Opening Ceremony of my Cosy Home

Too many episodes have taken place the whole of this week, so much so that writing about my move into my new house has taken a secondary priority.

Last weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), was spent moving into my newly-readied humble abode, and shopping for the little necessities. It was a back-breaking exercise, but one which was thankfully helped by four other friends (Debz, backwards...forwards, Spot and snowdrop). It was pretty hard for me to believe that my possessions in my tiny little room (of 9 years) took 5 car trips to be moved out to my new house! Actually, the count will be 6 trips soon, as I still have a few other things I need to pick up this weekend, which just couldn't fit in anymore then. Amazing what rubbish you can "collect" over the years!

Up till today, I have not started unpacking (too darn lazy!). Except for my working clothes which my mom helped me unpack to be hung in my wardrobe, everything else are in boxes, plastic bags and trays lying on the floor of the rooms. In short, it's currently a total mess.

The official move-in date was last Saturday, 25 March 2006. I was glad when my mom agreed to do the "opening ceremony" together with me, i.e. accompanied me to stay on the first night. It felt a little bit spooky to live in a house full of echos...maklumlah, my house is practically void of furniture except for one "kesian" dinning table set!

Once moved in, my mom and I went shopping on Sunday. I bought water filters, water purifiers, sliding door and window curtains, floormats, a non-stick frying pan, household detergents, groceries and a queen-sized bed (which came to a total of almost RM1k!). I also just found out yesterday, that it costs almost RM150 to purchase a full set of cooking gas to fit my stove!

Anyhow, I have been spending most of my nights there alone these weekdays, and it is beginning to feel like a real home to me, so cosy and it's all mine! (well, technically, it's still the bank's for another 20 years or so, haha). But it feels so good to own something which I have achieved out of my own sweat and blood. No help from my mom this time...except perhaps the renovation portion, which if possible, I will not borrow from her either. (She is currently my back-up plan if I am really short though...*sigh* my contractor has just informed me that his invoice is on my table for my further action...)

I'm still not used to having to climb up and down so many flights of stairs, again and again when I forget something. It's so tiring! It's been 11 years since I moved out of my old double-storey semi-detached house in Melaka into the current single storey terrace house we are living in. So there hasn't been any stairs to climb or to mop for so long!

Well, I am gradually trying to make it cosy, gradually because I have no more cash to buy furniture or decorations. So when Spot recently got me a house-warming gift of 2 pretty lamp shades, I was most delighted about it as I had planned to get 2 of these as well...now I've got them, yay!

I'd love to have my friends over, but I am too embarassed of the state it's in right now. Unpacked things lying on the rooms' floor with barely any furniture, isnt exactly a pretty sight. But eventually, this will get better...eventually.

So here's to my gradual growth of my cosy home!

The Dating Game

This afternoon, I had lunch with a very old friend. The last time we met was for lunch about 4 months ago.

I "dated" this guy back in my young audit days, during my first job. "Dated" in inverted because I am not sure if I could call it that. I was young and naive then...I'm still young, not as naive, but would like to claim that I am still innocent (*hehehe*).

Anyhow, he was my colleague (office romance, yikes!), so we had to keep it really hush-hush for fear of starting a raging rumour, which could be really damaging for both of us. So, it went that we dated mostly during weekends, and sometimes had dinner together on weekdays when we bumped into each other in the office (2nd shift after leaving clients' place!). As I did not have my own transport then, if he was at a client's place not too far away from where I was, he would give me a lift home too.

Sms between the different service providers were unheard of at that time (I was using 017, still am, and he 012, still is). Instead, we had long daily email exchanges whenever we were out on different jobs. I remember how eager I was to plug-in and dail up back to the office's mail server each day, anticipating an email from him.

On top of that, we had frequent intranet messaging whenever we were both back in the office. The audit department was huge, so it was always difficult to know who was in, and who was out. We didn't even know the names of half of our colleagues! Whenever he was in the office, he never failed to look me up in the neighbourhood network, and we would be "chatting" away secretly (and he could be sitting in the next cubicle to me!).

During the course of all the above, we talked, laughed, debated, argued or just enjoyed each other's company in silence. He, however, made no gesture to indicate that he was interested in me "that" way.

Silly me, isnt it? If he wasn't, he wouldn't be spending so much time with me, duh!

After "dating" him for about 4 months, he surprised me by buying me a soft toy for Christmas (not that I celebrate Christmas, or liked soft toys very much)...hmm, now where did I keep that toy? I know from his friends, and he told me himself, that he had never done that before, but he just wanted me to have it (the toy).

I found him to be a very complicated man at that time. He is about 5-6 years my senior in age, and had had a difficult path working his way to get a university degree. He worked for a few years right after finishing school to save up money, before he could enrol himself in a local university for an accounting degree. I admired his perseverance and sense of dedication when he had set his mind to achieve something. I liked the confident way he carried himself, the mature way he reacted to solve problems or issues at hand.

And yet, I could not understand that other side of him, how he painstakingly analysed situations in so minute detail, how he came to conclusions of his own based on that analysis, and how he stubbornly stands firm to his conclusions, whatever else you might say about it.

When we were dating, he was already into his 30s, so he had seen so much more of life than I had. I tried to understand his unwillingness to talk about certain things, but I couldn't. Perhaps I was not mature enough to comprehend what was going on in his mind, and so I drifted away from him. Or perhaps, we were just not meant to be...

For a few months after that, I did not hear from him much. When I did, his voice was cold, and he distanced himself. I asked that we put that episode behind us, and it was several months later that we became friends once again.

Thereafter, he proved to be a wonderful friend. He was there for me when I cried about work stress, he provided a shoulder to lean on when I needed to complaint about things, and he was also there for me when I just needed company to go watch a movie or shop for something.

He was even there in a jiffy when I called him one late night after work, right after my car spun one and a half times on the road when it skidded in the heavy rain. My knees were like jelly, and I could not possibly get myself home. He kept calling me on the phone on his way there to reassure me, and he took me home safely...in my car (which miraculously, only had a scratch and dent on the bumper, phew!). Then he took a cab back to where he had parked his car...such a sweet, sweet guy.

Presently, he has this teacher girlfriend for almost 3 years. He still isn't marrying her yet, "no fixed date" he said this afternoon. But we have grown out of each other now, and I can see how our relationship has changed from one of young attraction, to pure and strong frienship. We've seen the best and the worst of each other, but our friendship has remained strong although we see each other about 3 or 4 times in a year only. Now that I will be moving to Miri, I would be lucky if I could meet him once a year.

This is one of my dating games I will always remember with a smile, and a warm, fuzzy feeling in the depths of my memory.

Living in the Present

I love this poem from the first time I read it on a bookmark many, many years ago.

It's so true to the teachings of the Buddha...i.e. be mindful.

It's a lovely piece to share.

***********************************

SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

****************************************

I Quit

I did it! I just handed over my resignation letter to my boss!

I think he sensed it coming, as I made sure my "body language" did a lot of hinting. Last week, when he was pounding on me on some remeh-temeh stuff on the phone from Manila (during his business trip), I almost wanted to scream at him that "I quit!". Instead, I had to hold my tongue, and decided to give a subtle hint, that I needed to "discuss something" with him, when he gets back.

This morning, before our weekly Tuesday morning update meeting started, I reminded him again that I have something to discuss with him at the end of it...just so that he is prepared.

Besides, I think he saw the little white envelope peeking out of my vibrant red Ambank diary I use to jot down my notes in meetings. He's a cunning guy, he could guess what was coming.

He had this disapproving and upset look on his face. He said he was disappointed that I am leaving so soon, after all the training I've gone through...

Geez, then why did he say things like asking me to look into the Recruitment page of the newpapers last year end? He also indicated that it was almost not realistic to expect any job transfers when I asked during my appraisal...then, telling me that if I want to leave, I should start looking around in 6 to 12 months time.

Hey, if I want to leave, I will do it at MY convenience when an opportunity arises, not at the company's convenience!

He asked where it was, and I said I prefer it to remain confidential until I get started there, but that it's "over the sea" (*hahaha* It's true, ain't it?). Then, I told him a little white lie when he asked whether the pay offered is better, and I said yes...well, yes, the basic pay, EPF, and all other benefits ARE better, except the allowance portion. As I mentioned in my earlier write-up, I will be taking a few hundred ringgit paycut per month if I compare the total annual cash package (basic, EPF, allowance and bonus only)....one which I am quite sure will be temporary for a year at the most.

I also indicated that I will do my best to keep everything up-to-date as long as I am here...You see, I requested that I leave in 1 month's notice period where officially, I have to give 3 months' notice. If they don't agree to waive the 2 months' notice, then my new employer is willing to pay off the salary in-lieu of notice.

I am trying to save my employer's money by getting that waiver, if possible...such a good employee I am, aren't I?

*Karkarkar*

The Angel of Death

Today, I received news of two people being taken away by the Angel of Death.

My Gee Ee (mother's second sister), and a good friend's father, both passed away early this morning.

My Gee Ee has been ill and paralysed in a wheelchair for the last 6-7 years. Her health has been deteriorating ever since she had her second stroke a few years ago. My cousin and her husband, have been diligently taking care of her daily needs, answering her calls in the middle of the night for food or water or nature calls, bathing and feeding her.

It is a tantamount task to nurse and care for an ill and completely dependant elderly. She herself, has been asking for relieve from her suffering for a very long time. When my cousin informed us last weekend, that my Gee Ee has been warded in the ICU, we all knew that her time has come.

My Gee Ee has been in and out of the Putrajaya Hospital umpteenth times, it's like her second home! Once, her heart even stopped beating completely for almost a full minute but the doctors managed to revive her.

She used to have a bubbly personality, always laughing and cracking jokes. But the last time I went to visit her with my mom, right after the Chinese New Year, we saw that she was no longer herself. She had become withdrawn and quiet. She had lost her spirit to live, and she was "seeing and talking" to lots of "people", some dead and some alive.

At last this morning, she has been released of her suffering, of facing the days and nights in a wheelchair, not even being able to lie down to sleep. With bed sores and swollen legs, with shortness of breath, wearing adult pampers and taking medication after medication, these are the daily sufferings she no longer has to face.

My good friend's father?

He caught a bad case of pneumonia in less than a week ago, and was put under intubation. This morning, he passed on peacefully.

It's Ching Ming period starting today. The actual day is on 5 of April, but the period starts 10 days before and after. Call it superstition, but some believe that the Angel of Death roams our earth during this period, and it will take the weak spirited away to another place.

May both their beings be at peace, and may they pass on to a better place.

*Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu*

Throwing in the Towel

It's been 3 weeks since The Offer was finalised, and today, I STILL have not thrown in the towel!

Why?

Because my future boss called me this morning to discuss about the start date, and the payment of salary-in-lieu-of-notice. Somehow, he had the idea that my notice period has been negotiated to 1 month, that my company would waive the remaining 2 months...I haven't even breathed a word of my intention to leave my present company to anyone here. They keep telling me to wait for their green light to tender, so don't ask me how he got that idea.

As such, he asked me to wait for them to revert to me on the arrangements on their side, before I threw in the towel.

My letters are waiting in my drawer...if they don't get back to me by today, I would have to reprint them as I need to current date it.

I came in early this morning so that I can print out the letters in privacy before other people came in to the office. Now I gotta hold my horses...


Update 5.20pm:
Confirmed that I have to re-print my letters...*sigh* woke up at freakin' 6.20am for nothin'!

Now I am darn sleepy, had to go catch a wink in the toilet!


Latest update 28 March 2006 10a.m.:

I've just received the green light to put in my resignation...so here goes. I'm waiting for my boss to be available for a "chat". Wish me luck, I hope it goes well.

Don't intend to step on anybody's toes in the process...it's a small corporate world, so I try not to burn any bridges along the way. You never know when your paths will cross again some time in the future...

Familiarisation trip to Miri

SUNDAY, 19 Mar 2006

The darn #*@% alarm clock rang at 4.30am (pagi-pagi buta!). 3 hours sleep, far from sufficient, especially after my hectic schedule the previous day. But what to do? No choice, had to drag my butts out of the warm covers or I'll miss the cab, or miss the flight!

The flight was delayed for about 30 minutes. After we took off, I fell into slumber for about 1hr 15 minutes. We had a smooth flight, but a slightly bumpy landing thereafter.

Luckily, it was at the end of the school holidays that day. So the hotel had ample empty rooms to allow us to check-in early at 10.30am. After taking some time off to rest, we decided to venture out to the hotel's surrounding areas to see what a usual day in the town of Miri would be like.

The town's setting reminded me so much of Ipoh or Melaka town, with the little shops selling everything from clothes, sundry goods, shoes, medicinal stuff to pharmaceuticals to convenience goods in the Watson's store. One very obvious thing was that the town was almost spotless. The roads and shops are all very clean, dusted and well-arranged! A pleasant sight and contrast to the usual dirty, congested roads and shops in Petaling Street or Masjid India or Petaling Jaya.

For the rest of the day, a friend of mine currently working in Miri, brought my friend and I around Miri town to see the sights and get a feel of life in Miri. She also brought us out for lunch and later in the evening, had seafood dinner with some of her other friends. (Pretty interesting bunch of people, I must say)


MONDAY, 20 Mar 2006

My friend had to be in for her interview by 8am. So we had to wake up by 6.30am, had breakfast and get ready to catch the cab by 7.15am. We were on time, naturally early, as there was hardly any traffic jams! Great!

While my friend was busy with her interview session, I was busy in the HR department with my documents and immigration forms. Two of my previous interviewers happened to step into the room I was in, and they were genuinely happy to see me there, welcoming me aboard with such zest.

Subsequently, I requested to meet my future boss, KK, whom I will be reporting to (but have not met till then!). As my ex-boss, Andy, had previously put it, indeed KK was "quite a character" and "very different" from Andy. KK is loud, vocal and "rough", while Andy is soft-spoken and gentle but firm.

Their similarities? For now, both of them have high expectations of me! Gosh, that's really scary, but it's a challenge for me, as KK voiced out his expectations of me to move on/transfer to another job function in 2-3 years time...max!

I had a fruitful time there, with KK telling me about the company's setup, the team mates, the work, and of course, his expectations of me. Well, at least I now know what I am getting myself into...a challenge I look forward to commence. I was also introduced to his 18 staff in 3 separate teams of different functionality, and I was introduced as the "Astro girl" (my current nickname, don't ask me why "astro"). I will be leading one of his teams with 6 staff.

Later, I was given a short tour of the office, and then, Audrey and Alwin, two of KK's staff, took my friend and I out for breakfast in little Lutong town nearby. The people are nice, warm and hospitable. I like that :)

Once we checked out of our hotel later in the day, we visited The Boulevard, the newest and "largest" shopping complex in Miri. It's only equivalent to half the size of the old wing of One Utama, but hey, it IS a shopping complex, and I DID manage to buy myself a pretty nice handbag to replace the handbag I brought (which had broken apart by Monday).

Ah, the best part of this all? I managed to get reimbursed for my flight tickets in full (yippee!), so this trip was completely paid for, since all taxi fares and room costs were borne by my friend's interview cost...I just hopped on her wagon :) Well, KK did say that the company could have arranged a familiarisation trip for me if I had told him I wanted one, but well, this one went extremely fine anyway.

I felt as though I was already starting work there really soon, but you know, I haven't even set an official date to commence work with them, and neither have I tendered my resignation here! Go figure!

Busy, busy Saturday

Last weekend was one of the busiest I have ever encountered.

SATURDAY, 18 Mar 2006
As usual, Saturday morning was wasted in the office. By the time it was time to leave the office, more than half of the day had gone by. Well, at least I would be having my Saturdays back soon, though I may be mostly spending it far away in Miri, but sometimes in KL or Melaka (haven't figured out how to get back to Melaka yet without a car!).

In the LRT, on my way back from office to my place in USJ, my handphone rang and was informed by the maid agency that my maid has already been dropped off at my house! It was 1.30pm, and our appointment was for 2pm. That was really good, she was there early.

By the time I got back home, the maid had already started her work (clever girl, had initiative), while the contractors were doing all the last minute touchups. In the process, they found out that the piping in the bathroom wall was leaking, as the paint just refused to stick on to the wall...looks like I may have to fork out at least another RM3-4k to hack the walls, fix the piping and replace the tiles! Not to mention that this is gonna make a real mess in my house..again, AFTER I've moved in! *Sigh*

At this point in time, at least I have minimal furniture at the moment (can't afford to buy any at the moment, as I am completely broke!), so the mess should be bearable, I guess...I hope.

Together with the maid, we cleaned away until her time was up i.e. 6pm while the contractors were busy drilling, knocking & painting (but she didnt manage to finish). In between, I had to go run errands a few times to buy some stuff for the contractors. After the maid left, I continued to clean until 9pm on my own. By the time I was done, I was almost half dead, exhausted, thirsty and hungry.

After a nice, hot shower on my brand new water heater, I had to rush back to my rented room in PJ Old Town to pack my clothes to bring along for my Miri trip the next morning. I had to rush back, because I was supposed to meet up a friend (my 1st ex-boyfriend, to be precise) for a drink in SS2 that night at 9.30pm.

I was late, of coz, since I left my place in USJ at 9pm++. Got back to my room, chucked some wearable clothes into my backpack, threw in some toiletries and necessities, then wa-lah! I am off to SS2 to meet my buddy.

I tucked in at my friend's place (who was going to Miri with me coincidentally, for an interview) by 1.30am, exhausted.

The other half of the weekend, Sunday, was spent in Miri...but that's another story :)

Of Medical Checkups and Blood Pressure(BP)

Finally went for my medical checkup follow-up this morning.

My, didnt my heart beat with all it's might, just AFTER my name was called to go into the doc's room.

Wah, I think the doc knew that THIS time, that wasn't my real pressure reading at all...coz if it was, I would have died of a heart attack long ago! So much so that she quizically asked me why I was so nervous, then asked me to sit awhile & relax while she did other stuff like going through her other patient's files.

She even got me a glass of warm water when I asked for it :) and gave me a brochure to read (which i finished reading within a minute!)...so I had to look at the pictures and even read the fine print to kill time while trying to calm my nerves!

No good. She took another 3 readings, which I believe, must have had some improvement compared to the first reading, but not good enough. She asked if I am generally a nervous person, and I said yes, when it comes to doctors...

Generally, I avoid having to go to the doc's unless I am ill until almost half dead...even then, I sometimes go just to get the MC to go home & sleep without taking the medication given. Well, I believe that my antibody must do its duty and cure me eventually.

Funny that I have no fear of the dentist at all, not even the grinding feel & sound of a tooth being filled. Err, but the needles, don't come near me...So I normally do my fillings without any jab. Havent had to remove my wisdom tooth yet, so I can still escape the needle!

Well, the HR from Miri contacted me today to ask for my medical checkup results and the immigration forms together with some other documents they require to apply for my work permit (which I didn't know I had to mail to her).

Told her about my blood pressure result last Sat, and that the doc asked me to come back for a re-test, which unfortunately didn't show any improvement.

I asked her if having a higher BP would be a problem, and she said "no, not at all".

Well, my heart and chest breathed a sigh of relief to hear that, and calmed down thereafter. I dearly hope she is right...

So, my spirits are up again, until I hear otherwise from them.

But geez, my heart was really doing disco beats this morning! Didnt know I could be SUCH a nervous wreck...

The Perfect Man

Is there such a thing, anyway?

Well, was having a discussion about the men in my life...or rather the men who WERE in my life, with a friend a couple of days ago. Don't have 1 right now though...

If my fate DOES bring me over to Miri (blood pressure and all), then let's see if I can rummage through that virgin jungle of East Malaysia and find myself a useful male...erm, a charming man, I mean :)

Anyhow, here are some qualities I imagined my perfect man to own:-

1. He's smart - as in "intelligent" kind of smart. Unlike some dungus I've met...dungus because they "think" they are smart, and "act" like they are smart, but say and do the dumbest thing.

2. He's funny - as in "hilarious" with the wittiest kind of personality. Well, some guys try to be witty, but end up being down right rude instead!

3. He's handsome - not with model-like look, or Brad Pitt kind of handsome, but more of that friendly-face and pleasant-smile kind of handsome....yes, must have a nice, warm smile...I find that truly handsome.

4. He's confident - carries himself well, with confident strides when he walks...yet not arrogant.

5. He's kind - always thinking about helping people, and actually acting upon it, not just "thinking" about it.

6. He's considerate - about other people's feelings, and putting his loved ones feelings before his own.

7. He's succesful - not like "tycoon" successful (that's rich!), but as long as he's ambitious and earns a decent living enough not to be a parasite to me.

8. He's warm & loving - enough to make me feel like I am an "important" part of his life, not just "another" part of his life.

9. He's open - he shares with me all his fears and doubts, his love, his happiness and his secrets (you know, like the saying goes "in sickness & in health, in richess and in poorest")...ok lar, those really dark secrets which is better if I DON'T know, I'd rather not know then.

10. He's trusting - I can trust him as much as he can trust me.

Gosh, what a long list! Pretty high standards to meet, eh?
No wonder I'm still single!
No wonder all my past relationships didnt work (not that I had many, just 2 real ones. The other "just dating" ones don't count).

Well, the first one fit 90% of the above list, but he got stolen away from me by his ex-girlfriend, figured!...oh well, maybe he didnt have #1 after all, haha!

Then the second one, probably didn't have #1 either, and quite a few others actually, come to think of it.

Shucks! Let's hope the virgin jungle in E. Malaysia calls out to me strongly enough...to calm my nerves this Thurs morning.

Orh-eee-orh, tarzan boh cheng kor!

Blood Pressure

What kind of subject title is this? you must be wondering...

To come straight to the point, I finally went for my medical checkup last weekend...I was still ill from my bad coughing bout, but then, I couldn't wait till I was completely recovered, as I don't know how long THAT was gonna take.

Then the doctor told me that....I have a slightly high blood pressure. Gosh, no wonder my heart has been beating just a little bit fast lately. AND I didnt actually pass the "audiogram" test either...my bad bouts of coughing must have affected my hearing too, as the lack of sleep is causing my ears to be ringing!

Could these be because I was still ill from the cough causing the many sleepless nights?

Could these be because I am currently pretty stressed out about my house renovation and all that running around?

Or could these be because I am just plainly having an early symptom of hypertension?

I will be going to the doc's again this Thurs morning to check on my blood pressure again and re-doing my hearing test.

I dearly hope that the results will show improvement this time around...or else, I will not know if the company in Miri will decide to retract their offer.

I will be utterly disappointed if that happens...so please cross for me again everything crossable, that my test results will show improvement this time around.

Lights - They Brighten, and They Burn...

....a hole in the pocket!

I purchased some lights for my home last night. Some lights are to replace broken ones, and some others to replace ones which are either too ugly or too dim, in my living area, master bedroom and kitchen. All other existing lights are staying.

Anyhow, I bought in total 3 pairs and 2 single sets of lights (total of 8 lights) for a whopping RM990! These are not even bought from any branded shop, just from some cheapo light shop at one of the many furniture-mart-center-you-see-along-the-highway kind.

#Phew! I just rushed back to my office within 2 hours time of leaving my office this morning for my house. The contractor wanted me to mark out something in my house, and I HAD to do it today, he said, or else he wasn't going to do it! Did I have a choice?#

Back to my lights story...I wonder what the margin of these lights are sold for (pretty good, I'm sure). There were a few wall lights I saw at the shop I was at last night, which was similar to those in a few other shops I visited previously.

I am strongly suspicious of the possibility that there are only a few regular manufacturers in the market, but the lights produced are then sold to different retail outlets, which then resell these at different prices.

I picked to purchase my lights at this particular shop because I felt that the pricing there was the most reasonable, and their service was quite good. Besides, the outlet is located very near my house. Therefore, if there should be any need to visit them due to any faulty or defected products (I hope not), it's not too far away.

My living room and staircase will be bathed in warm yellow lights...I hope I don't have to squint my eyes reading the newspaper in the living room. Otherwise, I will have to change to white lights, which is not as soothing but it is brighter. We'll see... The living room pendant lights cost RM280 each, and I had to have two, so these cost the bulk of the purchase actually.

My master bedroom will also have two new wall lights, both in warm yellow lights, in addition to the existing flourescent one.

My kitchen, I thought it to be more appropriate to have the usual white light.

There, that's all the lights I paid for, expensive eh?

No wonder a friend told me the other day she spent almost RM2k on lights in her brand new house which she bought from the developer. Brand new houses have nothing inside, just a lousy sink in the kitchen which you'll probably change as well.

Tonight, I will be spending another bomb on kitchen cabinets in my dry kitchen...at least RM5k.

Geez, my next payday is not until another 2 weeks, yikes! These last few months, I have been living my life fit to the Malay saying of "kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang"....

Cough, Sleep-deprivation and Things-To-Do

My cough has yet to subside...and it's been depriving me of a few good night's sleep!

I was practically dozing off right in front of my PC just now...so I had to whizz off to the restroom, locked myself up in there & sit on the toilet bowl leaning against the wall to catch a wink (the toilet is always spick & span, luckily).

I learnt this trick from an ex-colleague during my audit days when we burnt the midnight oil almost every single night for a continuous 5-6 months. It's not nice being caught sleeping in front of your PC at work, yet your eyelids just can't keep themselves open. So it's good to just get a "Power nap" in the loo, and you'll be as good as new in 10 minutes.

In the midst of my coughing bout, I've got so many things to do, with so little time to spare.

My house renovation is almost at its end, with about 20% more work to be done only. It should be ready by next weekend, so I've got to go and buy the lights to fix them up this weekend. I've also got to go to Ikea to purchase the kitchen cabinets and water heater and air-cond, and then take a day's leave to observe the installation. I've also got to purchase beds (the only furniture I can afford right now) so that there's a proper place to sleep when I do move in.

I have to take leave this Saturday to settle my medical checkup, and then proceed to meet the wireman to fix my lights for the rest of Saturday afternoon.

Then, I've also got to take another day's leave for me to go to Miri (again) with my friend who will be going there for her interview (yay! I hope she makes it through with flying colours). This time it's for me to look-see the town and get a feel of a "usual day in Miri", and maybe even check out the properties for rent to get a feel of the market rental rate. This will prepare me better when I actually physically relocate there, some time in May. Unfortunately, I will be bearing the cost of the airfare myself this time around, which unfortunately again, is higher than the usual rate as we will be going on the last weekend of the school holidays! *boo-hoo-hoo*

All the packing from my current rented abode has not even begun! Let alone the packing for the relocation to Miri.

Oh my goodness, I have GOT to keep calm & organised.

Well, have to chao now to go purchase those lights I'll need this Saturday...wow! really burning a hole in my pocket :(

Cough, cough, cough

Am having this terrible, terrible cough for a couple of days now, since I got over the flu bug last weekend.

Been coughing my lungs out the whole of Monday (all thru the night) and the whole of yesterday (till I had a splitting headache by the end of the day.) My boss was also coughing away with me in the meetings we attended, which drew lots of disapproving looks from the others...well, we were just being generous by passing on the virus into the air of that confined meeting room.

Last night, I coughed so hard that I pee-ed in my underwear! Gosh, NOW i know what it feels like to be an old woman who doesn't have control of her bladder very well.

Today, still coughing my lungs out but this morning, I bought 2 packets of lozenges mints. Helps a bit when the mint is in my mouth, with its cooling properties dripping down my sore, irritated throat.

Hrummph, I hate to get a cough or headache. It'll take me almost forever to recover from it.

Cough, cough go away,
Don't come back another day,
Tired Phoenix,
Wants no pee in pants and headache to go away.

*cough-cough-cough!*

Happy & Excited for a Friend

Yesterday morning, I received a call from a friend. She sounded pretty excited when she asked me when I would be moving to Miri. Of course, there is no fixed date yet, as the process is pending my medical checkup clearance as well as the work permit approval. Thus, I have not even tendered my resignation yet until these 2 matters have been sorted out...just in case.

Then she broke her exciting news...Shell called her for an interview! She received the call last Tues or so, and she will be going over to Miri for an interview some time in mid March next week. I was excited for her too, as I had recommended her cv to my ex-boss not too long ago. I was beginning to think that he wasn't interested after looking at her cv, as they hadn't call her since then (after about a month).

This is a friend whom I had worked with before back in the good ol' Coopers & Lybrand audit days. She is an intelligent woman, is a couple of years my senior, and had good working attitude to complete tasks responsibly and efficiently. As a friend, she is a good listener, but sometimes, she is just so "into" her work or her family's business, that you can hardly get her to have dinner with you!

Recommending someone is always a "reputation-risking" move. If you have no idea how a person works, then no matter how good or close that friend is, I dare not recommend him/her to anyone for employment.

My friend has tried to move on from her current company for awhile, but so far, she has not been successful. I dearly hope that she fares well in her upcoming interview (it's a pretty tough interview, trust me!). If she makes it through, then I will have a friend with me in Miri, yay! AND this will be such a good move for her, and for me too! :)

Oooo, am so happy and excited for her. The rest of it is up to her...

Privacy and the likes of it

It amazes me how prying some people can be, the extent they would go to just to kill that curiosity cat of theirs.

Can you believe it that one of these prying nuisance is my current boss? Yes, indeed he is extremely prying. AND he talks too much. What a ghastly combination, isn't it?

He tries to dig out information from you, and then he goes and casually blurt it out to someone else. And thereafter, when a rumour starts, he looks for a scapegoat to put the blame on. *Sigh* Doesn't he have anything better to do?

I am one who guard my privacy, very much. I hate it when people try to dig information out of me, or even "share" information with me and then add "but don't tell this to anyone else". What the....?

A friend of mine just commented how "unfriendly" my neighbours would think I am, as I built a wall around the compound of my new house...a pretty high one too. It's just that I really detest neighbours who peek over the fencing to see what you've been up to. It's the same feeling I get when I am reading a book or newspaper on the LRT and someone beside me peek over my shoulders to "read" as well. Come on, get your own book/newspaper!

It's probably because of the working environment I've been exposed to all these years. Experience has taught me to be guarded about who I trust, and what I tell people. Cynical? Skeptical? Well, it's better that than being sorry later!

Private, and yet at the same time, I have loads of friends ("real" friends) from all walks of life. Some have been my friends for years all the way back from the school days. And then, there are some I found during my university days, and many I found during my working days i.e. colleagues, clients, third parties whom I've liased with during projects, and even bosses. So although private in nature, I like meeting people and "discovering" the insides of these people, and cherish those who turn out to be my real friends.

Introvert? Nope, I don't seem to portray like I'm one. Extrovert? Not exactly either. I'm friendly, yet private. Ah, maybe being a Gemini explains the split personalities...?

;)

An Angel Watches

A little poem I got from a friend...I like it coz I think it's true.

An Angel Watches
~ Louisa Anderson

An Angel watches over you
Someone you'll never know
Who's always there to rescue you
From any given foe

An Angel watches over you
Who you will never meet
Who's always there to protect you
From any kind of fleet

An Angel watches over you
And not from far above
As someone there to give you
A never ending love

An Angel watches over you
But maybe you don't see
Someone there to shield you
From tragic certainty

An angel watches over you
Who you can always trust
And loves you more than you'll ever know
For angels that's a must.