Rumours

Is there any company where people dont get involved in rumours?

So far, all the companies I have worked in "thrive" in rumour mongering. As if there isn't anything else that's more exciting.

One of my colleagues (an irritating one) asked me straight in my face today whether it's true that "someone" told him I will be transferring out to another department soon. He even knew which department! He did not even bother keeping it discreet and asked me loudly in front of another 2 colleagues.

Well, I had to tell a white lie...I denied it. To me, it's still not true because it's still not confirmed. I am supposed to apply for the job when it is posted for vacancy. The position is not even vacant yet!

Where do these people get their sources of rumours? It amazes me. And why do people bother wanting to "verify" something that had nothing to do with them?

Unfortunately, I think I lack practise in telling lies, white or otherwise. I dont think the 3 of them were convinced with my answer. Perhaps my surprised expression (I was very much caught off-guard), or my slightly shaky "no", gave me away? I just walked away, leaving them to ponder whether I was lie-ing or not.

Why do people enjoy spreading rumours? Is there nothing else exciting in their lifes, that they have to resort to rumour mongering to spice their life up? Don't they understand the meaning of "private & confidential"?

Blackmail...

Interview went well. Better than I had expected...I think. Actually, I don't really know...

So, I've been musing around....

My "current ex-boss", KK, was not as supportive of me taking on this new job, not as much as I had hoped. I was quite taken aback, from all that he said during the talk we had a few days before I went for the interview. Not that he didnt think I would be doing a good job out of Finance, but that I'll be getting limited exposure due to certain circumstances surrounding that job. As such, he thinks that I would not be able to carve my career path in that direction in the long term, and if I do return to Finance line, my years spent outside of Finance could work against me.

To a certain extend, I agreed with what he said, especially on the circumstances that surrounds the job which requires negotiation and persuasion skills...and yet, I cannot agree with him that I would not be able to maximise and use this exposure to my advantage in the long run. I am of the opinion that there are ways to work around those circumstances, and still play the cards to my favour.

Fortunately, my boss, Andy, supports me and thinks otherwise, that this exposure will be extremely useful to me later as I would be able to learn the mechanics of the O&G industry. This would be valuable knowledge, and together with sharpened negotiation skills, I would be able to give value-added advisory services which any O&G company will find useful.

I'll take my chances, whether the "game" I play turn out in my favour or otherwise in the end. Life is always a gamble anyway...but being an accountant, I'll make sure that I'll be taking "calculated" risks as much as possible.

The interviewer called KK up immediately after our interview. Apparently he was quite impressed by my background, and KK thought I was so "d*mn good at impressing" the guy...Of course, what KK meant was, that he thinks I "talked big" to the guy just to impress him. Actually, my interviewer merely asked me what kind of work I did when I was in UT and in the merchant bank, and whether I was involved in negotiations before. I explained what I did back then, and told him what negotiation deals I was engaged in and the specifics of the work involved. Nothing extraordinary.

KK had never asked me about my previous exposures, as he didnt care much about it. To KK, I am accountant, and the Accounting line best suits me. Never mind that I hate doing accounting work, because I am good at it. After working for KK for 8 months, he acknowledged to me, Andy and Mike (our Finance Director) that he was impressed at my steep learning curve and the in-depth knowlegde I have about SAP.

But he forgets (or rather, choose not to see) that I also have other skills and exposures not accounting related (although could be finance related), and this is where my interest lies. I truly believe that if we have a passion for something, we will learn very quickly about everything there is to it, and as a result, we'll do a great job on it, and hopefully, come out of it largely satisfied.

Finance in my company consists mainly of accounting and reporting work, 85- 90%. I try to spend about 10-15% of my time to perform system and process improvements to enhance accuracy and efficiency in our financial data and reporting, while developing and instilling in my staff the importance of understanding the end-to-end processes. I am fairly good at trouble-shooting because I always try to make sure I understand the principles behind the set-up, which not many people bother about.

However, that is not where my passion lies. I enjoy doing research and valuation work, looking for angles where approach can be used to maximise value for the company. Perhaps if I had not done corporate advisory work in a merchant bank before, I would very likely be quite happy doing what I do now.

Nonetheless, I am working towards trying to steer my boat in the right direction.

Sadly for Andy, since he came on board last month, several vacancies are in urgent need to be filled as the budgetting cycle will soon kick-off in March. As a result, Andy has tried to negotiate with me a "deal", where I need to help him out to fill another urgent vacancy for a couple of months. This will hold me back from my transfer for about another 6 months. I am not keen to help him out this time, because he has, on one too many occassions, thrown me into the choppy sea and expected me to swim out of it towing the boat behind me.

This is not a vacancy I would want to fill even if I was in dire need of a job to pay my house mortgage!

I'll have to figure out a diplomatic way of worming myself out of this one. I don't want to seem like I am ungrateful to him for helping me to get the transfer, and yet I don't want to get my hands dirty with the pile of garbage waiting in that position. I hope he doesn't "force" me to do it in exchange for that transfer...you know, like blackmail?

So, again, wish me luck so that I dont end up having to do another "rescue" job for Andy...at my expense and unhappiness.

Direction

It was in November 2006 when my 2nd quarterly probation form was due for completion to be signed and handed in to HR.

My boss had then wanted to confirm me in my employment although officially, the probation period for a new hire was 12 months. It was apparently, not uncommon that management would want to confirm a staff earlier than the 12-months timeline, unless that staff was exceptionally bad in his/her performance.

At that point, it dawned on me that I should also be thinking about my career direction. Up until now, I had gone along with the flow of things, unsure of where I wanted to be or what I wanted to do.

After 6 full months of managing a staff of 6, doing cost management accounting and reporting (50%), budgeting (30%), cost recovery advisory work (10%) and process improvements (10%), I find that I had benefited in many ways. I now understand the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) environment better, have a better feel of the cost and system setup in the SAP system, stumbled upon many faulty areas and fixed up about 80% of these (the 80-20 rule applies, good enough), trained my newly graduated staff in analytical skills, and fostered better relationship with the more veteran staff.

KK was the boss I worked for when I first came into this company. Andy, my ex-boss 5 years ago, is now my boss again effective Dec '06, as KK has been transferred out to do special projects and Andy has been transferred to take over KK's position. Both my bosses have been giving me positive feedback on my team's performance, and commented on the driving force behind my team's improvement.

However, almost 9 months has passed since I came over to Miri. Overall, work has not been particularly exciting for me, pretty mundane stuff although I managed to make a few improvements and changes here and there. I am, not surprisingly, already itching to look for something more challenging to work on. At the moment, the most challenging part is to try and get the people around me to co-operate to get results. While there are some who are eager to listen, contribute ideas and work together to make improvements, there are others who cannot seem to want to get out of the "old ways" of doing things, and worse still, many do not even know why they are doing things the way they have always been doing it!

My bosses tell me that I have to do some form of "expectation management" within myself, so that I may handle situations better, and be more patient with the responses I receive most times. True, I confess that expectation management is an area I very much need training on.

All these had played a role in my recent decision... to reject confirmation of my employment. I have never done so in my entire 10-years of employment history, rejecting early confirmation.

The way I saw it, why commit myself to the company when I cannot yet see the light at the end of the tunnel? Talking to both my bosses, KK and Andy, has not given any results. I had asked to know how long more I needed to be in my current job before I can move on to something more business-related, less accounting- and reporting-related. I had gotten wishy-washy responses, non-commital replies, that they will look for something which might suit me more "soon". When they asked what I was interested in, I was very specific in my respond (Investment Finance or Mergers & Acquisition team) but was disappointed again to be told that the job I am interested in is for "high level" people, so is therefore, currently out of my reach.

First, they tell me that they are "very impressed" by my steep learning curve, and my strong leadership qualities which lead to my team getting back their sense of direction, and that they are happy that I was able to make improvements especially in the system which, in some areas, had not been properly setup for the last few years, causing reporting hiccups and countless manual adjustments.

Then, they slap me with the anti-climax statement that I am "not ready" to be in the Investment Finance or Mergers & Acquisition team. I am "too young", I dont have enough industry knowledge and my CEP (Current Estimated Potential) points (an appraisal system currently practised) have to be assessed at "Senior Management" level before I can even think of being positioned in those teams.

Well, if I'm outstanding in the normal operational jobs, but yet, not good enough for the "high flying" jobs, is there anything else in between for me, to earn that "mature credibility" and "industry knowledge" they are looking for, to move on up?

They could not give me an answer...instead they asked me in return what other jobs I may be interested in (more "realistic" jobs).

Last week, I finally decided to go and have a chat with my Finance Director, Mike T, to find out what other kind of jobs there are in the group of companies globally. He told me a few, which sounded relatively more interesting than the usual accounting and reporting jobs, but ended by saying that, again, I am "too young" and do not have enough industry knowledge. I left his room feeling more down than before.

I have, hence, decided to continue to look for more suitable jobs elsewhere while "serving my time" here for as long as it takes. In the meantime, I shall make the best of my situation and get the most out of my experiences.

Seeing my lack of enthusiasm in the career track the company offered, my sudden chat with the Finance Director, and my hush-hush phone conversations outside my office grounds (KK and Andy happened to stumble upon my secret rendezvous), Andy and KK has quickly reacted to recommend me for an upcoming job opening, which I acknowledged interest in.

I am due for an interview sometime soon, so I may find out about the job scope. I hope this job can offer me that in-depth industry knowledge I look for, so that it''ll be beneficial for me in ANY oil & gas company... and I hope that accounting and reporting functions will only form a minor part of the job scope, if at all.

I am supposed to keep this confidential until the matter is settled. So wish me luck in my upcoming interview! Hopefully I make it through with flying colours. Otherwise, it's back to my mundane management accounting role!

Christmas on Orchard Road

It's been more than a month since my last posting. I've been busy, travelling and sorting out year end issues (which reminds me...I gotta work from home tomorrow on Xmas day, sigh).

I'm currently faced with a most complicate issue that goes back in history for about 4 years, so can you blame me for having a lack of enthusiasm?

In any case, on my last visit to Singapore early this month, I was fortunate enough to witness the twinkling Christmas lights and pretty holiday deco of the famous Orchard Road. I stayed in Meritus Mandarin Hotel, smack in the middle of Orchard Road, and right next to Takashimaya.

Here, I attempted to take a few night shots, most of which, sadly, turned out blur as I had no tripod to keep the camera stable. With slower shutter speed, and wide exposure to capture the lights, no way it could have turned out any better. Here are some better ones...

For Money, or...?

I had quite an extraordinary day yesterday. I later mulled over the numerous sentiments I felt...

My company organised a Finance Community seminar, in conjunction with the Hari Raya celebrations. During the seminar, we shared highlights and successes of the Finance community in the last quarter. My Finance Director, Mike, commemorated the event with his presence.

The seminar was ended with a slightly different flavour this time... a group of executives from Std Chart (SC) was invited to share with us the basics of foreign exchange : the Ringgit's co-relation with the economy's trend. This group of executives arrived in a fashion of their own...all dressed in 3-piece black suits, and then they clipped and clopped their way in on the laminated floor. Wow, talk about an impressive-seeking entrance!

When the time came for them to speak, not 10-minutes had gone by when the laptop battery decided to take a break from all that finance terminologies. One of the speakers, JT, an economist with SC, (whom I thought was pretty cute) carried himself well speaking about forex in a hall of strange faces. It wasnt long before a backup laptop was fixed up, but not before JT "instructed" one of our senior Finance management to move the whiteboard upfront! JT could NOT be more than 30 years old really.

After the seminar, a makan-makan Hari Raya was served; there was yummy lemang, satay, satay sauce, mee jawa, and lots more. Out of the 4 SC personnel who came, 3 of them had to rush off to catch their flight back to KL, with JT alone leaving for Singapore the next morning.

I was quietly enjoying my second helping of lemang with satay sauce when JT approached, declaring that he was having the best beef rendang he had ever tasted. Well, of course, Malaysian local food is a class of its own!

Shortly after that, another colleague of mine joined us. During the ice-breaker conversation of who came from where and a bit of career history, JT mentioned that he liked the slower pace of Miri life. He went on to say that he loved going to his "holiday houses" in Bali, Australia, etc (I think I kinda shut off at that moment), blah, blah, blah, and he lives in a semi-D in Singapore. Show off? Nevertheless, I was impressed (with his financial position), and started to ponder about my own predicament.

Owning just one house sucked me dry! Then I took this job in Miri with a paycut...was I going in the wrong direction? Having said that, things havent been so bad since I came. Pretty good work-life balance, you take some, you give some. All I need was one house, I didnt need so many all over the world anyway. I think I'm ok.

I recollected this exchange to a colleague this morning. He thought JT was trying to impress me...was he? JT did ask me to join him for a drink, which invitation I had to turn down though. Perhaps his many properties didnt catch my attention the way he planned. Should it?

Glory of Angkor Wat

It was a spectacular sight, the magnificent ruins rising up to the heavens...rising at 70 degrees steep. The temple's grounds are vast...


...and it's sculptures were impressive...ancient and detailed.

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng Hill... with beautiful life budding within the old ruins.


There I was, standing in the present, looking through the doorway of yester-years.
A little girl with her Energizer bunny shies away from the scorching heat.
*I was sweating like a pig in the sauna*.



Stone hedge in Siam Reap?

Lovely sights, great photographic opportunity...but sadly, poverty plagues the local people. It'll take many years and much great effort before the people can be economically more developed. In the people's effort to achieve development, the authorities should preserve Cambodia's authenticity in every aspect.

He...

He turned up unexpectedly, all the way from Kuching. Last time we met was a couple of years ago, I can't even remember exactly when.

He has...matured. Less hair on his crowning glory, much lesser on the top, otherwise he still looks the same. Tall, tan, trim with a pair of twinkling slit eyes and a generous smile.

He's still as sweet as before, soft-spoken and gentle...said I'm beautiful that night...wow, it's been a long time since a guy told me that.

He was a perfect gentleman, always has been...you see, he's a vegetarian (for religious and health reasons)...because the religious reason was there, I had to behave too (dem! haha).

He is passionate about his religion...I had vegetarian dinner 2 nights in a row because of him...

He brought me to meet some friends and associates of his, comrades pursuing similar beliefs. Nice bunch of people...they said I look "different...pretty", ...2 compliments 2 nights in a row? wow! what's going on?

He gave up a life of material things, and came back home from Japan to drive this humane effort 10 years ago. But it was great, to get to know that "other" side of him...the side he so passionately believe, to help the poor and the less fortunate.

He came, and then he left 2 days later.

I wish him all the best in his noble efforts.

The Empire

Ok, he's not part of The Empire...he's my boss!
And these...are my talented counterparts. Talented in shaking their boogie! Phewit!

Ok, ok, I'm getting to my point...Nah, these are photos of the spectacular Empire Hotel & Country Club...but their service has LOTS of room for improvement...I mean LOTS of room!

To love and to cherish...

...till death do us part.

Now doesn't that sound familiar? That usual phrase we often hear when a couple exchanged vows of matrimony.

Well, it's corny, and sugar-coated...life isnt all "happily ever after" like the movies. It's a conscious effort to work at that relationship, more so after marriage as it can get stale after the first few years. And usually, one party works harder at it than the other, sadly.

Ever heard of the "7 year itch"? If your marriage makes it through happily until the 7th year, your marriage is safe. True? Far from it. Wait till that sexy b*tch comes along and seduces your husband, because 7 years later, your husband would be having more money than when he first married you. $$ is a sexy quality in men, for many young girls...A guy friend recently insists there's truth in that. I don't deny it one bit.

All conditions are impermenant, you just have to try and make sure that the changes are positive, that you adapt to them and come out the winner either ways. Stay on top, that's the key.

When parents split up, the kid will suffer more emotional trauma than you can ever imagine.

When the father keeps a mistress, or has an affair, again the kids will feel the scar it leaves on their lives.

And sometimes, when death really do us part, and the other one remarries, the situation should be handled with utmost care, or all hell can break lose. Remarrying is ok, but the approach with the children should be delicate.

When I was little, I used to believe that all marriages were made in heaven, that one day everyone meets their first love, and will get happily married and that's the end of the story...until I grew up. Of course, there are a few people who actually married their first love...

Harsh realities of life, all of the above I've either seen (with friends and relatives) or personally witnessed the effect of it one way or the other. Thank the Lord Buddha that I always managed to stand by my principles, although there were a few times when the devil cast its spell of temptation and knocked me out silly...ok, ok, so I might have had to smack myself back to the righteous path a couple of times, but I pride myself in being able to do so...in the end. Not that I didnt slip a couple of times, but many I know have easily fallen full into the arms of the devil's temptation and lost their way.

Personally, I've witness so many marriages crumbling because there wasn't enough substance in the relationship to begin with. Lust or love...be careful which is which.

Merdeka!

Merdeka day can mean different things to different people.

On 31st August 2006 at almost 1pm, I received an sms from a fellow buddhist of the dharma. I was informed that the Venerable Chief K Sri Dhammananda had passed away peacefully at approximately 12.45pm that afternoon. It was also Merdeka for the Chief Reverand, freedom from suffering in his old, ageing body...

Let's transfer our merits to him and wish that he may be well and happy, wherever he is.

Here are 2 websites showing photos of the eulogy in memory of the Chief at the Vihara Temple and the funeral at Nirvana Memorial.

http://www.jeffooi.com/
http://www.oonyeoh.squarespace.com/

May the Blessings of the Triple Gem always be with us all.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu!

The Jewel of Sarawak

Last weekend was one of the most unique weekend for me. I explored Gunung Mulu National Park.

There are only 2 ways to get there - you can either take a bus (or drive up) to Kuala Baram from Miri town followed by a boat ride up Sungai Baram to Mulu, or catch a 20-minute fokker plane ride from Miri airport to Mulu airport. With the new Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) airline, it's really affordable and highly recommended compared to the 4-5 hour bus & boat ride.

Mulu National Park, which is as large as Singapore, is denominated by three main mountains - Gunung Mulu, Gunung Api and Gunung Benarat, covered with green madness. Gunung Mulu is the second highest mountain peak in Sarawak and holds one of the most spectacular limestone cave systems on earth. But I didnt go there for the forest. No, Mulu's main attraction lies deep beneath the surface, hidden in the forested slopes of these mountains.

According to our tour guide, Mulu has the world's largest chamber, with a capacity to hold about 40 Boeing 747s! 4 main caves are open to the public, namely Lang Cave, Deer Cave, Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave.

On our first day, we explored the Lang and Deer Cave. Lang Cave was founded by a Berawan hunter who had gone boar hunting one day back in the 1970-s. There were so many wild boars there that he kept the place a secret for many years, because coming home successfully with a boar each time he went hunting made him look good with the women. After much prodding by the other men, Lang finally revealed the secret spot, and so they named the cave after him, and opened it to public in 1985.

The cave was spacious and well-lit with yellow lights. As we made our way down the cement pathways and plankwood walkways, the chambers looked like it was held up by frozen melting cream pillars.

The Deer Cave was something else. Its vast magnitude caverns makes it the largest cave passage known to man. Standing inside it, you'll feel so tiny and wonder what else there is in those dark corners where no light could reach. As we made our way inside, there is a stretch of walkway that is strewn with a thick layer of "guano" (bat's droppings). The wiff of "guano" embraced us, so we held our breath (or breathed through our hanky or something). At the end of the passageway, we came to the Garden of Eden, where the Shower of Eden lies, allowing rich green vegetation to thrive. We had to be careful as earwig insects (they sting) infested the hand railings deep in this cave, and the bats love them. At the southern entrance of this cave, Abraham Lincoln's profile is etched in the rocks, guarding the entrance. Deer Cave is also the home to many species of bats. Around 5-6pm, they'll circle outside the entrance of the cave before flying off into the skyline in a long black line.

We then had to rush back to the national park ranger house as a storm was on its way. We walked back so fast our legs hurt, but we made back on time. Later, just as we sat in the boat back to our resort, it poured frogs and beasts (since there's no cats nor dogs there!)

The next morning, we visited Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. On our way to these caves, we made a stop at a Penan longhouse settlement. Their living conditions were extremely basic with no proper sanitisation system (but they did have Astro). They laid their colourful handicrafts out for sale on the wooden flooring covered with plastic mats, and their little children with runny noses and tear-streaked faces were running around playfully without a care in the world.

After a 10-15 minutes stop, we made our way to the Wind Cave. By boat, it took us about 15 minutes on the Sungai Melinau to reach the entrance of the Wind Cave, so named because of the cool breeze you feel as you walk along the narrow passageways. Its rock formation was magnificent here.

We then took the boat to the picnic area near to the entrance of the Clearwater Cave. I think I must have climbed close to 200 steps through the forest before we reached the Clearwater Cave's entrance. Reminds me of the steps to the Batu Caves temple back in Selangor! After huffing and puffing, Clearwater Cave proved a worthwhile effort when we witnessed the crystal clear stream flowing out from deep within its walls.

Outside at the picnic area, you may dive into the inviting but icy cold clear pool.

We had a 3.30pm flight to catch back to Miri, so we had to make our way back to the resort quickly to be able to have a "mandi kerbau" before we head to the airport.

All in all, it was a great experience.

Adventures of the wild

The count down of my next adventure is down to 6 days!

Next Saturday, I'll be exploring the wilds of the Borneo jungle heading towards the wonders of Mulu Caves. It's exciting as I've heard good reviews about Mulu from friends who have made the trip there.

Suddenly it hit me last week, that I am no where near being physically fit to face that tropical challenge. I've not been going to any gym since May when I moved to Miri. Since then, I've only had a few chances to go for a jog or two in the park or Piasau Garden, and a class or two of aerobics.

Uh-huh, the company gets an aerobics instructor in every Mondays and Thursdays for a workout session for employees in one of our facilities hall! It's a really good gesture by the company to uphold work-life balance for its employees. Sadly though, the quality of the aerobics instructors here (apparently from the best fitness center in Miri) are nowhere close to Fitness First's instructors. But it'll do for a little sweating session, if you aren't too fussy.

For fear that I will be totally knocked out ("KO") during the jungle trek next weekend, I am in a frantic haste to get my stamina up to a reasonable level. But in 1 weeks time? Hahaha, fat hopes, ya?

Last minute or not, I'd better try lah...

Postcard Perfect

This was one of the pix my friend, Direktionless, took during our travelling days to NZ. Taken with an analogue SLR camera, colour tone was clear with just the right amount of lighting.

I don't own an SLR, only a point & shoot, but for a beginner like me, should be good enough.

Now this one below I took during my Pangkor trip, with the hot afternoon sunlight on my right. I can't remember what setting I used after trying out this & that, but it turned out ok in the end.


I need to learn up how to take good night shots, sharp focus with all the right light tones...

Pix on Blog

Finally, I find the time to experiment uploading photos into my blog.

Been wanting to do this since I started writing, but never had the time to try it out.

This is one of the sunset pix I took in Pangkor in April this year when I took my mom on a 3D2N holiday in Pangkor Beach Island Resort (formerly Pan Pacific Beach Resort). I was experimenting with the many functions of my Canon Powershot A620, and with photography angles during this sunset period. Not bed, eh? Photography...something I intend to learn up.

I try to take my mom for a holiday somewhere at least once a year. It's her golden years. She deserves the best in return for the all her sacrifices to raise my brother and me all those years.

In 2002, I took her to Melbourne; in 2003, we went to Penang, 2004 to Cameron Highlands, last year Beijing, and this year Pangkor.

There is just one more thing on my mom's list of things to see before she can proclaim that she's seen all she wants to see...snow. She wants to step on real snow.

My uncle in Melbourne has invited me to come over and visit him again. I am planning to bring my mom to Mount Buller this time. Not sure when exactly my financials would allow me to materialise this plan, but soon I hope.

Hmmm...just tried three times to add in another pix, but cannot seem to figure out how. It keeps getting attached right next to the sunset one above...how to I paste it somewhere else? Can't even "cut & paste" it...

Ah, shucks! 1 pix wud do for now. Can someone tell me how attach more than 1 pix in places where I want them to be?

Ahoy there! Pirates or Foe?

Last weekend, I paid an unexpected visit to the cinema in Melaka. In fact, I paid an unexpected visit to Melaka!

It was last Tuesday when an old friend, CK, contacted me to ask if I was going to be in Melaka last weekend. He was going down to Melaka with some friends for a day trip just to "makan-makan" before he makes his way to Melbourne next month where he's being transferred to.

Coincidentally, I had earlier bought tickets to fly back last weekend, as I was hoping to make a trip back to Melaka with another girl friend. She couldn't make it at the last minute, so I was thrilled when CK offered me a ride back.

Once we arrived in Melaka, they dropped me off at my home and went on with their "makan-makan" journey. In the afternoon, I joined them for a movie in the good ol' GSC cinema, the only cinema left standing in Melaka. The old theatres were either burnt down or went bankrupt during the VCD/DVD era.

The first Pirates movie was great, where I thought Depp gave one of his best performances. He played Jack Sparrow really well, he was hilarious!

And Bloom? I thought his character, Will, was overshadowed by the entertaining Jack.

In this second effort to capture the hearts of movie lovers, it was no different. Jack still overshadowed Will in more than one scene.

Talented actors aside, the plot was not as catchy as the first one was. The octopus scenes were too draggy, and some "hellefares" characters in the first episode tried to make a comeback without much success. Several times, just when I thought a scene was about to be over, then I was dragged back into it.

But, ooh, I loved the little romantic "twist" this second movie offered with Elizabeth Swann. Two men, whose similarities was as close as the next galaxy was to earth, were both attracted to Elizabeth. Unknowingly, even to herself, Elizabeth was also attracted to them both...until the compass showed her the direction of the thing she wanted most... and pointed to Jack! Ooh, and the Kiss of Betrayal, which only she and Jack knew...but which Will merely saw, without realising the betrayal element within.

It was disappointing that the movie ended so abruptly, without a convenient point like the first one had. By the time the third sequel follows, we would all have forgotten the details of this story.

Nonetheless, Depp was still entertaining as Jack. He has progressed from a stiff young actor in 21 Jump Street eons ago, to a talented actor who could successfully portray unusual and diverse roles seemingly effortlessly.

I will be waiting anxiously for the third sequel to be released. Perhaps I might have to jog my memory by watching the Dead Man's Chest all over again on DVD when the third sequel is released.

My memory space is getting smaller by the day. Wouldn't it be great if I could just store my memory on a thumb drive, and plug-in when I needed that memory? Just like the octopus who could keep his heart locked up in a little chest...

Onboarding Experience

It's been exactly 2 months since I reported for duty for my new job in Miri. I can finally take some time off to share my bitter-sweet onboarding experience.

This whole week, I am attending a course on introduction to the oil & gas industry for non-technical staff. So I am away from office, and have no access to my emails until today, when TM sent their contractor to fix up my streamyx connection. But alas, a quick check of my mailbox today showed that I have failed to act within the deadline on 3 emails that came in late Friday nite and Saturday morning. I guess I will have to deal with the consequences when I return to work next week. I hope I will not be hanged for it as it involved the budgets for approval by our Partners. [wish me luck!]

My boss assigned me a "Buddy" from my first day at work. It's a system in place where an existing staff is assigned to you to help you get around and get settled in in everything from your IT logins, to your stationaries right up to eating places and recommended housing areas to rent a house. Yes, Jeffrey was a great Buddy, and he still is a great buddy today...a good friend you can turn to in times of need.

Apart from Jeffrey, my other colleagues have also been real pals in helping me to fit in workwise and social-wise. They are genuine in their friendship, and I enjoy their company as much as they enjoy mine. They are a bunch of people who are comfortable to be themselves at all times, thus making me feel at ease. This is also true of my current boss, who, apart from being a loud and forceful leader (very chinaman-like actually), he is also a truly caring boss who "protects" his staff in everything.

Why, just the other day, when my shippers wrongly billed my company a whopping RM16k for 2 containers of shipment for my personal effects of 14-cubic meters and a car of RM8k each, my boss came to my rescue unexpectedly. My HR counterpart had suggested that the RM8k differential portion would be deducted from my July and August salary (I am only entitled for 1 container, you see), and this had made me jump out of my chair with furious rage as I did not even see the alleged "approved quotation". My boss had calmly assured me that I would not have to pay for any differential amount, and asked me to reply to the HR email and to cc him. He personally spoke to the HR "big man" and sorted it out for me the next day. ...I assume it IS sorted by now, since HR did not get back to me asking me to pay such and such sum.

My 3-months quarter review is up soon, but looks like I have not achieved much since I joined. I am still trying to decipher the PSC concept (production sharing contracts), the process of certain areas, the focal points I am supposed to refer to, and my role in the whole process.

I have almost finished settling in into my newly rented house, except for my books and clothes which are still packed in my luggage and stacked up on the study table. I will do that when I have the mood...I guess :)

Infrastructure in my house has finally completed with Astro being the last to be installed this evening. Aah, bliss in my own haven of escapade. My friends and my boss have been bugging me to have a house-warming since last month. I have verbally agreed, but I am extremely lazy to actually put it into action. Well, maybe in 2 weeks time, since I'll be too busy getting some stuff and planning some outings with my friends this weekend, and I wont be around next weekend.

In a nutshell, the whole onboarding process has been both bitter and sweet for me. This is my first time relocating to a far away place from home to work...but it is my first step for bigger things to come. I hope in 2 years' time, I will have another onboarding story to tell...a much more exciting one in a truly foreign land.

Time...

Time used to be so strict, so tight, back in KL, when life was such a hasty rush everyday.

Time was almost a luxury, hardly having the privileged to be enjoyed slowly.

Time didnt permit me to lie back and read a book every night, as I would be "oh-so-tired and exhausted" at the end of each day.

Time was spent mostly on the road, travelling between the home and the work place, often caught in the snail-paced traffic jams. If it rained that evening, that's the end of your evening!

Time was also used mainly to work in the office till the sun has set far below the horizon before finally starting the long journey home.

Time always ran short on weekends...Saturdays whizzed by as the sun would be blazing through the late afternoon sky by time I got off work.

Time seemed even shorter on the weekends which I have to spend two hours driving on the North-South highway to get back to my hometown. By the time I got home, the sun was ready to set in a few hours time.

Time is almost unfair to me on Sundays, when I have to make my way back to KL in the evenings.

But now...

Time seems to treat me more gently and generously in this little town of Miri.

Time seems to stretch longer here, as the sun rises up earlier and sets earlier each day, so we all start the day earlier too.

Time is not wasted on the road for travelling, as most destinations are reachable within 15 minutes.

Time permits me to have extra hours each night, so I can read myself to wonderful dreams with my fiction books.

Time lets me go for evening jogs in parks, and serene walks in lush greenery or by the tanned sandy beaches.

Time gives me the opportunity to have meals, or go watch movies, or explore the colourful "pasar malam" with new friends found. (Of course, it would be just divine if I could have all these AND have my family and old friends around here with me too but then...). As the saying goes, "you'll need to let go of some things to make room for new, better things to come along".

Time lets me savour life here better, promising a better quality of life.

Time...however, only makes up 24-hours of each day wherever you may be...and each day passes by quickly all the same.

(I turned a year older recently, and realise that I've been here for 1 full month...already!)

Time...can you slow down? Let your grains of time slide down the hour glass just a little more leisurely?

*Here's a lovely piece I'd like to share*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author - Dr. David L. Weatherford

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seashells

It's been almost a month since I started work here at my new place, and so far, I find it to be a wonderful place to live a quality lifestyle...but I do miss a little bit of the huge choices of shopping in a hypermarket. Apart from that, it's great!

Saving 2 hours in a day of travelling to and from work is terrific! I get to go and do my shopping after work and get dinner, then get back home for a hot shower, and still have time for tv and a few chapters of my fairytale book before bedtime. The night seems longer here, perhaps because we start off the day earlier as the sun rises and sets earlier too.

Today, the seashells got turned over by the tide.

Our Finance director, Mike, announced that my immediate boss will be leaving end of this year for a cross-posting at a yet-to-be-determined place. His replacement, will be my ex-boss, Andy, whom I had worked for approximately 5 years ago. Back then, I was reporting to my manager who reported to him.

Several years have gone past, so I hope Andy hasn't changed his management style, as much as he had changed his viewpoint about family, spirituality and people.

Only recently did I realise how complicated his personal life was a few years ago. Instinctively, I did feel he was calling out for "help" back then, but I could not be sure and did not pursue it as I didn't want to seem "nosy". However, I am glad that somehow, he has managed to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, and is now pretty much back on his feet.

Hence, I look forward to an exciting 2-year stint with Andy again come this September. This time, I am sure things will be much more exciting than it was back then, as we are both now part of the oil drilling operations, not just an accounting servicing center for processing transactions (yuck!).

My current boss is a tough man, so he deals with our Partners fabulously well, as he bull-dozes his convincing recommendations. Andy has a completely different style, more soft-spoken and less "rough". Perhaps that is where I can render my services? ...to help him bull-doze our way through consistently(*haha*). We'll see...

Anyhow, I welcome a familiar face in my new career challenge in an otherwise foreign land. Besides, he has grown to be more than just an ex-boss these last few months. He has become a friend to me, someone I can confide in and trust; and also a mentor, someone who is armed with advice and a helping hand.

Here's to another enjoyable and succesful journey!

Oh, gotta go be on my move now. I tumpang someone, so no choice. My kereta only coming end of this month!

%^$#&* takes a freakin' 1 month to ship my things coz they "missed the last vessel"...what the...

oh well...

Work Hard, Play Hard

Today is officially "Work Hard, Play Hard" day in my company....unofficially, it's called "relax & lepak" day for everyone in the office. It falls on the 3rd Friday of every month. So everyone is like working for the first half of the day only.

Wow! This company is really serious when it says that it upholds the "Work-Life Balance" motto.

So there are two activities in the afternoon today, bowling and a woman-networking session on embroidery.

I'm going for the embroidery session...not that I'm such an "embroidery" person, but going more for networking purposes, to meet new people. Besides, apparently, this lady giving the demo on embroidery, has a fantastic sewing machine which can produce professional looking embroideries effortlessly.

Ok, so it's embroidery...

This morning, we had our monthly "team learning" session on work and non-work topics. The non-work related topic this morning was "Will Writing", which was presented by a representative speaker from Rockwills. It was interesting and enlightening as she answered numerous queries from the floor, about the dos and don'ts, about how the distribution of estate works in the absence of a will, and on specific scenarios brought up the audience.

This has been a pretty interesting 2-weeks in Miri so far.

What am I going to spend my time on this weekend? Beats me!

Saving that 2-hours each day travelling on the road makes a heck lot of difference! Those of you who always wish that they could get quality life with more quality time with their families? You don't have to wait so long, or go so far as to migrate to another country...You can get just that right here in Miri! If you are lucky enough to get attached to the right company which pays you well enough?

I rest my case...

The Hunt for October

Right, I meant the hunt for a house, but that didnt sound like an interesting enough title.

It's been more than a month since my last posting...maklum lah, I had no access to internet, being in my barely furnished new home.

This is my 2nd week here in Miri. So far, the weather is hot (so hot!), the colleagues are nice, the boss is demanding but hilarious (thank goodness), the work is new & complicated, and the house hunting was tiring.

All in all, I'd say that my first 2 weeks here have been pretty good generally.

After much effort of looking at a never-ending list of dilapidated houses for rent, or houses in dodgy-looking surroundings, and also dreaming of staying in one of the nicer-looking ones (which fetch freakin' expensive rentals), I finally found a decent-looking one with an affordable rent in a safe enough looking neighbourhood. The owner was even kind enough to agree to renovation on the downstairs bathroom i.e. to change the squatting toilet to a sitting one, and to add a hot water shower.

It's also partly furnished, so I dont have to spend much money buying much furniture, except those which I want or need to make living there more comfortable.

I will be living quite closely to my office, an estimated 5 minutes drive away, and it's about 15 minutes drive to the city center. In Miri, anything is within 10-15 minutes drive. Exceed 15, then it's considered "very far".

I like it that we start work earlier and could go off earlier too if work permits. The sun is up bright & shiny by about 6.15am, and the day is pitch dark by 7.15pm. So the day starts early for everyone here in Miri.

Rise & shine to a hot & sunny day! Hmmm...it really is very hot here.