Thursday, August 31, 2006

Merdeka !!! Happy 49th Independence Day Malaysia

Merdeka !!! We have been independent for 49 years now. So here is a post to commemorate the joyous occasion today.


Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Brunch @ BMW - Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club


Wanted to post this earlier but got sick and busy with work so here an extra long post to make up for it. I got to know about this event from some friends and being not able to afford one myself I was wondering what this event was all about. Apparently they are letting the public to test drive various BMW that are currently being sold here. Can you believe it some of these cars are worth close to RM 500k and here they were letting your average joe try it out. Not wanting to miss out on this rare opportunity I registered myself online and got up early on Saturday morning. The event was held on the 26th of August 2006 from 11:00am to 6:00pm at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club. Thanks to Paul Tan for letting me to use his pictures on my blog. If you want higher resolution images it's available at his site here.

Reached there about 11:30am and it the parking lot was already packed. Walking into the main entrance I was greeted by various BMW cars but the one that attracted my attention was the white 1 series with M-Sport decals. I think it was a 120i. Walking into the registration counter I was greeted by the E60 M5. Really was a head turner too bad it was in the showroom and not available for the test drive.

Some pictures of the 120i

Got up to the counter and was greeted by some sweet looking ladies. Registered myself and filled up the indemnity forms as well for the test drive. The first car that I tested was the 525i. Luckily for me the crowd was still small at that time as most of them were queuing up for the 3 series or the Mini Cooper S. Seeing that it was my first time ever being in such an event I was quite nervous as to how I should proceed to handle the test drive, all out or in a gentle manner after all this machines could buy me a house and I wouldn't want something to happen to them especially when I'm behind the wheels. The E60 525i Was guided from the registration area by one of their sweet promotion ladies to the test drive area. Was damn bloody excited that I will be getting the chance to drive one of this rare machines that I could never be able to afford in this lifetime. The E60 525i came to a stop and this lady got out the car and left the car door open for me to get in. Like a happy child on Christmas morning I wasted no time in jumping into the drivers seat. The seat was rather forward and took me a while to figure out the buttons to adjust the seat to my liking all this was done electronically and it was smooth as hell just adjusting the seat.

When I was tucked in snugly into the plush leather seat and grabbed hold of the steering the first thing I noticed was the smaller diameter of the steering and how much thicker the spokes seems. Apparently the car I will be test driving is not your regular E60 but a M-sport variant that comes with the full M-sport packages (bodykit,rims,steering). The feeling holding the M-sport steering definitely made a difference.

Familiarized myself with some of the controls and away we went. First thing I noticed as I navigated out of the car park was how sensitive the steering was at low speeds. This was apparently a new featured called Active Steering. This allows the car to change the steering ratio depending on speed thus reducing the effort needed by the driver to turn the car. Really made the big E60 with 19" rims feel nimble at low speeds. The other thing that got my attention was how sensitive and responsive the brake was. I have to admit that I do drive an old car that is more than 10 years old so this could be one of the reason why I felt the brakes on the BMW to be top notch.

Gave it more gas while navigating the turn out of the Bukit Kiara Equestrian club. With every blip of the throttle I could feel the sweet engine begging to be pushed. The response at the low end was very good with a slight press of the throttle causing the car to just happily go as fast as you want it to go. Once I got on to the roads all hell broke loose well almost. Gently pressed on the accelerator easing the car out of the traffic lights joining the traffic. Roughly got an idea as to where we'll be heading and gave it some gas. Before I know it I was doing 120km/h, I wouldn't even have known if I hadn't looked at the speedometer.

From the Bukit Kiara Equestrian we took the Pechala link and the sales lady told me I could try the car at a faster speed. That's all it took for me to floor the car, and also another test car a 325i was ahead of me. We can't let a 3 series be faster than a 5 series now can we ?? They were kind enough to provide a smart tag as well so went through the smart tag lane and all hell broke loose. The car effortlessly revved itself to 6.5k before switching gears, the torque was enough though you don't really feel the G-force but it's enough to get the car moving.

I was doing 160km/h in penchala link and the car felt firm and solid and was going the direction I wanted to go without any dramas. The suspension was a bit on the firm side but I liked it because coming from driving a Japanese car with full coilover suspension this was considered very comfortable. I would have gone faster but she told me that we need to get off the next exit to make a U-turn and I had the chance to test the brakes as well. Getting the car from 160km/h to 30-40km/h was no big deal, definitely will be helpful for stopping the car in an emergency.

Made the u-turn and decided to enjoy cruising in the car. This is when I manage to try out the 6-speed steptronic gearbox. Switched the car to "manual" mode and played around with the gears. Very smooth gear changes and not noticeable even when dropping gears. Gives you some degree of control and fun when you need it and you can pop it back to "auto" mode once you're done.

Drove back to Bukit Kiara Equestrian club with a heavy heart as I know soon I have to part from this beauty (the car of coz !!!). Drove back to the test drive area and with a heavy heart said goodbye to her (the car laaaaa) and thanked the sales person. Now where can I get RM400k to get my hands on the car. Nahhhh maybe in another 10 years time I would be able to own one :)

The ultimate E60 ... the M5 !!! Awesome machine

The test drive left me hungry and thirsty and decided to get something to eat instead. The meal was provided by La Bodega and it was awesome. Basically everything was on the house and you could help yourself to whatever they had, which was like sandwiches,noodles,rice, pasta, pastries and more. Once I was satisfied decided to try some other cars instead. How often can you get to drive fast and enjoy a good meal after that.

The E65 740Li
Met some friends who were waiting for their turn as well and I decided to sign up to test drive the E65 740Li and luckily for me one of the guy also wanted to test drive the same car and it was his turn. So decided to follow him so I could enjoy being the passenger but apparently other people had the same idea as me as well and there were 3 people at the rear. It was rather cramped with 3 people but based on the design of the car I guess it was meant to be more of a 4 seater and the guy sitting in the middle would be rather uncomfortable with the seat being rather hard and the roof being slightly lower due to the control and lights switches being in the middle.

So after the "driver" got acquainted with all the controls that were available to him away we went. It was a "normal" drive around the test drive area but the sales lady took us on a different route than the one I was one earlier. We went to Hartamas area and I manage to feel the comfort level of the car while going through our normal road condition around PJ/KL area. As we head back on to the highway one of the passenger said the driver didn't know how to push the BMW to it's limit and enjoy the pleasures of driving the car. So we stopped at the side of the highway and Mr Enthusiast (let's just call him that) took over the driver seat and away we went making the u-turn at Hartamas interchange and full throttling away the pull on the 740 was really amazing for such a big car. He also tried the brakes a few times causing the car to come to a stand still a few times. The sales lady was rather shocked as she was speechless when Mr Enthusiast asked her where should we go next.

So we went ronda ronda around Hartamas area and Mr Enthusiast keep saying how he love the way the car handles and kept zig zagging on the road heading towards Projet. I was getting a headache at the back being thrown left/right and front/back a couple of times. After a while I got used to it and actually starting to enjoy the ride. Considering that there were 3 of us at the back seat we were rather comfortable during that short drive but if we were to go on an outstation trip it would definitely wiser to go with just 4 people instead of 5. There was once when Mr Enthusiast asked the sales lady to switch off certain features and she was trying her best to find the buttons to do so and she was so determined to find the button that she even looked in between his legs. H Hahahahhah that was really a hilarious moment. So after all that testing we headed back to Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club.

Since I've manage to see what the E65 can do decided to give my drive a miss since it was more fun sitting in the rear anyway. Was sitting down sipping on my drink when another friend of mine, Mr Racer also wanted to test the same car. Since I didn't have a chance to really enjoy the rear previously due to 3 people sitting behind decided to tag along together with him as well. I think the heart of the sales lady must have drop when she saw me once again, this time with a different driver. hahhahahahaha.

So Mr Racer got into the driver seat and immediately starting fiddling around with the controls and asking how to do this and how to do that. Spent a good 10-15mins just sitting there fiddling with the knobs. Since I was alone at the rear decided to try out the controls that were at my disposal. The E65 has separate air condition for each of the passenger behind. You can control the temperature and speed of the aircond according to your liking. There's also an aircond vent at the "B" pillars and an LCD screen at the center console.

So after Mr Racer familiarized himself with the car and controls away we went. The hum of the V8 was awesome as he floored it once we were on the main road. Before I knew it we were already doing 140-150km/h and the car felt planted on the ground. Took some fast sweepers and it didn't feel floaty. Suprisingly it felt very good (as a passenger) in the corners even for such a long car. The funny thing about our trip in the 7 was we left with 3 people in the car and came back with 4. Go figure. Hahhahahahahah. So back to Bukit Kiara we went and finally I had to say goodbye to her (the car and the sales lady... hahahaha).

Some of the other BMW that were on display

I had a blast and really enjoyed myself even though I didn't have the chance to test out the Mini Cooper S as the waiting time was more than an hour. Thank you to BMW and all the people that made this a possibility for normal working people like us to drive some of their best selling marquee. Truly a day to be remembered.

M6 coupe

X5 X5 X5 !!!!

I don't have a digital camera .. boohooo .. so most of the pictures here were taken from Paul Tan's blog. Thanks for letting me use the pictures dude !!! You can read about his experience as well here.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Touchy music videos

Been a little too free today and was browsing through some music videos on youtube and manage to find a few very touching one's that caused some tears to swell in my eyes. Though I have no idea what they are singing about but as they say pictures speaks a thousand words and just watching the video clip is more than enough to stir emotions deep within. Will be keeping a list of music videos that I like so that in the future I can just refer to them whenever I need to.

1. This one is by a group/singer called Position from the Remake Album: Renaissance. It talks about how this guy was given a second chance to make up for the mistake/death of his girlfriend.



2. This is one of my all time favourite and it even comes with subs. Wonder in real life does things like this happen I'm pretty sure they do maybe 1 in a million well at least I hope it does happen. This is by the group called Kiss and the song name is Because I'm A Girl.



I know I know I'm such a wuss listening/watching to this type of music videos but they really do bring tears to my eyes and somehow makes me appreciate my life and the people around me more and want to make the best of whatever time that we have together.

Flu, fever and the works

Haven't been updating in a while. Haven't been feeling to well the past few days. Had food poisoning on Thursday and basically had very bad headache as well. Had a meeting in the afternoon and around 4pm or so it hit me. Severe headache and everything seems to "move" around me and couldn't really focus my vision. After that had to rush to the bathroom a few times cause I felt like vomitting and in the end, I puked about 3-4 times. What a day it was for me. Decided to take a short nap and before I know it, it was already 7+pm. Took panadol and decided to drive home.

As I was driving home remembered that I was suppose to meetup with some friends for dinner. So decided to swing by a while as I was feeling much better. Had steamboat dinner and it was quite good. After dinner we joined another group of friends for more drinks and chit chat and ended going home around 3am.

Friday also was a rather busy day as had appointment the whole day and was still feeling rather feverish. Took more panadol and after the meeting in the evening went back home. Had dinner, watched tv and it was sleeping time for me. Way too tired.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Why men don't listen and women can't read maps

So the other day I got myself another book even though I still have some book which I haven't even started reading yet and some are read only halfway. I'm going on a shopping spree ... weeeeee ... hahahahahThere was a list of books recommended to be read and one of them on the list was Why men don't listen and women can't read maps.A very interesting read and recommended to anyone that wants to understand the other sex better. I haven't read men are from mars and women are from Venus yet so I have no idea if they have any similarities. This book basically explains how we are wired differently in the brain itself and how our thoughts between different sexes are different. It really explains a lot the problem faced by men and women in today's modern world. It explains how men have tunnel vision and women have wider peripheral vision. The examples given in the book are very funny and witty as well. For eg when men looks at another women they most of the time get caught because men have tunnel vision and need to focus their gaze at one direction where else women with their wider vision tend to catch men just as they start focusing on the other woman.

This all happened long time ago during our ancestors time. Men usually went out hunting and usually needed to focus their view to a target to catch and bring back for dinner where else woman who usually stay at the cave will have a wider view to detect any predator or danger that approaches them. That's why sometimes guys can never find something that is right in front of their nose and blame the women from hiding it from them.

After finishing the book it really has opened me eyes as to how different men and women really are and how with the changing of roles in today's modern world ie women who also work tend to make things even more complicated then they already are. After reading this book I tend to reflect back the moments in my life where arguments occurs with the opposite sex especially a significant other. Simply misunderstanding each others need be it emotionally or physically can cause many happy relationship to suffer in the long term.

Another funny chapter in the book is how often when women talk they just want to share their problem with someone and most of the time the man being the problem solver will receive the signal that their woman is in trouble and immediately switch into their problem solving mode and try to analyze and come up with a solution to the issue that is being faced. Most of the time the poor women just needs to unload her frustrations and anxiety and instead of listening the man try to solve her problem on the spot which more often than never end up in an argument with each other instead.

Maybe the next time I'm at the bookshop will go through a copy of the men from mars book and see if it's worth buying. If it's anything remotely enlightening as this book I'll definitely grab a copy.

Time flies

So it's already Wednesday and I didn't update the blog like I'm suppose to. I wonder if there are people who religiously update their blog everyday maybe even more than once in a day and then there are some who only blog as and when their mood/needs warrant them to do so. I have no idea in which one I belong to but must be the latter type cause I cannot imagine updating it daily (for the moment that is) hahahaha.

So Monday came and went in a hurry. I was suppose to have a discussion with my one of my group members regarding the assignment as we were planning to meetup with our lecturer. Made appointment to meet her during lunch time but got carried away with work and had a late lunch leaving little time left to meetup and she was also rather busy with work. Made arrangements with the lecturer to meetup instead.

Emailed him stating we would like to meetup with him and he emailed back stating I should arrange with the admin people so they can arrange/book the room for our discussion and if I don't do so he wants to leave early to pickup his wife and kid after work. So that's exactly what I did and emailed him to confirm the meetup and boy was I suprised when I got his reply. He told me in a polite way to ensure that I PLEASE MAKE SURE to set the appointment in advance in the future as he already made arrangement with his wife and kids to pick them up. I guess it was partially my fault for setting it at such a last moment. Was feeling so damn guilty.

Met up with my group member near my office to collect some documents that need to be presented to him as she can't make it today. So it will just be myself and another group member. FYI the group contains 3 members. So I reached college earlier as I didn't want to piss him off even more by coming late also ensure that my other group member was there before 7pm. Showed him the email from the lecturer and he also got a little worried about his mood when we talk to him later. Well what's done is done no use crying over spilled milk. The room that was booked for us was being used by someone else so we decided to go look for him instead and the first thing I did when I saw him was to immediately shake his hand and apologise for the last minute arrangement. He sounded like he was alright with it and just told in the future to make arrangments earlier so he can arrange transportation for his wife and kids.

Phewwww what a relief so showed him what we have done so far and he was rather impressed and I guess that made him realise that we genuinely had done our part and needed his help to clarify on what he wants. Some minor changes needs to be done but basically the most critical part of the assignment is done and now we just need to fine tune and compile them all together and start hitting the books as the exams is on 2nd Sept.

Early Tuesday morning the first thing I did after arriving in the office was to email him and once again express my sincere apology for yesterdays arrangment. He seems okay and informed that if we still need help with the assignment he'll try his best to accomodate us. Truly a man who genuinely wants to help his students. Thank god for me or else I might have to retake this module if he decided to hold a grudge. Hahahahaha.

Haven't been to the gym in what seems like ages so decided to go yesterday after work. Have some documents that needs to be prepared for some proposals that needs to be handed out this week. The appraisal that was suppose to be done last week is rescheduled for Thursday afternoon so I better start preparing the documentation for that today as well.

Headed to the gym after work and I wasn't mentally and emotionally in the mood to work out but forced myself anyway and was I glad I did cause after I was done I definately felt much better. I have to ensure I at least go to the gym 3 times a week and not just once or twice like I'm doing now. After all it's for my own health only and no one else.

Got an sms from a friend to meetup for some drinks at 10pm so after the workout had a shower and went back for a quick dinner and then went to Gazebo SS15 to meetup with them by the time I reached was already 11+pm and we chatted till around 1+am when everyone decided to call it a night and head back home for some shut eye. Time definately is flying for me and I hope I can ensure I make some time to study as well or else before I know it I will be sitting and waiting outside the exam hall and wondering what the hell have I been doing with my time.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Weekend once more

So the weekend has come and gone once more. Not sure why but I just feel so lazy to blog on the weekend. Maybe cause I'm just plain lazy and want to have some rest. So let's recall what the weekend was about.I had badminton session on Friday and then later in the night met up with some friends for "yumcha". Went back before midnight as I was rather tired but weird thing was when I got home I didn't feel tired. So ended up watching the TV series that I just got. Spoiler alert

A very interesting TV series with a even more interesting cast. Basically humans created machines called Cylons and they eventually evolved and began attacking the humans. After being silent for a long period of time (40 years) they manage to create machines (humanoids) that looks like human which then infiltrated the defence on earth and one man played a vital role in the success of Cylon attacking the 12 colonies is Dr. Gaius Baltar, who is also regarded as genius among the human race. By deploying one of their humanoid Number 6 (there's 12 cylon models) to get close to Dr. Gaius (basically boinking him everyday) and gain access to the Colonie's defence mainframe. Then it goes on showing how the survivors struggle to stay alive with the Cylons chasing them around the galaxy. Then they also learn of Cylon humanoids and how anyone of them could infiltrate into the midst of them and just go unnoticed. Go here to read more about it

I got hooked on to the show and finished almost half of the episodes that night and slept quite late. Woke up around 9am and called a friend who wanted to be woken up at 9am. Then watched more BG (Battlestar Galactica) and had early lunch around 11:30am. Fell asleep around 2+ pm and woke up only around 7+pm. Lazed around the idiot box (TV) surfing channels and around 10+pm got a call from a friend which I recently met to come out for some drinks and a movie. Hey since I've been couped up at home the whole day I'm definately not going to turn the offer down. It was good to be out among friends and chit chat about stuff and we caught a movie and reached home around 4am.

The next morning I woke up around 12+ pm again. Oh my god, I have been sleeping like mad this past few days. Oh well that's what the weekend is for anyway. Had lunch at home and just lazed around the TV watching CSI. Another TV series that I love to watch but since most of the time other people in the house have control over the remote I seldom get the chance to watch the shows I want to watch. Since no one was home that Sunday decided to laze around watching TV and making full use of the new found freedom and control over the remote.

Went out around 3+pm to meetup some friends whom I've never seen in quite some time. Seems like everyone is still busy doing what they have been doing all this while and they seems happy/content with what they are doing. At least it's good to know that there are people out there enjoying their life. After meeting up with them felt bored and decided to catch a movie and I ended up watching< Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Can you believe that I haven't watched this show until now ? I think among all my friends I must be one of the last person to actually watch this show. Well like they say better late than never. Well I guess most people have already watched the show so no point me telling what it is about but can't wait for the continuation of the show and what happens to Cpt Jack Sparrow. This time he's back funnier than ever and the animations this time was even way cooler than the first part. For those who haven't watched it what are you waiting for ? Better go now before it stops playing in the cinema. Nothing like watching Capt Jack Sparrow turn into a hamster on the big screen. Hahahaha.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Getting lazy

Have been rather busy and lazy this whole week. Was back in office on Wednesday after the training and was bog down with work and report generation for audit purposes. So haven't been able to update the blog. Yes yes I know it's not an excuse but I'm making up for it now.

Haven't been to the gym this whole week as well and the hotel buffet is definately going to have an effect later on. Have to make sure to head for badminton game this evening. Was also suppose to meet my group member to finish off on our assignment but she was tied up with a meeting so we will have to meetup on another day.

Had some bad news this week as well. One of my manager wife and kid was diagnosed with Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease. This year has not been a very good year for him. Hope his wife and kid have a speedy recovery. For those who don't know much about this disease you can read about it here.

Was also talking to a friend online and she just lost a close friend of her's due to an accident and she was rather close to him and obviously she's feeling rather upset and lost. That's a few death already this year happening to people I know. It's a rather scary thought and reminds me of how precious life is and how we need to ensure that we live our life to the fullest EVERYDAY because who knows what might happen tomorrow.

With all the things that are happening to people around me it's been rather hard to think of what good might come out of this "unfortunate" incidents that has happened to them or the people close to them. People says everything happens for a reason and there's always a silver lining in every cloud but sometimes it's easier said than done as we are all emotional beings and when bad things happen the first thing that pops into our mind is WHY !! Guess like the book I was reading entitled If life was a game these are the rules mentions everyone has different lessons in life and instead of comparing ourselves with others and asking why we should learn from our experience and become a much stronger and experienced person.

Thinking about this also has left me rather depresed as I have no idea to what I have accomplished so far with my life. Seems like life is so short and the time we have to do the things we want to do is so limited. If compared to many of my friends (which I souldn't be doing in the first place) they seem to be having good jobs and being paid well and some are even happily married with kids where else I'm still single,broke and living with my parents. I guess now I'm more aware of the things that are happening around me compared to before and I'm trying my best to get out of my comfort zone to enjoy and experience all that life has to offer. I shall not let my insecurities dictate how my life should be !!! CHANGE I AM

To all those that have lost a loved one recently I'm sure they are now in heaven looking down on us and blessing us in all that we do and hopefully one day we shall be able to join them once again.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Time away from work

Was away from the office for two days for training. Was rather reluctant at first because I knew nothing of the subject and was hesitant because I'll be the only one from my company attending. Woke up early Monday morning and stupid KL had electricity failure and the train service was interrupted and causing everywhere to jam as well. Reached there 5-10 mins before 9am and was rather suprised as the training was held on the top most floor in the executive business meeting room and when I got out the lift it was quite dark due to the power outage and only vital lights were on. Registered myself at the counter and noticed that my name was spelt wrongly and gave my business card so when they give out the cert they get my name correctly.

It was a very interesting and entertaining course and the instructor was very experienced and at the same time funny and able to maintain everyone's attention. The food there was awesome as well. The facilitator for the event also was such a hottie.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Back to work

So the weekend is over in a flash. Feels like I just got back from work on a Friday. At least it was a slow and easy and somewhat relaxing weekend for me. Woke up rather late on Saturday morning around 10+ am that also because of nature call or else I'm sure I would have woken up later.

Was a little lazy so just laze around in the run wathcing a movie. Once the movie was done was rather restless so decided to join a friend who was installing some audio thing in his car. Left the car in the shop and we went for a drink at the nearby coffee shop. Before we knew it, it was 7pm and the car shop also was closing up and he has to return there again to finish everything up. Had a light dinner and watch tv and then decided to call it a night.

Today also was a very slow and steady Sunday woke up around 10+ am. Had to go out to LowYat to get some empty dvd's to clear up my hard drive. No more space already. Had lunch at home and head over to LowYat later in the afternoon. Met a colleague in LowYat.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

T.G.I.F.

So I got lazy and didn't blog on Friday, boohoo. Well it was a rather special Friday as later in the evening we will be having high tea. My colleagues who were recently promoted are holding a makan-makan (eating) session to show their appreciation for the recent promotion. Lucky them.

Woke up quite early on Friday even though I slept rather late. Was suppose to meet my team member again today to discuss about the assignment but since we're concentrating more on the webml part at the moment and because we're planning to do it on paper first as it's easier, so I didn't bring my notebook.

My body was still aching from the body pump session on Wednesday. Especially my right arm, must be the damn biceps/triceps curls.

Went to have lunch with a colleague of mine and one discussion let to another and we found ourselves talking about getting married and settling down. An interesting discussion I might say. How can we know when is the right time and who is the right person ? Is it like a message or sign to get married ? Someone once told me that you can never prepare yourself for marriage and you should just go ahead and do it. Is it true ?

Or is it because the fact that two people who love each other so much and in other words believe that their are soul mates want to move on to the next level and be with each other till the end of time and get married. If that's the case then why are there so many unhappy marriages around with either the husband or wife cheating on each other and committing adultery ? Sometimes to the extend of getting a divorce as well ?

But on the other hand I just attended a friends wedding few weeks back and the love and joy they had for each other was just amazing. You could actually feel the love radiating from them and you can't help but to feel happy for them and not only that the chemistry and bond between them feels a lot deeper. May they have a happy and everlasting marriage !!! As for me I feel the time is still not right but you can't help to feel envy or left out when most of your friends are either married or getting married or expecting kids.

Checked with my team member and she can't make it today so we will be meeting somewhere next week. I also emailed our lecturer to check if he will be free to meetup on Wednesday but he isn't free and suggested we meet on Monday instead. Will see what my other team members say and we might end up meeting on Monday afterall.

So went over to the badminton hall and there were only a handfull of people and my colleagues weren't there yet and I thought I was late. Had an okay game though not to my full satisfaction as my arms were still aching. Left about 9+pm and reached home around 10pm. Took a shower and had something for dinner.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Tired

Manage to meetup my group member to discuss and seems like we are not very far off from finalising our webml model. Even with just the 10 pages that we are suppose to do for the assignment the webml hypertext model for our website is HUGE and that's without the CMM (content management model). We cannot imagine how huge our model's are going to do if we were to do for the whole website which could end up like 30-40 pages just for our webml model. MADNESS !!!

So after our discussion I head over to return my books to the library and got fined for being late. Oh well at least I returned it didn't I !! Manage to get the other book that was recommeded by the lecturer to be read. Looks like I have my hand fulls for the weekend. There goes whatever little time I have for myself to kick back and relax.

After the library head over to the gym for some exercise but by the time I reached there was almost 8pm and was feeling a little lazy so decided to go for a class session instead. Only one was available was BodyJam so went for that. OMG I HATE LUNGES and I was only on 5 kg. 2 1/2 kg on each side and this girl beside me was carrying a lot more and here I was panting and huffing myself crazy and thinking my leg was going to fall off. Paiseh !! At the end of the session my arms and legs were aching like mad. Left about 10+ pm after a quick shower and a cup of hot tea.

Back home had something light and did some surfing and it was bedtime for me. Hit the sack before 12am and before I knew it, I heard knocking on my door. It was my dad waking me up. OMG I was late for work and it was already 7:40am. Took a quick shower and away to work I go. Reached office 5 minutes before 9am. Phewwwwwwww.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Slack

Looks like I've been slacking off with my todo list and since I'm quite free right now (not that I don't have work to do)

Here's my list

  1. Tidy my office desk (still is untidy)
  2. Read up on webml (www.webml.org) - been reading it along with the book
  3. Read/review part 2 of assignment - haven't read yet
  4. Use visio to draw the webml portion of the assignment - halfway there
  5. Head to the gym
  6. Get the receipt to submit for claims tomorrow
  7. Meet up with team member to discuss about assignment

BSC KPI

So were suppose to have a meeting on Tuesday to discuss on the individual BSC and KPI but boss was not in till later in the afternoon. Went through the webml book in hopes of finishing up my part of the assignment but it doesn't really give good examples to compare with. Guess the hypertext model is very subjective and depends entirely on the design of the site and there's no real right or wrong way to go about doing it. Will be meeting up with a team member today evening to discuss on the assignment and hopefully will be able to sort out any doubts that any of us has.

Was also suppose to head over to the gym today but was way too tired and slept quite late last night so will be heading to the gym later in the evening instead after the assignment discussion. Was suppose to go over to the library yesterday to return the books I borrowed as well but only manage to leave the office around 7:45pm and was already late so the books is another day late. Will have to get it done today or else will have to pay even more fines.

Was also suppose to get the receipt to be claimed for the month of Aug but totally forgot about it until this morning. Will have to get it done today as well. Since I'm already late for the submission looks like I will only get the claim for the month of Sept. Will have to make sure to submit the claim for Sept earlier as well so at the end of Sept I will get two months claim. Muahahahahah

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Monday blues

So Monday came and went in such a rush that I didn't even have time to sit and grumble about it being a Monday haha. It was a friends birthday and we went out for lunch together and he then later bought a cake (chocolate mousse) which was sinfully good !! Had a few small pieces, lucky I was planning to head to the gym today or else would have felt guilty.

I still haven't done much on the assignment but I did manage to get hold of the book that will help out in doing the webml part. At least something got done. Tried to tidy my table but stopped halfway because I was just plain lazy. Change is hard but change i am :D

Today is the due date for the books I borrowed from the library and I only managed to renew one of them. The other one has been booked and I'll be collecting it from the photocopiers today so I'll have to return it tomorrow and pay the fine.

Manage to submit my KPI to my manager even though I have no idea what is expected from us. Suppose to have a one to one session with him today and we'll just see what he says. Really doesn't affect me that much so no matter how good/bad I do during the appraisal as long as all my work is complete.

Manage to head to the gym after work yesterday and honestly speaking I think it's the longest time I've spent there. Reached there about 6:30pm and immediately enrolled for the RPM (cycling) class which lasted about an hour. It was bloody tiring but the odd thing was I still felt energetic after that. Rested a while and I went and got on the stairmaster thingy. Initially wanted to do 1/2 hr but managed to only do 20 mins as my legs were truly killing me but yet I felt energetic so decided to try out the Bodyjam session. It was fun and entertaining. Met a friend there as well and after a lenghty discussion with him on how to eat properly and doing a proper workout with the intention of loosing weight looks like I might be heading to the gyms in the morning for a 1 hr workout instead. We'll see how it goes.

Also started reading one of the books I got the other day called If life is a game, these are the rules. A very interesting read and I've only done the first chapter where the first rule was You will receive a body Then talks about how we should accept our body for what it is but at the same time doesn't mean that we should not take care of it ie having a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Also talks about self esteem and how our body does not define who we are and should not be a limiting factor to the things we want to or ought to do in life. In the end it also talks about how we should take time off from our hectic life and enjoy the wonders of being alive. So I guess the old saying all work and no play makes you dull is true after all.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Weekend has come and gone

So the weekend is over and it's Monday again. Was a very boring and slow Sunday. Spend the first half of the morning just lazing around in bed and in front of the tv. Around lunch time got a phone call from a friend asking if I wanted to follow them to visit another friend whose mother in law passed away recently and now having the funeral ceremony.

It was quite an awkward as I was rather uncomfortable and didn't know what to say or do. I just told him I was sorry for his losses and told him to be strong. We sat down and talked a while and left there later in the evening. As I was driving away from there I realised that we are now in the age where someone older/close to us will be leaving us sooner or later. It was rather troubling for me as I have never been very close with my parents (emotionally) and the thought of loosing them scares the living daylights out of me. I have tried to be a good child and do the things that they want me to but as time goes by and as I tend to grow older, I find that we seldom get a long especially when it comes to how I'm running my life. I guess with time we have somehow drifted apart. This is definately something that needs to be changed as I want them to know how much I love them and care for them.

I headed over to KL to pay my credit card and then hop by Borders to have a look at some books. Got myself a few books. Looks like I'm starting to get into this read as often as possible thingy. At the moment reading more self help/improvement books as I definately need all the help and guidance possible, be it from books or friends. Since it was still quite early decided to catch a movie as well. Saw The Breakup starring Vince Vaughn (Gary) and Jennifer Aniston (Brooke). It was damn funny but at the same time a real eye opener.


*spoiler alert*
The part that really got to me was when Gary didn't show up to the concert after promising Brooke that he'd be there. She was alone in the concert while everyone else around her was jumping and screaming their lungs out. She got back home that night and spent the rest of the night in her room crying. Gary got back and hears her crying and comes to check up on her. She then finally tells Gary what really is on her mind and how much Gary has hurt her and taken her for
granted.

The other part that got to me was when Gary realised what a fool he's been and tries to make up for it by cooking dinner and wanting to have a romantic time with Brooke but she instead ends up bringing someone back home. What Brooke said after Gary finished explaining himself and acknowledging how much of a prick he's been and how's he's willing to change for her really felt like dejavu. She said that she has given everything she has into the relationship and now she has nothing to give anymore and she has changed and doesn't have the same feelings as she used to.
*end spoiler*

Overall it's a good show that many people in or out of a relationship can relate to especially if you're just broke up with your partner.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

It's the weekend

Yesterday was one hectic day. I was rather free in the morning finishing up whatever work I had and reading about our BSC and KPI as Tuesday is the submission date. Went out for lunch and then had a discussion with a group member on the assignment. We actually might be able to finish the assignment in another week or so which leaves us loads of time to study and review for the exam as well as add in anything we might have left out into our assignment. Very fortunate to have such dedicated group members as work is hectic enough without trying to coordinate and organise the members of the team for the assignment.

Got back from lunch and had a discussion (again) on the BSC and KPI with the team members. Getting evidence to support/backup our KPI will be quite a daunting task as most of us haven't been updating our system (ticket). Will have to do some backdating job to "fabricate" some evidance. Hahahahahah.

Had a badminton session yesterday after work and decided to join afte 3-4 months hiatus. I actually feel that the gym session are finally paying off. My footwork is better and yes even though I still feel tired and exhausted but during the game I could actually feel the energy surging through my body. Wooohoooooooo .. time to work more on my footwork and stamina. Met up with a few friends later for drinks and went back home before 11pm to get some rest. Was really exhausted, fell asleep trying to finish up my introvert book :D
Okay time to review my list again.


  1. Tidy my office desk (still is untidy)
  2. Read up on webml (www.webml.org)
  3. Read/review part 2 of assignment
  4. Use visio to draw the webml portion of the assignment

Friday, August 04, 2006

Yes !!!

Okay finally I've manage to head over to the gym yesterday after work. It was difficult to drag myself into the locker room and then onto the machines but once I started moving I actually felt good and before I know it my 30 minutes was done. After that off to some weights and then since I was a little bored and wanted to try something new decided to try out an aerobics class. Hahahahaha. Oh boy my hands and leg coordination were way off and half the time I was trying to get them in sync and also to keep up with the class. This was my first class and I was a little "slower" compared to the rest but boy was I glad to see that I wasn't the only one.

Was there for almost 2 hours with the aerobic class being an hour long, decided to call it a day and head for the showers. Once I was done head over to pay the parking as I usually do and head back to the car. This time was slightly different as I had two bags to carry one was my laptop bag and the other my gym bag. So after I got to my car and put my bags in the boot and sat down in the driver seat I realised that my parking ticket was missing. Jeng jeng jeng jeng ... open the boot and checked, checked all my pockets, checked my wallet, checked the back seat, check under the front seats, walked around the car, spent a good 10-15 minutes looking for the parking ticket and I couldn't find it.

Gave up hope after running around like a headless chicken and decided to go to the counter to pay the fine and as I was walking back and retracing my steps what do I see on the floor near the ticket paying machine. YES IT WAS MY PARKING TICKET or so I assumed :D Took the ticket and got the hell out of there. Next time the parking ticket is going into the pocket no more holding on to it while walking to the car !!!!

Okay back to my list of todo items. Let's see what I've accomplised yesterday, not much actually but better than nothing

  1. Tidy my office desk (still is untidy)
  2. Head to the gym (must go today !!)
  3. Check with dad for bank in slip (got the slip and photocopied but forgot to submit)
  4. Finish up the assignment (one part of assignment done.. wohoooo !!)
  5. Read up on webml (www.webml.org)
  6. Download webml template/stencil for visio (http://webml.org/webml/page?dau43.oid=2&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0)
  7. Submit claim to HR
  8. Download webratio (another product for doing webml)
  9. Read/review part 2 of assignment

Okay looks like the list is getting somewhere. Woohooooooo.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

I think I can !!

Wow this is proving to be a bigger challenge then I anticipated. Was stuck in a discussion after lunch yesterday till almost dinner time which left almost no time for other thing to be done. Went back home had dinner and decided to at least complete my assignment. Okay let's review back my todo/task list from yesterday.

  1. Tidy my office desk (still is untidy)
  2. Head to the gym (must go today !!)
  3. Check with dad for bank in slip (got the slip and photocopied but forgot to submit)
  4. Finish up the assignment (one part of assignment done.. wohoooo !!)
  5. Read up on webml (www.webml.org)
  6. Download webml template/stencil for visio (http://webml.org/webml/page?dau43.oid=2&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0)
  7. Submit claim to HR
  8. Download webratio (another product for doing webml)
  9. Read/review part 2 of assignment

Looks like I have my hands full hopefully some of the tasks will be done by tomorrow especially the easier ones. No point dragging them on forever. Today was another unproductive day. Was stuck in a migration/testing practive and only to come out unsuccessful well at least I started reading a book that I bought few months back which was still in the plastic wrapping. Change.i.am !!!

It's quite an interesting read. Had time to read about 3 chapters. It's basically about introvert vs extrovert people and how different they are and how introvert's should not feel inferior to extroverts and how introverts can use their uniqueness to their advantage. It's a good read especially for introverts as it explains how other people also feels the same way and how perfectly normal it is !!!


Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Change is hard

It's definately dificult to change overnight and throw away habits that have been with me for many years. There are a few things which I want to do and the best way to remember and ensure that I do it obviously is to have a list which I'm sure many of us have when we do our new year resolution but instead of starting so big I thought I should start smaller and make a list what I want to do DAILY so that I won't be overwhelmed by the changes and don't slack off as well. Well here's what I want to do today so I guess it will be more task oriented for the time being while I try to get my life back on track

  1. Tidy my office desk (there goes my organised chaos theory)
  2. Head to the gym (missed gym the whole of last week)
  3. Check with dad for bank in slip (to claim from office)
  4. Finish up the assigment (ensure all products have images and the 10th page is done)
  5. Read up on webml (www.webml.org)
  6. Download webml template/stencil for visio (http://webml.org/webml/page102.do?dau43.oid=2&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0)

I guess that's it for now. Time to head for lunch and reflect what I have done this morning which is not much actually. Bleahhhhhhhhhh


Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Taking the first step

I've always wanted to create a blog but never bothered to take the effort to do so plus the fact that I have no idea what I'm going write in a blog anyways. Recently I attended a training called Making A Difference and needless to say it definately has left an impact. Somehow it has opened up my eyes to certain aspects of my life that I would like to further improve on and hopefully by having a blog and taking the first step to actually document what I plan and want to do I hope to be able to change the way I am for the better. Hence the name change.i.am for the blog.

Since this is the first day of the month and it's the second day since I'm back from the training what better way to start off the new month with a new blog.