yeech: The world thru my eyes...

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T16:05:00.001+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! A new year, a new beginning. Have lost some time during this whole month in keeping up to my new year resolutions.. Hopefully, with this, I will get another boost in keeping the resolutions! May the year of the Water Dragon bring loads of wealth, health and love to everyone! For me, I've started to move on from the cross road for another new adventure in my life.. So, wish me luck! And good luck to everyone! Till then, live long and prosper...

Venturing into new area...

2012-01-18T22:36:00.002+08:00

I read with interest that in a certain country, it seems that when a squatter moves into an empty lot of house, one will have to go through a painful and long court battle process to throw the squatters out! And to rub salt on to the wound, you might lose the case while having to pay for the electricity and water that the squatters are staying in the house during the court battle. Wow! To imagine that a house that's bought with hard earned money... being "infested" by those who don't work as hard to buy their own and having to pay more just get back what you "own"! What is the logic of that? I mean, the there are laws to protect human rights yes. But surely, the laws would include logic as well, isn't that so? I reckon if the country's lawmaker can't overcome the "external" laws that are being pushed to them, there's gonna be some problem.. I can't imagine a house that I've bought, being taken over by squatters. By hook or by crook, there must be some way to get back the house immediately as I have bought the house with my hard earned money.. I can only say... WOW! The squatters are venturing into a new area without inhibition and are succeeding in making those who make a honest living pay! I certainly would not buy a property in that country if I can afford to if this situation could not be resolved. On a more personal note, the events today had propelled me into venturing a new area where I've never been before. I do hope that the plans would work out well so that everyone could benefit from the plan. So, wish me luck! As to what were the events and what is the plan, well let's leave that to your imagination, shall we? Till then, live long and prosper..

It's been some time

2012-01-08T01:37:00.001+08:00

It's been some time since I've posted a blog... A lot had happened in that period of time.. I've had to return to my bachelorhood life, amongst them and probably the worst thing that could happen.. It's nearly a year now that the incident happened.. Looks like you've moved on better than me. So I guess that I should too.. As time waits for no one. So I shall no longer be here waiting for someone that had gone far far away..
I took the longest medical leave in my entire working life.. Due to a viral fever.. Also met my wonderful family members in Taiwan.. Really hope to go back to Taiwan more to visit them..
As for my resolutions for 2011, I failed to meet all of them miserably.. Though I manage to achieve something outside of it.. And for this year, my first new year resolution would be as same for 10 years of my life with exception of 2010-2011.. Hopefully, it'll be a dream come true.. Have started another blog entitled 'The World thru' my eyes'.. Where you'll see photos.. Hopefully it'll be nice..
Till then, live long and prosper...

Life...

2011-09-07T16:58:00.000+08:00

'When asked “What thing about humanity surprises you the most?”, the Dalai Lama answered: “Man…. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."I recently received the quote above from a friend whom thought that I should probably reduce my time working and try to live for myself. I read the quote again and again. And no matter how I read.... I found that the quote sort of describe my life in the shortest way possible. Wise words from the Dalai Lama.. Come to think of it.. I agree with what he says.. I never could live the life I want and I am sure a lot of people are like me in knowingly live a life where money comes in via right hand and is given out via the left in shortest time possible.. Maybe it's time for us to look at our lives and ask ourselves... What is the definition of good life?
I leave you all with the question for you all to answer.. Till then, live long and prosper...

16 minutes....... approximately...

2011-04-20T23:04:00.002+08:00

Approximately means:-

1. Almost exact or correct: the approximate time of the accident.
2. Very similar; closely resembling: sketched an approximate likeness of the suspect.
3. Botany Close together but not united.
4. To come close to; be nearly the same as: This meat substitute approximates the real thing.
5. To bring near.
6. To bring together, as cut edges of tissue.
7. To come near or close, as in degree, nature, or quality.

All above, comes from the dictionary found online.

Do you say... 16 minutes is near to an hour? Or would you say 16 minutes approximately is anywhere near 50 minutes? My goodness! That's what I got! Approximately.. Too bad I don't have an iphone.. and too bad I don't have a dictionary to throw at the fella! DANG! Went to 1 Utama last Saturday with my girlfriend and her parents to shop around and had a good time with them.. That is, until this "approximate" man showed up... We went to Chilli's and had to wait to be seated. As there were many people waiting, we put our name in line as others. When asked how long more to go, we were told.... 16 minutes.. approximately... Ok.. fine... 16 minutes isn't long.. I don't mind waiting for 20 to 30 minutes... But when it comes up to 50 minutes... APPROXIMATELY ISN'T the right word to use! Worst, my girlfriend's parents got hopping mad for having to wait for more than 30 minutes just to eat that they walked off to eat others.. Hmm... To this man working in Chilli's... Better check your dictionary! APPROXIMATELY MEANS C-L-O-S-E! 16 minutes and 50 minutes are WORLDS APART! Do be honest next time if you can't give a seat within the time period stated.. And I don't think I'll be returning to Chilli's after this incident.
That's all folks.. Enough said.. Live long and prosperous..

Bali! part 1

2011-04-13T12:09:00.049+08:00

I have long wanted to go Bali for a holiday.. Ever since I've graduated, my friends had been visiting Bali and the stories they tell me made me envy them that they were able to go visit Bali. And on April 2nd 2011, I had at long last, fulfilled one of my dreams of visiting Bali.

Bali, is part of Indonesia that is a Muslim country. Surprisingly, in Bali, there are more Hindus than other religion and that includes Muslim. Unlike back home, the word BABI (pig) is seen openly on the street in the form of Babi guling, a famous delicacy in Indonesia(though I am not a big fan of the dish). Better still, even their signboard is written BABI GULING! That's definitely a no no back home. Something might even happen to the stall if they put that in! haha.. For those whom don't already know, babi guling is barbecued pig. They make use of the whole pig! They even make use of the skin which is deep fried until it's crispy like what we do in M'sia for a famous local delicacy, keropok lekor (made from Mackerel fish). But I didn't dare eat it because of my hereditary high cholesterol problem. haha..

Oh ya.. before I go on, let me put in a word or two about our guide, a Dr Made Widana. He's a very honest and hardworking guy. He must've been very tired after driving us around all day long! He brought us to places that charges reasonable price as compared to one Taiwanese guy that I met along the way whom complained that his guide brought him to places that only do business in USD. haha.. Look him up in Facebook with his name. He's on facebook and has a lot of good comments from his previous customers!

Well, after lunch, Made brought us a place called Krishna. It's sort of a supermarket or some sort with a lot of souvenirs and some local food. I must say the nuts there are pretty good! After Krishna, we were off to Kuta beach. The beach was full of people! There were even a group which I think was from Malaysia having a teambuilding over there! (Ehhem.. To my company... can we have a teambuilding over in Bali too?! *hint *hint?! hahaha..) The place was great! And it's full of arts stuffs albeit a bit overpriced! The wooden art in Bali was captivating! There were many foreigners sunbathing and enjoying their life there.. It's so serene and peaceful! I love it there! (Note to myself: next time I'm there in Bali, I'm gonna spend half a day there on the beach and relax!)

After Kuta, we went to a temple called Uluwatu. It's quite a drive from Kuta to Uluwatu. The journey took nearly 30 - 45 minutes drive! It was so "Ulu" (which means remote in English) that we thought we were going nowhere! Uluwatu is a beautiful place with great scenery! Loved it loads! It's actually a temple that's situated on the cliff. When we got there, it was drizzling a little but it didn't deter us from going in. I had to put on a "sarong" because I was wearing short pants and by putting on the sarong, I was supposedly respecting the temple which, doesn't hurt as I had received comment that I look kinda good in the sarong.. haha.. There were huge monkeys there.. We had to walk a bit into the temple and when we reached the end of the path, we saw a monkey that looked like the king.. sitting there alone while the rest of the monkeys didn't dare go near this fella.. And this fella is huge compared to the ones we had back in M'sia.. I reckon it must be the food that the tourists had been giving them though they were advised to not give the monkeys any food.. Anyway, Uluwatu is a very very beautiful place and the sound of the sea was quite relaxing.. How I miss island trips now.. We took some photos around and near Uluwatu and it turns out to be quite a good exercise for me having to walk from one end to the other to take a look at the scenery there! We were supposed to watch the kachak dance show there but just as we were going to the area where the kachak dance were supposed to be held, it started to rain cats and dogs. So, we decided against getting wet as it was only the first day and we don't want to get sick! So, off we went back to Kuta. On the way back towards the vehicle, we managed to catch a glimpse of the monkeys giving the tourists a show of see no evil, hear no evil and speak evil. So cute. Too bad, when I wanted to to take photos, they moved.. Dang..

We were all hungry after a long day and after the babi guling lunch which we didn't really finish. The travel back toward Kuta took us about 45 minutes because of the jam! Made drove like a F1 driver and got us to Kuta quickly as we were tired and hungry. We went to a Chinese restaurant. The food there was quite nice. Although food back in Malaysia is very much better, but anyone whom eats here, would say that the food was quite on par with some of the restaurants back home. Do pardon the photos.. tried uploading the correct way but it kept on turning upside down.. The gang loved the fried rice (which I didn't take photo of..). So much so, we ordered another plate of it!

After dinner, we went on our way back to the resort that we were supposed to be staying in. Waka Gangga. I found Waka Gangga online. Waka Gangga is situated in Tanah Lot, about 45 minutes drive from Kuta (but it took us about 1.5 hours as Made wasn't sure on how to go to Waka Gangga. Waka Gangga resort is situated by the seaside and surrounded with paddy fields. The sea breeze was magnificent and lovely and as it's situated away from everything else, the environment were peaceful and relaxing. When we arrive in Waka Gangga, it was nearly 10+pm. We were greeted by the staff whom were on duty (and he was a MU fan!). We were given some drinks though we did not receive the cake. Come to think of it, ya! We were not given any cakes as stated in the itinerary! Arrgghh.. But yeah.. We arrived late. So we didn't had too much time on our hands to venture around the area. We booked a villa and a lanai (a "bungalow"). The villa comprises of a master room and a smaller room. The good thing about the villa is that it comes with a private pool! We had fun in that pool that night. I didn't manage to take photos of the interior of Lanai but I was told it was quite nice too! All of these rooms comes with an outdoor shower and bathroom except for the master bedroom that comes with a bathtub on the inside. To be able to shower outside under the sky would be heavenly! But I didn't do that.. haha.. Shy la.. Anyway, The bedroom was fantastic and lovely! The master bedroom was situated right across the beach and sea. So, imagine when you wake up in the morning... The sight and sound of the sea is there greeting you when you wake up.. Absolutely heavenly! There was even a wedding that went on before we arrived! Dang.. Missed the wedding! We had a good deal from Waka Gangga in getting 30 minutes massage for each of the gang. Personally, I felt that the massage was so so. I would prefer thai massage for the robustness and strength involved in the massage. But it was nice while the massage lasted. We had breakfast provided by Waka Gangga and I must say, it was not as expected! The breakfast was great and delicious. Waka Gangga were generous with the portion of food given to us. I would love to go back and stay in Waka Gangga again in my next trip to Bali!

Again, do pardon the photos.. I think I've uploaded too many photos maybe?! Hmm.. Anyway, part 2 to come up soon!

SUSHI!

2010-12-08T16:49:00.003+08:00

Everybody loves sushi! That includes me! Why do we all love sushi so much?! Well, maybe it's because sushi's perceived to be a very healthy meal with minimum or no oil used and hence the nutritional value isn't compromised.. Heck, look at the Japanese! They look pretty healthy! haha.. Anyway, I've found this coupon that offers 50% for buffet lunch or dinner! Wow! 50%! In the days when the government is trying to get more money out of our pockets, I think these coupons would be very very much appreciated! Don't you think so?! Personally, I'd think it's a very very good deal! And I think I'll most probably purchase some coupons as it can be used until 12th of March 2011! So, what about you? Wanna save some money and at the same time, get some great food? Click here! I think I better rush to get some coupons now.. Here are some photos of the restaurant that's involved in the deal!

Till then, live long and prosperous!

Sick..

2010-11-23T13:08:00.002+08:00

It's that time of the year again where my body needs to reboot and reset it's bodily function. And this time, I think is the worst amongst the 2 other time when I was ill in this year. It was so bad that I had breathlessness at about 3am and had to stay awake till about 4.30am as everytime I tried to lie down, both my nostrils were blocked and hence the feeling of breathlessness. I tried to look up for acupuncture points to try to help reduce the congestion problem but it seems, I need more practice to find the actual points in order to get the acupuncture points to press. So, I swallowed a range of medicines that helped with inflammation, phlegm and nasal congestion as well as for fever (Whoaa.. Although I'm a drug pusher but I don't think I've every ate that much of medicines before!) And after about 30 minutes or so... hey, what do you know! the congestion reduced and I could breath better! So, I slept soundly... that is, until my alarm clock rang... It felt like I've only slept for 5 minutes! DANG! How I wish I could be off today. Anyway, I think I've made a wise move in getting my colleague to replace me tomorrow while I get some rest. Think I'm pretty much overworked.
Anyway, an iridology test was done in my outlet yesterday. I think a lot of you would say.. huh? What is ilidonogy (iridology)??? ( sorry.. I just had to do that.. Coz not many could pronouce this word correctly.. haha.. :p) Iridology is an alternative way of finding out if there are any problems with any area of the body. It is believed that every part of the body can be reflected by the iris (waaa.. complicated eh?). Anyway, I had a good laugh teasing my staffs when they were doing the test. But in the end, it turns out the joke's on me as I was told that I had many many different problems.. Darn! Must be my lifestyle.. I notice that my metabolism is reduced due to this current lifestyle. Maybe it's time for another change? hmm..
Well, let's come to money savings part. Here's something for the ladies.. Anyone interested in having a good facial treatment (for 2 hours) as well as a good back massage (1 hour)? Here's your chance to get this cheap! There's this coupon thingy that you can buy and if you use the coupon to pay, you only pay RM50 for the session! That's a whopping 94% discount! Wow! The are 2 outlets for the company that's associated with this coupon thingy and the addresses as well as the opening hours are as follow:

Fleurs Beauty Kuchai Lama
16, Jalan Kuchai Maju 8,
Kuchai Entrepreneurs' Park,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 03-7981 9666

Fleurs Beauty Kepong
Block B, 20-1, Vista magna,
Jalan Prima Metro Prima,
52100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 03-6252 9866

Business Hours:
Mon - Fri : 11am to 8pm
Sat, Sun & Public : 10am to 6pm
Kuchai Lama - Closed on Wednesday
Kepong - Closed on Monday

The massage provided is lymphatic massage.. sounds good! Anyone care to try? :) To purchase the discount coupon, please click here
Well, that's all for now! Till then live long and prosperous...

Wanna save some money? (part 2)

2010-11-19T19:54:00.004+08:00

Now the site is offering some good discounts on steamboat! Anyone whom loves steamboat might love this restaurant! I can't say I've been there but the photos of the food looks good! The restaurant have got 4 different type of soup base for the steamboat! Usually, there are only 2.. Normal soup and Thai style. Now there're another additional 2 ie pumpkin porridge soup (to add another RM2 for this order) and Taiwanese Soya Bean soup (to add on another RM2 for this order). This restaurant is in Cheras. Contacts are as below!

Tin Ho Steamboat Restaurant
No.28, Lorong Lobak,
Taman Cheras,
56100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 012-616 9837 / 016-221 8663

Operating Hours:
Tue - Sun : 5pm - 11.30pm
(Closed on Monday)

Think it should be good... Anyone care to try and give some feedback?! Click here for the 50% off coupon!

Wanna save some money?

2010-11-17T14:22:00.002+08:00

This site was recommended to me by my girlfriend and I found that it really had a lot of good stuffs! Warehouse sales, some discount coupons for almost everything ie restaurants, saloons etc.. Think in the current difficult economical situation, it'll be great if we can get a discount from everywhere, right? My travel group member bought a "bah kut teh" (a type of chinese food) coupon for 50% less from its original price! The food was ok and to ask me to pay full amount for that meal, I'd think twice! haha.. Anyway, if you guys are interested, here's the link to the site!
Till then, live long and prosperous..

Impulsive buy?

2010-11-16T11:27:00.002+08:00

I read with interest an article from a daily in England that Britons are GBP2k poorer because they didn't plan ahead with their purchases. Well, personally I think that there will be such impulsive purchasing every now and then. And I think even by planning ahead of what you're going to buy, you'll probably end up buying something else when the time comes or maybe if you're buying ahead, you might end up losing the money that you used. Sounds confusing? Take a famous "Now everyone can fly" LCC airline for example. The public is given "FREE" tickets in advance and is required to plan one year ahead of schedule. Now although it's great to get free ticket but to plan one year in advance. Hmm.. There would be a lot of factors involved in non appearance and hence resulting in the forfeit of the air ticket which leads ultimately to losing the money... There may be some "offer" by the airline to "postpone" the air tickets but there will always be an admin fee charged for that. So, either way, the consumer would be losing money. So to me, impulsive purchase can sometimes be better than planned purchasing.
In other developments, I'm heading to Penang for a conference next weekend. I will be staying in 2 rather good hotels from what I've seen in the reviews online. Hopefully, it'll be as good as it seems to be. As for me, I think I need to do some reading up leading to the conference so that I won't feel out of place! Good luck to me on that! As for now, I think that's all.. Live long and prosperous..

Since I was home...

2010-10-22T17:46:00.014+08:00

Bored...

2010-09-25T10:22:00.008+08:00

Time flies.. Didn't realise that it's been quite some time since I've last blogged. A lot of things had happened during these few months that I was away... Got myself a pretty and nice partner whom I love dearly.. Have my parents with me.. The one regret is my current life doesn't give me much time to spend with my parents and my partner.. It's something that I tried to change in my life when I decided to go UK to work. I guess after all the hours that I've put in for work.. I'm getting a bit weary of the time spent on work and the less time spent with family. The thing is, I think I'm at a level whereby family becomes more important than work. But unfortunately, there's a catch. Over here in this country (or maybe in any other country within Asia for that matters), inflation is a killer factor. House taxes/prices, car taxes/prices, prices for necessities such as food and others... All of these had been inflated. I'm considered to be middle class in terms of my salary before.. But now, I'm not so sure. Hence, the extra hours needed to be put in for extra overtime and hence, the lack of time. One very frustrating situation has been the traffic jams that has caused many to spend more time in the car than at home! And the worst part is, we have to pay such high toll rates and yet, still get stuck in the jam.. It's little wonder that people in Malaysia are driving like nobody's business and ultimately, accidents happen. To make things worst, there are some people whom are so busybody that they slow down at the accident site although it's on the opposite site of the road just to catch a glimpse of the accidents (in some cases, just some people sitting by the roadside with their cars parked there!). My questions to these idiotic busybody.. What can you do to help in that accident? And what are the benefit that you'll get if you slowdown and you see what's going on? Do you realise that you're slowing the whole world down? Well, enough said about these people.. Wonder if anyone else agrees with me..
Anyway, back to reality.. I'd think that there must be something else that I can do to improve the situation. And looking at what I can do here, I think... there's no much options.. Unless I take a huge pay cut. Hmm... But anyway... we'll see what happens in the future.. Near future maybe? ;) Life goes on... Boring as it'll be.. I'll survive.. Photos of what happened in the past year will be up next.. :) Till then, live long and prosper..

God created animals for us "humans" to do tests on them?

2010-05-31T20:59:00.002+08:00

Hmmm.. Interesting... Animals such as rats and monkeys are created for human beings to use for tests?

Is this for real??

2010-04-20T12:17:00.003+08:00

I read with interest recently a news from a major newspaper in UK stating that extra marital sex would cause earthquakes... WOW! I never knew that! Either the people having sex are shaking not only their beds, but the earth to the extend that earthquakes are caused, or the fella's joking! I mean, no disrespect to anyone. But I'd really don't think it's possible and anyone whom are with a clear mind should know better. But, I guess everyone's entitled to their opinion.. Till then, live long and prosper..

Happy New Year 2010 to everyone!

2010-01-01T02:45:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year 2010 to everyone! May this year brings you all loads of excitement, fun, laughter, joy and love! And may all your wishes and resolutions come true... Have a great one!

That time of the year again...

2009-12-25T22:43:00.023+08:00

Another year has nearly come to an end.. And I guess it's time for everyone look back and reflect at what they've done in the year 2009 and what they'll want to achieve in 2010. Same goes for me..
In reflecting 2009, I've been able to achieve my dreams of returning to UK (albeit half of it due to some reasons that even I can't believe I will accept to give up on the other half of the dreams) to stay and to study.. Studying in Sunderland,

was great! It felt great.. Staying in UK was just what I've expected!
I met a lot of great friends there! My classmates from the OSPAP class.. Thanks guys.. You guys are really great friends!

My blockmates whom I shared the kitchen with for nearly 9 months...

Attended some parties at the clubs..

Cooked some good food for blockmates' gathering during festivities..

Visited places such as Newcastle, Lydney, Coleford, Cheltenham and Leeds that I haven't been to before!

Also visited a close and kind friend from the OSPAP class.. Ramin... Thanks man.. You're a great guy! Thanks for all the help! In other matters, I've gone on more aeroplanes than I have in my entire life in the year 2009!

And in the end, I had to come back to M'sia though I've finished the OSPAP course.. Do I regret not being able to be in UK working after the course? Well, yes and no.. Would I change anything if I had known that this would happen? Answer is NO! I thought I've met the girl of my dreams and that my long time New Year resolution would finally be fulfilled... Turns out, things didn't happen as what I've expected. So, I guess it's back to my old life for the time being... Working life. Oh well... Forget about that. 2009 has been a very eventful year.. Just as other years of my life have been. I hope 2010 will bring me a lot more better things than before!
Now it's time for another New Year resolution. I think this time, I'll only make one... or two. And I guess these one or two will be achievable ones. So, whatever your New Year resolutions are, good luck with them! And I hope you've achieved much of your 2009 resolutions! Till then, live long and prosper..

Brain drain, brain gain?

2009-12-04T10:48:00.002+08:00

I read with interest a newspaper article entitled "Reasons to leave" in one of the leading newspaper today. It's a write up about the reasons why Malaysians leave to stay in other countries. Frankly, I'm quite amused with some reasons given by the depuy foreign minister in a reply given to another MP on the high number of migration.. The MP asked "whether the higher number of migration was a result of the political climate after the March 8 election" and got a reply that "it was a weak factor". The political climate in Malaysia these days are pretty much like a soap opera. Politicians, whom are supposed to be serving the "rakyats" seemed to be having a 2nd job of being a a soap opera superstar! Well, yeah.. I actually sort of agree that political climate is probably a "weak factor" but it is the corruption that is getting out of hands that is probably getting on the nerves on many Malaysians. Imagine, the people are paying income tax and many other taxes with their hard earned money to the government and the government are spending it like nobody's business? What have the government done after the AG's report on the effectiveness of usage (WASTAGE sounds more right) of funds by the diferent departments in various government departments? RM12k for a laptop or a computer is utterly nonsense! What? The computer's made of gold or something? It definitely smells of corruption and of course, someone's definitely pocketing the money! But yet, there are no news on people being hauled up and no action taken against these people. How about the report on a certain minister that transfered some RM10 million or so to a country overseas? How come he's still in power? Or maybe another state's fund amounting up to billions being channeled into some other people's pocket? Now don't tell me that the people whom issues the fund doesn't keep track on their funds coz I think many would tend to agree that for a state, given billions of ringgit to be used on "development" of the state, to lose billions to others shows incompetency and inability to be in power to administer the state effectively and should be removed from power immediately. Yet, they have the audacity to say, we will "look" into it. Yes, they'll look into it.. but will they "do" something about it? Funny how "words" are chosen carefully eh?
Well the subsidies were always there to help the people.. Hence many people won't complain. Right now, even the subsidies might be removed to "save the government billions".. I wonder where the billions will go. I have many friends whom want me to join them overseas. I had the chance to do so but or a minor hiccup. I am back mainly because of my parents and that special someone (SS :)), whom had no one to take care of them and for a chance for me to be with that special someone. I do hope that I would not have to move again as restarting my life would be tiring. But, to put money into other people's pocket for nothing is really getting onto my nerves. I do hope something can be done about it and I can get back something that I've paid for.
I lived in UK for nearly a year. Many people here thinks that UK is an expensive country! To be honest, it's actually NOT! I can buy food or only 15 pounds per week and that include vegetables, meat, eggs, rice, fruits and others. Now, don't convert and think... pound to ringgit.. At RM15.. what can I buy? Hmm.. See the difference? Reason I say don't convert is that, if you are going to live in the country, you'll be earning in that currency. So, you should not convert. Of course, if you're earning in RM and spending in pounds, that'll be VERY expensive! Of course again the currency exchange might come into the minds of others.. saying that importing in pounds would be cheaper than RM.. Well, to me.. even our locally produced goods are blardy expensive! Yet quality wise, here's much to be improved! Why are the things so expensive? Coming back from UK, I actually found that M'sia is a MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE country to live in than UK. Much to my disappointment. How would the government the "brains that are drained" to beome "brains to be gained"? I think it's much much more to do with life in Malaysia. Gone are the days with bread at 20 cents or a loaf of "G brand" bread at RM1.. Now, a loaf of that would cost about RM2.
I'll probably have to get ready some money to be invested overseas instead of leaving it in Malaysia as my money isn't deemed good enough to be invested here. Why do I say so? Let me tell you why.. Every people would like a good investment that gives good returns. A certain "BIG" investment company that gives good returns.. would have many investors interested. Yet, I find it hard to believe that some billion shares would be snapped up within 15 minutes everytime it opens for investing. Some hanky panky? Well, I don't know.. Frankly, I don't care anymore. When possible, I'll just invest offshore. Whether the returns are good or not, well, that's left to be seen.
Brain gain anyone? Naaa... I don't think so..
Well, enough of my rants... Till then, live long and prosper.

WHAT?? RAISE AGAIN?

2009-10-28T11:32:00.002+08:00

I'm quite amused with the excuses that was given in the news when these people, whom were chosen to "lead" a state.

QUOTE
"If we support the bill, people will say, all of you will obviously support it as you will be getting a raise.

"If we do not support it, the burden will be on us. The raise should not be made into an issue"
END QUOTE

QUOTE
"The people do not know how much we are getting.

"They seem to think that all assemblymen have a lot of money when actually we don't and we shoulder a big responsibility."
END QUOTE

My question to you all is, what have you done? You've all obviously have allowances that are MORE then what some people working in the factory or in the retail sectors are getting paid for on a monthly basis.. I don't think anyone whom has their conscience would say that "shoulder a BIG responsibility".. If you're so responsible, how come you all haven't do (I say do coz doing the actual thing is harder than saying! And i find most are NATO (No Action, Talk Only)....) anything about the AG's audit report and some even have the audacity to question why has the AG audit report been made public... And that the report should not be made public to make the "country" (are you sure you mean country? Or do you mean yourself?) look bad
What's more [QUOTE] meloyakan [END QUOTE] is NO action has been taken even though report is out year after year! It's pretty funny isn't it? MACC is prob folding their hands and say, I can't do anything about this. Will MACC dare to take up the challenge and dig into the 40k laptop incident? I'm not sure how much would the government spend on pencils next time. 100k for a pencil maybe?
Enough said.. Quite sick and tired of all these nonsense. I say to those people whom says, MUST BE PATRIOTIC AND SERVE THE NATION.. I say TO HELL with you leeches... I'll just pay my taxes and live my own life.. And don't come and disturb me! I'll decide where to put my money...
It's been quite a while since I've last blogged... Well, in between the time, I spent quite a bit of time trying to get my life organised.. And of course, trying to convince that Special Someone (SS) to be with me for life.. ;) And things are going quite well, I have to say. After some rocky start, I'm looking forward to the day she says... I'll be with you.. :) Hopefully sooner than later.. ;) Work's been great... Could be better.. But I can't complain. Went for a monthly trip with the gang in September and October.. Will put up the photos soon.. If I have the time. :) But it's all in my facebook. Went to Melaka in September and Ipoh this month. The trip was GREAT! I can't wait for the next one.. Though not far... We plan to go to Little Genting which is in KL.. It's the company that matters. This time round, I hope SS would join us. :)
I'm now waiting for SS to finish her exam. Good luck to her.. ;) Anyway, think I'll end here coz I'm in no mood to blog too much.. haha.. Till then, live long and prosper?

We're almost there

2009-08-19T12:54:00.003+08:00

Why are we working so hard in life? For money? Coz we like it? Coz... we're running away from something?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish & asked "How long it took him to catch them ?"

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer & catch more?" asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs & those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time ?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, & take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer everyday. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that ?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one & a third one & so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants & maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village & move to Mexico City , Los Angeles , or even New York City ! From there U can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take ?" asked the Mexican ?

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that ?"

Well, my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, "answered the American, laughing."When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks & make millions !"

"Millions ? Really ? And after that ?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife & spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what I am doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years ?" asked the Mexican.

And the moral is : Know where you're going in life...you may already be there

Working in Malaysia

2009-08-19T11:51:00.002+08:00

I've been back in Malaysia for the past month or so and have started working as a locum with my previous employer before I left for UK. It's strange, that I'm back here in Malaysia, working. Why is it strange? I don't know. I just get the feeling that it's strange working again after taking one year off studying. I'm back to my old, bad lifestyle of early breakfast (a cup of coffee) and, late dinner (about 30 minutes before I go to bed). Hence, my stomach is growing again after spending one year in UK trying to slim down. And I had slim down as told by many whom had not seen me for a year. Not that I'm complaining, coz I am very grateful for my employers to take me back and give me a job while I wait out for the UK stint. But the current life is exactly the kind of life I am trying to get away from. It's very unhealthy to live like this. I'm not sure if life in UK will be any better. From what I see, it'll definitely be more boring as I'm not the type whom goes out partying or drinking. I don't have much friends there and the closes to me, HYY is staying up north which is about 6-7 hours drive away from where I'll be placed. I'll be away from my family. Makes me wonder... Why am I doing this again?
I have my family here whom takes care of other things for me while I work, my friends whom I can go out with when I want, when I'm free.. and more importantly, there's her here. I'm not sure if everything will work out. But I do hope so.
Working in Malaysia really drains me.. 12 hours daily for at least 4-5 days. The old me, will say no problem. I'll be able to handle it. Well, I still am able to handle it. But, things in Malaysia seems to be getting more and more expensive. So much so that comparatively, I find living cost in UK much more cheaper than Malaysia! Call me crazy.. But it's really true without doing any conversion! Imagine, a pack of rice in Malaysia can go up to RM50++ which is almost equivalent to a pack of rice in UK after conversion!
I'm really in a dilemma at the moment, not knowing what to choose and do. Coz the decision made now, will affect the rest of my life. If I make a decision to go back to UK, my parents will probably be disappointed though they'll put up a brave front and say they support my decision. And, I might lose my chance with her. But if I stay, I really do not know how I will be able to survive.. Hmm... Oh well, we all have to make a decision some time. Wish me luck! Hope that the decision I make, will be a good one..
Enough ranting.. Till next blog, live long and prosper..

Life’s unfair.. But it has to go on…

2009-07-13T01:38:00.000+08:00

Have you ever had that feeling of being pressurised, feeling very moody and down and irritated… The feeling of frustrated, sadness angry… All at coming at once? The feeling of… What’s happening to me? What’s going on with my life? Why do I have to deal with all these things? Why am I in this situation? Why? Why? Why?

Well, I’ve learned over my years of growing up that life’s unfair. In fact, I’ve seen many examples that life has never been fair to a lot of people! Why do kids have to suffer from abusive parents? Why to women have to suffer from abusive husbands? Why do the poor have to suffer from poverty? I’ve once saw a movie that has the phrase… Life’s a b*tch… Get used to it. I guess there’s really no other choice, does it? No matter how we complain, how we despise and hate how things happens to us, how we hate our lives, we’ll still need to make the best of things!

That’s exactly how I feel now. I was coming back to sit for a resit due to a failure in one of my paper when I got the news. Good news maybe? Well, hell no! It’s bad news with a B-A-D written all over it! I was supposed to be able to start work once I pass all my exams and apply for a visa. But it seems the government has some other things in mind. I don’t know why they had to do this, but, the government suddenly decided, upon me and my classmates’ completion of the course, that they would remove my soon to be job off the occupation shortage list and deny everyone of us a work permit. Why is that so? Well, I’m not sure. I was stunned when I heard the news. That means, all the hard work I’ve put in, all the money I’ve spent for a diploma that is not valuable anywhere but here in this country, is for nothing? That’s not right! Wait a minute. I don’t think I deserved that! I’ve done all that was asked of me. And I’ve given in one whole year of hard work in the course. And now I suddenly am told that I won’t be given what is the most important thing of all? hmm…

I was “lost” because of that. Felt depressed, frustrated, angry regret… Everything! Even felt like giving up on the exam. Not knowing why I even bothered taking the exam. But, thanks to that someone.. whom listened to my complains… That kinda cooled me down a little bit.. And helped me over this period of bad time… I want to say thank you to that someone. You know who you are. :)

I would also like to thank Edward for taking me in and letting me stay in his place. Because of this problem, I’m in a limbo. I don’t know what to do… where to go. I wouldn’t want to spend too much of my money especially in this uncertain times. I’ve only very little left of my savings that I’ve saved bit by bit over from my 9 years of work. Hence, I was in a dilemma. To stay on, or to just go back. I finally come to a decision. I will try to look for a job. Try to earn some money at least. I moved to Leeds to stay with a friend. Leeds, is a good city. Not too big or busy… And not too small as well. That, will be in my other blog which is coming soon.

Unfortunately my close relative at home… experience some symptoms that I thought would be a prelude to something serious.. ie Stroke! That, would require my attention.. hmm.. So after getting that news, I decided to return home immediately rather than running round UK to do some odd jobs although the pay will be good. The feeling of not having a home that I could go back to ( in UK ).. isn’t very nice anyway. It felt like.. I’m a “homeless” guy trying to live one day at a time.. And can’t plan for the future. I don’t quite like that feeling. Hence, I changed the date of my flight and decided to return home.

Now, I’m back in my comfy room… With a home to return to.. My comfort zone. And I’ve got a job interview in Malaysia lined up. So life… have a funny way to resolving the problems that you faced. Just have to hang in there and be positive. I’ll be here in Malaysia until the visa problem resolved itself. And when that time comes, I’ll have a decision to make. One that could affect the rest of my life. On one hand, I’ve my parents to think about.. and that special someone… If I’m here in Malaysia, I’m nearer to them… and will be able to do things for them if anything comes up. But that will mean I will be giving up my life savings just like that. If I decide to go back once the visa thing is resolved, I would have to be away again… and might miss out on that special someone.. Distance is a problem.. I guess.. hmm.. decisions decisions.. Life’s a b*tch.. isn’t it? haha… :p Anyone got any advice?

Anyway, enough ranting… Live long and prosper..

Michael "Red Devil" Owen?

2009-07-04T05:07:00.002+08:00

Hmm.. Seems strange to me that Michael Owen is being signed by Manchester United. But then again, what do I know about football other than to watch the game and the goals. Heck, I don't even watch the full match! But let's hope that Michael Owen will come good in MU colours and will at least soften the blow left by the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Adapted from bbcnews

Michael Owen has completed his surprise move to Manchester United after the free agent signed a two-year deal with the Premier League champions.
The 29-year-old ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid striker's contract with Newcastle ended earlier this week.
"Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level," said United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Owen had also been linked with Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke and Hull.
But instead he becomes United's second summer signing after the recent addition of Antonio Valencia from Wigan.
"Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish," added Ferguson.
Owen said United's interest in him came as a surprise, adding: "I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me.
"I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands.

OWEN FACTFILE
ENGLAND 89 games, 40 goals
LIVERPOOL (Trainee - August 2004) 297 games, 158 goals
REAL MADRID (August 2004 - August 2005) 40 games, 14 goals
NEWCASTLE (August 2005 - July 2009) 79 games, 30 goals
"I am now looking forward to being a Manchester United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here.
"I missed pre-season last year and am pleased that I will be starting from day one.
"I'd like to think that everyone was quite surprised with my medical.
"I've obviously passed them before, and my fitness is high. A lot is made out of it but I certainly don't feel like I'm injury prone.
"I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I give him my assurance that I will repay him with my goals and performances."
Owen had checks on an old knee injury in London on Thursday before undergoing a full medical at the private Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester on Friday.
He has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, suffering with groin, ankle, thigh, hernia, metatarsal and knee ligament problems.
The 2001 European footballer of the year has dropped out of the England squad, but a move to United gives Owen the chance to revitalise his career, even if it involved accepting a lower basic salary.

It was reported by the Press Association that Ferguson has struck a pay-as-you-play deal, with the player also taking a significant salary cut from the £110,000-a-week wages he was said to be on at St James' Park.
Ferguson has been a long time admirer of Michael Owen and has decided to gamble on the striker who has proven himself a prolific scorer at both club and international level when fit.
Since losing the Champions League final to Barcelona at the end of May, Manchester United have sold forward Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m and failed to persuade striker Carlos Tevez to stay at Old Trafford.
The departure of those two players has left United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with a shortage of strikers, with Fraizer Campbell also likely to be sold.
United have been linked with Lyon striker Karim Benzema, who is set to join Real, while Bayern Munich forward Franck Ribery has been linked with a move to the Madrid club rather than the English champions.

PHIL McNULTY BLOG
Is this a sign of desperation creeping into United's transfer dealings or another piece of inspiration from the gambler Ferguson?
Owen made 79 appearances for the Magpies and scored 30 goals in four seasons at St James' Park.
But an ankle injury and groin operation severely disrupted his final year at the club, with the last of his 10 league goals for the 2008-09 campaign coming against West Ham on 10 January.
Ferguson has previously shown his willingness to take a chance on players like the enigmatic Eric Cantona or stars that have suffered serious injury problems like Henrik Larsson.
Pete Spencer, sports editor of the Manchester Evening News, said: "It is a bold move. It could put them at risk of the fans mocking them because they've missed out on Benzema and Ribery.
"Owen will have a lot to do make sure that he overcomes the natural hatred between Manchester United and Liverpool, although he has been at Newcastle for some time.
"United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has a record of older players doing well at United and if Owen has got anything like the pace he had before then he should be a hit. Who's to argue with Sir Alex Ferguson?"
And former Liverpool striker Ian Rush admitted he would have liked to have seen Owen return to Anfield, saying: "Personally, I'd like to have seen him at Liverpool but they haven't lost their best strikers. Rafael Benitez will be happy with what he's got.
"I know the way he is and he doesn't have to prove anything anyway. It's a chance for Michael to get back and score some goals. He'll get chances for Manchester United and will score goals."
Even so, the move for Owen represents something of a gamble for Ferguson, given Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce ruled out a move for the striker earlier this week because of concerns over his fitness.

Owen (right) is already familiar with a number of Man Utd players
"I just question the injury scenario," said Allardyce.
"I need a striker that's going to be available for 30 games next season. That's not happened for Michael over the last four years."
After Newcastle were relegated to the Championship, Owen expressed his desire to remain in the Premier League.
The Wasserman Media Group (WMG), the management company that represents him, sent out a brochure to a number of clubs reminding them of the talent that resulted in the striker scoring 158 goals in 297 games for Liverpool and 40 goals in 89 appearances for England.
Owen's move to Old Trafford could revive the former Liverpool striker's hopes of resurrecting his international hopes and taking part in the 2010 World Cup, especially as he will now be playing alongside England striker Wayne Rooney.
He has been marginalised by England manager Fabio Capello and has won just one cap under the Italian, as a substitute in the 1-0 friendly defeat by France in Paris on 26 March, 2008.
Owen's exploits in helping Liverpool to victory in the FA Cup, Uefa Cup and League Cup in the 2000/2001 season led to his European footballer of the year award in December 2001.

Failure…

2009-06-24T10:54:00.003+08:00

It’s been like a dream.. After 9 months away from home, the feeling of being back home.. is GREAT! I loved the comfortable environment, the warmth of having family members around me, the dinner and chatting sessions with close friends and most importantly, seeing that special someone… Whom I thought "we” made some good progress… But this failure.. This resit has to happen… So hate myself for not working harder to pass the paper so that I am able to spend more time at home and with that special someone.

Oh well, life goes on. There seems to be a lot of events happening after the peaceful 9 months I had in University of Sunderland. First, I had a HUGE SCARE on my way back from UK to Malaysia. I thought life would be better after that.. But no… I had another bad event happened… I failed my paper and had to cut short my stay in Malaysia to go back to the University for a resit. Dang… After that, I’ve got a huge slap on the face because of my tickets with Malaysia Airlines ( Which, a certain customer manager or something with the company left me a message on my blog trying to explain the obvious but chose to ignore the actual problem. I’m sorry Mr manager. I’ve lost faith in your company. You might’ve earned one thousand plus ringgit from me this time. But you’ve lost a potential tens of thousands of ringgit from me and my family! Oh ya.. for that matters, from my friends as well!)

Well, I’m now on my way back to UK to prepare for my resit. Fingers crossed that all the bad events, has gone and the good times will come again. I would like to say to that special someone, I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to spend more time with you to convince you and to show you who I really am. I just hope, this good progress will continue to become something special in the near future. I do understand that distance is a problem. Just hope that, you’ll let time show you whom you should choose and what you should do and not cut me off too soon. You know who you are. Ssiigghh… I’m missing home already. I miss my parents, my pets, my friends and mostly, that special someone.

I’ve still got about 2 hours plus more before landing. I’m on Air Asia X from KL to London. Frankly, I’m quite impressed with the airline. Cabin crew is just as nice as any of the other airlines I’ve used (not that I’ve used that many.. Had flew with Emirates most recently and it’s good value for money!). The XL seats is quite nice! You get to put the chair down to make it like a bed! Only complain I have is the seat isn’t really that comfortable. Maybe it’s just me. Oh well… For the price I pay for economy tickets on other airlines, I get to fly on a better class! So, I won’t complain that much. Food wise, I think it’s not too bad. I chose Malaysian recipes and I was given Nasi Briyani and Nasi Lemak. The rice of Nasi Briyani was excellent but the chicken was somewhat too spicy for my taste. Again, it might be just me. The Nasi Lemak was so-so. The rice was… how you would put it… too “wet”. Doesn’t really taste like the authentic nasi lemak I had back home. And the anchovies are very salty. Overall, I’d prefer the nasi briyani over nasi lemak. Maybe next time I fly with Air Asia, I should try the international recipes!

The flight is quite ok. So far so good. A little bumpy earlier in the start but that’s due to the bad weather condition. You won’t feel a thing if you sleep over it. I did. I woke up to a nice sunny weather about 6 hours later! I’d definitely recommend for those whom want to try a better seating for the normal price that they pay for economy seats in other airlines. It’s actually slightly cheaper too! Air Asia has come a long way. There had been complaints about the domestic flights in Malaysia where the seats are too… uncomfortable. But Air Asia X offers a whole new experience.

One thing though, Air Asia, being a budget airline that offers cheap air tickets, tries to recover their revenues in whatever way they can. That including water. So, I think it’s best if you can bring a couple of bottle of water if you’re a “heavy drinker”. Sorry but I didn’t take photos this time round. Should of but I was kind of lazy.. Maybe when I use their service next!

Well, that’s all for now.. I want to tell that special someone again that, I already miss the time we have together. I’ll try to go back again soon so that we can have another few outings together.

Till then, live long and prosper.

Malaysia Airlines…

2009-06-13T12:52:00.001+08:00

I’ve recently tried to use the services of Malaysia Airlines after so many advertisements from bloggers and news saying that it is one of the better airlines. But turns out, what had happened left a bitter taste in my mouth. I booked an air ticket from KL to London which, is a promotional ticket. A cheap ticket, yes. I was pleasantly surprised that it is even cheaper than Air Asia! But it turns out that there’s catch.

I had wanted to enjoy my holidays but to be spoiled by the fact that I failed one of my subjects in my course that I needed to go back to UK early for a resit. Dang! So, since I’ve bought a ticket from MAS and a “CHANGE IN BOOKING” can be done “FOR A FEE” which I am willing to pay in order not to forfeit “what’s left of my little budget” for the next few months in UK.

But when I called up the call center, I was told that I cannot change! When I argued that there is a statement that I can make the change of booking for a fee on my electronic ticket, I was told that there is another page of terms and conditions that states why I am not allowed. Hmm.. That’s very contradicting don’t you think so? So, I told the officer in charge, I will not ever use MAS services again! Ever! And I tried to leave a customer feedback on the website and guess what did I get?

System error!! Hmm… I guess the customers aren’t really as important to MAS as I think they should be valued. Especially in the time where economy situation is pretty bad and swine flu is announced a global pandemic! For any one whom studied marketing, they should know the advertisement via verbal communication is a pretty important marketing tool. And I will definitely NOT recommend MAS to anyone of my family and friends.

Thank you very much MAS for wasting my money and time. I will now turn to your competitors which provides me a better service and customer satisfaction. There is no way I am ever going to “support” you ever again! Well, I guess that won’t matter to them will it? I am but only one person.

Ok, enough of my rant. It’s time to hit the books to prepare for my resit. I’ve made arrangement to book Air Asia anyway. So resit papers, here I come! Till then, live long and prosper!