KL. A friend from UK just called me today to say he's coming back. Just the thought that he even remembers me gives me great warmth in my heart.

It has also been about 3 years since my last 'real' relationship, and i'm blessed to have found my 'partner' in life early this year. It must sound somewhat crazy but i do look and stare at him and at times wonder of how the next 50 years gonna be like, but i'm assured with him beside me, nothing seems bleak anymore. At least i know i can always count on his love to get me through anything. perhaps this has been the best gift of the year.

Well, i await excitedly for my birthday to come. I am glad i would be surrounded by my bf and best friends (namely one of the tihtahpahs) and i can't think of a better way to celebrate and welcome my late 20s! and yeah, at the eve of my bday, i'm gonna be at gwen stefani's concert! That is if PAS dont get in the way. :)

First Lady Of Song

Ella Fitzgerald- one of my favourite jazz singer with what i think is the best and most unique vocals of all times. Vocals are effortlessly flawless. And this is very very old and yet endearing. You've probably heard her music in some hotel lounge and not recognize it was her. Listen to 'You Can't Take That Away From Me", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Bewitched, Bothered, & Bewildered". My favourite is "The Very Thought Of You" and "These Foolish Things".

A cigarette that bares a lipstick’s traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you.
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumblin’words that told you what my heart meant
A fairground’s painted swingsT
hese foolish things
Remind me of you.

Nat King Cole

If you ever plan to motor west,

Travel my way, take the highway that is best.

Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

It winds from chicago to la,

More than two thousand miles all the way.

Get your kicks on route sixty-six.- Route66

One is never too young for oldies. One of my personal favourite, Nat King Cole's jazzy sounds never fails to sooth and sets me on a relaxed mode. I dont think there is quite another Nat King Cole, unlike other artists where they all almost sound alike. If you know Nat u probably know Ella Fitzgerald. Listen to his "Orange Coloured Sky", his xmas songs are beautiful, "Paper Moon", "Mona Lisa", "Straighten Up And Fly Right", (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons.

The Phony Leaders

The Phony Leaders - The title struck me with a thought. Let's just not venture too far away to America or UK or South Africa, but let's look around us and spot for the phony leaders. Just look at your workplace. how to spot one.....

1) Phony Leaders are those who appear to be authoritative but in fact are actually Mr. Taichi in disguise.

2) Phony Leaders like to bark authority and appear to be loud and agressive, but in actual fact just barking nonsense. In a way, they make no sense.

3) Phony Leaders does not see the big picture, but keeps harping on small issues and petty things.

4) Phony Leaders works out the situation for it to be beneficial to himself and work around everyone else even his subordinates. Phony leaders put themselves first before anyone.

5) Phony Leaders rely fully on their subordinates for everything, but then blames the subordinate when things go wrong. How convenient.

6) The worst are the Phony Leaders who are afraid to sign anything! If you can't handle the responsibility that comes with being a leader, then you are worthless.

The Leftovers

We were dubbed the LEFTOVERS. During the 1997-1998 economy crash, 4 of us didn't make it to UK to continue our studies. Just recently, one of them, Allan's getting married and we had a small getogether. It's amazing that we are still friends after nearly 10 years but this is why.

Perhaps the 4 of us shared what no one else had. We were lost. We didn't know what to do from there on. And I must say, because of these other 3 people, it had made the transition and turmoil much more bearable.

Sure 4 of us were then stuck in some shitty job for at least 5-6 months. We hung on a hope that the currency would improve, but of course that proved to be frivolous. We were there for each other enduring what was probably the worst period of our lives (at that time anyways).

We did went on our own ways in the end. But the friendship and the bond is always there. Amazingly, the LEFTOVERS didn't do so bad afterall: one's getting married, one's going for Master's and one's a PhD now, and well, of course there's me :).

Sometimes things go wrong for the right reasons. Optimism do get us somewhere somehow.

Nice Lil Addition

I grew up in a family of women. 3 sisters and my mom - enough to drown out my dad's voice. And we're a great little family even with my dad always going off to work in some godforsaken places sometimes. Even with my 2 elder sisters who are 7-8 years apart from me and my twin sister. It's hard work to keep the family together and my mom's probably the pillar who's been holding it together.

And as years gone by, we all grew up and you know how it is, we tend to move along our way, chasing after the $$$ and career and life experience, sometimes not being able to attend every family gathering.

And then, my little niece popped up in jan'06, a nice lil' addition. And a timely one too. What a difference a child can make! Sometimes it's funny seeing all the adults (myself included) just staring at lil' Kyra sleeping or drinking milk or just prancing around. Now all conversations start with "eh, did u see kyra's blog?", "eh how's the lil fella?". it's amazing that it even brings out the kid in us while we clown around kyra just to see her smile.

she must be thinking what a clowny smurfy family she's gotten herself into!

And so now, we patiently awaits another lil' addition from my 2nd sis. Babybooklet.....!Coming soon in Dec'07!

Award!

I received an award for outstanding performance from the mother plant in Japan from my MD yesterday. It was a great moment but that was shortlived. At the end of the ceremony, my Deputy MD congratulated everyone and then he told me (in front of everyone present in the meeting) "See, I told you not to leave the company, now you get an award. So don't think about leaving anymore."

WTF. Since i 'attempted" to resign in Oct'06 I would always be remembered as the-one-who-tried-to-leave-the-company. Takes the 'moment' out of the whole damn ceremony. Is it so wrong for me to want to leave for better opportunities? I'm sorry, but a silly little award (just a certificate really) with my name on it is not good enough incentive for me to stay on.

And yeah, the award is for the 100% securing of the Perodua VIVA business making my company a single source for the car. ANd so yeah, i have a hand in producing that lousy car :).

Hey There Delilah

Hey there Delilah

What's it like in New York City?

I'm a thousand miles away

But girl tonight you look so pretty

Yes you do

Time Square can't shine as bright as you

I swear it's true- Plain White T's

COURTESY

Is it just me or did we all just forget how to be courteous nowadays? Remember the karaoke post i did about feeling like an Indian??? If everyone had their turn to sing perhaps i wouldnt have felt like that. Just that there are people who forget to be courteous and kept hogging the mikes. I dont seem to have that kind of problem with my (much) older friends, perhaps because they somehow still have courtesy instilled in them.

People forget simple things like Thankyous and Sorrys, or 'You first', even greetings like 'good morning' and 'good night'. Part of being courteous is also to respect other people's wishes and rights. Part of being courteous is also to respect another person's likes and dislikes and not force people to follow your way. for e.g., i cannot condemn another person for liking chinese songs just because i dont, and so, the other party shouldnt condemn me for liking english songs.

But maybe that's just too much to ask from the rude malaysians.

Dabbawalas

I was waiting at the reception of an office waiting for my interview when i read something interesting about Dabbawalas. Dabbawalas means Tiffin-Man. You can find this in Mumbai. What they do is that they deliver lunches made by the wives of working men to the offices. About 4000 to 5000 Dabbawalas gather at a meeting point, where the tiffins are sorted accordingly to the destinations and the dabbawalas will then set on to deliver. Amazing. And they hardly made a mistake! ANd it got me thinking that sometimes we Malaysians can't even get the spelling on billboards correct sometimes. I guess the difference is that the tiffin-man takes pride in his work. Do you know how hard it is to find people who are passionate about their work? I guess some of us M'sians are just too tihtahpah at work. If we were like the Dabbawalas, maybe Proton won't have come to such end.

Langkawi-ed

Spent last weekend in Langkawi and it was surprisingly great. I really need to give more credit to local destinations. The food was great, the company was great, (endroog , chelva & langka), drove around the island in a Nissan Sentra (only RM90 per day). Stopped by practically most of the spots or just about whenever we felt like it. Sometimes it's great to be on a trip without a fixed itinerary...! It was truly a great getaway from the hustle & bustle of KL. My favourite places being....

1) Pebble Beach

2) Gunung Mat Cincang

3) Pulau Dayang Bunting

4) Pulau Beras Basah

And yeah, we found the Loaf (co-owned by Mahathir), but we lepak-ed at Tapaz just around the corner. Excellent tapas and coffee and cheap cheap booze.

Rockin' Girl Blogger

Didnt know there was such a thing until Belle awarded it to me. Silly me actually asked her what do i do with it. Post it and award it to someone else...Hmmm. I dont really frequent many and probably those that blogs that i frequent probably has it already. Eh, isn't there a Rockin' Guy Blogger award???? someone ought to look into that :)

Here's awarding it to Jem, Kyels and of coz lil' Babybandit!

Lisa Stansfield

An English singer who made it big with the song "All Around The World" in the 80s. Great vocals that i likened it with Annie Lennox + Taylor Dayne (remember her???). Some of her other great songs are "Someday(I'm Coming Back) and "You Can't Deny It".

Johnny Hates Jazz

Another English band from the 80s. Loved their soothing music and great vocals. Probably listened to them when i was barely 10, thanks to my elder sisters. Check out "Turn Back The Clock" and " Shatterred Dreams".

Spandau Ballet-True

An 80s English band. A 1983 song that is probably one of most overused soundtrack for many movies. I'm serious, you'd know if you've seen these movies.

1) The Wedding Singer

2) Charlie's Angels

3) 50 First Dates

4) Wedding Crashers

I wonder if Drew Barrymore picked this song since she was in the first 3 movies. Love the song, but then that's probably the only song i know from Spandau Ballet.

Self-Centered Shits

I dont mean to praise my boyfriend here but if there's one trait that i love about him is that he's not self-centered at all. You know why i say this, because i know of so many self-centered people. They are everywhere.

Say you're in a group, you're planning for an occasion, more often than not the not so self centered ones would compromise while the self centered ones want to have their way. Simple things like what gift to buy, where to have the party, what to do at the party. And i really hate women who take it for granted just because they're females so they can have a say in everything. That the men need to accomodate to her wishes. The lady gets her way not because she's powerful, but because other people are just more accomodative and less self-centered.

Then there are also those family members who leeches on u. The worst is when they think they deserve what they leeched of u, because as a family member, you're somewhat obligated to do so. Time to rid off these leeches. Don't let it ruin ur life. You have your own life to run.

I think all of us should step back and self-evaluate. Have we been self-centered sometimes? Do we always want things our way? Is it necessary? Are sometimes our wishes too 'melampau'? What is the impact to others? If u do think along those lines, chances are u're probably not self-centered...

Overdosage

Had an overdosage of Chinese songs last night karaoke-ing. Seriously, i feel like an Indian among a lot of Chinese people. I must say, it felt really strange. All of them sang Cantonese/Mandarin songs while i couldnt read a word.

Even the Chinese songs that has some English words in it didn't make sense. Like what does this mean? Please try to decipher. "I love I hate, I will fade away." Sounds nonsensical right? And that's just one example.

When i say i feel like an Indian, well, just imagine what you can do while others are belting it out in a language you don't understand and the screen is displaying chinese characters that you can't read. So what do u do? U fiddle with your stale beer, u pretend u like and understand what they're singing, or u just enjoy the company there.

And well, don't even think about singing your English stuff. They'll be wondering what the fark you're singing, or you can just syiok sendiri ler, HAVE YOUR MOMENT and be done with it. But in such environment where you're outnumbered, HAVE ONE MOMENT will do. :)

At least i knew one or two chinese songs. I guess karaoke partners are important i realize. Coz you're basically there to sing and have fun. Of course the occasion is the priority, but hey we all make time for fun. I was happy just singing I dont Like To SLeep Alone with another friend who knew the song on another occasion.

A friend of mine just went karaoke with his gf, only 2 people and i know of another friend who did that. More privacy and you get to belt it out without a care for anyone.of coz, the more the merrier, but sometimes maybe it's good just as a stress reliever.

Procrastination Kings

If there's anything we Malaysians are good at, it's PROCRASTINATION. It ought to be a sin i think, because of all the time-wasting, and the delays etc. No wonder the consumers are paying more for less. Haven't you heard enough of these lines......:

1) "I'll get back to you on that one"- chances are they never really do come back to you with the answers.

2) " Let me think about it"- an excuse to sit on the problem for an extended period.

3) "Jom, minum dulu"- it didnt matter if it was a big case or it's a major problem, we always MAKE time for teh tarik, at any hour of the day.

4) "On the way"- when we're really not on the way. Your procrastination caused other people to waste their time. Why must people wait last minute before making a move to the agreed meeting place?

5) "Tunggu 'jap"- the person then stops to see this and that, or do this and that before actually doing the actual thing that was intended.

6) "Takpelah, esok ajelah kita buat. Nanti u email me. "- what that could have been done today they'll rather do it tomorrow. Why?

Tablik

A good Malay friend of mine over teh tarik yesterday, shared something interesting with me. He told me in the Muslim society, there's a group of people called "Tablik". The extremists.

It's difficult for the normal Muslims and the Tabliks to coexist in the same community, because of different thinking and ideology. They claim to be religious and most of them are unemployed because they are engrossed in the mosque activities. Most of mosques are sponsored therefore they get meals for free. ANd so these Tabliks live on that.

It's funny that my fren noted that Tabliks have less concern for hygiene! Probing him further for more info, he said that some of them live in the mosques and they're not entirely clean because of the environment they need to put up with when they live in the mosques with other Tabliks.

And from what he said, these Tabliks believes that Islam is the ultimate religion and may sometimes condemn others. What he said is that they are as if wanting to 'perang' all the time.

Spotted any lately?

The Full Monty

By far my favourite Brit film, i watched it in 1998, and in those days we used to watch it on LD. So i've been searching high and low for it's DVD version but it's been fruitless unfortunately. Finally last nite at 12.30am i caught this movie on Astro. Probably the 9th time i've seen this movie.

This movie is very surreal and it touches on well, class, depression, desperation, self esteem. All in all, it's a fun movie and really got to checkout Robert Carlyle doing the dance scene while they were heating up chinese food. And the movie acclaims of great actors, Rober Carlyle and TOm Wilkinson.

By the way, you do know what does THE FULL MONTY means right? Dare to Bare?

One-r Friends

I have a few friendships where i may have friends where we dont have any other mutual friends. So have attended some weddings where i'd go alone or sit with strangers. Or bday parties where i dont know their friends.

Why i have there one-r friends is perhaps sometimes when there are less people, people tend to open up more and sharing is more exclusively between the two of you. Sometimes i feel more comfortable with one-r friends, because i know they won't tell any of my friends my secrets coz they dont know any of my friends!

But i guess they do have a special place in my heart. Some one-r friends are exclusively to discuss heart to heart matters, career decision matters, talk cock, soul searching, all sorts and they are all categorized for those purposes.

Have u got any one-r friends?

My Dental Scare

I did it finally. Despite years of my family and friends pleading me to go, and me getting people to accompany me, i finally did it on my own last friday. Phew. The doc just exclaimed in horror when he saw the condition of my left upper jaw wisdom tooth. Will post it later so you'll understand his shock.

I kept asking the doctor if it was over, even though he was only at the numbing-my-gums stage. I didn't even know it when it was over. Even the receptionist laughed at me and jokingly said that she saw the fear in me when i walked in to the clinic. RM135 for a tooth. But it's all worth it. You'll know if you see the damaged tooth.

And now i'm scheduled for another wisdom tooth extraction next month and scaling. Another fear conquered. My eldest sis will know what i mean. :) ANYONE else out there who's afraid of the dentist????

Working Women

Just a few days back there was an urgent issue in which I had to be at my supplier's place from morning until 8pm. And yeah, people tend to treat me differently just because i am a female in the workforce. Here are some of the questions i received on that day....

SupplierMarketing Mgr: Eh Szelin, you drove ar? How come you drove and not your two (male) colleagues?

Why the hell did I buy a car then if i wasn't gonna drive it? Oh, i guess they just assume that i'm a female and a lousy driver or just wouldnt drive because most women leave the driving to their husbands or boyfriends.

Colleague: Eh Szelin, are you sure you can stayback until so late? You need to go home and paktoh or dating ke? Masak ke? Your bf/husband mind or not??

Szelin: How come you asked me and not the other (male) colleague????

Oh, so it's macho for men to stay back for work issues, but not women because we are supposed to go home and cook, or that women just dont make work a priority (ohno, not like men do).

I read in the papers yesterday about gender inequality in Malaysia, how women are still disregarded in the workforce, the stay-at-home-make-babies mentality has not changed much in Malaysia. Perhaps it's because some women do make 'home' a priority. Nothing wrong with that. But i know some men who also make 'home' a priority. So why only women get ejek-ed?