idle thoughts #6

Today is D-Day and all systems are go. We are a little nervous about the Apollo 13 module but I think it's a risk we can afford to take at this point. We have put in some mitigation work, so hopefully it'll be OK.

I have a nasty cold and need to go to the pharmacy.

Lots of things in my mind - not very good for the soul. I guess it's about doing what right, what's necessary and what's highest on the priority list. It would be insane to listen to everyone and trying to keep everyone happy.

idle thoughts #5

1.

Apparently I don't even have to do anything to get whacked. I got a lot of 2nd hand information but I can't really be arsed to deal with all the noises.

2.

Woke up late Sunday morning and then spent the time in bed except for: (a) menggunakan tandas (b) prayers, and (c) makan. Prepared a quick chicken dish and chapati, and it was nice that for once I didn't have to go out of the place at all.

Did many productive things over and above the usual nose-picking and navel-gazing.

(a) Watched Hancock, Wanted, The Love Guru, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Any Given Sunday and I don't know what else - everything became a big blur somewhere between Love Guru and Zohan.

(b) Experimented with the cooking. It was pretty fun but generally a waste of perfectly good chicken breasts. In the end, Pizza Hut was the biggest gainer.

(c) Read Tipping points: Viewpoints on the reasons for and impact of the March 8 election earthquake, Mahathir vs. Abdullah: Covert Wars and Challenged Legacies, The Starfish and the Spider, and Dunia belum Kiamat 1. Not all are exactly worthy reads, but I quite like the rojakness of it all. What was missing was a sprinkle of URTV and Media Hiburan. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect Sunday.

3.

We're back at the War Room. It's less than 24 hours to showtime but we still have all these intense meetings with folks and vendors. Very unnecessary but we did what we had to do. I could do with a little less distractions, but it is what it is. Best to deal with things which matter the most.

Two more short discussions over the next couple of hours and I can look forward to dinner.

idle thoughts #4 (go flight)

Finally, I think we are ready to go forward. Not exactly straight into 7th gear, but I think things are beginning to fall into all the right places. The next few days will still be hard on the nervous system, but we'll be OK. A couple of finishing touches and we're good for lift-off.

Focus. Dilligence. Industry.

That's all we need, and it's not fucking rocket science.

Looks like we're going to pull an all-nighter again tonight, but at least I can look forward to a quiet Sunday - books and food and English Premier League matches - and it'll be good to be out of town. It's been a long time since the last break.

idle thoughts #3

I know it's true, it's all because of you
And if I make it through, it's all because of you
And now and then, if we must start again
Well we were not sure, that I love you

(from 'Now and Then')

Have a good weekend everyone.

idle thoughts #2

thou shalt not cloggeth thy mailboxeth.

and in the same way, thous shalt not cluttereth thine mind with stupid and unnecessary issues.

twisted (part 67, in which the duck gets roasted)

I see.

So I'm the bastard here, eh?

OK.

free books (again)

I've got spare copies of the following books and I don't intend to turn my place into some bloody library. So I'm giving them out for FREE:

1. THE PRIZE: THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY & POWER
   Author: Daniel Yergin, 1991
   Condition: Not quite mint, but very good. Other info.: Written by the Pulitzer Prize Winner, this book is a must-read and often considered the best starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the oil industry; retails RM41.27 at Kinokuniya.
   
2. QUALITY IS STILL FREE: MAKING QUALITY CERTAIBN IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
   Author: Philip B. Crosby, 1996
   Condition: Very good but the dust jacket is a little scuffed at the edge. Other info.: Crosby is considered one of the modern Quality Gurus. This copy is signed by the late author.
   
3. ANGELA'S ASHES: A MEMOIR (Paperback)
   Author: Franck McCourt, 1996
   Condition: Used and abused! :) Other info.: What else is there to say about this International Bestseller and Pulitzer Prize Winner?

As usual, send your mailing address to skywritingstudio@gmail.com and I will do the rest. Free postage, first-come-first-served, etc.

selamat tinggal Oreos

Considering my current weight and the projected figures in the next 5 years, I have decided to stay away from my favourite all-purpose cookies, OREOS™.

This is such a sad day but it's something I have to do for now. But I guess in life, it's all about making choices and as Sir Mick and his Rolling mates sang a long time ago, you don't always get what you want.

I shall miss them cookies.

idle thoughts #1

1.

Clutttered Saturday, so I went for a walk at KLCC park. It was early morning and it was quiet and I liked being alone with my thoughts.

Been reading a bit but I'm finding it hard to focus. Maybe I'm just mentally tired after all the research for the perfect storm. Maybe I just need to switch off for a while.

Except that I can't.

2.

I have this song in my head the whole weekend.

For whatever reason, I keep thinking about the period 1977-1979.

3.

Too many things on my mind and it's tiring. I haven't really said anything thus far - I've been advised not to - but I think I will write about it sometime soon.

Malas nak fikir, so I'm just going to lepak and watch the traditional curtain raiser, the Community Shield match tonight. My prediction? Portsmouth will beat Man United 2-0.

sembang Jumaat

1.

Rasulullah s.a.w. ada bersabda:

"Setiap anak Adam akan dijaga oleh dua malaikat. Malaikat yang di sebelah kanan lebih berkuasa dari yang sebelah kiri."

Sekiranya seseorang anak Adam melakukan dosa maka malaikat yang di sebelah kiri akan bertanya pada malaikat di sebelah kanan katanya, "Apakah yang harus aku catat?"

Kata malaikat di sebelah kanan, "Jangan kamu catit dahulu dosanya sehingga ia melakukan 5 kesalahan."

Malaikat yang di kiri bertanya lagi,"Kalau ia telah melakukan 5 kesalahan, apa yang harus aku catatkan?"

Jawab malaikat kanan, "Biarkannya, sehingga ia membuat kebaikan kerana kami telah diberitahu oleh Allah s.w.t bahawa satu kebaikan akan mendapat 10 pahala. Oleh itu hapuskanlah 5 kesalahannya yang lalu sebagai tebusan dan kami masih simpankan untuknya 5 pahala lagi."

Tercenganglah syaitan mendengarkannya lalu berkata,"Kalau macam ini sampai bilakah aku dapat merosakkan anak Adam?"

Demikianlah rahmat Allah pada hambanya, kasih sayangNya melimpah ruah tiada terbatas hanya hambanya saja yang lalai dan leka dengan keseronokkan serta kemewahan dunia.

2.

After a pretty tense morning, the Boss finally signed off the proposal. We have been working since Tuesday morning on the pack and we have been chasing potential sponsors as well. Now we have the green light to see the Veep on Monday - fingers crossed etc. and we're hoping for a good outcome. With less than 2 weeks to go, this is no joke.

Now I can get on with some spring cleaning (pretty much my first since 2003).

3.

I'm tired, my back is aching, and I have a lot of my mind. I worry about things, but I'm also old enough to understand and accept that there is only so much that you can do. The rest will have to be based on the principle of equity and reciprocity. No one expects me to save the world anyway.

More of that later lah. Now is time to distract myself and think about more important things in life.

kehilangan besar buat negara

Lewat malam semalam saya sempat membaca akhbar harian percuma terunggul The Sun. Saya terperanjat beruk membaca berita Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz akan bersara daripada Wanita UMNO pada pertengahan tahun 2009.

Berita ini pasti akan diterima opleh sekalian rakyat dengan rasa sayu dah syahdu yang amat sangat, dan ianya adalah kehilangan yang amat besar kepada negara. Saya pasti para ahli Wanita UMNO akan beramai-ramai menyerbu bel;iau seraya berkata, "Nooooooooooo!!!!" bagi mengahalang beliau daripada bersara.

Untuk makluman semua, pemimpin yang sering digelar 'Iron Lady' atau 'Wanita Besi' (sesetengah golongan Wanita UMNO menggelarkan beliau 'Wanita Kuku Besi') ini ialah pemimpin sayap Wanita UMNO yang paling lama berkhidmat.

Jasa beliau amat banyak sekali - jika tidak, masakan beliau dianugerahkan gelaran 'Tan Sri' - tetapi malangnya beliau telah ditolak oleh kepimpinan Barisan Nasional selepas Pilihanraya Umum ke 12 baru-baru ini. Beliau yang memenangi kerusi Parlimen Kuala Kangsar tanpa mengisi borang pencalonan dengan betul tetaopi tidak disenaraikan dalam kabinet Pak Lah yang terbaru.

Desas-desus mengatakan bahawa Pak Lah mahu datuk Seri Shahrizat, Timbalan Ketua Wanita UMNO, menerajui pergerakan Wanita UMNO. Tetapi ini hanyalah satu 'interim measure' ataupun langkah sementara kerana Shahrizat diberitakan hanya akan memanaskan kerusi Ketua Wanita UMNO selama satu penggal sebelum beliau akan dipenggal kepalanya untuk memberi laluan kepada Datuk Azalina Othman. Namun ini hanyalah desas-desus yang mungkin tidak mempunyai asas yang kukuh sama sekali.

Semasa membuat pengumuman yang beliau akan bersara tidak lama lagi, Tan Sri Rafidah sempat membuat lawak dan mengatakan bahawa keputusan beliau itu adalah muktamad dengan syarat jawatan Ketua Wanita UMNO dan Timbalannya tidak dipertandingkan dalam pemilihan pucuk pimpinan UMNO November ini.

this my island, and this is my Ireland

1.

Working on some stuff today:

"When I first started out, I expected the workplace to be crammed with girls so bewitchingly beautiful that even Keira Knightley looks like a gorilla, going ooh-la-la from one cubicle to another. This turned out to be a huge mistake, of course."

"On the crushingly rare occasions that you end up in a meeting which discusses a subject which is actually interesting, you can count on getting bumbling presenters whose voices are either like Bjork on helium or a dinosaur which falls into a vat of boiling oil."

"In order to win the top prize and officially become your Boss’ bitch, you will need to be adept at office politics. If you have any ambition at all to climb up the organisation totem pole in the shortest time possible, then you need to learn how to play the game quickly. Much as you loathe the machinations and Machiavellian manoeuvring, office politics is an indispensable toolkit for modern-day executives. Otherwise, it will be a bit like being to war to Iraq by George W. Bush with nothing more than a spoon."

2.

As for all the other stuff at work, you have no idea how infuriating things can be sometimes.

3.

Should I just let it be?

keputusan peperiksaan

The letter from Glasgow finally arrived.

I passed both Financial & Management Accounting and Finance & Financial Management papers, and the marks are not too bad. Alhamdulillah.

One more elective to go, InsyaAllah.

tentative comeback

I didn't realise until just now that I have not updated my blog for a month.

One WHOLE month!

No, I haven't been away. I was just a little busy with work, and it got to a point where it was all so overwhelming.

I spent the last 4 weeks working on "Project Conversation" and it was a pretty big deal (at least to me) and I couldn't afford to screw it up.

The project is work-related and its design was based partly on my diploma thesis for Melbourne University. The kind folks at Melbourne Uni of course rubbished my thesis because, apparently, they could't see real, tangible value that my proposal could bring to the table.

Unlike some other thesis/projects which showed the nice Professors how they could sell X units of cooking gas with Y% profit margin bla bla bla, my thesis was more of a conceptual proposal. In the end, the whole premise of my thesis - "quality of conversation equals quality of business performance" - was considered weak and not good enough.

Anyway, the "Project Conversation" went well, I think, and the main sponsors looked pretty happy with how things turn out. I'm old enough to know that I should be grateful for God's small mercies in life.

So regardless of what Melbourne Uni said, I'm happy. I mean, they can shove the diploma transcript up their arses for all I care. The way I see it (yes, this is me having a pretty HUGE ego) my thesis was vindicated.

Sometimes you just have to trust your instinct and just do things, you know.

I'm not sure if I'm going to blog again after this. For now, I'm writing some stuff - 9,000 words is no joke - and that will keep me occupied/distracted for a while.

I think I'll be back once that bit is done and once I get past the "First 100 Days" mark on the new job.

In the meantime, there's always facebook.

here we go again

Another sodomy charge.

And that's the best we can do?

Sheesh.

a work in progress

There's nothing to write and my mind is full of all sorts of stuff. The past 4 weeks have been a little overwhelming but I guess it's just part of growing up.

The following is an excerpt of a work-in-progress [yes Amir, the deadline is foremost on my mind :)]:

"I don't know if one can ever be truly happy because in the final analysis, working life is a labyrinth of contradiction where all the good stuff and the not-so-good stuff co-exist. It's a bit like Amsterdam, really. There's the more cultured Amsterdam, the city of clogs and cheese, with some rather magnificent quaint buildings. There's also the seedier, sleazier Amsterdam - all neon brothels, hash bar and red light district along the canal in De Wallen. The workplace is a heap of paradox, a maze through which we have to negotiate, and to expect otherwise would be foolish."

I'm gunning for 5,000 words by mid-July - should be enough time for review, comments and (God forbid) a re-write.

kenapakah kau terlalu bodoh?

From a Dow Jones (a.k.a BatuApiYangBodoh Agency) report:

19:53 17 Jun2008
Malaysia Politician: Petronas Bosses "Living Like Kings"

PENANG, Malaysia (AFP) - The chief minister of Malaysia's Penang state has accused the bosses of national energy firm Petronas of "living like kings" while the public is forced to pay higher fuel prices.

Lim Guan Eng, whose Democratic Action Party seized control of the island state, a major technology and manufacturing hub, in March general elections, called on Petronas to reveal all details of its revenues and expenses.

"They should stop behaving like kings who feel they are not accountable to anyone but themselves," he told reporters.

"They have private jets - we want to know how many. They have luxury cars - we want to know how many," he said.

"Petronas must also tell the people how much money it is spending on sponsorship," he said, accusing it of spending millions on supporting orchestras and international events.

Lim dismissed the firm's recent decision to issue a report on its finances, saying it would be too general and only pay lip-service to demands for more accountability.

"It will not throw any light on how their expenses were accounted for," he said. Lim said Petronas should realize there is growing public anger against it following a recent 41% fuel price hike by the government which has triggered a series of street protests. The opposition has condemned the price rise, saying that as a net exporter of oil, Malaysia should not have to withdraw fuel subsidies so steeply.


My take:
Is this guy bodoh or what? Next time you want to whack people, get your facts straight la Mr Einstein. It is idiotic to use the petrol hike issue for political mileage. That is cheap, disgraceful and idiotic. OKlah you're a Chief Minister and all, but I still think you're a certified idiot.

Bosses of PETRONAS living like kings? Have you actually seen their houses? Even Tan Sri Hassan Marican lives in some taman perumahan in Ampang la dei.

PETRONAS has always revealed their accounts in accordance with Companies Act and have always conducted their business and appropriate disclosure as per Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974. By the way, PDA clearly stated that PETRONAS direct to the Prime Minister. You want it to be different, you go to the Parliament and change the statute la. Why the f*** do you keep whacking PETRONAS? PETRONAS employees are also human beings and they have feelings too. You think they like some clueless monkey saying stupid things like this, issit?

Yang Berhormat, what the f*** do you mean by "They should stop behaving like kings who feel they are not accountable to anyone but themselves"? Again, I think you should get your facts right. Either fire your stupid advisers for giving bad advice or fire yourself for being such a daft p**** who believe in half-baked advice from bengong advisers.

As for your comment that "They have private jets - we want to know how many. They have luxury cars - we want to know how many," I think it's very interesting. I'm not sure about private jets (plural!) and you need to ask PETRONAS. As for luxury cars, I thought every business also got company cars. I don't think PETRONAS top chiefs driving BMW cars is something particularly unusual. For all we know, PETRONAS actually gets a hefty discount from Auto Bavaria since PETRONAS is a partner.

And of course, Yang Berhormat, I find the following statement hilarious: "Petronas should realize there is growing public anger against it following a recent 41% fuel price hike by the government which has triggered a series of street protests."

Why are you blaming PETRONAS??? It's not PETRONAS benefitting from the whole thing. Ask the ruling government la. You are barking at the wrong tree, peeing at the wrong fire hydrant. If you want to blame PETRONAS, go blame Shell and ExxonMobil also lah. Bugger...

The question now is NOT whether or not PETRONAS is doing/has done enough for the nation and the rakyat. The real question is how efficiently has the government been spending all the money that PETRONAS paid to them in the form of taxes, dividends and royalties.

But then again, it's buang karan trying to explain things to you lah, I guess. Too smart for your own good, too far up your own arse to even listen and think properly. I guess with some people nothing is ever good enough. Komplen, komplen, komplen. Lepas tu ada hati nak suruh kita bayar harga jambatan dia.

Trust me, I know your sort.

book review: mencari jalan pulang

Mencari Jalan Pulang: Dari Sosialisme Kepada Islam
written by Kassim Ahmad; published by ZI Publications Sdn Bhd (2008). Price RM 35.00

I bought this at the recent KLAB 08. Apparently the much-anticipated memoir of the man who is probably most famous – notorious? – for his work, Hadis: Satu Penilaian Semula, many years ago (remember the 80’s?)

Reading the book proved to be a chore. It was choppy and bumpy at best, and I didn’t find anything particularly interesting in it. This is the man touted as one of the nation’s great thinkers so I expected penetrating insights and mind-blowing observations galore. I was to be massively disappointed. It was a bit like going on a date with Beyonce and getting into bed with her, only to discover that she's a man.

I’m sorry but to me this book is utter tosh. All 234 pages of it. Even a foreword by Tun Dr Mahathir couldn’t save it. Absolute rubbish. I know there’ll be readers who would sneer at me and probably say “go write your own book Kimster before you slam other people’s book.”

Fair point, but to all these people I’m going to say bugger off and go buy yourself a new cardigan. I paid for the book, so I can say what I like about the book. I know RM35 is not a lot of money to some people (to me, that’s breakfast, lunch and dinner) but in this day and age of rising oil and food prices, I expect my RM35 to extend beyond some incoherent pages of printed words.

Should people read the book? Only of they want to, but I’d recommend them to save their energy for other more productive pursuits.

Should people buy the book? With money?

No.

barang naik

Another General Election, another petrol price hike.

Well, that is not exactly true, but I just feel like exaggerating things today. Given the current sentiment among the rakyat, I thought I’d jump onto The Bandwagon of Utter Resentment Towards No One in Particular (better known by its acronym, TBOURTNOIP). In case you’re wondering, that’s a new NGO which I founded last Saturday on my way back from breakfast in Datuk Keramat.

With the upward surge of global oil price not showing any sign of abating, people are understandably nervous. Will we see another petrol price increase before year end? Will it have an impact on the price of other goods? Will Elton John shave his legs ever again?

I guess the question foremost on everyone’s mind is: what do we do now?

I haven’t got a clue what we should, or could, do. Everyone I know thinks that the immediate future appears pretty bleak, and the longer term outlook not looking particularly bright either. Our average RM does not stretch that far anymore and our purchasing power is being slowly eroded. A close mate has likened the current situation to “being robbed by a transvestite hooker.” I did my best to point out that his analogy was not particularly apt – in fact, it was downright confusing – but I decided not to push the argument further when he shot me a look which said “I would be delighted to gently poke the fleshy part of your bottom with a chopstick if you don’t shut up this very minute.” For a while, I thought I was in a ‘Godfather’ movie sequel, minus the cool suits.

Since we have very little control of what’s happening, I suppose all we rakyat can do is adjust to the situation. I know it’s boring and stupid and all that but we just have to cut down on certain things. Selling parts of your torso might help, but as they normally say it in the market, it is not a sustainable course of action. Personally, I’ll just have to do without some luxuries like dining out and a fresh pair of boxers.

Of course, we can also join street demonstrations – there is bound to be at least one each weekend – but I guess that kind of thing is just not my bag, baby. I know that apathy is not the most endearing part of my personality make-up, and there’s no excuse, really. I just don’t like being in a large crowd and panicking at the prospect of either (a) a tear-gas attack, (b) a communal acid-and-pepper shower, (c) getting hauled onto a police truck, or (d) all of the above.

Some of you readers will/may call/label me a coward, and that’s OK. We all have our roles in this world, you know. Some people want to be out there, and either make history or be part of history. Me? I’m quite happy to be watching History Channel on Astro.

I’ve read some politicians telling the rakyat that we should all change our lifestyle. While I think this kind of foot-in-the-mouth statement is not very amusing, I have decided to listen to them. My strategy is mind-blowingly simple: go to work on alternate days and I should be able to save tones of money by my next birthday.

This I intend to do until the government improves the public transportation and mind you, I’m not asking for much here. All I want is buses with better connections and more reliable timetable, and LRT service which can carry much, much, much greater passenger load.

I think it’s hilarious that our buses and LRT are nowhere near being properly integrated. The whole system is still a mighty hassle to use, and most people would sooner ride a Tibetan goat to work and brave the dreadful morning traffic. The bus service is just too erratic and ‘consolidating’ the bus service under one or two conglomerates does not seem to get us anywhere. As for LRT, it is still as infuriating as it was 10 years ago because they still have the same number of carriages. No improvements, nothing. And the rakyat are expected to leave the comfort of their own car so that they can savor the smell of collective armpits of KL dwellers every single morning.

So I guess that leaves us with yet another brilliant idea mooted by one of the brilliant local politicians: cycling to work. This is actually a very useful alternative because the last time I checked, Malaysia is still a tropical country and it’s still 40 degree celcius out there in the sun. Think about it – you will arrive at your workplace every single day with your body properly marinated with sweat and dust, and your brain will be well and truly fried roughly half way through your journey.

Oh, sunny days ahead!


Note: the kimster is currently working on some stuff and will be inactive for a while in cyberspace although he'll still be reading his blog, emails etc.

of national service

What is so special about National Service?

I know the intention is good, but as they said the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I’d say we should scrap the programme before many more kids die. I mean, I can’t believe that they don’t provide qualified doctors at the camps. No offence to Medical Assistants, but I think we should take this more seriously.

And while I don’t expect the kids to be served with gourmet food – come on, this is not Google Corporation – I am appalled to read the apparently poor food quality. Nak bagi makan itik ke atau manusia? You might as well send the kids to a prison – at least they can pretend that they are a bunch of Michael Scofields trying to break out.

What’s the value proposition of the programme? You want to shape their character? Seriously? You can do that in a few months?

Think again.

And please don’t say that the deaths are “unfortunate” or “isolated.” That is being reckless, irresponsible, vulgar and arrogant because while it is indeed unfortunate that people die, someone has to take full responsibility for this sort of tragedy. The grieving families deserve better than being shafted by a bunch of pompous officials.

the clown

The question foremost on the minds of Manchester United fans is this: Will Ronaldo stay or will he leave the club for Real Madrid?

I think the question is irrelevant and personally, I’m sick of his antics. He wants out, just kick him out. Take the money and allow him to go to Madrid. End of story.

He is a very good player and he’s had a great season by winning the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. But his attitude is shit, so I hope Man United will let him go to Madrid so that RonalBOdo can do whatever he likes.

I personally don’t have time for mercenaries who think they are bigger than the club. And I certainly don’t want people whose heart and soul are not in it anymore.

apa akan jadi?

A very important election will take place in November 2008, and the impact on all Malaysians will be more far-reaching than we may want to acknowledge. The way things are going, we can expect a massive change of leadership to take place. Whether or not that will make things better is another matter.

I am, of course, talking about the US Presidential Election.

Barack Obama finally triumphed over Hillarious Clinton in the Democratic Party nomination for US Presidential election. Clinton conceded defeat in the tightest nomination fight in living memory, so Obama will be the one facing Republican’s John McCain in November.

He’s apparently very popular not only in the USA but also in Europe. A lot of people are taken by his charisma, his message of change and the whole brouhaha about the audacity of hope. I’ve read his book and I think he’s a decent man.

But I can’t help but think: will Obama – who has been described as a mixture of Martin Luther King and JFK – be good for the world geopolitical? Will he be the man who can ease the tension in the Middle East? He has gone on record that he’ll stop the whole Iraq nonsense but will that guarantee a more reasonable foreign policy by the United States?

As for McCain, he is seen as another Bush no matter how much he tries to distance himself from the Texas cowboy. If McCain becomes President, expect more of the same.

What will be the impact on Malaysia, direct or otherwise?

Discuss.

petrol price hike

The government of the day, in their infinite wisdom, decided to increase the price of petrol by 41%. I received an SMS on late Wednesday and the next thing I know it was all long queues at the petrol station, traffic chaos and of course, flared tempers.

Let me ask you this lah OK? Is it really necessary for everyone to suddenly rush to isi minyak? Seriously, how much do you save for that one-off mad scramble? My rough calculation is as follows:

Let's say a normal car's fuel tank capacity is 30 litres.
So you save 78 sen x 30 = RM 24.40

That's all you save after all the hassle? I mean, it's not like you have an underground fuel tank in your backyard or anything like that.

Next time, don't bother la. Stay at home, watch TV and drink tea.

And I'm absolutely going to punch my friends who can afford to drive BMWs to work but still complain about the petrol price hike.

sense and sensibility (longer than the road that stretches out ahead)

I have been thinking a lot lately about friends and friendship and loyalty and betrayal and everything else in between.

The past 12 months especially have been one invaluable lesson on the whole thing. I guess it's time to re-assess things and decide what I want to do. It feels a lot like going through your whole wardrobe and you mind goes "do I really need all these many stuff?"

I’ve been criticised in the past for being too ‘elitist’ (no, I don’t really know what that means either) when it comes to choosing my friends. Apparently I’m not approachable enough and generally think that most people are beneath me.

I don’t really know what to say or how to respond to that.

It’s never a pleasant thing when people who hardly know you start labeling you like that, and it does hurt sometimes. But I guess it doesn’t bother me all that much anymore – I’m too old and too effing weary to get all worked up by the whole nonsense. It’s daft and too high-school for my liking.

I don’t need to justify my choices, although my closest mates will tell you that there are a number of things which I value the most: loyalty, dependability, trustworthiness. I value people who are discreet and sensible, while I absolutely loathe people who can’t keep their mouth shut and talk too much.

Sometimes I can be a bit sneaky about it also lah – I would tell certain people certain things and I would observe how far the news would travel. Almost 95% of the time, people will open their big mouths ESPECIALLY when they promised you “don’t worry, I won’t tell others.”

And you know what the worst part is? They actually think that you’ll never find out. Hilarious.

I don’t choose friends based on their looks or popularity or money or any of that silly stuff, but I put a premium on trust. Some friends are, urm, not the brightest of buttons but that’s OK, you know. I’m not the local chapter pro-tem MENSA President to judge people like that.

I can be very forgiving and I tolerate idiotic friends who just can’t stop getting themselves into trouble. But they only need to betray me once and I’ll have no hesitation to kick them into touch. I can be ruthless that way, because I don’t like being around people I cannot trust. In fact, I don’t want to have any business with them.

You may or may not agree with me, but that‘s just how I see it. We should all do whatever that makes us happy, and that means we should get to decide which friends we want to keep, which friends we want to ditch or disown, and which new friends we want to make.

Life is too short and we all don’t need the hassle. Why the hell for lah? We should all be surrounded by people we love and like and care about all the time. We should all be happy – live life a little, laugh a little, cry a little, and basically be nice to each other.

Have a good week.

crossroad (part 37)

I haven't been blogging for a while, and I'm sorry to have disappointed the loyal readers of this blog (there are 16 of you deluded souls nationwide).

I’d been a little distracted by the project close-out reports (believe me, it’s much harder than most people think) and the whole codification process was made unnecessarily more difficult by our resident genius, His Einsteinness.

I’m in Singapore to attend major yawn of a workshop in Singapore, held at a neither-posh-nor-especially-cheap hotel along Tanjong Pagar Road. It’s located at the west end of the Central Business District and the place had a bit of a dangdut feel to it. But at least it’s a couple of days away from the office, so it’s not so bad.

Believe it or not, this is my first business trip in ages – the last was Jakarta, April 2006. That was a little over two years, and no wonder the whole flight felt so uncomfortable. The first shock to my system was when our Office Assistant was making the arrangements for this trip and I actually asked, “where’s the flight ticket?”

It didn’t really register in my head that Malaysia Airlines has switched to a ticketless/paperless arrangement in their bid to slash down costs. I’m really out of touch and it’s a far cry from the days when my life was defined by taxi rides and airports hotel rooms.

Upon touching down at Changi Airport yesterday, I realised that I was entering a slightly new Singapore. This is a Singapore which had just won the Pulau Batu Putih saga, although I’m not sure if that makes much of a difference. But then again, our politician described the whole thing as a Win-Win situation because we were awarded a collection of rocks by the ICJ so I guess we should all just collectively nod our heads and go about our business as usual.

I’m adjusting pretty well to my new job, thankyouverymuch for asking. The job is fine but it's a bit of a struggle adjusting to new surroundings, new dynamics and new way of thinking. It’s goodbye to all the memories of yesteryears and it's time to grow up, look ahead and think about the future.

does this mean that I'm rich?

This arrived in the Inbox this morning. Some people just don't know when to stop.



Dear Friend,
Good day,

I just want to inform you that I have deposited your ATM MASTER CARD of USD $800,000,00 United state dollars to the Fedex Delivery services here in West Africa, due to I have waited enough to hear from you so that your funds will be transferred through CENTRAL BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) here, but because of the late response I now decide to deposit the ATM MASTER CARD with the fedex delivery services with your previous information as you listed it that time.

I have paid to them their delivery charges & insurance coverage fee, the only fee to be paid again is their security safe keeping fee of $185 dollars only.I would have paid that but they said no because they don't know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.

I will be travelling to IRAQ to see my boss and I will not come back till next month,Therefore I will advise you to contact the fedex shipment officer with his contact information as listed below for the avoidiance of increase of their security safe keeping fee.

Note that I packaged the ATM MASTER CARD inside a magazine where nobody will notice the content, I also told the shipment officer Mr.Jude Vanna, that it is ordinary African magazine I want to deliver to my friend abroad to avoid further delay unless you delay to send their security safe keeping fee.

Below is the shippment officer contact information including his email address with the parcel reference number, note that without you indicating your parcel number as listed below the fedex delivery services will not listen to you they will be imagining if you want to steal another persons parcel.

Attention: Dr.Collins Oliver Shipment Officer Of Fedex delivery services
Nigeria.
E-mail: fedex-deliverycenter@live.com
Tel: +234 703 5658227

Shipment Code: CPEL/OWN/9856
Parcel Number: EG2272-NG

Also below is the information they need to deliver the ATM MASTER CARD in form of African Magazine to your address, this is to avoid wrong delivery as i already gave them your delivery address but you have to re-confirm it to them ok.

Full name......................
Home address............
Country....................
Telphone...............

Please make sure the information is complete as they promised that once they receive their security safe keeping fee within 2 to 3 working days the magazine will arrived your door step according to the shipment officer.

Once again, the Fedex delivery services do not know the content of the parcel, I registered it as an African magazine they don't know it contains ATM MASTER CARD inside, this is to avoid them delaying the delivery and besides I don't want you to lose your inherittance funds.

Your ATM MASTER CARD withdrewing access pin code number is (0114) take note, once you receive the card you take it to any cashpoint around your area and sllotten it and enter the pin code for withdrewal, the amount you are to withdrew per day is USD$20,000.00. (Twenty thousand United State dollars) each day.

Remain blessed and enjoy your funds.

Thanks.
Barrster Felox


***

Any takers?

glory, glory Man United!

Man United won the European Cup in the early hours of today.

The game was tied at one goal apiece in regulation time. Extra time came and went and penalty shootout loomed.

When Ronaldo missed the penalty, Chelsea must have thought that the Cup was theirs - you just have to look at Lampard's reaction to know that.

And then John Terry stepped up and messed it all up.

And then of course Le Sulk himself had his penalty saved. It's been a cruel season for Anelka.

It was the night when Scholes was rewarded after missing the 1999 final. And it was the night Giggs broke Man United's most appearance record.

Man United. Once again The Kings of Europe. The 50th Anniversary of the Munich tragedy. 40 years since Charlton, Law, Best & Co. clinched the title by beating Benfica 4-1.

What else is there to say? :)

so sad

It is strange how one can feel the full measure of a blinding emptiness in the face of apparent glory.

It is so, so sad that I can’t really stomach it.

Will write about this later.

At the moment, I want to distract myself with and not think about it. There’s the whole E&P thing to wrap up by Friday and a whole lot of reading materials to go through in preparation for month-end presentation.

And of course the MDP presentation on May 20th – we have 20 minutes, so maximum 7 slides ought to do it. It’s only 10% of the final mark but professional dictates that I still need to work my ass off and get this done.

gila ke apa?

What is it with some mangkuk and their sexual innuendos, references and analogies?

I’m referring to the same mangkuk previously described here. He apparently had made the following remark much earlier:

“HRM will have to follow whatever we want them to do. They are serving us. If they have to sleep with us, then they have to sleep with us.”

I don’t know what on earth he was thinking when he said those things (maybe he wasn’t) but seriously, man, enough of these stupid remarks already.

you said, go slow (time after time)

Some friends can be such fucking idiots.

That's all there is to say at this point.

pak samad's elergi pagi (untuk dia yang sudah pergi)

Elergi Pagi
(Khusus untuk Rustam A. Sani)

Dengan gelak seimbas ayahmu;
dengan renung yang sangat menyukat,
kautekuni peta negaramu,
kaulimpah dharma wangi beradat.

Keluar dari bayang ayahmu,
tegap sendiri seimbang gagah,
kaurakami sejarah bangsamu
sesyahdu qalbu seindah bahasa.

Setiap daun terpaksa gugur,
tapi baktimu merimbun subur.

A. Samad Said
26 April 2008

kisah manusia bodoh yang lupa daratan dan tak pakai otak

1.

No new story to write today (or this week for that matter), so I'm just going to share a story which a friend sent me through e-mail recently. I hope you enjoysss.

2.

It was a fairly heated exchange, which started with him saying, "Now, if there's anything you would like to talk about, I'm listening."

So I told him that the team needed him to be around more. That we needed better direction and input. That he should be more of a leader.

Before I could finish what I wanted to say, he launched into an amazingly demented verbal attack, complete with bulging eyes and ramblings and, as a bonus, table-banging. I was surprised. My colleague sitting next to me was even more shocked. She probaly half-expected me to get up and punch the guy.

He said I was "kurang ajar" for trying to advise him. This is the same guy who told us only last month, "you guys need to advise me." Well, Einstein, this is a change management issue and we are trying to advise you not to shoot yourself in the foot.

He went on and on about how I shouldn't advise him and how I shouldn't expect him to change. Apparently, my advising him was unacceptable behaviour and "you're way above your head." (whatever the expression means)

"You asked me if I have anything to say, and I said what I wanted to say. If you're not going to accept it, then I'm fine with it. I don't have anything else to say."

"No, you're not OK with this. Now I'm listening."

"You heard what I said but you're definitely not listening."

Of course my reply made him even more furious. Judging from his facial expression, his balls must have tightened, causing much blood-rush to his odd-shaped head.

"Ah, You guys are ganging up on me, instead of doing your work."

"I don't think so. All this fear, it's all in you're head. You'd do well to get rid of your paranoia."

"I AM NOT PARANOID!!!"

Charming denial. But sorry, you ARE paranoid.

The rest of the conversation came and went at full-pelt Formula 1 speed, and I can't remember most of it. But the following is some interesting bits:

"I don't have to be there. You just do your job la. You guys are not doing anything and yet the team is progressing smoothly."

Oi. We have been the ones driving things and keeping the team together. We are making progress despite you, not because of you.

"You don't respect me. I am selected by the VP to lead this team. I have performed and rated 'Exceed Requirements' for 8 years in a row. That must count for something. Give me some credit la."