Fire drill and other not-so-happening events

On the way home from work one day, I realised that I have really run out of ideas (and happening happenings) to blog about. Then it suddenly dawned upon me that I could talk about the fire drill at the office! Ok, so that’s how lame and exciting my life is that even the fire drill is worth a mention =D

Anyway, here goes.. Although not supposed to, James had already informed us beforehand that the drill would be the next day. So we prepared by going to pee first =D And when the alarm went off, we locked up our laptops, started thinking shall we bring our phones and purses (to buy goreng pisang while waiting), changed into a comfy pair of slippers and off we go!

Which floor are we at? 19th! Going down steps were no problem, even suggested to the others that we should climb the stairs back for fun and exercise =D There were 20 steps for each level, so we descended a total of 380 steps! Even more than Batu Caves!

Timmy has a post on fire drill where he posted pics, so here are mine..

We were supposed to assemble here

The ‘evacuees’

Our replacement marshal (a.k.a. KusKus) making sure everyone is accounted for

Some jakun people who brought cameras and took pics wearing the warden vest. Whoever would bring a camera (phones are not cameras ok!) for a fire drill and whoever would find it fascinating and fashionable to wear the fluorescent vest?

When it was done, we went to buy goreng pisang to reward ourselves for the hard descent and to also replace the calories lost.

The next day, my calves were aching. It was a weekday yesterday, so there was no tkd and furthermore, it has been a while since I last trained. Oh, the fire drill! That must be it. Wah, so teruk wan =D

*****
What other happening happenings? The J-Card Members’ Day.

The usually empty JJ Bukit Tinggi carpark was filled to the brim! The ground floor was full, the first floor too and had to park at the 2nd which I was lucky to get a spot.

Lots of people and heaps of clothes! Managed to get 4 tops at 70% off each, how so very exciting! 170 bucks managed to get me 8 items =D An amusing thing was at the men’s underwear promotion. There was a big crowd there grabbing boxes and boxes of underwear and all were women =D Including myself hehehe..

The only regret was a nice BUM purse going at half price. Nice and cheap but there was only the display one. There was a new one for another model but it was scratched and flattened already. Hai..

*****
Fat Ahyee: How old are you this year, 20 ah?
Me : No la, 24.
Fat ahyee : 24 ah? I thought you are 20. What year are you born? Are you really sure?
Me : (Annoyed, how can I be not sure how old I myself am??)Yes la!

Now I feel really old. 24 is really far off from 20. And I haven’t got accustomed to saying I’m 24, cos I’m still 23 and still insist that I’m 23 whenever asked. =’( I wanna be 23..

*****

Had to ‘coach’ some kids for the MSSD Klang Taekwondo championship last Saturday. Saw a lot of people I know there but didn’t wanna say hello cos assisting Edwin is an embarrassment to me. Cos his training has no standard. I think the team we sent was an amusing bunch of misfits. How not to, the coach himself is a dyslexic misfit. Somehow I can’t find the draft criticising him and his training. Back to the bunch we sent, 4 out of 6 got knocked out in the first round, 1 got kicked in the head and tears streamed, another got kicked in the back and dislocated his shoulder badly til need to be sent to the hospital by ambulance. Well, I don’t give much of a damn, I just listen to my iPod and read Rich Dad Poor Dad there.

*****
Came across this ad in The Star’s Metro:

WANTED
Housekeeper/Nanny
Salary from RM2500 to RM3500

The pay’s not bad for a position that doesn’t need much education. Heck, some fresh grads are even getting RM1000+. So a look at the requirements..

Requirements:
1. Age 30-50
2. Able to drive
3. Able to cook
4. Able to guide the school homework (primary level)
5. Taking care of 2 children
6. Able to converse in English, BM and other dialects
7. 4 days off in 1 month
8. Must be able to stay in

So this is how my cover letter shall be:

Dear Madam,

I would like to apply for the position of Housekeeper/Nanny as advertised in The Star dated 16/5/08.

Although I do not fit the age requirement, I look like I’m 30 from one of my student’s point of view. Being younger is to your advantage, as I can perform tasks more quickly and efficiently. I’m able to drive both manual and automatic and even tiptronic cars and from the experience of driving a few models, I’m able to adapt well to the car be it a local, imported or a sports car. I’m capable in preparing quick simple meals that can be skilfully whipped up in 2 minutes. From my education and teaching experience, I believe I can assist the children well in their schoolwork and can even throw in Taekwondo or piano lessons if they have the interest.

My experience in teaching in a kindergarten and teaching tuition and Taekwondo enables a lot of interaction with children of all ages. Thus, taking care of children is not a problem to me. I’m well-conversant in English and BM, demonstrated by the achievement of A1 in SPM for both subjects and a distinction in the UNSW English Competition for Schools. I can also speak basic Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien and Hakka as well as basic Spanish learnt during my uni days.

My experience in interacting with and educating children, coupled with my education and abilities, makes me believe that I am the right candidate to care for your children. I am available anytime for an interview at your convenience and thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

So, if you were the employer, would you hire me?

*****
I think I’m lucky lately cos I got an sms from Astro saying I won some money. I get all the lottery emails all the time til I get so fed up collecting my winnings but this is the first time winning something from Astro. This is how the message read:

TAHNIAH, simCard Anda tlah berjaya Daripade “ASTRO” RM14.000,- Sila Hub,telifon Office 00628179109249 Terima kasih.

Fool! Can’t they make it look a little more authentic by perhaps, using full spelling instead of short forms?

1. Get your spelling right
2. Get your letter case right
3. Haven’t heard of any collaboration between Digi and Astro giving away cash prizes. Or maybe they meant ‘Smart card’?

And for all that trouble, all you get is 14 bucks. No more, no less, very exact up to 3 decimal points. Deduct that from your call cost and you probably still have RM8.64. Or just wait til Monday and call from the office.

But then, it says Astro in inverted commas, so you were the one who got fooled into thinking that it’s that Astro.

The phone number there is as per the sms in case you wanna call them up. It’s ok if you didn’t receive the sms, I’m sure they’re pretty lenient people who are more than happy to entertain and reward anyone who calls them.


*****
Life is bliss at the moment. Have been sleeping very well lately, like there is nothing bothering me absolutely. It’s really a great feeling to sleep in peace and to have your heart feeling light with no worries. I dunno what was bugging me previously, probably the FPO training. So now I sleep every night dreaming lots of stuff and waking up the next morning thinking it’s a weekend…mmm…

And yeah, life is bliss. I love my boyfriend, I love my family, I love my job. Big man started asking me to do some reports from him instead of MS and Timmy’s got sweet sexy Emily. Love my life!

Purse story at work

Current favourite: Still Gasolina. Been listening to it for ages and just realised that the version in my iPod and phone are different. Think it's one of the most splendid songs ever written, music wise. No idea and too lazy to translate the lyrics.



Will the real Timmy please stand up?

Purse story at work

From: Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 3:15 PM
To: hatim@com.my
Cc: sueann.lee@com

Hallo Encik Hatim,

Need your kind of help to buy new purse for my dear frenz. See aldy koyak2 kesian her la ... ;)




Cheers
Shikin

From: Hatim Abdullah
Sent: Wednesday, 07 May, 2008 3:55 PM
To: 'Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar'
Cc: sueann.lee@com

Dear Miss Norashikin Abu Bakar,

Thank you very much for your detail attention of Miss Lee Sue Ann. In regards to the purse as mentioned, we will look into the matter as soon as possible.

Thank you and regards,
Mohd Hatim Abdullah

From: Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar [mailto:norashikin.abubakar@com]
Sent: Wednesday, 07 May, 2008 4:12 PM
To: 'Hatim Abdullah'
Cc: sueann.lee@com

Dear Encik Hatim,

Thanks for the very prompt reply!! Hope to see the new purse soon.

Regards
Shikin

From: Sue Ann Lee [mailto:sueann.lee@com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:32 PM
To: 'Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar'; 'Hatim Abdullah'

Dear Both,

Thank you very much for your utmost concern in my welfare. It is heartening to know that in current times when all are in the pursuit of career and wealth, there are still individuals who stop to care about others.

May God bless the both of you and I too hope to see the purse soon.

Warmest Regards,
Sue Ann

From: Hatim Abdullah [mailto:hatim@com.my]
Sent: Wednesday, 07 May, 2008 6:26 PM
To: 'Sue Ann Lee'; 'Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar'

Dear Miss Lee Sue Ann,

With all due respect, I would like to inform that although full concern and care are being paid to the specific subject, partner do experience some glitches from the system which result from the loads that are generated within the internal processes for example ETP (Emily Transaction Procedure) or LND (Lack of Nicotine Deficiency). Please note that although these glitches are rectified and fixed, this is not an assurance that it would not happen again nor it’s a statement of system malfunction. Partner is suggested to report any glitches or bugs to the system immediately and I will do our best to fix it as soon as possible at our convenience. The glitch below had already been submitted and will soon be solved appropriately at the soonest time.

Saya yang berkhidmat untuk negara,
Mohd Hatim Abdullah

From: Norashikin Bt Abu Bakar [mailto:norashikin.abubakar@com]
Sent: Thursday, 08 May, 2008 9:10 AM
To: 'Hatim Abdullah'; 'Sue Ann Lee'

Good morning everyone!

Just wwant to say thanks to Encik Hatim yang dengan tulus hati "BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA" ..

Cheers

Shikin

After that, the both of us didn't layan her anymore =D

So that was what my colleague and bf did! Went over to James' with my purse to pay him for the Shell Ferrari car. I left my purse on her desk and she said she wanted to take a pic and sent it to Timmy, saw her snapping and transfering the pic to her pc but thought she was just joking until I saw the mail arrive! And yeah, the purse does look pretty bad =D

1 week later and I have this:

Hehe, the same one.

J-Card Members' Day is tomorrow and here is my wish/shopping list:

1. Pink/orange shirt from Applemints I think. Or Voir. Can't decide which colour or to even buy it cos S is also kinda big but my mum said it was fine. Cos she doesn't like me wearing small clothes =D

2. Some T-shirt from the same brand. Got those old 1970s kinda picture that reminds me of Candyman.

3. Bracelet for my mum

4. Black work shirt from Elementz, still thinking..

5. White work shirt from Wh which I am still considering cos 89 bucks for a Wh is just not worth it.

6. Oh yeah, the purse. But there was nothing interesting there at Jusco.

I might as well go into my food wish/craving list:

1. Salted egg crabs. Or sweet and sour ones will do too.

See, now you start craving also right? This was taken from The Star's feature on some restaurant having promotion for their crabs. Let's go!

2. Fried calamari rings

3. French fries, the all season craving that doesn't seem so great when you finally have it

4. Kinder Bueno though we just finished almost a 100 bucks worth of chocs from Langkawi. As long as nose hasn't bleed yet, chocs can do no wrong!

Can't think of anymore though I'm hungry now. Had chicken rice for lunch, Horlicks with Nestum for tea at 2.30pm and now hungry at 4.15pm =D Hai..

I shall not take heart when..

1. people's interests differ from mine
2. people’s wants differ from mine
3. people’s opinions differ from mine

I shall just not be sensitive or think too much, and just give back what I get. Honestly, I realised that at times I could be so cold, when there are totally no feelings at all, when I blocked everything out and just go around doing things because I am required to.Stubbornness will be reciprocated with one of equal magnitude, push and lecture will be met with defiance and rebellion.

*****
Actions speak louder than words?

*****
This is one good news. The conversion was done solely for marriage, for love and now that it is no longer there, I don’t see the need to ‘bond’ the person to it anymore. Someone very close to me switched religions for marriage, and that religion itself killed her marriage. How very absurd and amusing. What’s worse is that she’s stuck with it now when the man whom she converted for has betrayed her and has since passed away.

Religion is one’s belief and should not be forced upon anyone, IMO. I don’t need a definition from Webster to know that religion is one’s belief, what they believe in. So how can you force someone to ‘believe’ in something just because they love someone? Why does religion and marriage have to come in a ‘package’? Laws have to be standardised. So that court ruling isn’t a religion law cos well, the decision was made in court. So anywhere and everywhere, the laws shall be the same and that religion laws are meant to be imposed and set by erm.. God (?) and not by a government or anyone.

So some people started saying that it is time that the songkok is accepted as headwear for non-Malays and that it has nothing to do with race, religion, yada yada.. Well, just see what happens if it was the Wong Fei Hong round hat that was imposed. Why is it that baju kurung is always set as the dress code, right from uni days? And then they talk about racial unity, yada yada.. For power, DAP has to change its stand to accept the songkok. To refuse it would be too much fire. Teng said that "Leaders have no choice but to follow the dress code. " Michael Chong commended them by saying "Now, they understand the need to follow rules and regulations".

Maybe the next government should introduce this, minus the pigtail of course.

Impose dress code and religion, and then talk about racial unity.

P/S No harm was intended in the making of this post.

Look.What.Timmy.Got!!

This..

This..

And this..

OH.MY.GOD!!


More pics will come when the car comes in our hands, every single part of the car! Oh.My.God!!

In the seemingly long absence..

..where the itch to spill has to be held back due to FPO training preparations…

FPO training has finally finished, leaving me feeling absolutely free and feeling like a student who has just finished the last SPM paper. It went ok IMO and I managed to answer most of the queries on my own without needing to SOS MS or boss. Built good rapport with the clients as well.

******
Work, family and relationships.. Nothing seems to be going right at the moment.

*****
Just when I thought I love my job, shit happened and boss started to doubt the effectiveness of my FPO training as well. Well, for the first time, it surely cannot be expected of me to be able to answer everything that the clients ask. MS sos-es her to rescue her from the questions for almost every FPO training she had, even the last one I sat in. When I asked boss the questions forwarded, she herself couldn’t answer. So why is she doubting my ability? Or maybe I misinterpreted her statement. But honestly, I think I did well.
*****
Other than the recent shit that happened at work, I find that I’m starting to like my job. Colleagues are good, visits are nice, beginner training is easy-peasy for me and have started conducting FPO, until the minor hiccup that I could have misunderstood and affected the overall joyous mood. I don’t find client visits tough or dreadful anymore.

*****
It’s shitty to pick up people’s shit but when that shit is big, heavy, stinky and cost a lot (frankly, I dunno any shit that costs money, maybe fertilizer), it is heart-breaking and tear-dropping. It is indeed very heart-breaking.

*****
Went for my first client visit to NMedia, the one right next to Timmy’s office. Ironically, I had to go back to the office once the meeting was over! How amusing it was to go back to the office, only to go over again to have dinner with Timmy. Thank goodness I already had lunch with him =) Sort of defeats the purpose of being right next door. But yeah, the excitement was fun =)

Moral of the story: Find out whose client is the office beside your bf’s. Then, work for the company servicing that client. Trust me, productivity, efficiency and client service will definitely improve. So will company expenditure when you submit claims for 8 hours of parking for an hour long meeting.

*****
Expected annoyance somewhere around May or June but April was kinda quick. So I try not to be an annoyance too but my bf loves me (I hope =P)

*****
4. During a teacher’s training, I did 2 strange things:
a. I went to the ‘toilet’ bringing along my bag and blazer. Bag is ok but blazer?
b. I went home, leaving my notes behind.

Explanation for strange behaviour: I wanted to leave halfway during a teacher’s training but leaving halfway seemed kinda rude. So I pretended to go to the toilet and once I’m outta that room, bubbye! So that’s why I had to go to the ‘toilet’ with my bag and blazer. The notes were the sacrifice; did consider leaving my blazer and bottle behind and of course, return later to collect them but a Seed blazer and a BUM bottle were too much a risk losing =D

Moral of the story: Don’t talk politics for half and hour when you only have 2 hours for training. Else, people will walk out of your class, especially when their bf is waiting to date them downstairs furthermore in Petaling Street. Actually, I really don’t tolerate people who don’t stick to the time. He pissed me off with his crap that took too much time.

*****
I’m worried about this scar on my leg. It started when I scratched it and then it turned into a scab. It was there for a long time til my mum asked me to go for a check up but I was too afraid. The scab’s dropped for some time but now there is an occasional pain and also when it pressed against something. It looks just like an external wound and it’s healing, so please dear God, please make it be fine.

*****

Timmy believes in karma, I only did once-when my phone gave way the very next day after breaking up with a handphone shop owner I dated for 4.5 years. It’s too much of a coincidence isn’t it, the very next day and not once among the various phones I’ve used in that 4.5 years? But maybe, that isn’t karma, that’s pou yeng.

Anyway, my policy is ‘It doesn’t pay to do good’. I stick to that policy bitterly from past experience. There are many cases of Good Samaritans being run over, robbed or murdered helping someone. Timmy said that at least they died helping someone; I said that if they didn’t, they’d be alive. I think I’d rather live a little longer than be a kaypo. And I believe that even if I’d done the good deed this time or next, it doesn’t guarantee that karma will take place. Cos it’s dog-eat-dog world out there and people just don’t care much about you whether you are screaming for help by the roadside or not. But anyway, I finally did the ‘good’ deed this time, but it’s because I had to. And got a little good deed in return =D Hah, whatever. It’s not really a good deed, I don’t see that as a good deed also.

Timmy taruk me when I went out with 20 bucks in my purse. That was because I forgot to withdraw money and also didn’t really see the need to, cos why do I need so much when I am out with my bf?

So what kinda jerk goes shopping with 6 bucks in his wallet??
Answer: A double platinum card holder.

Platinum card holder, but so what?? How could you go out to the Damansara area with 6 bucks in your wallet? It’s barely enough to exit the carpark.
Answer: He’s with his gf.

******
It’s absolutely sickening when you hear noise as soon as you reach home and walk in the door. Just the very first step as you push the door open; you haven’t even fully entered the house yet. And it’s absolutely far more sickening to hear the noise before you enter the house.

*****
Timmy wanted to bring home the 4 kittens found in the training room. Kin said they are ‘anak terbuang sebab mak dia tak kahwin’. I wanted to name them Fandango, Galileo, Figaro and Magnifico. Scaramouche was nice too but it didn’t rhyme with the rest. And when you called Magnifico, you have to call him like Magnifico..o..o. Timmy said they are stupid names =D Well, they are way better than Putih, Tompok, Hitam and Belang. Alternative: Bodoh, Tongong, Bahlul and Goblok =D Sorry, really not a cat person; the only joy I have is naming them Fandango, Galileo, Figaro and Magnifico.

Anyway, the (Malay) colleagues were feeding them powdered milk and biscuits and complaining that they stink next. Duh..who asked you to feed and encourage them? They stank so bad that my MD suspected there was a dead man up on the roof.

To proof the difference in fondness of cats..

‘Kum chung yi kor chek mau, lor hui chou satay la’ –Dennis L.A.M-

My current favourite, still find myself smiling to it to this very day. We had a great laugh when MS told us what Dennis said. Sorry again cat lovers….

*****
Saw a mother and her son walking back from school that day. He’s in secondary school already, probably form 1 or 2 since it was in the evening, and his mum was carrying his bag as he skipped along in front. What the ..? Then I remembered that my mum carries my brother’s bag to the car every morning as well. And tie his shoelaces and pack his bag too. My bro only knows how to study and nothing else. He poured hot water into a plastic bottle, he pushed the trolley to the cashier and just leaves it there without putting the things on the counter. There are absolutely no living skills in him. Well, my mum who gets vulgarities in Tamil, Hokkien and English doesn’t say a thing, so who am I to say anything to her son? Tired and don’t wanna create further trouble, so I just do my part in providing for the family so to not regret later. I know I shouldn’t be washing dirty linen in public but I’m just so frustrated.

*****
Timmy&Sue have turned 6 months old last 26/4. Just another day.

*****
Car repairs costed RM670. Heart bleed.

*****
The bloody light in my bro’s room still flickers. I am so bloody pissed. I’ve changed the starter, twisted the tube, twisted the tube again and it only lasts for a few days and back to flickers again. I’m so pissed that I wanna smash the pendarflour tube. Then the bloody air-cond’s not cold. And before that, the bloody CD player’s faulty and now, it’s the bloody DVD player. What the fcuk is wrong with everything in my house?