Everything seems to be getting along fine...

Salary is in, the previous company called, said they will bank in the balance of my salary some time next week, and I have money to spend! yay!

Now, I only need to get myself to an EON Bank ATM/Cash Deposit machine to take care of my Car Loan Installment. *sigh* Money come, money go...

Well, the good news is, I don't have to work tomorrow! hehehehe

Oh... I went to RHB during lunch, and got my ATM card replaced. The old card has been lying in my wallet for so long that it cracked. Well, I put it in a compartment that got sat on the most, and thus, the card was bent quite a lot as I spend quite a significant amount of time on my ass, so, the chip was bent and I didn't think it'll survive inside the ATM machine. So before I suffer from some ill-fated incident with the ATM machine, I'd rather pay a penalty and got it replaced. AYAM! It cost me RM12 for a freaking replacement! And apparently, I'll only be able to use it after 6pm today. What's with that??? hhhmmmm....

Anyhows, I didn't make the 1km walk to get my credit card... maybe i'll do it on Monday or something. Sigh...

Looking forward to having a good time with my lovely girlfriend tomorrow. It's been quite some time since we've gone out...

Ah... the promise of relaxation...

Yea!!! Weekend's Round the Corner!!!

And I've got nothing to do at the office.... muahahahahahahahahahaha

So today's post will be filled with light-hearted stuff.

I'm abandoning my serious tone for today.

The bosses are out meeting clients...

Observation #1: The office needs a bubbly personality. It really does. All my other colleagues are very determined and silent when they're working. And I am the same... hhhmmm

Well, my salary from the previoous company came in today, and I got short changed. They paid me 8 days worth of remuneration whereby I should've gotten 10 days. So I wrote the boss an email that went 'It is with great remorse that I am writing you in this manner'... chewah, like very serious liddat. heheheh

Well, I have today's work cut out for me. Come lunchtime, I need to revived a dormant account at RHB bank because this current company gives us our salaries in a form of an RHB cheque. So for convenience sake, and besides, there's a branch just a few steps from my office building.

Then I'll have to get my walking boots on and travel 1km to the nearest EON Bank to get my credit card and my car loan settled. Should have worn sport shoes.

Well, work just popped up in the in tray... will have to leave you guys now.

Let's see if anything happens later lar... but I'm hoping for a eventless day...

Got my paycheck today!!

And it's a little more than I expected... hehehehe... don't tell my boss...

Well, I'm still trying to figure out how they came up with the figure, but then, I'm not complaining...

The bad thing tough, is that it came in the form of a check. Wonder if it'll take a few days to clear.

Now, to monitor my previous employers, see whether they'll be late or not...

The problem with the world today...

Only today...

Is that everyone likes to talk. We talk too much. We talk when we're in front of the TV, we talk when we're sitting at the dinner table, we talk when we're working, we talk when we're studying, we just can't seem to stop talking.

With so much talking going on, who's gonna listen?

As human beings, we strive to be listened to, but if everyone wants to talk, then there's evidently no one that's gonna be listening. People ask you out for dinner not because they want to have dinner with you, they have something to tell you. When colleagues come to your cubicle, they want to tell you something.

The tactics are always the same tried and tested - "So, tell me..." And when you come up with ONE remark, they will inevitably cut you short and tell you the entirity of their minds.

That's why more and more blogs are out there. People just want to rant, spread their ideology, and think that they are smart. (Hmmm.... sounds like i'm describing myself... AND THE REST OF YOU OUT THERE!!!) Nowadays, people don't care if anyone reads their blog, they just want to BLOG/say something/spread their thoughts!

So... Be a listener today. Talk less, listen more, and you'll find that there's a whole lot of things in this world that you've misunderstood.

The more you listen, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you'll understand,
The more you understand, the less you know,
The less you know, the more you need to listen.

hhhmmm....

I've been profoundly profound these past few days...

Sins of the fathers...

How long does it take to change a person?

People are downright selfish! Individuals that think about nothing but themselves. Group work will never succeed, because every freakin individual out there is in the group for a personal reason, and I can bet you, this reason cannot be found in the Group's agenda. No matter how hard we can try to work in a group, whether in college, or at work, it's our asses that's on the line. It all boils down to the fact that when shit happens, people don't get punished as a group, they get punished as individuals. If, during group work in college or at work, lecturers/bosses continue to do such a thing, then there will never be teamwork.

Then, there's the 18-odd years of neglected education from the family, whereby, kids have been brought up in front of the idiot box. In this age of modernism and post-modernism, most of the bright young minds of today are brought up by the trusted nanny a.k.a. The Tele. And most programmes of the days yonder were imported straight from the Country That Promotes the Celebration of the Individual. We were brought up in the land of Heroes, where it is always ONE man making the difference. It is always a vigilante making the difference, and it's always the Hero that gets the reward (Girl).

This has inevitably influenced our minds and made us think like an individual. If nobody's gonna do it, then I might as well take it upon myself to do it. That is actually a very wrong mindset. We, humans, are communal. That's why we interact. That's why we have an issecent need to meet with friends. But yet, this has been misconstrued by our own individualism. Thus, we only delegate stuff when it is out of our capabilities or we have no time to do such a thing. This means, the individual is the focal point again! I will delegate whatever I cannot bring Myself to do. These people would rather focus thier energy into finishing up thier jobs instead of using the time and energy to get the group to work together, which is all in the name of efficiency of course. But imagine if everyone knows what it means to be in a team, and not worry about covering their asses only, then prep talks will not be necessary, team building will be a thing of the past, and everyone will know that in order for them to succeed as a group, individual wants and needs must be put down.

This mentality has crept into the institution of marriage. Couples are now finding it more and more difficult to live with one another because both of them subscribe to the same mentality; Individualism. I get married with the partner that will give me the best benefits. People get married nowadays so that they can obtain some kind of benefit from their partner. That's why people get into divorce. It's because both parties are individuals trying to live out a communal life. And things don't work that way. If you are a square, you can't be living your life as a circle.

I've always told people that when we are a group, we need to learn how to give, support, and contribute. If everyone only knows how to look out for thier own asses, then nobody will give. And when nobody gives, then nobody receives. But if everyone in the group contributes to the greater good, then everyone will receive. Because when someone gives, there must be someone who receives and when everyone gives, everyone will indeed receive.

Profound, but true...

Let's be a tree-hugging Hippie today.

There's so much negativity in the world. Let's dwell in the happiness of false consciousness and tell yourself everything is OK, it's just a fad, it'll pass, and it's always for the greater good.

There's a thin line between the borders of prudence and negativity. Many people walk on that line. Bosses press you to be more efficient because they are prudent. But one slight misrepresentation of the way he spoke to you will come as negativity. You go into your office trying very hard to protect yourself because you are prudent and you protect your interests in case your colleagues throws you a curve ball and gets you fired.

You shun away from being too friendly with your college mates because they seem to be just using you. Same goes for colleagues. Friends always tell you the bad stuff about other friends; also popularly known as 'Gossip' or 'Caring for the person'. People keep on saying 'Oh, this is badm and we must do something about it.' Television tells you all the bad stuff that's happening and teaches you how to prevent yourself from getting killed in case such a thing happened to you. Your momma tells you not to talk to strangers, reinforcing the fact that there's a lot of bad people out there, and that's probably VERY true.

There's so much bad news in the News. And there's no such thing as good news, because we always see it from a negative point of view. Tax deduction is always influenced by an increase in something else, and most of the time it's not even balancing off what was reduced. The rich seems to be getting forever richer, when the poor rot in thier little shacks not even fit for the rich man's chihuahua.

See, all this negativity is having a bad influence on me.

So, let's be a tree-hugging Hippie today.

Hug a tree (if you can find one big enough) and feel the positive energy of Momma Nature.

If you happen to be in the middle of KL and trees can only be found on 'islands' in the middle of the road, don't risk it!

I'm so positive today... *proceeds to hug my own imaginary tree which I brought to KL from Sabah.*

The debate of a perfectionist...

I am a fighter. I know I am. I have determination that's as tough as a tank. But all that doesn't hide the fact that my heart is melting under the pressure that I am in currently. I have never fell so low since my failling my exams when I was back in college. But this is a different kind of 'down'. Back then, I was demotivated and therefore, lost the fire in me to fight. But this time, I have all the motivation to fight on, soldier on and keep everything in tact, but the message from my heart is that I should just give it all up. So what you can call me now is a walking, talking piece of emotionless tank. Inpregnable from the outside, but crumbling inside.

The life of living in prominence in your group of friends means that you are not your own. The very little time that you have does not belong to you. One simple request from one of your cell members and you'll be thrown off track. One request to fetch some guy that's living 2 kilometres away would throw a wrench into your plans. People think that it's easy to fetch someone, but they never think that one last-minute-request would cause me my own time for dinner? Personal Time & Own Sweet Time does not exist in my vocabulary. Time and again, whenever there's a function going on at church, I'll be out of the house 1 hour before everyone does, because I need to fetch this member of mine, and then, just as I leave for the planned pick-up, someone else calls. And this happens ALL THE FREAKIN TIME!!!

But as a prominent leader, I cannot let the people around me know that I'm weak inside, because I just can't! I can be weak, but I can't show that I am weak, because I need to be an encourager. I need a break, but I can't take a break, because there's so many people relying on me. I can't be myself, because the people around me wouldn't be able to take it. I must take this pill because only I can take it. But yet, my heart constantly chooses to not take it.

In public, certain things set in motion cannot be stopped. So must I suffer in silence? Should I??? This kind of things cannot be stopped. The only way to stop such things is quitting, and I am not a quitter. But yet, the fight is seeming to be futile. I can't be driving an empty tank that's crumbling inwards all the time.

I am a perfectionist and I excel in bringing myself around as the perfect guy. Sometimes, I do think that I have been too conscientious until I've lost my own character. I overheard a friend sharing with my girlfriend about leaders nowadays having to accomodate thier character to suit their followers (Because Christian Leadership starts with servanthood) and later find that as a leader, we do not have character. That is very true.

But Church has gone so low nowadays that the leadership has been accomodating and changing and suiting themselves to the point of desparation in getting people to come in. This has caused a lot of churches to lose their dominant characteristics. We constantly find ourselves trying to please the congregation, just so that they will come to church every week. The same is happening to me in cell group. All because people cannot take a domineering leader nowadays, I have turned myself into an accomodating leader. I used to be a very determined and domineering leader. You either work under me and excel, or you'll fag out and say that I am emotionless, that I have no empathy, that your own parents dont treat you that badly. Well, the truth is, I ain't your Momma. And no matter how hard i am trying, I am getting fed up!

But that doesn't solve the problem that I am currently facing. I still have too many responsibilities on my hands. I can't effectively do so many things at the same time. And I don't like to do things that do not succeed. If I can't give my best, I'd rather not do it. Because I am a perfectionist, I do not like to compromise on quality. And if i cannot provide perfect quality, I am not going to continue with the job. So now, my problem is, which is top priority when all of them are???

I know that I should prioritise, but then, if I let go of certain responsibilities... wait... I can't let go of certain responsibilities... Because everything is inter-connected, and this balancing act has left me with no personal time for myself.

sigh...

I am weak...

The force is weak within me...

I have been too involved in everything, and I need rest. Coffee seemed to have lost its effect on me... Food didn't seem to give me energy, and sleep is not reviving my body. Something needs to be done... and done fast...

I wonder if it's the travelling down to KL... I wonder if its just a phase that will pass in a while... I wonder so many things...

...

Work, work, work, work, work...

I am indeed at a low point in my life.

Nothing looks promising besides work. And that statement by itself, is pathetic! I mean, I do enjoy my work and all, and I could do this all day long, but it's really a low point in my life where I do not look forward to anything else!!!

It's the same boring routine everyday, and the only interesting thing that happens daily is my trip to work. I wonder if I'm still sane.

But anyways, at least I got a job...

I think I am officially suffering from Writers Block. I haven't been able to think of anything good and provocative to write in recent times. Creative juices not flowing much. Maybe I lack interaction with people who can stimulate me intellectually. I haven't got time to sit down and chat with anyone also. Maybe that's why the brain juices have dried up.

Well, the only thing that I can look forward to is that my salary is supposed to come in today!!! I really need the cash... I'm surviving on my last month's pay when my travelling expenses had increased significantly.

sigh... the lamentations of the metropolitan prodigal.

I know you're reading this blog...

So, tell me who you are!!!

PLEASE!!!

Let me know who you are so that I can hog your comments box also!!!

Sien...

Mondays are never fun...

Well, all that can go wrong has already gone wrong in the past two days. What else can Monday provide me with??

A Boring Day At Work.

The usual suspects aren't updating thier blogs, I'm bored stiff in the office with nothing much to do, I wrote some philosphical stuff for the company profile, sat on my ass for the entire working hours since 9.30am today.

Well, that's my usual day I guess.

Someone give me some FREE-LANCE!!! I'm very good at writing philosophical stuff that nobody understands, and I am VERY GOOD at writing luxury/lifestlye copy for snob ads. I am able to string 'indulgent', 'luxurious', 'palace', 'exuberance' & 'You' into the same sentence.

I need the money, and also the mental exercise.

So help me God.

Frustration.

I have been a very frustrated person the last two days.

And I think that this problem only rears its ugly head whenever I am faced with a financial crisis.

But seriously, after the experience of working on a Saturday, I have been tired. I have been travelling so much in the previous 2 weeks, that I doin't have much of personal time left. Everyday, I constantly struggle to get more rest. I arrive home on average at 9pm daily, and after my bath and dinner, it would've been 10pm. Then I need to do my chores, spend time with my girl, and attend to stupendous demands from friends. Well, not all of them, but a certain few do constantly push my buttons. Then, I have to attend to different responsibilities that I have, and that leaves me with VERY little time to relax. I need to cut back on a few things. I think I need to manage my friends from now on. No more being Mr. Nice Guy.

I was so down during the weekend that I almost skipped all my responsibilities. But in the end, I bit my teeth, and did it anyway. I really can't do this anymore. I'm physically and mentally tired. I am a beat man. And because of this, I caused my girlfriend a scare. I didn't talk to her for most of the day on Sunday because I needed time to myself. I needed a break from the entire world. And I haven't had that in 2 weeks. So finally, the bubble burst on Sunday, and my poor girlfriend was on the receiving end of the storm.

I need some time to be silent and think about life.

Haven't had time for that in a long time.

I am who I am...

That's God's line... hehehehe...

Only God can say that, because He is the Ultimate. We, as humans, are a creation of our past. We are created from the recollections of our past. How we think, how we act, are all a product of our past experiences. Character is developed and changed whenever we meet with a turning point in our lives.

So..

I am only doing this because I have nothing else to do in the office on a Saturday morning.

I am the existentialist who thinks nothing in life is good because in the end, we all die.

I am the boy who ran his mother up the wall from the age of 1 (hopefully not until now)

I am the kid who grew up faster than everybody else.

I am the kid who cried and wailed and pestered my mother to enrol me into Kindergarten at the age of 3.

I am the accidental leader (Class Monitor when I was in Primary 1)

I am the Class Monitor who pronounced 'Ketua Darjah' as 'Ketua Gajah' after the first day of Primary School.

I am the kid who was made into a Squad Leader in Boys' Brigade because I was the tallest in my batch.

I am the kid who went through his entire schooling life holding a prominent position in class. (Yes, I've done it all: Pengawas, Ketua Darjah, Pustakawan, Penolong of all the abovementioned, and even Penolong Ketua Pengawas)

I am the guy who did more than he should.

I am the guy who ran out of space in the 'Ko-Kurikulum' segments during primary school (My batch had 102 students and thus, I got to represent the school in almost all its Competitions; Basketball, Ping-pong, Badminton, Football, Handball, Athletics, Keselamatan Jalanraya.)

I am the kid who finished his UPSR English trial exam in 15 minutes to rush for a Keselamatna Jalanraya practise, and scored 98%.

I am the train that rushed into everything only to hit a wall later.

I am the guy who tried to do the impossible by attempting to get invovled in a relationship at the age of 12. (We just finished UPSR and had nothing better to do, so I thought it would be good to get myself a girlfriend.)

I am the guy who got ditched/ignored/I-also-don't-know-what-happened-to-the-girl-until-now by the girl mentioned above.

I am the guy who ditched a perfectly fine specimen of a girl when I was in Form 2 (and now I wonder where she is)

I am the guy who was ditched by another perfectly fine specimen when I was in Form 3 (and waited, hoped, and prayed that one day she'll accept my approaches, only to find out that she was in love with someone else after waiting for 1-and-a-half years' later)

I am the guy who vowed to not get a girlfriend and focus on my studies until I finished Form 5 but started dating in February of that year itself.

I am the guy who got stuck to the same girl since 1998, and still loving it.

I am the guy who got to study in the same town/city as his girlfriend from 1998 until both of us graduated. (We moved from Sandakan, to Kota Kinabalu, to Nilai, to Subang and almost to UK)

I am the guy who never bought my girlfrend flowers before. (Hangs head in shame, but I do have something planned...)

I am the guy who bought my girlfriend something totally expensive, and totally useless as her very first birthday gift. (Until now, she's never put that set of earings on because it doesn't look good on her)

I am the guy who studied Accounting because my Momma said so...

I am the guy who excelled in English for as long as I can remember.

I am the guy who is tired of all this I am business.

I am the guy who is still doing too much.

I am the guy who constantly needs more time.

I am the guy who puts up with his friends stupid request because he has to.

I am tired of all this.

I am not 'The Great I AM'.

The VERY FIRST Saturday....

Today is the FIRST EVER Saturday whereby I am working.

Let's see how it goes.

Why do we have to suffer because...

... of something that is happening all the way on the other side of the world?

America's oil refineries are in jeopardy of being out of operation as a result of a second hurricane threat. And world oil prices are set to soar AGAIN!!!

The world is interconnected as a large economy, but the problem is that a USD1 increase could potentially equate to some poor fella's wages for an entire year in some undeveloped country.

It just isn't fair. I mean, if the whole world was connected as a large economy, then we should be using 1 single currency. but if we can't be using 1 currency, then we can't be connected to the rest of the world fairly.

We can now see the major set-backs of being in a capitalist world. The rich will always be the ones who get richer at the expense of the poor. If prices of oil in America increases by USD1, it would affect the rest of the world. In Malaysia (our beloved 1st world country with the 3rd world mentality), prices would follow suit but at RM3.50. But a USD1 increase would only mean around 60p for those who recide in Brittain. So, why are we connected to what America is facing?

Because we're individuals, living in a materialistic, individualistic world. If the entire world was a large commune, then, there will not be a problem of higher or lower currencies. This is the basis of Marxist thought. And under such circumstances, wouldn't it be nice if the world subscribed to it. Then, all men will be equal, everyone will be allocated a job, and the economy will be controlled by the Government. We will be out of the rat race, working for the greater good instead of for the celebration of the individual. Bosses will turn into managers, and live off a salary that is not too big a difference from his/her subordinates. Subordinates will stop jumping around the employment pool trying to squeez more salary from their bosses, and the world would be a far better place than it is now...

but then, the major flaw of Marx's theories are that he disregarded the 'Greed of man' and that proved to be his failure. Just look at China, the fighter and protector of the world's communist community. The people in power oppress those under them. Political power equates monetary power.

In the Ideal world, and Marx is a VERY big Idealist, Marxism and all its branches (Frankfurt School, Communism, Fascism, etc.) will perform perfectly. Marxism fails because The Greed of Man will constantly turn brother against brother, the rich will continue to oppress the poor by giving them a small salary so that they can buy over-priced products produced by 'yours-truly' the rich.

So... If only man could live without greed, the world would be such a wonderful place.

God must be...

READING THIS BLOG!!!

Today, when I stepped into the LRT, the voice over the announcement changed into a different, sexier, crispier voice. *Shivers* Now that's scary...

No lar.. I just happen to board the Nokia sponsored train. But still, it's a refreshing change compared to the monotonous, emotionless, flat "Next station..." that we get on every other train...

Will blog later... Now, for a steamy cup of Milo...

Today is turning out to be one of those...

less busy days...

It's been a little boring these two days, with most of the action happening on the artists computers. I've gotten to know my colleagues much better now, and they're quite a cute bunch. Friendly during lunch hour, but then, they all act VERY serious once we step into the office.

It's a bit scary, but then, at least, they act like real professionals.

I wonder how my colleague back in the old agency is doing. Seemingly, I left him alone to do all the copy work. The agency wouldn't have been able to replace me at such instantaneous notice.

So, over lunch, we were being told by the boss that we're better than free-lancers, but yet, we're not as systematic and established as the full-fledged agencies yet.

Hopefully, we'll be able to move forward and I'd be at the crux of it.

:)

Sharpening the ability...

...to think up something out of thin air.

It's awfully queit in the office today. the bosses aren't in, the chatty girl left, and now, it's a rather serious feel in the office. Maybe I should start to instigate something.

*Stops to think... and think... and yet nothing comes to mind...

It's worrying in a sense that I am dead bored in the office, with little spasms of work to do.

Random thoughts in a silent office ahead:

Maybe I should worry less about stuff.

Awaiting lunch...

I've been out of sorts lately...

Writers Block maybe...

I haven't been able to think up any good crap to write about and thus, as my imaginary audience, you get crappy crap like this. The fact is, I haven't spent much time thinking. I've been so tired recently from the endless hours of travelling around in the LRT, listening to the same tunes; "dum, DUM, duum, DuuMm, Next Station, Asia Jaya". Just replace 'Asia Jaya' with any of the other 10 stops that I have to endure everyday to and from the office and you'll understand that that's the only phrase that keeps playing on my mind nowadays. It's mental torture!!! I wonder if we can sue the management for forcing us to listen to the same tune all the time. But then, the argument will have to be that people need to be reminded where they are. SIGH!!!

I wonder if there's a subliminal message behind all the 'next station' announcements. Maybe there's something behind all that, that tells you to work harder or some other sort of mind control that tells all the commuters to make more money. Maybe that's why most people in KL walk the same, talk the same, act the same. That must be it! The 'next station' announcement has been subliminally programming us to be more and more kiasu! That's what happened to the Singaporeans too!! A big chunk of their population travel to and from work using the MRT, and see what you get!? KIASU people! Told you technology was the devil's tool!

*My ability to pluck a conspiracy out of thin air baffles me sometimes...*

Beggar induced...

If you've been in the Klang Valley long enough, you'd have realised that there are a significant amount of handicapped beggars out there doing rounds at eateries, accompanied by a 'social worker'.

I always give them the shake of a head, or a wave of the hand, telling them that I do not want to contribute to thier plight.

It's not that I do not want to help them or anything like that, but it baffles me that there's a 'social worker' that brings them around, begging for money. I mean, I can fully understand why the handicapped is begging for money, but I do not understand why the 'social worker' is doing the thing he's doing. I do not consider bringing a handicapped person around begging for money is contributing to the betterment of the handicapped community.

When you really sit down and think about it, isn't it better for the social worker to spend his/her time doing something more worthwhile rather than just bringing the handicapped person around?

Everyone has the potential to earn wealth. That is a God-given ability. And with the time that the 'social worker' spends bringing the handicapped around, he/she could use the time to earn something, and donate it to the establishment where the handicapped person is affiliated to. Isn't it a waste of time and energy for the 'social worker' to be bringing the fella around asking for alms whereby something can be done to help the poor fella fend for him/herself? I mean, if these people are willing to accompany a blind man to beg for alms at eateries until the wee hours of the night, why not channel such energy to helping the blind man on his way to self support?

(This post is inspired by a piece of news on The Star)

Naive...

Sometimes, I knowingly tell myself that i am rather naive in my thinking. But then, if I can tell myself the I am naive, doesn't that prove that I am not actually as naive as I think I am?

(I'm good at giving confusing phrases that seem as though there's a flaw in the structure, but it's perfectly calibrated)

I am indeed a very confusing man. Maybe its because I'm confused, and it's spilling over in my writing.

I do think that I am blessed with a good command of the English language, but yet, my mother tongue will always be Chinese. Sometimes I do wonder whether do I primarily think in English, or does my mind function on a Chinese Operating System. Sometimes, the stuff that comes out of my mind are Chinese in sentence structure, but yet, sometimes, it does seem that my mind runs on an English base.

Anyone out there know about any studies done about this?

This could be made into a Post-Grad thesis subject matter.

I had a very good thought last night...

I wanted to put it into this blog, but I forgot what it was now...

Will try to remember what it was...

So for the time being, you'll have to settle for this.

10 green bottles hanging on the wall,
10 green bottles hanging on the wall,
and if 1 green bottle would accidentally fall,
There'll be no blue bottles hanging on the wall.

........ *Static*........

Was trying to look busy when...

I found an article in the news.

I don't know why I can't link the URL from my mac, but anyhow, here's the address:

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/9/20/nation/12092438&sec=nation

It baffled me that this woman was trying to delete the word 'Islam' as her religion stated in her Identity Card. (and apparently, only Moslems get their religions printed on thier IC's) She wanted to delete the word because she simply did not profess the faith anymore. The issue here is that the judge highlighted the reason for this refusal because she was 'Malay'. I do know that in the Malaysian Constitution, when you're born into a Malay family, you're automatically Islam by faith. Heck, it even says that if you speak the Malay language, and profess to live according to Malay customs, you can even apply to be 'Islam'. It's a coveted commodity here y'know.

What I do not understand is; Why, in this day and age, we are not given a free choice? I mean, as Malaysians, we are called to believe in God, (remember the Rukun Negara?) But then, forcing someone to carry a belief whereby she has already publicly renounced is pure baffling. You can see conversions all over the place, Christians converting to Islam, Buddhists converting to Christianity, and vice-versa, and it all happens everywhere. People are fickle minded. We are individualistic. Us, sinful beings, always take up a faith that benefits us, that makes us feel good about ourselves, and apparently brings us closer to God. (Yes, normally in that particular order) But heck, why does the Government want to stop someone from changing their status from Islam to Christian or any other faith for that matter? Isn't that an act which degrades the person from a 1st class citizen into a demi-citizen who will receive no aid, no privileges and no free education at local universities? Isn't that a move that will benefit the Government in monetary terms? No more spoon feeding these individuals?

In a way, the Government is telling the people that "You cannot convert from Islam because you were born into it". Then, this is not a free country no more? This is telling me that my fate is determined by my parentage. And when you look at it, isn't this a form of racial discrimination? Why are some races free to practise and profess their faith, and change everytime they feel like it, but yet, others aren't able to do so because it's against the law?

Besides, the woman's not practising her faith no more. Why keep her status?

It's like keeping an employee under your payroll even after the person has left the company. Where's the common sense in that?

*I could get into trouble with this, so.... Feds, come and get me lar*

I've been rather busy...

Well, not too busy until cannot handle that type, but because it's an open office, and the boss keeps walking around the place, I don't get much privacy.

I don't get to surf the net so often, and I can't slack as much as I did in my previous office. It's a rather tight operation here.

Well, life in KL is tough. It took me almost an hour from my apartment to reach the LRT Station. It's supposed to be a 15-20 minute drive, but because there's a jam in a connected highway, the whole place jammed. For some unknown reason, the Federal Highway was packed with cars and it overspilled to the NPE, the LDP and basically, everywhere else! Sigh...

The office is sorta cool, not too hectic, not too stressed, the boss is always here to joke, and basically, it's a fun place. You know there's a need to get get things done, but yet, the boss doesn't make it like it's an order. He tries to persuade the staff to do it, and he is most of the time willing to be conned for a meal or something like that.

Well, that's the least of my worries. Money not enough lar for this month. I am still living off last month's salary, and my expenses have increased because of the LRT and parking fares. The major service on my car took away what was left of my savings, and I don't have time to go collect my credit card from the bank. Something needs to be done I guess.

so much to do, so little time... my car needs a wash too...

Why???

I seem to have a lot of "Why's"...


It's frustrating sometime when you have so many why's in your life and there's no one to answer them. I asked God about this particular 'Why' this morning as I was travelling down to KL in the LRT.

I am currently being challenged to come out on my own and start a small entreprise. It's a bold step, but then, I am known to make bold but calculated steps in my life. I am in the very end, an extremist. When I do something, I cannot be caught in between two things. I am a very focused man. If I do something, it'll be that thing all the way. I do not like to dwell in dual responsibilities. That is why, coming into the open, doing freelance jobs, while balancing my own work at the office is not something that appeals to me. If I were to come out and set-up my own entreprise, I would stop working. And that is what I am not prepared to face yet.

So I asked God: "Why am I seemingly working my ass off in the corporate world just to support my ministries?" See, there's a difference between a believer and a disciple. A beliver can sit down and believe, and do nothing about it. He believes, believes in his heart. But a disciple walks in the way of his Master. But working hard to earn a living, just to support what I do in church is seemingly a very difficult task. I have to work hard all day at work, and work even harder when I'm off work. What I get paid at work sometimes isn't even enough to support my activities in church.

Cell members can come up with the most intruiging of requests. I sometimes find myself asked to help out when a cell member has a need. And when this request comes in, it comes with a dateline. I mean, where got such inconsiderate people one? "Dear Cell Leader, I need your help in 'doing this thing', and it needs to be done by this Saturday." I mean, where got people ask you for a favour and it comes with dateline one? What about my own personal life? What about the things that I wanted and needed to do? People tend to forget that you do not have time to live out your personal life and they act as if you are there to serve their needs only. I am now constantly finding myself in need of 'MORE TIME'. I have no time to go to the supermarket for groceries even. Seemingly, my credit card is waiting at the bank to be collected by me for a good 2 weeks now, and I haven't got the time to collect it. I haven't been able to buy myself the pair of slippers that I need, and I still have to attend to such ridiculous requests.

If you turn them down, they say that you don't care for them. You help them out, you lose your personal time, not to say money in terms of petrol and stuff like that. The worse is, sometimes, they don't even offer to reimburse you or at the very least treat you to dinner. Even if they offer you something, there's a code of conduct that you should politely refuse.

so... tell me... Why am I earning a salary just o burn it off on my cell members requests?

Because I'm a leader. That's why. Because I'm a disciple. That's why.

But is it all worth it?

Meloncholic Mondays

Well, this is my second week in the new company, and it's rather ok I guess. Settling in quite well, I hope.

A new colleague came in and I am still busy with the production of the stupendous calendar whereby changes will continue to come in thick and fast.

Everyone's busy now. Will try to write more during lunch.

till then.

And that was the first week

Well, I am still wondering if this is a good job or not after one whole week of working here. The atmoshpere is ok, a little too tight at the management level in terms of the boss keeps an eagle eye on the employees a little too much. He should know to come into the studio when only absolutely necessary. He strolls in whenever he has the free time, and that means, whenever he's not out to see clients.

The existing colleagues are pretty afraid of him.

Anyhows, that's just the normal office practise all over.

I am now more concerned about my own health. Travelling down to KL takes a good 2 hours per day, and staying back after office hours also means that I only reach home at around 9pm daily. now, that takes a good punch in my personal life. I now find myself with next to no time for sundry shopping, and dinner has been consistently happening at around 9pm or later.

Although I am getting more in terms of salary, but will all this be worth it, afterall, the portfolio here is not that great at all. Should I keep my head down, do my work as best as I could, and hope for the best, or should I take life by the balls and try my luck elsewhere?

sigh...

choices, choices, choices...

wah.. getting rather busy...

Until not much time to blog...

stupid calendar job... changes, changes and more changes...

and I am not impressed with the Mac keyboard... the buttons are too close together... or maybe my fingers are too stout...

see ya laters...

Got myself a new Desk and a new Mac...

But that doesn't help the fact that I am still a PC based person. Trying to get used to Mac and it's not that hard really. The system is not as user-friendly when compared to windows where you can see everything on your taskbar and bottomw panel, but when you get the hang of things, it's pretty cool. The only thing that's confusing is that we have a variety of versions in the office. This has caused me to go looking for non-existant buttons at different panels from the OS9 and the OSX...

But it's slowly making me into a convert... hehehehe

Well, life is looking on the up and all that. The office is ok, colleagues are still rather young and therefore politics are minimal. But then, travelling is a really big hassle. Takes so much of my time that I arrive home tired and smashed the past two days. It's not my first experience working in downtown KL, but then, I didn't have so much to do the last time around in terms of church commitment.

Seriously thinking of dropping a few things on my hand.

Well, things are getting kinda busy now. There's a lot of copy checking to do. And there's no established system here... So hoping that I don't make too much of a mistake somewhere somehow.

Till then...

Wiating and waiting and waiting

for lunchtime to arrive.

It's been great here, just a little bit slow, but then, why would I complain. The only thing about this company though, is that I don't see myself being too useful here. Maybe it's a chance to bring them to greater heights, in terms of direction, and design and the creative process. In the end, it's a design house, and I seriously wonder if they will look at me in 3 months' time and say to themselves, we don't actually need a writer. He's just here to check copy, and go through stuff.

I just hope I don't end up doing admin jobs of answering calls and replying emails. The only solace is that they've already have a secretary cum receptionist, and therefore, I am rather safe at that. But then, if I fail to make myself useful, then what's the use of being employed by them.

All I hope for now is that i will be able to offer the company a new edge so that they will be able to sell to their clients the full range of services.

So far, I've gathered that they have been using free-lance writers to do jobs for them, and my gut tells me that I'm a permanent replacement for these free-lancers, poor souls, who lost their side income because of me... and hopefully, I'll be able to justify my wages with the stuff that I write.

Come on, clients, you must learn to love me. You have to... you must!!!

And on the 2nd Day,

He madeth milo!

Well, starting to settle in the new environment and all that, my colleagues are rather on-time, no late comers with everyone arriving at the office almost on the dot.

Reached home at 9 last night. I actually finished my stuff by around 6.00pm but since no one left the office, I didn't want to look bad by being the first one to go, so I waited until someone made a move.

Will blog more later... the bosses are walking around.

Although I have nothing much to do yet, I should at least look busy.

I'm trying very hard to look busy... and it's tiring.

Not bad for a start...

Well, it's been smooth sailing thus far...

It's a small setup, with a staff of approximately 10 ppl.

My colleagues have either gone out for lunch or meeting with clients. I think I'm alone in the office.

Anyhow, from my brief session with a boss and senior colleague during lunch just now, I gather that it's a rather small and new setup where they are geneally still trying out a few systems. Nothing is in place, so, you have the bosses, and you have the employees. Everyone works as and when they're told to do so, and there's apparently no Creative Director or stuff like that. The Art Directors handle their own accounts, supervised by the boss. And I still don't know where I come in. So, for now, I am here to do whatever gets thrown at me, and will report to whoever gives me the job.

No system, but at least it's a smalla nd friendly operation.

Hoping for the best now...

Now back to looking busy before they come back...

I'm Back!!!

Well, I'm now in my new office, and it's pretty queit in here.

The setup is pretty small and cozy, and the people are rather friendly I guess. Still waiting to see where lunch will be and so far, everyone's been busy with their own stuff.

I've been asked to do quite a lot of copy check and I'm using a Mac!

It's a bit tough getting my way around the interfaces and the OS, but luckily I've seen some people working on Macs during my time at my previous agency.

Well, will blog more when I'm more used to the colleagues and bosses. Now, I must act diligent.

Waiting, hungry, when's lunch???

Nothing to do...

So let's talk politics & nationalism. More conspiracy theories ahead

So the first and foremost realisation is that the Government is smarter than you think. As the people, we always regard the Government as stupid, and that they know no better. But the truth is, the Government has all the information, all the tools and all the reasons to make you think so.

People might say that we have a good and caring Government and all that just by looking at the news this morning. That they have acted and reacted accordingly to the aid of the Rakyat by helping reduce some financial burdens especially in the roadtax department. If you've read my previous entry on yet another conspiracy theory, you'd have realised something by now.

What the Government is actually doing is they are merely delaying their profits. They reduce your road tax by a mere RM50-RM100 a year and you think that's great? If you are living in certain parts of KL, you'll have lost that on the roads in 1 month! Tell me. Except for the upkeep of the minor roads outside your house and maybe the Federal Highway, which is always congested anyways, where does the money from Road tax collection go? NO WHERE!!! It goes into the treasury, wherever they want to channel it. And the fact of the matter is, we've been paying double all the while. So what's the wrong in cutting down the cheaper source of income by an unsignificant amount?

Now the scenario is this. We have been paying both our roadtax and numerous tolls around the Klang valley to get around. So, whichever road we use, money still goes into the government's coffers. Tell me. How does one go to Klang without paying a single toll? How does one go into Puchong without paying a single toll? How do you end up in KLIA without paying a single cent to the government? Trunk roads will most often be a good 10-20km detour. If I live in Sunway, how do you pressume I get myself to OUG in Old Klang without paying the toll? Do a 15km detour from the Old Klang exit at the Federal Highway?

Either way, you pay and pay and pay and pay until you can pay no more. So what you see as a decrease in collections, is actually a delay of profits when you sit on the Government's perspective. Either way, the Government will still get you.

You can just imagine the Minister of Transport going to his office everyday to plan where else he can put a toll! Cause that's how it is!

Oh... Since today's my last day,

I won't be able to blog tomorrow because I will not have access to the net...

So, to all my ardent, invinsible and imaginary fans, or trolls, business will only resume on Monday.

Hopefully.

If you don't see any posts by Monday evening, it'll be the first indication that I'll be switching companies again...

I mean where got Ad Agency that doesn't subscribe to Broadband one???

It's my Last Day!

And seriously, I don't know how to feel.

I can be the nicest brat that ever lived and make a little fuss about me still having work to do, or I can play it cool and not do anything at all, and simply walk out the door after a few goodbyes. Maybe just slip away unnoticed when my colleagues are playing cards.

I really don't know. Part of me burns for revenge, because I do feel that I have been treated unfairly by the system. But then, that could be reasoned down to me not being competant in knowing the company better. I simply lost out in the political war that's within this office, and business is business, so no feelings involved. Up until today, I still don't know whether my downfall has been caused by a revolt in front of my colleague, and therefore, she has been plotting against me since then or something.

But my general observation is that I have not been on the boss' good books since I arrived. He has always looked at me with a kind of scepticism and has never came to like me nor my style. The other boss who interviewed me and sold me to this boss saying that I am good enough and I have potential isn't in the office most of the time, but still, he's an objective man I would say.

So, actually, I think I got muscled out by the old-timers whose shoes that I didn't want to lick. Then the other theory is that I came into the office at the wrong time, and lost a lot of ground. I have been left to feel around the dark. Nobody briefed me about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. By now, I still couldn't grasp how the system in here works. Maybe they don't have a system. I mean, the Associate Creative Director doesn't lead the creative team, and the boss, whose the Creative Director simply gives his input when stuff are presented to him. Then, supposedly, the Creative Director listens more to his partner, the Accounts Director (the fella who hired me) when it comes to creative direction, and this fella is often not in the office. There's a whole lot of confusion in the creative process.

Then, everybody in the office apparently will ask you more questions rather than give you answers and expect you to know. The general way I learn anything is that "Do you know what MICE means?" "You'd better find it out because when the boss asks you, then you're in trouble."
Like, why can't you tell me there and then what the heck is MICE??? or something like that? It's like they expect you to know something that you don't, but then they are not ready to tell you what is it that you don't know.

Now someone tell me, how does that work?? How do I learn anything like that?

Seriously, if I really grade myself and my time here, I can dare say I learnt nothing about how copywriting should be done in a big/medium agency. All I learnt during my time here is that I have to perform better. What is better? You'd better find that out before you get into trouble with the boss.

The past 3 months have been an eye opener. I can only take the lesson as such. I have the privilege of working on a major account but yet, it wasn't anything creative, and would seem like a desparate name drop if I put it into my CV. The other stuff were normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

So, I'm hoping for the best in the new company.

:)

Oh...

My freaking 20,000km service costs me RM360!!! How crazy can that get???

I am in between jobs lar HARLOW!!!???

The car better come back refreshed and nicer to drive. I sent it for servicing because I could feel the lack in power and the roughness of the engine whenever I rev it up... If not, then I'm going to burst whatever diminutive savings that I have for nothing!!!

*Note to self: Must not go whimpering for aid from daddy.

Sitting here... after lunch...

shaking my legs until the food in my stomach starts to feel funny.

Life can be so bad sometimes... Why didn't the boss offset my 2 days earned leave??

I am seiously sitting here with noting to do, no where to go, and I have exhausted all my frequently visited websites.

Somebody help...

There! I've finished my job in hand.

It's a funny feeling.

I've supposedly finished my jobs at hand and I am sitting here in the office with nothing to do, but yet, the company still insists on paying me to sit here. How frustrating can that get?

I mean, tomorrow will be my last day and yet, the boss still hasn't asked me to hand over my jobs to anyone, and I have just handed-in a half-hearted effort of a pitch job to his partner. I say this is half-hearted because the pitch is not due until some time next week, and I would've been long gone before the finalisation of the visuals. And yet, he still wants me to handle the job, finish what I can, and hand in the stuff for the pitch job. I am pretty sure that they'll say that my work is sub-standard and whatever-not, and they'll come up with 'better' headers when I'm gone... so, I keep asking myself, "why bother?"

So there you have it, my version/options whatever. He should've let me go by offsetting my 2 days leave and let the other writer, whom he loves, take over. I mean, since I am so weak in so many areas, why does he still insist that I do it? It's not like I'll be here to finish it anyway.

And worst is, his partner will not be coming in today. He's gone down to Melaka for some stint, and thus, the stuff will not be finalised. And any dirty work left behind will be done by the other writer anyways...

So I keep asking myself, "Why bother?"

I know I have to professional at this, but yet, you can't blame me for not being motivated to do your work. It's you who didn't want to confirm me in the very beginning, and now you want to keep me here for as long as you can? What shit is that lar??

I'm just pissed because I spent 2 hours getting to work.. So it's a little bit of corporate overspill here... No offense intended.

It's a Public Conspiracy.

Sometimes I really wonder if it's a purposeful inefficiency.

Now here's the conspiracy theory.

Today, I sent my Proton to the supposedly, BEST EON service centre available to man, at Glenmarie. Fine, I was actually quite happy with the service and all but the conspiracy theory came when I was actually waiting for a bus to get myself to Kelana Jaya LRT Station.

Now, I arrived infront of Sunway Pyramid and attempted to wait for a bus at a bus stop. I started waiting at 7.25am, and found myself standing up, sitting down, walking around turning my head towards the right to see if a bus was approaching. Low-and-behold, the bus only came at 8.15am! Almost 1 freakin hour, I wasted my time. And eventually, I arrived at my office at 9.25am!

Can anyone tell me why did I just spend 2 hours trying to get myself to work?

This is a conspiracy at the highest level. And since the bus operators and LRT operators are, well maybe half, Government owned, maybe, JUST MAYBE, the government is trying to do the following...

1. Make the public transport as unreliable as possible so that people would buy their good-riddence-to-quality Proton cars.
2. Reduce subsidy for petrol/diesel so that they can spend the money elsewhere. And I wonder where the subsidy goes to while the Government is seemingly enjoying a surplus in returns. Besides, the price hike will make public transport more unreliable.
3. Get people to wake up early and to bed late, spend time travelling in air polluted environment so that people will spend more on Medical bills and insurance.
4. Increase cost of living by incresing price of petrol and diesel so that the Rakyat will work harder to feed thier petrol tanks
5. Build more 'government subsidised' low cost housing so that they can cram people into the same area and create congestion and test the public transport services.
6. Build more 'effective' highways where they can get people to pay toll everywhere they go
7. Make the rakyat spend more time in jams, thus burn more fuel, Or spend more money on tolls and burn less fuel. Whichever your way to work, the government will get you.
8. Purposely build the most reliable LRT systems in the nation just a little bit further from the biggest and most congested residential area in PJ/Subang so that 80 people can cram into 40 seater bus, spending an hour, to get to the LRT station.
9. Or better still, get these people to drive there, and pay RM2 per day for parking, and another RM2+ to get to your office and earn RM4+ from you daily! And not forgetting that they'll burn more fuel in the jam
10. Last of all, make a perfectly good road for you to drive on, then dig up part of it two weeks later (for supposedly TNB works) to rattle up your car a bit so that you will get your car serviced regularly at EON and earn millions on tax returns from the import of drive shafts and suspension units..

Whao! That was my first 'Top 10 List'.

What an achievement...

Blogging is a sort of Dualism...

Well, a lesson that I've been learning from my pastor is that there's this thing known as dualism, where the ancient Greeks (initiated by Plato) practised.

Dualism in a nutshell means that an individual can be separated into the Mind and the Body. And both are mutually exclusive, as it were. This means that I can be a devout believer in a faith, but yet, because Mind and Body is separate, I can do anything to my Body as I wished. Maybe the modern term for this hypocracy, but that's slightly different in context. Well, blogging is somewhat similar to this. What I blog is seemingly detached from my physical body as it were. Sometimes, we blog or rant about our friends, colleagues, bosses, and whoever we want to write about. And seemingly, this does not really get our physical self into trouble. Or maybe a few out there has suffered from putting sensative material onto their blogs. There are instances where people bitch about an incident where they get stick from their colleagues, but because the colleagues don't read the blog, they are safe.

So, does this mean that whenever we operate in the dark, we can practise dualism freely. That I can be a devout believer in what I write is true to myself, bad-mouthing my colleague/friends, but in the real world, I am rubbing shoulders and shinning shoes for them?

So which is the truth?

That I hate my colleagues, or that I am truly a suck-up?

That is why I never play suck-up.

Just got my reply confirming my resignation

Well, the Administrator called me in and handed me the letter that supposedly confirms my resignation. It's like, what else can they do to me besides holding back my salary? And that too, will only complicate matters if I happen to plead my case with the employment department??

The letter duly says that they confirm my last day at the 8th of September, and my 2 days accrued leave will be credited to me pro-rated.

So, it's bye-bye suckers... No lar... actually, I do find that leaving this company would be beneficial to both parties. The agency needs a senior writer, and I need to learn off a senior writer. Well, life ain't all a bed of roses. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...

And I do think that this time, both lost.

So I should check my balance in my account properly this end of the month...

A funky housemate...

I have nothing else to rant about, so maybe I should rant about this funky housemate of mine...

Well, a little background... The fella lives in the living room, and how this happened was a series of 'should-have-known-better' kind of events. It was around February this year, and he had 2 months before completing his degree at the College that Loves your Money. So happened at that time, there was another friend looking for a place to stay, and since this friend was already bunking with my other housemate in the master room, he offered this friend his room, in view that he was going off after his degree. So that's how he struck a deal and stayed outside, in the living room. And since he won't be paying rent, and we can't have a free-rider, we got him to pay for the utility bills. Now, he comes home to sleep every-now-and-then. Where he spends his nights, I really don't know, and can't be bothered to know.

Now about the utility bills... My parents were in town a few days back. So naturally, I roughed it out at the living room, and slotted my parents into the small room of mine. They didn't mind roughing it out, so, there I was, sleeping outside with the mosquitos. And since the mosquitos and the heat were so bad, I decided to switch on the air-con, in view of chipping-in when the bills came. So I was a happy camper until the third day, I came home and found that the remote control for the air-con was missing. And this is not the first time. The previous time it went missing, I happened to found it by mistake. My Cell Group had to switch times one fine week, and we had no other place to go. So I offered to meet at my cramped apartment. (Note: The fella's stuff is normally all over the living room) So I messaged my housemates, telling them about the meeting, and that I will be cleaning the living room. And lo-and-behold, while I was re-arranging some stuff this guy stacked up, which looked precariously perched on top of a big box, I stumbled upon the air-con remote hidden beneath some hard box where his stand-fan stood. And as of this morning, the remote is still not within sight.

I keep telling myself not to judge this guy, but he's got actus-reas and mens-rea. It's him who's paying the bills, and probably, he's not in a good financial situation because he's still not found a job, and the usage of the air-con would definately hike up the electricity bills.

Although I must admit that I didn't tell him that I would help out with the bills because I used to air-con, but he wasn't home half the time. And besides, I don't think I would be as irrational to not help-out with a rough amount of what I would have used over that 1 week.

But that was the line. You can judge me, you can lie to me, heck you can even rip-me-off, I don't mind. But when you question my integrity like that? Hiding the remote because you think that I won't pay you back? Now that is something else. And apparently, this guy is not too bright as well. There's always a manual switch located inside the filter flap of any conventional air-con... I think all air-cons come with that. So I still went about sleeping happily with the air-con on anyways, with or without the remote. The only thing is that I can only enjoy the unit's last remembered settings...

So last night, I confronted him. And guess what!?? He acted as if it was a surprise to him as well! THE NERVE!!! He came home complaining about the heat, and being very tired and all that, so I dropped a hint, saying something like "Well, if you didn't hide the remote, we would be able to enjoy some deserved air-conditioning." I said that twice and he acted as if he didn't hear it, I think he was supposedly panicking how to react to my accusations. Then after I rephrased the same thing, he came out in a very loud voice, exclaiming what we all already knew 3 days ago, "Ui, where's the air-con remote oh?" and proceeded to attempt to find it among his pile of junk.

I remember clearly, that the remote was sitting nicely tucked in its wall mount the last time I used it.

Now it's gone...

And it's time this housemate's going as well.

That was the last draw.

Lunchtime gossips lead to more info...

Apparently, my colleague got fired within the day itself because she had 4 days earned leave. So that means, she needn't come report for work today...

So my question is, if she had 4 days, then I would have at least 3 days (because I came in a good two weeks after she did) and therefore, if I resigned on the 2nd (last Friday), then 7 days notice would mean (7 days minus 3 earned leave days) I can go by the end of today? or tomorrow??

Does it work like that?

And if I work until Thursday (which is my tentative last day) then the company should compensate the 3 days leave. No?

someone help...???

Today is the start of a new week,

and as usual, Monday sucked like Mondays should... I woke up with a catch on my neck, and it hurts slightly whenever I turn my head to the left. And I woke up with an aching body. Might be caused by almost 2 weeks of inactivity on the football field.

Anyways, one of my colleagues got fired on Friday, and left there and then. No 7 days notice, no fuss, no shit... I wonder if I would have suffered the same fate if I hadn't handed in my resignation letter earlier that day. So now, I'm preparing to finish all the stuff that was given to me, and leave this forsaken place...

The only thing on my mind was whether I was in the wrong. Did I not perform well enough, or has it always been a conspiracy against me from the very beginning? On one side, the management knew that I had very little, close to nothing, experience and yet they took me in as the more senior, and I really didn't perform up to their standards, but they knew I had little experience, and their experience in the industry should have told them that it does not work that way... But they confirmed the other guy, who was supposed to be my junior, and left me out to dry... And seriously, I do think that I am more capable than the dude. But then, there isn't any fair competition to be made as comparison anyway. I've been doing radio, TV and press whereas he's only done leaflets with a pinch of press ads here and there, and the clients he handles are more direct. A lot to do, but his clients come with a direct instruction. I think I can do well at that, cause I have been well trained to do that... and I would have fitted in instantly. Not that I want his job or anything, but I just feel weird that the management takes in the fella who had no experience at all, and let the one with more experience go.

Well, whatever lar. I've found myself a new job, and couldn't be bothered too much about it.

The only weird thing though, is that the boss has yet to call me into his office for the final instructions... Up until now, I am still handling a few jobs that will still go on through until after I leave. I am not handling it over to my colleague first... simply because I have not been directed to do so... *evil smirk*

Office politics... Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em...

At last, I can be me again....

My parents were in town for the entire week, and I had a rather interesting week.

Now, they're safely back at home, in my lovely hometown.

I enjoyed my time with them and really had fun chatting with both of them. Most of the time, when I go home for Chinese New Year, either one fo them would be busy doing something. It was only at times like these that I can chat with them, both together. See, I only go back once in a year, and that too is during the normally hectic Chinese New Year celebrations. But the last few years have been more and more familial, and less social. I don't think I have many friends back in my hometown now... Out of sight, out of touch, out of mind... So, now, whenever i go back to my hometown, it's all about family. Seeing my parents, grandparents, and the occasional friend.

I enjoy having chats with my parents. And my, we could chat through the whole night if I hadn't need to go to work... and they would do the same thing also if I went back...

Now that the cat's outta the Bag...

I can write freely about my resignation.

Well, first of all, the main reason that I am leaving is that the agency needs a senior copywriter, and my 9 months experience prior to joining them did little to prepare me for the task that awaited me. So, I guess business is business, and when the agency didn't want to confirm me, I get the hint. Thanks to the boss in a way that he let me leave with my pride intact.

Now, the series of events that happened prior to me resignation.

Monday 22nd Aug: Boss reviewed me, told me that I am weak in certain areas and thus pro-longed my probation period.

Tuesday 23rd Aug: Ex-agency yahoo msg'ered me asking how I felt if I were to go back. Didn't tell them about the review and the pro-longed probation period, held an extra card in my hands.

Wednesday 24th Aug: Felt demotivated at work, haven't gotten much sleep over the matters so I called my mom and talked things over, trying to hint that I will leave this present company even if it means that i will be jobless. Made up my mind to look for a job. Found a copy of The Classifieds lying at the bottom of my staircase dated 22nd Aug. Picked it up and found 1 single ad looking for a Copywriter with minimum 2 years working experience. Grumbled about the employment market and why aren't there any agencies looking for writers.

Thursday 25th Aug: Fine-tuned my resume, checked for spelling and typo errors, and emailed it to the abovementioned agency. They called in half an hours' time asking me to go for an interview on that same evening. Told them I'll try to make it after work, and they chose to wait for me. The interview didn't go too well by anyone's standards, I had no portfolio with me, and they had nothing to refer to, so it was a 'Hi, Bye' type of interview. Left without much hope, but still, they gave me a test assignment, and I duly obliged. Actually was thinking about returning the information brochure that they wanted me to write on because it seemed that it was a waste of both my time and thiers.

Friday 26th Aug: Felt sad waking up to a hopeless morning. Went to work, bought the papers in hope that I can find another recruitment ad. And remarkably, nothing!!! No one wants to hire a copywriter!! I had nothing to do at the office during lunch-hour, so I started writing the test. Spent a good 15 minutes re-structuring the Unique Selling Propositions, and re-writing them in my own words and sent it to them after a good spell check.

[Fast Forward]

Monday 29th Aug: To my disbelief, they called me asking me to join them! So, the tug-of-war between getting my offer letter before handing in my resignation letter began. They wanted me on board asap, and I had to serve 7 days notice. Asked me to get my offer letter on Tuesday night, but I wasn't free, so I declared to be there on Thursday, since Wednesday was a public holiday.

Tuesday 30th Aug: Typed out my resignation letter before I left for the holidays, and planned to get a colleague to hand it to my boss. But decided later that it was a bit rude to have done so... Thursday, I was on-leave, brought parents to Genting for a day trip.

[Fast Forward]

Friday 2nd Sept: Came in, retyped the resignation letter, changed the dates, and handed it in. So now, my last day will be next Thursday.

So, I consider it divine intervention that I found the copy of classifieds that led to my new job at a rubbish heap.

Now, back to work...

It's been a hell of a ride...

I am tendering my resignation today...

Found a job in KL, and serving out my 7 days notice as of now...

Handed the letter to the secretary, but the boss haven't come in yet.

Been inactive for the past 3 days because:

Tuesday: Streamyx wasn't working... what are the odds of that happening on the eve of Merdeka?
Wednesday: National Day, public holiday
Thursday: Advanced leave to bring my parents around.

Got loads to do before the end of my 7 days, so better get straight to it....

see yas...