A New Chapter In My Life

My Nikah Ceremony

2010-11-26T19:30:00.001-08:00

The week the ceremony was supposed to start, my mind was already not in the mood for work. (Eh, since when I was ever in the mood to work?) I was looking forward to Thursday already, the day I start my leave. There were several things to do, albeit not much - get the cheque for hantaran, pick up the cakes for hantaran from Zoe, ensure directions to Masjid Wilayah, tell the rombongan about plans for tomorrow and check-in at Tune Hotel in Kota Damansara with my family. I had to pick my my parents at Aizat's place in Cheras for 2 reasons - 1: the car was full with all the hantaran items, so Aizat couldn't fit in and 2: my parents didn't really know the way to Damansara. I believe that was my parents' first time experiencing peak traffic hours, which effect was compounded with rain. Heh.

I learnt that booking a room at Tune Hotel was similar to AirAsia flights - book early and book on off-peak periods (usually Sundays to Thursdays) and you get a cheaper rate. They have add-ons too: aircond credit, usage of towels, and Astro services. I took the aircond credit for 12 hours (they only have 2 options anyway, 12-hour and 24-hour) coz from the pictures, it seemed like the rooms didn't have ceiling fans.. but they did. Anyhoo, I learnt about Amal's engagement which will be on 12th December, a week after my reception in Pontian.

I went through an episode with the hantaran cheque that night. My mum wanted me to laminate it so that it can stand on the dulang but I couldn't find a place which does that after office hours so I decided to buy a white frame. I thought I had the cheque with me all along - I know I did. But when I came back to the room I couldn't find it, and it wasn't in my parents' room either. Turns out I left my file which contained several other items on the table while we were eating and the cashier girl kept it. Phew. This "being-forgetful-and-leaving-stuff-everywhere-I-go" definitely runs in the family - I noted my mum left her handbag twice at Mimi's place.

I went to bed around 12 midnight and didn't realise Afiq came in. However, since the room was so small, he had to settle by making himself the most comfortable he could - on the floor. Sorry la Fiq, had you come earlier we could've made some space! :p

Morning came by in no time and I felt a little kelam-kabut while getting ready. Thank goodness no photographer was sent here or else, there would have been mountains of evidence on the chaos I felt. This was probably because I insisted on leaving latest by 7.45am. I certainly do not want to be late like what happened during the engagement ceremony. He and his wife, Id, Kak Wani and Abg Roslan all arrived around 7.30am as requested (thanks very much guys!) and we set off not long from the estimated time. The jam coming out from Kota Damansara reminded me that I should not buy a place here - there's only one main road coming out to the LDP and should there be any accidents, MAJOR traffic jam is what will happen. Needless to say, we arrived at the mosque around 8.15am - lots of time to spare. The rest of the relatives and friends of family also arrived around the same time, notably I think Kak Cik arrived much earlier than us.

We just sat in the hall while waiting for time to pass by and for the bride's side to arrive. 9.30am came soon enough and the Pendaftar Nikah / Imam strode in. He invited me to come sit on the platform and by then, the nervousness started to creep in. I obviously tried to hide it but I think my quivering lips gave it away :P

Before we went to the real deal, I had the pleasure to listen to the Imam's nikah sermon which mainly dealt with the responsibilities of a husband to his wife and vice versa.

After the sermon, the Imam told us what is going to happen during the nikah procession and asked if we wanted to have a "test run". I guess it wasn't really necessary.. To my surprise, Mimi's dad stepped up to the plate and shook my hands. Oh.. so he's doing it himself and not giving the privelege to the Imam! This is superb. Several nikah ceremonies that I've been to ended with the Imam getting the consent from the bride's father so I felt this was a real honour. A real agreement was about to be executed. (Not that if an Imam performed the akad nikah, it's not real..)

Before the whole thing, I actually had the idea to have the lafaz twice. Just for funsies, y'know. Everyone is doing it once, it's not rare anymore. At least not to me. I'll let you in on a little secret - they actually make it easy on you these days. I got a written script which goes like this: "Saya terima nikah (insert name of partner here) dengan maskahwinnya RM(insert amount here) tunai/hutang". Now where's the fun in that? (Fun for the viewing audience, not for the one on the hotseat). Plus, they have microphones and loudspeakers now so chances of the witnesses to not hear / wrongly hear what the groom says has been minimised, lest the witness have hearing problems :P Obviously I didn't go with the idea, seeing how so much was at stake here - my father-in-law shaking my hands, Hel my nikah mentor who did it in one shot as well, and not to mention the weight of the agreement. Kak Cik's mum, Cik Jaminah told me afterwards that this is the biggest, heaviest agreement mankind would ever had to honour and I can't agree more..

After that was done, I read out the lafaz taklik, which essentially means that if I don't abide to certain things, then my wife will be entitled to the first mention of divorce. I will need to get a copy of the one we signed.. that's a pretty heavy agreement as well! Afterwards, we were presented with our temporary nikah certificate which we can use to get the certification cards from JAWI. The first instinctive thing I did with the cert was to hold it up in the air, pose for the photographers and flash out a wide grin :D ahahah :P

Shortly after, we had the exchanging ring ceremony which to me, was quite symbolic. Soon after, guests of the ceremony were ushered to a hall for a celebratory feast while Mimi and I walked around the halls and the walkways of the mosque for some photographs. We had more shots afterwards around the mosque's grounds. These shots will be used for the slideshow Mimi requested the photographers to produce. She fondly refers to the slideshow as a video - does that mean she unconsciously wants one? Hahaha.

Pictures will follow later.

My Ode to Tuk Yan

2010-06-08T23:22:00.002-07:00

You know in life, there are things that are meant to be, and there are things you just can't escape.

It was one of those normal nights where I finally came back from work and decided to get some studying done because I know I'm lagging behind. I also know everytime I try, I will end up invariably somewhere on the bed with all the books and papers scattered around. But I think I did something that I don't normally do: turn my phone from silent to normal mode.

And I think it was meant to be as I got the call from my brother.

After a brief session, we agreed on going back first thing in the morning after Subuh. I couldn't sleep for a wink for so long, with lots of replays coming to my mind. (Afiq also experienced the same and he wanted to suggest to drive back that very moment. But he didn't and even if he did, we were both not in a position to have the energy or awareness to drive.)

* * *

Being around a few hundred kms away from home makes driving back somewhat a chore: I know if I reach the Johor-Melaka border, I actually just reached halfway. And I know it takes about 45 minutes from the toll right to the place I call home. So to make the journey home worthwhile, it had to be at least a 4-day holiday as I'd spend 2 days driving to and fro. 1 day at home just isn't enough.

My brothers and I last saw Tuk Yan during CNY holidays and he wasn't really in a great shape. He was sleeping the entire time we were there so mainly we just talked to Nek Bisah. When we left, I didn't want to wake him up but I think we shook hands anyway and he groggily stirred.

I do remember a visit before the last time, somewhere back in November 2009, and I can't believe I didn't document it down in this blog, coz I normally would. I remember sitting across Tuk Yan's bed and he was sitting up, chirpy and talking. He regaled us with the same story about his youth, about when he was young and how he worked at a port and he was known as Salim (using a nickname perhaps to make it easier for others to remember?). A white guy showed up and started asking him questions and soon enough he was taken over to the white man's company and started to build Batu Rod (road). He fondly spoke of the Chinese family who adopted him when he was there and showed his proficiency in one of the Chinese dialects as he monologued his way through.

"Aku ni dah umur 94 tahun ye, dah bonus dah ni.." and then he took a piece of envelope and wrote down the numbers 9 and 4 with an orange crayon. I was impressed, to say the least, as to my knowledge Tuk Yan did not get a chance to go to school. Nek Bisah did, although only up to Standard 3. Maybe Kak Cik can help me with some History lessons here.

Oh yes, he wrote down that he is a Haji.

* * *

We reached Pontian in record time after averaging a speed well above the limits of law. However, for some strange reason we had to send my mum to SDPB first as she was supposed to go for an exam. By then, Dad already called me and said the prayers are going to start.

There were so many people, I felt alien. Dad had to usher us inside and then I saw Atuk Yan already wrapped in the white cloth. I didn't know what I felt or how to react - it felt surreal yet it is real. I thought I could tough it out but my eyes welled up just the same. I needed to take some time to gather up some strength to kiss Tuk Yan goodbye, and when I did my heart just broke. After that I was in a daze only to find myself being consoled by Id who was in tears as well.

We then went to grave to see the burial and stayed on for the talqin being read by none other than Pak Ngah. As he rightly said, the talqin is more of a reminder to the living.

I really didn't know what to say to Nenek apart from "I'll come back for the tahlil tonight".

* * *

On the way back, Afiq mentioned that one the things Nenek told us when we last visited him was "Atuk ade cakap, bile laa aku nak pergi ni, menyusahkan kau aje".

I don't think you troubled Nenek at all, Tuk Yan.

Farewell Tuk Yan. I'm going to miss you.

My My, He Works Hard For The Money

2010-05-28T20:33:00.002-07:00

I had a brief discussion with my classmate Chun Mei during one of our breaks in class on my future when I do leave PwC for PNB, after I do achieve my Chartered Accountant qualification. I have had some insider information on the remuneration packages there. Needless to say, it is certainly not up to par if one were to be looking for other similar positions elsewhere. (Of course this is with the assumption that I do get my CA). There was also the bit where career progression is not as fast (or perhaps, non-existent?) as compared to private sector. And to top it off, the 8-year bond or pay half-a-million to get out.

To which Chun Mei pointed out - then what's the point of you doing ICAEW? This is a qualification that opens doors to you for a better career path! To be handsomely paid for a job well done, to call the shots, to be the boss, not to have a normal 9-5 job and be a a normal wage-earner! (well she didn't exactly say that but I'm thinking that's how it's said)

I guess it all boils down to who you are and how you define a better career path. There was a statistic I read before I started to go down this CA path that mentioned a high percentage of CEOs, CFOs etc have the ICAEW as their qualification. Of course, many of us would view that this is a better career path then, say, being part of the Finance team who does one function of the financial statement. Such higher-up positions give you command, authority, and a big fat paycheck. Who wouldn't want a big fat paycheck?

Here's the thing, though. I don't necessarily label such positions as a better career path. Yes, you wouldn't have to worry about the money. Yes, you'd probably derive more satisfaction in terms of having to control your own department etc. Yes, you'd probably be someone that fills up part of the many colourful pages of The Edge Financial Daily and yes, maybe you'd get a spot on being interviewed at the Breakfast Grill on BFM 89.9 (gotta love this radio station).

But it is very lonely at the top. You would have to make decisions that will make everybody hate you. You will not be able to please everyone and heck, you might not even be pleased with yourself. You'd probably slog off your back for the next 35 years, allocating the bulk of your time for work and while having a family gathering, you may be forced to take 20 minutes off to review some contracts that you need to sign. You'll try harder to make it to all those family and friends gathering, and you'll definitely try even harder to read storybooks to your lil'kid till he/she falls asleep, but most of the time you won't make it. And when you're not around home as much as you'd wanted to, your kids could well be alienated from you and may even be closer to your maid.

I guess you can see now which kind of person I am from the abovementioned.

I don't believe in living to work, I believe that I need to work to live. I work so that I can pay off my bills, have enough to feed my family, perhaps a vacation or two once a year. I'm not doing it so that I can aim to be at the top when all these senior people leave (or using the infamous word of someone I can't remember, die). I remember reading an interview from UITM students to one of the PwC partners about work life balance, and here's a paraphrase of what he mentioned.

"*chuckles* There's really no work-life balance in my position, I've had to put up to my family but over the years, they started to understand and accept that and I'm really grateful that they try to understand the position that I'm in"

Jack Welch, CEO of GM said something that hit the nail in the had - There's no work-life balance. There's work-life choices.

I suppose I don't have much of a choice after signing on the dotted line, but heck, I've made my choice back then and this is how I'm going to live it. So far, I don't regret it. I look at my PNB friends and I think they're having quite a life outside work.

Which leads us back to the main question posted above - why the heck am I doing this one hell of a qualification?

It's simple. I want to challenge and prove to myself that I am capable of doing it.

Oh, and partly because I was convinced by Aisha during 3rd year in university that I can do it. LOL.

Now that's really a moment killer.

My Last Few Months...

2010-05-02T03:52:00.002-07:00

...of working honestly, is not bad at all. If I were one to read this piece of self-indulgent writing, I'd be thinking "wow, this guy must be very busy working his butt off! Little wonder, it is after all peak time for auditors..."

Fortunately, that wasn't really the case. Sure, I've been working on weekends etc but that's mostly due to my own inefficiency.

I know KakCik would've really liked me to blog about the Kris Allen showcase (firstly thanks so much again for the tickets!!) and I know I would've really liked to blog about the Aizat-Faizal Tahir-Siti Nurhaliza concert. Heh. So maybe a little anecdote would do?

I must admit I was very late with downloading the songs so that I can listen to them and sing along - 2 days just isn't enough when you are someone who didn't follow AI8 (or AI, for that matter) and only started watching AI9 and hearing people say how the contestants this year are nowhere near as good as last year's. But that's a different point altogether. At least I kinda knew the rhythm of the songs and can say to myself in my head that yes, I've heard this one so I can kinda get groovy with it. While Kris can definitely perform, it's a little bit un-satisfying because he didn't perform his outstanding numbers from AI. But maybe he's bored doing that already, and the showcase is a place to showcase his new album. The sound system was a little bit stymied - the music was kinda a bit too loud so I can't really enjoy his vocals. I think he would definitely do well with acoustic versions that endears himself to the fans if it was a closed up, small venue like the one in The Gardens. Apart from that, I hope he makes a few more albums and then come back to Malaysia for a grander concert!

Konsert Satu Suara, was it? It was mostly attended by Faizal Tahir fanatics, I can safely tell you that. That guy got mad vocals and crazy showmanship, so much so that he actually did get me up and standing, clapping, singing and whatnot. Even the makciks were hullabaloo-ing like they were teenagers. Haha. It was expected and while I was certainly wow-ed, it was kind of forgettable. I can see FT fanatics coming with knives, pitchforks, daggers and whatever things they can use to poke me till I bleed to death, so I'm gonna stop there.

Siti as always left an impression. I first saw her at the Royal Albert Hall, and I was truly mesmerised. To see her rocking out her songs with 2 other guys is definitely superb. And she was still doing it ever so elegantly. Definitely the gem of Malaysian music industry as far as I'm concerned.

But it was the other guy, the AF dropout that really amazed and surprised me. So much so, that in fact after the concert, I went out and BOUGHT his album just so that I could maybe get it signed or something. Man, I was such a sucker! In retrospect, I definitely was caught up in the moment, but that serves as proof that Aizat left a deeper impression to me compared to FT. He opened the act, looking a little nervous I'd say, and there was little interaction with the crowd. But he kept on building and building. Song choice was quite a nice surprise too - I certainly did not expect him to sing Raihan's "Thank You Allah" when he mentioned he wanted to do a cover for a group that he always listen to when he was younger.

I suppose the part where I really sat and listened to him was when he was on the piano and sang his first single, "Hanya Kau Yang Mampu". In some ways, I think he kinda resembled Kris.. (KakCik please do not get enraged. Hear me out!) Both were the kind of guys who would go up to the stage and do what they know best, be it singing with a guitar or a piano. Both look like the kind of guys who are down to earth and humble, but both also could be a little bit crazy at times without going overboard. Of course I didn't know he could play the piano and that surprised me in a good way. Holy crap did I just likened Kris Allen to Aizat?? Haha.

So there goes my anecdote. Apart from that, I don't think I've been doing many fun stuff lately. Heck, I only watched Shutter Island yesterday. Iron Man 2? Maybe at the end of the month, when there's like only 1 show per day.

I'd like to end this senseless entry by expressing my unfathomable happy-angry feeling towards Red FM for being a radio station that enables me to propose to my fiance but also gave me a t-shirt which has spoiled 4 of my working shirts. Actually, I'm more angry to myself for not using my brain when I put my clothes in the washing machine.

My Third Week

2010-01-24T06:01:00.003-08:00

A little note to Aizan, you might wanna divert yourself from this page because you hate Facebook status updates.

A lot of my auditor-friends and colleagues are knee-deep into the peak season. So many things needed to be done in so little time, and it is apparent that the stress levels are so high it goes over the roof. I think it's a normal situation for people to divert a little to get away from the stress by doing something, anything, non-work related. Like updating a status on the Facebook page.

Here, I present to you, some of the status updates that I get from my auditor friends.

Some of them sounds like the normal rant that normal people say when they're stressed.

"Can't believe I have to work tomorrow and it's only the first week back to work...!!"

"I don't hate audit...but like hell, I hate the working hours...!!!"

"Can't believe I've spent the whole Sat night / early morning working away..." :(

"Thank God the weekend is here, but I still have a ton of work to do..."

S.T.R.E.S.S!!!!

Bad headache... Still trying to clear as much things as possible

i cant cope. its too much. my work load is terrible. i cant take it.

Some of them were rhetorical questions that needed no answer.

Apa plan esok? Kerja!! yayyyyy!!! Waaaaaa...bila la nak habis audit ni. I want my life back....

Masih adakah malam untukku?

Some of them were thoughts and reflections of experiences.

Peak period seems to take everything precious away from us - the auditors. Our weekend, our sanity, our time, our Friday nights, our family, and anything that you can think of.

"It is in the nature of audit that you are going to screw up. You are going to get scolded by someone and u may or may not in return scold someone else. If you can't handle that reality, pick another profession. Or finish acctg/business school and teach!.."

Sitting in office and contemplating if work life is supose to be this hard?? Hmmm...I did everything right and yet..... :(

Some experienced stress levels so high, the status update sometimes didn't even make sense?

__________ is a rejected who rejects d rejecting..

There was even an update on a personal note, although I think it's got nothing to do with work-related stress. It's more like, life-related stress?

Accepting something right feels right. Only you can hold on to that. Accepting something

wrong feels wrong. Only you can let go of that (anonymous)

I think I'll save what I think is, the best of the pack.

A-ll U D-o I-s T-hinking O-f R-esigning.

My Flower

2010-01-14T00:15:00.002-08:00

"You have a flower!" she exclaimed gushingly.

"What? Where?"

"There."

She pointed out to the finger next to my right pinky.

Turns out that shows that I have iron deficiency. I've never had iron deficiency before! What happened??

My First Week

2010-01-08T18:10:00.004-08:00

It's been over a week since I moved to my new place, and it's not without some, er, adventures! The first night I was there the bed collapsed and I had to make do with sleeping on the couch. Only after 2 days did the main tenant got time to fix the bed coz he wasn't around during the weekend. Haha.

It's also been a week since we started the new year. This is the time where usually the auditors have it tough as it is our peak period. We just had our so-called "town hall" meeting on Friday to address some issues e.g. tips on how to audit more effectively etc.

My comment on that? Bullshit. Here I'd like to give my perspective. In our firm, there's generally 3 types of threshold for us to consider when we do work - Overall Materiality, Planning Materiality, and SUD de minimus level. I'm not going to bother explaining what they are to you because it doesn't matter. If you're asking why it doesn't matter, good - you're on the right track. Let me explain.

There's a 4th threshold which I'd like to call "the Manager's materiality". This can range from normally a few hundred thousand buckaroos to as little as a few hundred ringgits. I have not encountered the extreme side of it, but I know of colleagues who did. The instruction to audit a mere expenditure of RM500 for a company that's making millions of profit and even more of millions of revenue is simply flabbergasting and incomprehensible. And when the partner of the engagement reviewed the working papers and said "Why are we over-auditing with this immaterial balance?", the manager wistfully deflects the question by saying the following: "I told the team not to over-audit but I guess they didn't listen to me." Oh, woeful.

To end the entry on a more positive, or hilarious note, our department had a New Year's Party and Gift Exchange thingy going on. The minimum level was RM10 for a gift, so I got a small box of chocolates for that. Decent, right? The gifts were then tagged with a number and I drew a number 13.

And this is what I get.

I LOL-ed at the first sight. But soon after I felt down. What the heck am I going to do with these? I offered it to my married friends but they say they don't use it.

My Move to the Other Side of the World

2010-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've successfully moved to Damansara Utama already. Some people who are living around the vicinity (e.g. PJ, Bangsar etc) mentioned that Wangsa Maju and its surrounding areas are at "the other end of the world". Although I'm sure it's just an over-reaction.

I decided to make the move after seeing how I could save lots of time by moving, especially when I serve clients around the PJ-Shah Alam-Klang vicinity. Of course, DU and DJ is a neighbouring area so Mimi's that much closer as well ;)

To Bojol and Afa, it's been cool living with you guys. To Afiq (who's now residing in what previously was my room), enjoy your new room!

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 3

2009-12-15T03:10:00.000-08:00

After the news that shook my world (dramatisation effect), I proceeded to slowly get myself ready for the day. I woke Afiq up before I hit the shower. Texted Faisal to see where he is, and by 9.30am we were running. By the time we finished breakfast at Kak Cik's place, it was already 10am. Just nice to proceed, as normally it only takes at most half an hour to get from the area to Damansara Jaya.

Little did we know that somehow the MRR2 heading to Sungai Buloh was experiencing a VERY BAD congestion due to its design (read: bottleneck) eventhough there weren't any accidents along the way. To be honest, I have experienced such bad crawls on that road but I did not expect it to be happening on a Saturday morning. In the end, we reached 40 minutes later

than expected at the destination.

It also must be noted that my parents lost track of my car and had to wait at the roadside for me to lead them back. It's quite tough being the head of the convoy, I must say. Maybe I should buy those walkie-talkies for the next trip. Hm, but it wasn't so bad during first year where we convoyed from Coventry to Soton!

We met up with the other 2 cars (my parents' friends) who were waiting patiently at the side of the Petronas near KDU.

The parking was FULL although Mimi did mention that we could park in front of the house, in front of her neighbour's house and one more spot that I'd forgotten (was it in YOUR garage? Couldn't be, right..). We settled for a spot which was quite a fair walk. I remember the sun was at its best that day. Phew!

We had barely caught our breath when the event started. I was torn between my family wanting me to be inside so that they can introduce me to the rest of the relatives but Mimi's family said I had to be outside as I wasn't even supposed to be there anyways :P In the end, I settled to stay outside with Faisal. Mimi's brother-in-law nonchalantly mentioned that for every 15 minutes I am late, the dowry doubles. Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Abg Long. It ain't like you're gonna get it :P

I was just literally four feet away from the entrance but I couldn't make out what my dad was saying even when there were microphones. Aiyaiyai. I wanna see how it's being done! Halfway through I got a text message from Afiq saying "Apsal Ayah formal sangat ah? Selalu memang macam ni ke?" in which I replied "Err mana tau, ni first time I'm attending such an event!" After countless times of prying with my ears, I gave up and just sat quietly.

Soon after I heard giggles and laughter from the audience. I also heard some short phrases being said within stanzas so my bet is that the other side's spokesperson is using pantun. I don't think my dad used pantun of any sort. Soon after there was a commotion coz the girl's coming downstairs! Haha. When she was seated at her place I could see her straight from my line of sight and I just broke into a beaming smile of happiness. All the stress from the jam and the missed turnings dissipated just like that. I also saw my mum put the ring to her hand and that signified the moment that we are now fiancees.

Around 20 minutes after we arrived, it was done. The first thing that my cousins said when they got out of the house was this:

"Eh, aku rase salah orang la..dia cakap Amir, bukan Azmir."

-______________________________-;;

How HARD is it to pronounce my name correctly?? Even my British flatmates and classmates could say it nicely. (Of course, Chun Mei is an exception but at least she tries to roll the R to get it right!) Apparently my mum kept trying to rectify the spokesperson and Mimi's side already wrote down my name on a piece of paper, but hey, things happen when they happen.

Afterwards, it was feasting time!! I must say that the food was brilliant. The meat was tender, the prawns were succulent, the rice was pleasingly fragrant.. Or was it the after-effect of getting engaged? :P But the whole entourage agreed on that! I had a little bit to eat as I was quite eager to go in for some pictures. In the process, I was introduced to Mimi's aunts from her dad's side which I've never met before - most of the time I see her mum's side coz they all live quite close to each other.

After several pictures session, we proceeded to bid our goodbyes for now. However, my parent's friends have left a bit earlier, Afiq left an hour earlier to attend to his client, and Kak Cik's family sped off as well, leaving only 6 of us to handle 7 hantaran of trays :P I was going to fetch the last one when I got a call from Audball saying we left one tray - don't worry Ballie, I'm on it!

We headed straight to Kak Cik's place to settle the hantaran - dividing it and giving it to whoever's appropriate. Evidently we left a big chunk at Kak Cik's as her family has helped us with a lot of things - bagi pinjam dulang, tolong hantar ke rumah pihak perempuan, and not to mention being a bidan-terjun photographer! Thanks very much for that!

We haven't set a date yet during the ceremony, but it'll have to be somewhere towards the end of next year as I'd like to settle my outstanding exams first. I guess now the term "darah manis" applies to me for one whole year starting now!

Pretty lady

My pretty lady!

The cousins and the brothers

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 2

2009-12-13T02:18:00.002-08:00

As the working day draws to a close, I shoved myself to the car park, with countless thoughts in my mind. I am very worried about the responsibilities that I will shoulder later on. I suppose the question of why it happened is out of the picture now. As it is, I have bigger things to attend to.

Azmimi has just sent me a message that she has picked up the parcel so I can come over anytime to send it to the designated destination. I duly arrived and saw preparations were fully underway. After dinner, I helped with re-arranging stuff and I whisked away by 10pm as the party from the other side was arriving.

Much to my surprise, it didn't take long for them to arrive. We went on fussing about stuff and ensured everything was ready. We also discussed logistics and timing, and I couldn't think of anything else. By half past eleven, everyone decided to call it a day and went back to their respective cribs.

It was probably a little bit more than an hour to go before results come out. I sat down and prepped myself to bed and before I knew it, it was already half past twelve. Goodness, another half hour to go! The laptop was already switched on and I was refreshing the page every minute I could. But that was all reflex and my concentration was at the bottom of the barrel. All the "excitement" and the "euphoria" of the late afternoon had the better of me and I decided I should rest for my own benefit. After all, I need to wake up at an earlier time than usual on Saturday.

I woke up exactly 5 hours after I closed my eyes. "Oh, results are out already!" I jumped from my bed like a jolted horse and pounced to the computer. I didn't want to waste time refreshing the results page - I quickly opened my Gmail account.

There was 1 new mail.

I anxiously double-clicked on the mail.

The results said:

Business Reporting - 58

Business Change - 47

"Damn!" And I slapped my hand to the wooden table.

But hey. It was kinda expected. I knew I passed BR right after I went out of the hall. But I wasn't so sure if I did enough for BC. I remembered that I answered all the requirements but I also ran out of ammo 10 minutes before the exam finished. This is probably where all the "ifs" and "buts" would come out. If only I had 6 more points to be written during

those 10 minutes, but I didn't. Else I would've written them (1 point = 0.5 mark). Well that's probably the only If that I had in mind, but thinking about it isn't actually good practice for a Muslim, and it doesn't change anything anyway.

The next thing I did was to scan the list to see if others passed as well. I saw several names that was familiar. Some passed both, some passed one, and there were results with no names.

One might think 3 marks off isn't too far from passing, and that you're almost there. Actually, the closer you are to the threshold, the further it is. I cannot imagine what it would be like getting a 49 like Dina did.. I would probably have bought out the entire range in Raoul or Thomas Pink. It was a good thing you had Breaking Dawn, Dina!

As such, it was kind of bittersweet, as aptly put by Chun Mei. I guess it was.

Congratulations to the warriors who triumphed the battle. As for the fallen ones, myself included, let us learn from the humiliating lessons and come back stronger the next time.

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 1

2009-12-13T01:10:00.003-08:00

This may or may not be a long post, as I'm writing accordingly to my thoughts. As usual, I'll probably deal with things chronologically.

* * *

I had a thought in mind to write this bit of the entry around 4-5 months back. It would have a different tinge to it, I suppose, since that time I wasn't sure what's going on etc.

I had a meeting with my career coach to discuss my development plan for the year ending 30th June 2010 (that's our firm's year end btw). During the discussion, one of the questions she asked was that she was quite surprised to see the hours that I've clocked are only around 800, whereas my other colleagues are clocking over 1000 hours within the period of time. I explained to her that the main "culprit" behind it is my long study leave - during a year, I could take up to 4 months' worth of study break as Sunway College holds classes during weekdays.

This led me to harbouring my thoughts to my coach about moving to the next stage of my career. Basically, I told her I was not prepared for it as I spent a significant amount of time for classes and exams, and based on work-experience, I felt it was not adequate. Yes, I have had some experience where I led the team for an engagement but basically there was a senior around if anything comes up, so I still had the "safety net".

"So, basically what you're telling me is that you'd like to have more training experience on leading engagements to better equip you for the future?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying."

"And if this means you are not promoted during this round, you won't feel a thing, any regrets at all?"

"No, of course not. As a matter of fact, I don't think I'm good enough as yet to become a senior associate now. But give me another 6 months of training, chances for me to lead the engagements and give me tougher sections to do and I think by then I'll be better-equipped to be a senior."

And that concludes our discussion for the day.

Fast forward to Friday, 11th December 2009.

It was a normal, boring working day for me. I've got nothing much to do and was trying to figure out where to charge my time... Damn, I should have gone to Practice Ops and told them I was free.

Towards the end of the working day (our department had a policy of going back at 5.30pm every Friday during off-peak season, and fortnightly during peak season), I had a cuppa with my juniors at the cafe. I decided I had enough for the day and proceeded to my workplace to start packing up and head to where I'm supposed to head for the night.

When I reached my place, an ex-SNG member of mine and a senior who I used to work for last time saw me with excited faces. They were bursting to tell me something.

"Eh Azmir, go check your email! The list is out!"

I was taken aback. What list?

For some reason my connection was slow. Argh!

"Eh I use your pc can or not. My connection slow."

And there it was.

My name was in the promotion list for Senior Associate effective 1st January 2010.

...

!!!

What the heck just happened???

I was utterly stunned. Words and thoughts were beyond my comprehension. I swore I had an incredulous face when I sat back in my chair and took a second look at the list.

I honestly did not expect this. I expected myself to have 6 more months as an Associate so that I could garner experience and have a go at all those tougher audit sections with a senior calling the shots from behind.

Messages in my phone and SameTime (an IM application for PwC staff all over the world) started pouring in. The senior and my colleagues sitting near me said the same. Sen Shih personally walked up and shook my hand, and I told him "I couldn't have made it without your guidance, so thank you". As cliched as it may sound, I have to admit it is true. When I told Wai Leong I truly didn't expect it, he said "Aiyah, why u like that one? Have some self-confidence ler...the bosses think you're good enough, so accept it graciously ok!"

I needed to tell someone none other than Azmimi, and she was surprised to the core as well. Up to the point where her whole family knew (she was in the car with them at that time haha).

It's been over 2 days already after the list and I don't think it's still sinking in just yet. But reality is coming fast as peak is just around the corner, so I'll have to keep up with the standards demanded. It's going to be tough, but I need to be tough as well to get going.

My Thoughts about..

2009-12-07T05:27:00.002-08:00

...moving somewhere closer to Damansara area is partly spurred by the fact that my clients are mostly around the PJ-Shah Alam-Klang area. And yes, Azmimi lives there too so it makes travelling a lot easier.

Here are some quick pros and cons that I have off the top of my head:-

1) Staying in Taman Melati

Pros:-

- I don't have to move even an inch of my already-accumulating stuff.

- Cheap rent. I'm paying less than RM250 for rent and utilities.

- Close by to LRT. Awesome choice if I know I'll just be in office.

Cons:-

- Far away from everything important.

- Which means it takes more travel time

- Which means more fuel is used (eventhough Savvy is a really frugal car)

2) Moving to Damansara area (e.g. PJ, SS2, Kota D'sara etc)

Pros:-

- Close to work and Azmimi

- Less travel time

- Less fuel, more savings?

Cons:-

- Rent around that area hovers around RM300-RM500. That's quite a huge jump and since I'm not earning much more than I did 2 years ago, my expenditures would have to be cut down.

- This area is populated mostly by Chinese. Not that I have anything against Chinese, but I think you know what I mean. If you don't, PM me at azmir.jani@gmail.com and we can have a chat.

- No more LRT option, but I guess that's not too bad.

Any thoughts, dear readers?

My Proposal

2009-12-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

Hey sweetheart! I've something to tell you..

When I look at you, I see the future. I see minivans, I see kids, I see us cooking dishes together and you must be thinking ,"he's quoting the line from Scrubs". Well maybe I am, but the part where I see the future is what I truly feel. At the end of the day, you are the only one I want to go back home to.

Throughout the few years we've been together, you really have been the safest place for me to hide from all the weariness of the world. In that period of time, I see that you have accepted me for who I am, and I thank you for that. You are someone I truly look up to, and you've taught me to be a better man, a better son, a better professional, a better student and a better human being.

I dare not promise you that our lives will be forever filled with joy and happiness, for you and I both know that I am not the kind of person to make promises that I can't keep.

But I shall promise you this.

I promise you a lifetime of companionship and togetherness, and that I will be exclusively yours.

I may not be able to tell you how much you mean to me, but I promise I will try to show you, for the rest of my life. I love you.

And with that, will I have the honour to be your husband?

My Weekend

2009-11-23T01:27:00.005-08:00

It was one of those weekends where I had something extra to look forward to. The DUKEthon was happening and it's happening on my birthday! But let's go through it chronologically, shall we?

I slept like a log on Friday, probably after exhausting myself from working till the wee hours of the morning. How would I survive peak period like this? However, after 10 hours of sleep, I felt energised and refreshed. I felt like I owed myself a run over the hilly areas surrounding my place as I wanted to do at least 3 sessions of running in order to prepare myself for the Dukethon, alas I only managed a single session. I could barely last 15 minutes though. I was spent when I reached the top. I took time to admire the view overlooking KLCC and KL Tower and brisk-walked back.

At around 10.30, I went out to find my way to Wisma OCM to collect the goodies. I later found out that OCM stood for Olympic Council Malaysia. That place had a hotel in it! I'm sure it's been around for AGES but I ain't a KL native yo. I wastefully spent RM4 for a 15-minute parking and circled around the building to find the area that held the goodies.

I got the following:-

1) maps

2) brochures on other runs - there's a one-mile dash on New Year's Eve! No, it's nothing like American Pie The Naked Mile movie ok.

3) Salonpas strips

4) Balm panas berganda!

5) T-shirt

6) DUKE cap (haha sah-sahla tak pakai)

7) Respective numbers for the run

By then I was feeling EXTRA hungry since I only had a cup of Milo for breakfast after the morning run. I quickly drove back and made myself a bowl of Maggi. Initially I felt full but I know the feeling's not going to last, and that was ok since Udon and I were going to Kak Azila's wedding. (I'm still in awe on how you got so quickly to jinjang pelamin! Rezeki masing-masing lah haha) For more on that, click here.

Afterwards, as correctly pointed out by Udon, I was already sleepy due to the effects of running + nasi minyak. I took a shuteye and it wasn't so long till it was dinner time. Aisha and co already booked me for an early birthday dinner since they can't make it on the actual day - they had a wedding to go to. We had dinner at Cone's Pizza and it had an interesting concept of making cone pizzas. Too bad it was on the small side so Mimi and I ordered an extra helping of spaghetti.

Suddenly our group was startled by the commotion happening next door. It turned out that a Bangladeshi/Indian (obviously non-Malaysian) was being surrounded by a group of Malays who looked fierce and ready to pounce at him anytime. He looked helpless, hands in the air showing defeat when the battle hasn't even started, and pleading for the group not to do anything merciless. But the decision has been made long before. What followed was a series of thuds!doosh!thwack!kaboom-boom-bang! directed all over him (sound effect is thanks to earlier Batman and Robin movies). The kicker to his abdomen must've been the most painful as he screamed at a higher pitch than before.

The alleged reason he was being treated that way was due to claims from a group of women sitting together with the boys that the Bangladeshi groped/molested her. Kena raba la, senang cakap. Due to the lack of clear evidence, Hairi (Azie's husband) suggested that there is no way we could arrive to an accurate judgement of whether the guy did touch the girl. So it was left at that. What continued was each of us in the group who had experience in seeing real fights shared their experience. Budak-budak asrama biase lah. But it didn't dawn upon me that the boys from DJ school were monsters. OMG. "Siap dengan parang, darah-darah semua. Bilik guru pun kena bakar." Speechless aku dibuatnya.

All in all, a pretty eventful dinner. Haha.

* * *

The DUKEthon flagged off at 8am on 22nd November 2009, and we were ordered to be there no later than 7.30am to register. We were off at around 7 and reached there in mere minutes. The registration was nothing more than officials tearing up the registration pass and letting us into the kandang pelepasan larian. Memang rasa macam kambing nak dilepaskan. And then suddenly a gun went off and the barriers were released. We were talking about how there was a possibility of being trampled over, but our worries were dissipated as we had enough space to run at our own pace.

I quickly found my pace by following a runner from the Klang Pacers Athletic Society. Yes, it was a girl. I couldn't possibly tail the guys, seeing how unfit I was. She had good pace and I could keep up with it so that's a good benchmark. The stride towards the halfway mark felt long simply because we couldn't see how far it was. But once I reached there, it felt better. I didn't even take the water provided at the side as I thought that would slow down my stride.

Towards the way back, I thought I had enough of tailing the runner and started to quicken my pace. Finally I saw the finish line from a corner, but wait for it, it's not yet right in my view. Once I saw the signpost "300m ke tol" I sprinted like I was Michael Johnson running the world championship 200m. Grabbed the certificate at the finish line and a bottle of mineral water and waited for the girls to arrive. In the process I saw Hsien May running and getting herself a medal! Mimi and Jonie came in respectively at numbers 101 and 102 - just a place short of medals. How they knew this was because they saw an attendant giving out coupons and when they reached, the attendant said "Oh sorry, the medal coupons are finished." And to think Mimi didn't even train at all! Note to self: will register under girl's category next year LOL :P

We stayed for abit to see all the hoo-has that was there - the cars and the booths and the free 100 Pluses. The hot air balloon that we saw was gone - none of us knew where it went. Perhaps they didn't launch it coz the weather looked like it was going to be a downpour anytime soon!

We finished off the run with a hearty breakfast of nasi lemak and lontong at a place in D'sara Utama. Typical Malaysians after jogging! Hahaha :p

* * *

I had Nun's (PNB scholar-mate) wedding to attend in the afternoon in Semenyih but it was evident that my aching body needed rest. I don't know how I managed to pull myself from the deep slumber I was in. We managed to reach around 3.30pm, grabbed the food, took pictures with the bride and the groom, and whisked off. All that in half an hour's time. I must say that was the fastest attendance I ever had in attending weddings! Nasib baik masih ada kawan-kawan yang tunggu.

Afterwards, I visited my aunt's place at Melawati as I promised to see her on Sunday, and she whipped up a dish which I thought was a cross between dalca and curry. (What was the dish, Kak Cik?) And I had the pleasure of seeing a now-walking Ajlaa whom last I saw was still in her bedung. Haha. I think the next time I see her she could probably talk! She kept staring at me and Mimi for some strange reason...might it be that we're strangers? Such a strange reason indeed. I thought I'd check with Kak Cik if she remembered what day it was, and it was captured in one of her comments-post-wall-writing:-

A: Do you know what day is it today?

H: Of course I do.

A: So what day is it?

H: It's your birthday.

A: Woohoo!!

A LOL moment indeed.

I thought I'd take it easy that night and figured I should sleep early, but I was awake till 12. Haha.

* * *

To my good PwC friends, thanks for the dinner! Perhaps for other birthdays, we shouldn't have it at that avenue, eh? A bit traumatic for some, I see.. hahaha

To all who SMS-ed, called, MSN-ed, and Facebooked, thanks so much for the kind wishes! :)

Pictures will be uploaded soon.

My Review of Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth

2009-11-20T20:52:00.003-08:00

I was hunting down the live CD/DVD when I knew it was coming out on Nov 10th. I was at Midvalley/The Gardens watch-hunting as well (note that there'll be a separate post for that). For some reason I didn't find it in any of the music stores, and what was left was a movie store so I didn't go check that out.

But 3 days later, I was there to meet Afty to borrow his knowledge module Accounting book for my mate Halim and he was stuck in a jam. So I decided to browse around.

I found the album at the very store I didn't check.

:O :)

First swipe at Mastercard wasn't working, thank Goodness I had cash. Lambat bayar bil kredit kad. Ish ish. It's ok..haha. Since Mimi was taking some time to be done with work, I plonked myself in one of the plush-looking sofas in the Gardens, switched on my laptop and watched the DVD. *I say plush-looking coz it only looks plush. You'd think plush sofas mean you'll sink into the sofas when sitting on them and get all engorged. Nope. Not gonna happen with these sofas*

Of course I didn't manage to finish the whole one-and-a-half-hour concert when Mimi arrived 15 minutes later but I continued back home, in the car and in my room. I purposely took the longer route via Jalan Kuching into MRR2 just so that I could hear more of the CD.

I actually thought the concert-movie was quite well done. The starting song , "Sunshine Song" was definitely a good-feel song much like all of his recordings, and the build-up leading to Make It Mine was fantastic! From my readings on the Net apparently that's the normal build-up but I've never heard of it so yay!

However, the live CD/DVD covers much of the newer items, much to my dismay. I loved his first and second album but I haven't gotten my hands on the "Tonight Not Again" live concert DVD (when he was like 5 years younger?) I can also see why Diyana (ex-Warwick, BNM scholar) pointed out that he was too much into reggae-ing his music nowadays... there was a new song "Anything You Want" which he used to intro his band in the middle of the concert, that was all reggae. Heck, even "The Remedy" was reggae-fied! But it kinda makes sense when the chorus came in.."I..I won't worry my life away.." That's all reggae stuff, no? Being cool, chilled, laidback, not worrying a thing in this world that's out of your hands..yup.

I was also quite surprised to see how aged he was. Cengkung gile muka ok. Compared to the live DVD concert that came along with his 3rd album (woohoo!), he looked so much healthier. (And yes, I have a slight affinity to the other DVD concert that I have coz it covers much more of his older material). It must've been all the green beans that he's been taking before and after concerts to keep him going and energised throughout. Haha. Green beans. Little wonder there.

If I can nail down a reason to get this album, I'm putting up two.

First, it's not called Beautiful Mess for no reason. That was the song that really caught me glued to the screen. The bridge part left me choking and gobsmacked. I thought it was really...honest. If I was honest to myself, I think I could've cried. But of course no man would want to be caught watching a Mraz concert so yeah.

Second, the last song I heard in the CD ( I was skipping it to the tunes which I didn't really like coz I suppose it's much better to see it on DVD) was The Boy's Gone. Initially I thought he came up to the stage after the show and sang it, but reports said he sang it before the concert. Hmm..how's that possible. I saw the concert started when it was dusk and the song was sang when it was pitch black in the arena. Whatever. That's not the point.

The point here is that it's Mraz and his guitar performing. It was really stripped down, acoustical, unplugged, bare, only the vocals and the strums of the strings. But that is the true element of Mraz that draws myself and millions of others. The drums, the bass, the Groove Horn and the keyboards make it a fun party to be at, but if you wanna left saying "Now that's something", this is it. If you wanna be left with a warm feeling inside you, this could do it as well. If not, go get yourself a hot cuppa latte.

The live CD shows what an amazing live performer he truly is, and for that, I recommend it to anyone reading.

Au revoir, Shossanna!

My receptors...

2009-11-16T07:49:00.004-08:00

...are feeling the coldness of the current weather. It was around 7-8 months ago that the newspapers said the hot weather was going to last until September.

Then the November Rain came.

It was too cold tonight so I had to resort to boil some water for mandi purposes.

Nasib baik ade cerek elektrik Bojol. Huhu.

Yes, yes I know I have more blogworthy topics than this. Bite me.

My trip via DUKE highway...

2009-11-12T08:05:00.003-08:00

this morning was full of purpose, even if I looked sleepy on the steering wheel. LOL.

I managed to register myself and 2 girls for the upcoming DUKEthon on 22nd November 2009.

I shall try and prepare myself for this challenge I'm putting myself upon!

Aizan, running is not your cup of tea?

My Review of the Malaysia Cup Final

2009-11-08T07:19:00.007-08:00

Before the match, I joked to Mimi - Kedai tomyam malam ni semua tutup la. Apparently she didn't get it haha :P

My initial reaction after the match was to write about how primitive the unruly behaviour of the Kelantanese supporters.

But let's get to the match first.

I have not watched Malaysian football for the longest years, but I had fond memories of the 1998 FA Cup final between Johor and Sabah. It was a nail-biting match, end-to-end stuff and both goalkeepers, Khairul Azman (Sabah) and Omar Salim (Johor) on perhaps one of their finest nights. It was 1-0 to Johor, and that was the only time Johor ever lifted the FA Cup. Nowadays, its sibling, Johor FC, is seen as a stronger force, perhaps much like how City is looked as second best against United all this while (before the cash injection).

I thought the Kelantan line-up was quite impressive. They have playmaker Indra Putra Mahyuddin and Nor Farhan as a probable potent strike-force, and in Halim Napi they have a goalkeeper with a wealth of experience, albeit being on the right side of 40. And they can even afford to have Khalid Jamlus on the bench! But Negeri Sembilan has a formidable team too, the twins Zaquan Adha (striker) and Aidil Zafuan (defense) in the current national team, Rezal Zambery Yahya and Idris Karim anchoring the midfield (both played for Johor once) and Shukor Adan, a former international leading the defense. I thought only Farizal Haron (goalkeeper), at 26, would probably be a weaker link. So, based on my limited and non-updated knowledge of Malaysian football, I thought Negeri Sembilan was the stronger team. Plus, they beat Kelantan in both home and away matches in the league. But the hunger in Kelantan was raving, as they have never been Malaysia Cup champions before.

Kelantan started quite brightly I thought, but the nervousness was visible as daylight between both teams. "Oh, give it 10-15 minutes and they'll probably link them passes together later on." That didn't quite materialise haha.. both teams kept spraying long passes in hopes of catching someone up the field. During the first corner given to Negeri, I saw objects e.g. water bottles and even firecrackers being thrown to the Negeri player from the Kelantanese hooligans. I was furious! Come on.. where is the decency in that? I decided to be on Negeri's side - I was already on anyway since the coach, Wan Jamak Wan Hassan was a former instrumental midfielder, true-blue Johorean. :P

And then the first mistake by Kelantan happened. No 27 Zamri Ramli inadvertently back-flicked the ball after a long pass from Negeri and Shahurain was first to capitalise with a thumping shot. I was ecstatic! Surely we will be seeing a more open match! However, it was Negeri who re-asserted themselves and keeping control of the game, starving their opposition from possession.

At the end of the first half, 1-0 to Negeri.

The second goal for Negeri came in seconds after the second half restart. Zaquan made a lob into the six-yard box and Hairudin Omar perfectly timed his run to be on side and weighted in a looping header. Wowsers!

And the 3rd was from a penalty, deservedly taken by Zaquan, a tireless worker, after being hacked by Kelantan's number 27. By then, there was still around 30 minutes left and Kelantan could have still mounted a fightback. But their ardent supporters weren't being so ardent and they left in herds.

With the penalty scored, Zaquan was tied with Indra Putra on most goals scored in the Cup competition (10 goals each). But with the title seemingly too far from their grasp, Indra curled in a notorious free kick to beat Zaquan for the award (if there's one - is there? I know for the League, yes..but not sure for the Cup). Nothing more than a scant consolation.

Summing up, Kelantan didn't turn up for the match, period. Their passes were everywhere, and I thought the team relied too much on Indra Putra. He himself is not getting a lot of support, and that explains the solitary goal from a deadball. Negeri's defense was rarely breached and Negeri's goalie has had busier nights I suppose. But the tackling was horrendous, I must say! It was all Scholes-like. I was bemused to see only a few yellows being brandished by the ref. Kalau Idris Karim tu main kat BPL, dah lama dah kena buang dalam separuh masa pertama. Now that's another funny thought - a Malaysian playing in the BPL! Titus James Palani anyone?

And now let's get back to the supporters - the unruly ones, that is.

Originally I thought they were downright silly. Throwing firecrackers, water bottles and whatnot to the opposing players? Goodness.. I was surprised that they managed to smuggle in them firecrackers! Oh wait, what am I talking about. Smuggling experts are of an abundance in our shores. But it doesn't stop there. An innocent cameraman was hit by an object and bled. Now that's just fucked up. Really uncalled for. To further add to the menace, there were several fires started by the supporters. Not only they are hurting other people, but they are also causing harm to public property. At that time, I really think the under-utilised Sungai Buloh prison would have some cause to be filled in. Primitive, animalistic, and hooligan-ish.

Rooney: Shite, what was that hurled onto the field? Smoke-bombs? My vision is unclear..

Terry: Too bad mate. I'm running off. These bunch are scarier than British footie fans!

But after reading this piece in the Star, it made some sense.

Kelantan isn't really the best place to be stuck in right now, what with all the flood caused by the monsoon. The final Cup match, and the would-have-been-historic Cup win would be some sort of relief. The state government even gave a state holiday on Sunday for the supporters to ferry back to the motherland after the match. Much like how Iraq won the Asian Cup last time, Kelantan supporters needed the win more - they have been upsetted in the recent FA Cup final by Selangor and they could not afford to be heartbroken once again.

So, I now have a better understanding of why the supporters act like how they did. But I still condone their acts.

Congratulations to Negeri Sembilan, deservedly Malaysia Cup champions for 2009. Now you've equalled Johor's tally of 2 cups! :P

My Post-Exam Rambling Entry

2009-11-05T06:46:00.005-08:00

I thought Business Change was uber tougher than Business Reporting, and some of my colleagues thought otherwise. For now, I'll savour the 6 weeks of life being back to normal. But honest to God, these are the two toughest papers I've ever sat in my life. Where else can you get tax, audit, financial reporting and ethical issues thrown in in one paper? Granted, CFA would still be the toughest professional exam but I would say the ones I'm taking isn't too far off.

* * *

I had my first accident after close to two years of driving in KL. Before I go on any further, it's a much-much-much minor accident compared to this, this and this. It's just my first.

I was on my way back to my neighbour's place in Subang (neighbour? in Subang? waitaminnit..you don't live in Subang?) from class in Sunway. The day was packed full of stuff we did in class and it was relatively a heavier load compared to other days.

As I was driving on the two-lane road, I approached a crossroad and I needed to turn right.I wanted to straightaway get to the left lane when I turn, so in my mind I figured I should just stay on the left and give signal to turn right. It all seemed perfectly an OK enough option for me, but I'll reveal later on where my brain went wrong (perhaps due to the heavy day).

As I turned to the right, flicking my signal knob, I felt a thud on the side of the right rear passenger side. A small lorry had just ran into me. I was like.."Huh? What happened? Wasn't the lorry supposed to turn right too? And didn't he see me signalling to turn?" Putting those questions aside, I went to the side of the road - oh, apparently my car can still move. OK la tu. And so I saw this when I got out:-

And I said to the lorry driver, "Takpe la bang, takde ape-ape nih. Boleh jalan lagi." and we drove off to our respective destinations.

I only found out like 20 metres later that my car can't go faster than 40km/h and it couldn't go over bumps without the tyres scraping the upper-side of the body! Ouch.

But one whole day in the workshop and everything was new again. See, each of the lane in the 2-lane road had arrows painted on it:-

1) The left lane had a "turn-left" and "go-straight" arrow.

2) The right lane had a "turn-right" and "go-straight" arrow.

My mistake was assuming the users of the right lane will only turn right. So lesson learned - never drive when you're too tired! Or else you'll make mistakes in judgment and it could well be costly.

(pening eh. takde diagram haha)

* * *

Speaking of firsts, my beloved Savvy experienced a first-time non-ability to start! It was again, during my self-study time in Sunway. Reading the Savoc forum already made me aware of the magnetic sensor problem. In fact, the car already showed signs of the sensor being close to its demise. But, being a guy, I do what guys do - if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Haha.

After half an hour of trying to start the engine, I went around the place searching for a mechanic. Thank goodness I found one and he brought his tools to see what's wrong - initially he thought it was the battery. But I knew all along it wasn't the case. I thanked him anyway and I figured I should call the Proton breakdown assistant helpline. I got through, and managed to get someone to come over to look what's wrong. And true enough, it's the sensor. The guy adjusted it and told me to get it changed asap.

And so I spent the next 2 hours at Glenmarie having that bit of my car changed. The manager in charge for the day told me to request for the sensor to be washed each time I go for my periodical servicing. I wonder if the place I go for service know what I'm talking about.. Haha what I'm blabbering about? Of course they should know..they deal with Proton cars.

* * *

Status updates in Facebook is quite fun to read. At times, it could be bothersome but sometimes, it serves as topics for conversation. You know, when some of your friends are getting married, or married and pregnant already, that sorta stuff. (by far, the biggest news I had from status updates is knowing a mate in Canada made his roommate preggie and they're having the kid!)

I'm trying to make sense of some status updates from my doctor colleagues though. Time and again I see status updates which are full of regret.

"I'd rather be somewhere else than here."

"3rd weekend working in a row, ffs!"

"It's nearly 12 midnight, and I'm stuck here in the hospital. Please pray for no more patients."

I could probably understand that they're trying to adapt with the new environment of having to go for on-call and rounds and whatnots. But come on, I'm sure most of the ones who are doctors plan to become one. Mana-mana yang jadi sebab mak bapak suruh tu, tak di-kira. And when you do plan to become one, you of all people should know the consequences and deal with it. What was it that you wrote in your UCAS statement previously about pursuing a degree in medicine? I'd probably cut some slack for the first few moans because of the acclimatising factor. But to moan and moan and moan... that's not going to solve anything. Buck up. You're a doctor, for fuck's sake. Work around your schedule and enjoy the small things.

* * *

Congratulations to Farah Haida a.k.a Baby and Hazmi on your wedding! :)

This Is It

2009-11-01T01:00:00.002-07:00

If I could please borrow MJ's movie title for my post.

I've been on hiatus due to lack of enthusiasm in writing and having classes in between.

On Monday, 2nd November 2009, and the following day and date, there will be a two legged cup final.

Our aim is to achieve 51. Get that score, and the opposition is beaten.

We are aware that the gap between 49 and 50, much more 51, is a long way to go. That is the difference between winning and losing. (Much like Owen's goal during the Manchester derby?)

Within the past 2 months, we have assessed our opponents' strength and weakness. We have sharpened our skills to get past their strengths and to capitalise on their weakness.

We know we are not perfect, but we have come up with a gameplan to ensure our hit rates are high. Get a swift understanding of the opponent's tactics, and put pen to paper on the spot. Time could be our main culprit and as such, we must continue to play until the whistle is blown (again a derby reference) and be aware of spending too much time doing back-passes or nonchalantly winning the midfield battleground without really penetrating the defence and scoring.

Each of us will be man-marking the same yet different opponent. Unlike zonal marking which Liverpool does best (or worst, however way you see it), each of us will attempt to destroy the opposition, or do just about enough to push them out of the way.

For it may be a long, long wait for a replay of the final, much like how United are made to wait for being back-to-back champions of the UEFA Champions League last year.

My Professional Mistake

2009-09-09T07:40:00.003-07:00

Specially dedicated to my professional group of friends. Haha.

A Professional Mistake

"Your alarm rings, signalling another brand new day. You get up, looking forward for another new day of challenge, another new day to learn. After washing up, you put on your office outfit, giving you that professional look, one that you believe many out there envy. Breakfast follows (perhaps), and you head off to your office. You’re one of the earliest to arrive, ahead of all your superior and when they come in later, they greet you and you feel all charged up for another productive day. Plenty to do and learn and hence, you are prepared to stay back late to do all that is necessary.

If you’re currently doing a degree in finance, accounting or law, the above is probably what you’ve been waiting for all these years. You work your ass off (well… most of you) in university because it’s your dream to join one of those big glamorous firms out there in the market. Lawyers and accountants are the usual suspects for this curse. Once graduated, all of them will run like headless chicken towards those big firms. If you’re an accounting student… you want to be an auditor in one of the Big-4 right?

Well, if you do make it, it’s like a dream come true. In such firms, you get a personal computer, maybe a notebook (wow!). All your stationeries are free, and it’s also the first time you step into a ‘pantry’, where you can make your own coffee, just like those nice offices in TVB series. Next, you get an exclusive e-mail, the domain after your name is not the ordinary @gmail.com or @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com… No, it’s not, it’s your-name@a-big-and-glamorous-firm.com. You can’t wait to tell that to your friend.

Then comes the feeling of giving a business card with your name on it, and it’s not any other business card, it’s one with your name on it, it’s one that signifies you’re an employee with a-big-and-glamorous-firm. And… the word below your name is not a lowly “accounts executive”… the word below your name is exclusive… the word below your name is… “Associate”. And when your friend gives you the “Wow, you’re an associate with this firm?”… you get into instant orgasm.

3 or 6 months into your job, you will then be experiencing the euphoria of saying… I-am-very-busy… I-have-a-lot-work… I-worked-till-very-late-last-night… I-can't-make-it-for-the-gathering-cos-I-have-to-work-this-weekend. Yeah, it’s an euphoria because to you, it’s a privilege to be busy, it’s very cool to work late, you’re very proud to work in during weekends. When you utter such words, a sense of arrogance and pride radiates from you. You feel great because working so hard means you learnt a lot of things, those not in the professional industry somehow looks lowly to you. You feel big, you feel you’re a level smarter than them .Reality will tend to sink in within 2 years or so, though the duration seems to be getting shorter and shorter now with the younger generation.

First, you will probably ask yourself, how come a graduate like you must do all sorts of donkey jobs such as photocopying, checking invoices, going through pile and pile of documents and filing. You will also be wondering how come your superior whom you once looked up to have to suck up to clients. Oh yeah… most all clients are unreasonable.

If you’re an accountant, you will probably realise that there is no such thing called a ‘balance’ sheet. It’s balanced because you did the balancing act so that your big boss can sign on it and certify it as ‘true and fair’. Yeah… signing on accounts, the job that you once dreamed of… isn’t exactly all a bed of roses. You then realise that you will probably never reach that “just-need-to-sign-only stage” but hey… it’s ok, you probably hate that job by now. When you tell your client something, chances are you are just as blur and confuse as them. But you have to act as though you’re an expert because you’re the con-sul-tant. This is just a glimpse of it.

Now, all the late nights and irregular meals will probably caused you to age 8 years in 2 years. Those I-am-very-busy… I-have-a-lot-work… I-worked-till-very-late-last-night… I-can't-make-it-for-the-gathering-cos-I-have-to-work-this-weekend will take its toll on your body and it will show. You will probably look very skinny… or very far… you will certainly look old and worn out. Working late and spending weekends in the office is no longer a cool thing but absolute stupidity. But hey… you will still have to do it, because there’s still much work to be done.

By now, all your friends who ended up as salesmen or doing other thing except being a professional, those whom you felt superior to are driving anything but a Proton. But for you, it’s time to think whether you should buy a Proton cause your Perodua is beginning to give you problem. Of course, if your father is well-connected fella, things can be different. But if you’re not, tough luck. You’ll be wondering how come you’re generally under-paid. Those exposure and learning curve that you once craved are no longer relevant. You want to make more money. But unless you’re a partner of the glamorous firm, money can be a lil tough to come by.

At this point of time, probably after 3, 4 or 5 years, you finally realised that piece of paper you signed when you first joined the glamorous firm was nothing but lies, or worse, like a hook being stuck on your nose. Then, you decide to ply your trade in the commercial world, you leave those glamorous firm. You think joining a commercial firm will bring about a good change, not knowing that such move means you switched from being a ‘profit centre’ to a ‘cost centre’. One of the main effect of the switch is that you will be working doubly hard compared to the profit centre, which probably includes a lot of late nights too… but your salary and bonus is much lower compared to profit centre. What does this mean… a story for another time.

One thing for sure… your morning will now be something like…

Your alarm rings, signalling another day… another weekday. You get up, after snoozing the alarm a million and one times. You hope today is Friday, but it’s not, and you feel like shit. You think of a million and one reasons to take MC, but you realised you have to go to office because you failed to finish the report due today though you stayed till 10pm last night. You tell yourself you need to change job, just like how you have been telling yourself in the last 1 year. Once in office, you’re in a dilemma cause you want time to go slower so that you can finish your work but yet, you want time to go faster so that you can leave the office and go for lunch.

During lunch, you will bitch with your colleagues about work and probably the bosses. You will all talk about so many people who seem to be doing so well except for you. You realised you should have done something else while in university. You realised you may have made a mistake in life… a mistake in being a professional… you have made… a professional mistake."

MY Miss Universe Fail?

2009-09-08T19:22:00.004-07:00

Well it's not MY actually. It's SG. Got this from the infamous Kenny Sia. See the video for yourself.

Oh and btw, this is not for minors so maybe you'd like to view it after 7.18pm-ish? Haha.

Fail.

My ICAEW Buka Puasa Event

2009-09-04T07:45:00.003-07:00

The event was held in conjunction of the launch of the Direct Access ICAEW World Mastercard and Visa. Awesome stuff. Initially when the guy was trying to pitch the card to me, I shot down all his point-of-sale..all I asked was what separates this card and the rest?

"Free for life" - mine too.

"Petrol rebates of 5% on every 1st of the month and 2% thereafter on ANY petrol station" - Rebate? Capped at a maximum RM50 with total spending of RM5,000...who the h*ll (ish tak baik mencarut2 kan bulan puasa ni kekeke) uses RM5,000 for fuel? Plus I have an inkling to Petronas because I can use my yellow Maybankard there. Straightaway debit off my bank account.

"2% rebate on 500 stores nationwide" - I go to...hmm lemme see. Jusco, Carrefour, Isetan. Gile tak berbaloi kalau tak pergi lagi 497 kedai. Eh chup, 3 kedai tu pun masuk ke?

"Bonus points!" - Seriously, I don't see the point in bonus points. It takes FOREVER to get a pen as a gift.

"Can get Platinum card!" - Eh, wouldn't you need a certain level of salary to be able to own a Platinum card? I'm only earning peanuts. I'm not eligible for your scheme!

And even after all that, in the end I changed my mind in a flash. I applied for the card.

Why?

I suppose it's because it's an invitation to ICAEW MCG (Malaysia City Group) members only. Plus the card has that ICAEW logo on it...now that's prestigious. Not any card can have that. Heck, not anyone can have that. God willing if I can get through last few rounds of exams and do my time...

Shoot me in the face? *lariiiiiiii*

* * * * *

It's not so much of the event that I wanna talk about. We had the privelege of Tan Sri Hanafiah bin Hussain, the first Malaysian who acquired the prestigious Chartered Accountant title from ICAEW and Lifetime Award achiever for ICAEW MCG to be our imam for the Maghrib prayers. He even gave a little tazkirah before the prayer. "This is your communion with Allah, so give your utmost focus!" Little did we know he had 5 years of education in sekolah pondok. He is 82 years old but he looks 30 years younger. Impressive.

And, get this: before starting prayers, he also said, "I'm Tan Sri Hanafiah. The Tan Sri Hanafiah". I'm assuming he's doing this for the benefit of people who were in the makeshift musolla not knowing who he is. And even though he had the emphasis in his sentence, it didn't come out as boastful or arrogant. It was more like, humbling. Down to earth. It wasn't like a father saying something to his son, it was more like a friend. I know, it's weird to have that kind of effect when you're stressing something, but he did it and I'm super awed. That is a blogworthy character right there.

Lepas solat, dia pesan suruh pergi masjid sambung terawih. Sampai sekarang terpacak depan komputer. Huhu. Ok2 terawih sendiri ahh.

This is someone I should aspire to be.

My Desires

2009-08-30T16:36:00.007-07:00

1. Tag Heuer Grand Carrera

2. Chopard Gran Turismo XL

3. Louis Vuitton Chronometer

4. Omega De Ville Co-Axial

5. Omega De Ville Co-Axial Hour Vision

6. Patek Phillipe Grand Complication Moonphase

7. Patek Phillipe Geneve Day Date Moonphase

8. Patek Phillipe

9. Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Automatic

Now... if I just fork out a hundred bucks every month then maybe I could afford one of these hand accessories every 5 years?

My First Time...

2009-08-27T08:29:00.003-07:00

...on air in the Fly FM Pagi Show after months full of ruefulness, trying for the elusive WUYB contest.

The topic was "Have you ever met Malaysians unexpectedly anywhere in any part of this world"
I was super excited because I had an experience of such while I was in Vancouver, Canada. So I called in and said (I para-phrased as I don't certainly remember word-by-word of what I said):-

"I did an exchange programme in Canada, and by far I was the only Malaysian around that time.. I went to the bank to open a bank account, and I saw a group of students who looked like Malaysians. They kept looking at me, I kept looking at them... I didn't want to approach them at first as the day before I excitedly said hi to a girl who looked Malaysian, but she was actually Indonesian. Then all of a sudden the girl from the group approached me and asked, "Excuse me, are you Malaysian?" Then I emphatically said YES! They actually were going to say "belacan!" in hopes that I turn my head towards them at the sound of a Malay word."

The morning DJs (Jules and Prem, sitting in for the usual Pagi Show crew) commented that it would be a good way to attract other Malaysians by saying Malay words!

And this person heard me over the radio ahaha :D

The people I met in Vancouver, Canada.

My Heartfelt Question

2009-08-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

"Do you want to marry me or am I the one for you to marry?"

I stumped a little bit. Now, there are a few options for a guy to answer a question like this, ranging from the most obvious to the most oblivious.

"I want to marry you." - Simple, but too simple. Most of the time it would come across as un-meaningful to the female species, and you might end up with a silent treatment for 2-3 days depending on the mood factor.

"You're the one I want to marry" - Most guys will be thinking what's the difference with the last one? Is it not just a clever little play of words?

Most certainly it's not. It has a much deeper meaning, that. But one can only pull it off with truthfulness. Simply stating it out would mean you're only choosing the right answer to save your backside, and that can be doubly hurtful.

My choice?

"I want to marry you because you're the one for me to marry."

"That's cheating!!"

Happy 50th month anniversary, sweetheart. :)

My Convivial

2009-08-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

I tried and put away the negative thoughts of Law by watching a movie I so wanted to watch when it came out but nobody wanted to go and watch coz it ain't the type of movies you go to cinema to watch - can just wait for it to be available on the Net and a good Netizen will download it for you (kudos to Bojol) :-

Background of the movie is that a real estate agent, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) was gonna marry his 8-month girlfriend Zoey Rice (Rashida Jones - lovelyy) but he was hit upon the realisation that he was always a "girlfriend's guy" - that meant he didn't have any, er, close guy friends. So he sets out on man-hunts and man-dates with the help of his gay brother (not gay as in happy, but gay gay), unsuccessfully. While showcasing a house, he came across Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) and discovered that he could be the real deal.

I saw the trailer to this movie when I watched Wolverine a few moons back and it kinda relates to me. I have to admit, I'm not really a guy's friend - I somehow associate better with girls. Maybe it's due to the fact that in my childhood I didn't really befriend girls (save for the puppy love I had in form 2) due to the fact that I had this really awful tomboy schoolmate who kept tormenting me in school...haha ingat2 balik lawak sungguh kisah dulu. Aku dengar-dengar dah kahwin ke ape budak tomboy tu. So perhaps after high-school I thought I'd give it a try being friends with girls, you know, platonic-ish kinda relationships. Of course, Harry in "When Harry Met Sally" said that guys could never be friends with girls for obvious reasons (if it's not obvious then go watch that classic!) but I suppose that's up to the individual.

Anyways, back to the movie...it's not the type that'll make you laugh all the way but it had its moments. But the concept of a man-date seems different. I mean, I do remember the times I go for outings with my high-school buddies but it was never two persons. It's either a group (3 or more) or Lone Ranger. So yeah, that's different. And the movie had some really good catchphrases like "See you on the flipside" and whatnots, but you'd have to jot them down coz there's too many - if you wanna use 'em, that is.

* * *

Then I went computer-surfing. I have an admiration of USFF (Ultra-Small Form Factor) desktops coz they do not add to the clutter I already have in my room :P So I found two yesterday:-

The Acer Aspire Revo

Looking at this baby tugs my heart. It's smaller than my current external hard disk! However, upon reading this review and that review, it's kind of a letdown. The adage "great gifts come in small packages" really don't dwell well with this one. Surfing is a menial task for this small toy, but playing HD videos is like blinking an eye? That's really weird. (Although of course the switching between 2 players is also annoying - one of the reviews mentioned that the Revo has 2 media players for the HDs, and some HD videos are suitable to one or the other. That means you'd have to switch if one doesn't really work out!) Perhaps if they changed the processor it would make it better? But then again, would other processors fit this micro desktop? I don't have the knowledge to say it.

Dell Vostro 320 All-In-One PC

No reviews yet to be unearthed judging by my Googling skillz last night. But this baby's a beauty. Not exactly an USFF but it's quite a space-saver like that. Will wait for the reviews to come out and see what it's like.

My Headache

2009-08-19T07:00:00.003-07:00

It's not so much a headache. I suppose it could be one if I factor all things.

Jasjeet and I didn't pass our 2nd mock exam for Law, although she did remarkably better than yours truly - 40 is very much un-flattering for someone who got 54 in the first sitting. But then again that has always been my trend - scoring high in the first mock and then like all bad stocks, my marks plummet. Gyaaah.

Maybe it's the RM7XX I blew on my 40,000km major service today.

Or maybe coz I haven't stepped up to the plate?

Anyhoo, we're going to have a third instalment which will happen sometime in 8th Sept, the reason being "to give us more time to go through the syllabus". And, if all goes well, the real exam (which should have been this Friday) will be on the 10th. And then there's the CR class exam on the Saturday. Life is beautiful once again.

I need to change my studying habits. Pens and papers...lots of writing...only then things will get stuck in my head.

Don't you ever wish that the roti tampal Doraemon truly exist?

My Stoodle-isation

2009-08-14T02:20:00.001-07:00

I've been Stoodle-ised!!

Here's proof:-

Credits to Idlan Zakaria.

Here's the link: http://stoodle.wordpress.com/ Check it yo!

My Desire

2009-08-13T04:43:00.002-07:00

...to grab this is burning, but if I do, then my pockets would be left with burn marks.

I think it's the colour that attracts me the most. Not to mention the luminous hands and markers that reminded me oh so much of my long-lost beautiful Ms Xiana-Omega-Xain.

What happened, you may ask. I'll save that for another post, if I'm up for it.

Pictures coutesy of http://kyspeaks.com/2007/10/01/gift-to-self-citizen-promaster-eco-drive-nighthawk/

My Community Outreach Programme

2009-08-12T06:26:00.002-07:00

I did the COP in 2007 by luck. There was an opening and I was free, so I was slotted in to Rumah Kebajikan Anbu Illam which was situated in Taman Permata, opposite Taman Melawati. That meant it was very close by. However at that time, I didn't have a car so I travelled by bus from Wangsa Maju LRT station (didn't know where else to get a bus that time).

Back then I remembered I was a very garang teacher. I'd group everyone, regardless of age, into one whole big group and gave them pop quizzes. Maths, English and BM mostly. Wasn't too adept with Science. Thinking back, maybe I shouldn't have done that since different ages require different syllabuses. But what was I to do with a group of 15 kids whose eyes only lit up when they play games and watch movies..haha.

Anyways, that was then and this is now. I'm back again at the same shelter and this time round we have 3 people including myself. So it's better in a sense that we can divide the kids into smaller groups and concentrate on what to teach. Make no joke about it, it's quite tiring to handle the kids...I for one am not known with superb patience so sometimes I do raise my voice but with the intention of keeping the group in control. But I really can't stand it when I give them exercises and when I check, they get EVERYTHING right because they peeked at the answers. Pointless! Haha oh well. My stint ends this Friday and then it's Dooms-Months (can't say Doomsday..study leave is until early November. Dudududu~).

The best part of this programme? 2 hour lunch breaks. Now if only my parents live somewhere close by...Udon, aku tumpang makan tengahari kat rumah ko boleh?

My Bulk of...

2009-08-11T02:21:00.000-07:00

...books came in last week but I only got around retrieving it from the Admin today. Oh jolly good! Looks like the studying part of a student's life is just around the corner! :S

"Because they don't care?"

2009-08-05T19:05:00.002-07:00

URL for article is HERE

IN “Why do Malaysians march?” (Comment, Aug 3) Yeo Yang Poh provides an interesting account of why Malaysians march. His views are even more amusing bearing in mind that he is a lawyer, more so a previous president of the Bar Council.

Yes, why do Malaysians march? Let me provide an account from a different perspective. Those who marched, did so because they did not care about the inconvenience caused to the thousands of motorists.

Because those who marched did not care that being a Saturday, thousands of Malaysians and tourists would be running errands, shopping or just enjoying the camaraderie of family and friends.

Because those who marched did not care about the possibility of an ambulance desperately weaving its way through the traffic to reach a dying man.

Because those who marched did not care about the discomfort caused to senior citizens who were trapped in traffic in the blistering heat.

Because those who marched did not care about the children who would have been at the receiving end of the chaos and disarray.

Because those who marched did not care about the millions of ringgit that traders had lost as a result of the closure of shops and businesses.

Because those who marched did not care about the anxiety caused to that pregnant woman who, in labour, was on the way to the hospital.

Because those who marched did not care about the thousands of schoolchildren who were late in attending Saturday school or that they were stuck in the traffic as late as 7pm.

Because those who marched courted arrest to be venerated as martyrs.

Because those who marched did it for the sake of the publicity. After all, how else were they able to get their five minutes of fame. And bear in mind that leaders of other marches in the last two years were conferred awards and titles. So maybe, just maybe, this was one way of obtaining a few accolades.

Because those who marched knew that it was an action that would attract a reaction from the police and yes, that was what they wanted. After all, how else could they carry on demonising the police and enforcement authorities. Most newspapers carried stories about how high-handed the police were. Yet many missed the point. Who caused the police to react that way?

Because those who marched were ignorant. Are all the marchers aware of the provisions of the Internal Security Act?

Because those who marched thought it was fashionable to do so. After all, the government did say that it was planning to review the provisions of the ISA. Yet the marchers marched.

Because those who marched had to keep up with the Joneses. Like Yeo said, they do it in India, Africa and even in the US. Everyone is doing it, so it must be right – let’s march!

Because those who marched preferred to go along the destructive route.

Because those who march were gullible – influenced by certain quarters who had their own purposes to serve.

Because those who marched think that it is the leitmotif of the majority in Malaysia .

Yes, Yeo draws analogies to Africa and the US. Singapore, however, is conspicuously missing – a country that shares similar demography, legislative history and to a certain extent, culture. Love him or hate him, Singapore is what it is today – a successful nation because of the philosophy and vision of Lee Kuan Yew. And this is what the octogenarian has to say:

“You’re talking about Rwanda or Bangladesh, or Cambodia, or the Philippines. They’ve got democracy, according to Freedom House. But have you got a civilised life to lead? People want economic development first and foremost. The leaders may talk something else. You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes, medicine, jobs, schools.” (The Man and his Ideas)

Apocryphal or not, there is definitely a grain of truth to it.

Yeo, your reasons may be dulcet notes to the leftists but like many others who crave peace and harmony in society, I subscribe to a different view. The one lesson learned from Saturday’s episode is that, the marchers showed us why the ISA should remain.

"Why Malaysians March"

2009-08-02T19:02:00.001-07:00

Why do Malaysians march?

By: Yeo Yang Poh (Sun, 02 Aug 2009)

On the move ... a section of anti-ISA protesters near
the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
WHY march, when the government has said that it will review the Internal Security Act? Why march, when there are other very cosy ways of giving your views and feedback?

One would understand if these were questions posed by nine-year-olds. But they are not. They are questions posed by the prime minister of this nation we call our home. Answer we must. So, why?

Because thousands who died while in detention cannot march or speak any more. That is why others have to do it for them.

Because persons in the corridors of power, persons who have amassed tremendous wealth and live in mansions, and persons who are in the position to right wrongs but won’t, continue to rule our nation with suffocating might. And they certainly would not march. They would prevent others from marching.

Because the have-nots, the sidelined, the oppressed, the discriminated and the persecuted have no effective line to the powerful.

Because the nice ways have been tried ad nauseam for decades, but have fallen on deaf ears.

Because none of the major recommendations of Suhakam (including on peaceful assembly), or of the commissions of inquiry, has been implemented. Because the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is not in sight, while corruption and insecurity live in every neighbourhood; and (despite reasoned views expressed ever so nicely in opposition) Rela (people’s volunteer corps) is being brought in to make matters even worse.

The proponents in “Su Qiu” (remember them?) were not marchers. In fact it is hard to find nicer ways than “su qiu”, because the term means “present and request” or “inform and request”. In terms of putting forward a view or a request, it is the height of politeness. Yet they were labelled “extremists” – they who did not march.

And now you ask, why march?

Because you gave non-marchers a false name! You called them the “silent majority”, who by virtue of their silence (so you proudly argued with twisted logic) were supporters of government policies since they were not vocal in raising objections. You claimed to be protecting the interest of the “silent majority”. Now some of them do not want to be silent anymore, and you are asking why?

Yes, because double standards and hypocrisy cannot be covered up or explained away forever; and incompetence cannot be indefinitely propped up by depleting resources.

Because cronyism can only take care of a few people, and the rest will eventually wake up to realise the repeated lies that things were done in certain ways purportedly “for their benefit”.

Because the race card, cleverly played for such a long time, is beginning to be seen for what it really is – a despicable tool to divide the rakyat for easier political manipulation.

Because it does not take much to figure out that there is no good reason why Malaysia, a country with abundant human resources and rich natural resources, does not have a standard of living many times higher than that of Singapore, an island state with no natural resources and that has to import human resources from Malaysia and elsewhere.

Because, in general, countries that do not persecute marchers are prosperous or are improving from their previous state of affairs, and those that do are declining.

Because Gandhi marched, Mandela marched, Martin Luther King marched, and Tunku Abdul Rahman marched.

Because more and more people realise that peaceful assemblies are no threat at all to the security of the nation, although they are a threat to the security of tenure of the ruling elite.

Because politicians do not mean it when they say with a straight face or a smile that they are the servants and that the people are the masters. No servant would treat his master with tear gas, batons and handcuffs.

Because if the marchers in history had been stopped in their tracks, places like India, Malaysia and many others would still be colonies today, apartheid would still be thriving in South Africa, Nelson Mandela would still be scribbling on the walls of Cell 5, and Obama would probably be a slave somewhere in Mississippi plotting to make his next midnight dash for the river.

And because liberty, freedom and dignity are not free vouchers posted out to each household.

They do not come to those who just sit and wait. They have to be fought for, and gained.

And if you still want to ask: why march; I can go on and on until the last tree is felled. But I shall
obviously not.

I will end with the following lines from one of the songs sung in the 1960s by civil rights marchers in the US, without whom Obama would not be able to even sit with the whites in a bus, let alone reside in the White House:

“It isn’t nice to block the doorway
It isn’t nice to go to jail
There are nicer ways to do it
But the nice ways have all failed
It isn’t nice; it isn’t nice
You’ve told us once, you’ve told us twice
But if that’s freedom’s price
We don’t mind ...”

Yeo Yang Poh is a former Bar Council president.

My Gratitude Cafe

2009-07-21T08:15:00.002-07:00

At this point of time, I'd like to give something away to be in one of Jason Mraz's Gratitude Cafe tour in the States. Or I could just wait for his South-East Asian tour? *wishful thinking*

Anyways, the exam results are already out. Alhamdulillah, praise to God, I managed to pass through the two papers with even (actually it was odd) scores, 61 and 63 for Financial Reporting and Taxation respectively. I'm genuinely surprised to have scored higher for Taxation, since the highest I ever got was 41.

However, my celebrations are muted much like Ronaldo's wondergoal in Porto as several of my friends only managed to pass one out of the two papers. I'm not sure how are they coping right now. I know they're sad and they have the right to dwell in sadness, but I hope in time they will also learn to persevere and bounce back. It is time for each and every one of the fallen fighters to emulate my movie-fighter idol, Rocky Balboa. Chin up, and have faith in yourselves. Because I do.

My Blogworthy Moment...

2009-07-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

...came in when the text I sent to Fly FM's Pagi Show was read by Nadia, one of the three crazy DJs for the morning show.

They were having a topic of "if you let your bestfriend hang out with your girl/boyfriend, are you scared that your girl/boyfriend will ditch you for the bestfriend?" Apparently Nadia was having some issues with Ben being too close with Aaron (Nadia's bf)..

So me being clever (or trying to be clever, however you see it), I texted in this:-

"PAGI well I won't have that problem coz all my close friends are girls!"

to which Nadia replied,

"Oho Azmir, you better be careful, later on something wrong may happen like what's happening to Ben and Aaron! You better watch out!"

LOL. And that made my day.

Our 4th Year Anniversary

2009-06-26T06:38:00.001-07:00

On 26th June 2009, Azmimi and I celebrated our 4th year together.

It was a Friday so the day was still hectic with work etc. Luckily (or unluckily, as how you may see it) I was just released from an odd-job so I didn't have much to do.

As most of our celebrations before, we would go for a hunt to find an extra nice dining place. It didn't have to be posh or anything, but something different. In the first year we had Sushi Hiroba (which is a mere walking distance within LSE), in the second year we had some Middle-Eastern delicacies (sorry, forgot the name :P) and we didn't manage to go anywhere in the third year since, well, she was in the UK and I was here.

So I digged up the Internet and found lotsa nice dining places, some with reviews, others with their flashy websites. With the help of Azmimi, we managed to whittle down the list to two, Frangipani and Tamarind. The former is largely a French restaurant, and I wanted to choose it because Azmimi once went to a summer school in France so there's a link there. The latter was a concoction of Indo-Chinese (that's Burmese, Vietnamese, Laos and Thai for you) delicacies and it was one of the choices because it had quite rave reviews and alluring photos (of food, not sexy waitresses. What were you thinking?)

We didn't quite know which one to choose then since both sounded really good. Until Wui Yi, a PwC batchmate of mine came up and scolded me for not asking her opinion first (since she knows lotsa nice places to eat. OK I shall consult you next year!) and told me that Frangipani has a bar upstairs which is crowded by gays. No, not gay as in happy. The other kind of gay. So...I suppose Frangipani's out? hahah. But I'd really like to try it one day so maybe we can go there together later later? ;)

I only arrived at The Gardens close to 8pm, and found myself a bit harried since I made reservations at 8.30pm. In addition, I didn't really know the way even after looking at the maps (Google Maps and the KL map in my glovebox). Yes, it's at Jalan Sultan Ismail just before Wisma KFC...I'm not yet a KLite ok.

We only arrived there at 9.30pm. There wasn't much parking spots, probably 6-7 at most. Haha. And we were quite lucky to get one. As there was two parking attendants I left my laptop inside (bad practice, don't follow it. You can't trust anyone these days!) We had 72 steps to climb and honestly after the tiring drive-through-the-Friday-night-jam-in-KL, I think it was a feat seeing how unfit I am.

The waiter quickly brought us to the "smoking" area - I purposely chose it since it was outside and judging from the various pictures sourced on the Net, the outside of the restaurant looks rustically beautiful. And it was quite, with the leafy huts, a little stream running by and lotsa greens (O'course you can't really see the flowers at night, lest thou hath a shiny spotlight in thy hands). But it comes at a price. No, not the smokers. There weren't any smokers that night. It was a typical Malaysian night, where it's still hot and humid! We really couldn't wait for our drinks to arrive :P I ordered a plain simple guava juice, which I think in the end I kinda regretted. Mimi on the other hand tried this mocktail concoction of lime, kaffir lime leaves and something else. It was surprisingly good and refreshing! AND it costed 7 bucks lesser than the simple guava juice I ordered. Hmph, Sime Darby punye jus minuman jambu batu merah lagi sedap. Haha.

On the left, the mocktail. Guess what's on the right?

We ordered calamari as starters, lobsters and squids as our mains, asparagus as our must-have veggie portion with kaffir lime leaf rice as the side dish. The calamari was lightly fried with some batter and sprinkled with, guess what, kaffir lime leaves. It had a funky taste of juicy (fresh calamari I bet) and a little salty so that was tingly yet very tasty! Haha.

Half of the calamari gone

When the mains came, I was really shocked. A little shiok-ed but more shocked I suppose. Both of us thought each portion was actually for two instead of one (Portions for foxes? Rilo Kiley..keke ok digression). So I checked with the waiter and he said "Oh no, that's our normal portion". Holy cow. This is more than enough to feed 3 people to me. So I was prepared for the worst - paying double the budget I thought I had. Muahaha. But of course, we still have to eat, no?

The lobster was delightfully zesty, a little creamy and a little spicy all at the same time. Granted, it wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but there were two of 'em so that's mightily good. I find the squids, on the other hand, was a little overboard with the saltiness. I read somewhere that it's kinda hard to make asparagus taste nice in Malaysia due to the weather but I've no qualms with this one (read: I don't know how to taste asparagus).

Red, creamy and yummy.

Portion of two, it seems.

Looks a bit like kacang panjang, no?

Trust me, this one's really good.

It was quite surprising that we actually managed to finish almost all of the mains. But of course that made us a feel a bit on the snoozy side, having this much dinner so late. No go for desserts then. Before we left, I managed to ask one of the waiters to bring us for a little tour around the restaurant. Inside was so cooling, good ol'air-conditioner. Still needed it even tho it's night! The waiter brought us to another side of the restaurant (outside) where we can see the whole outline of the hutsy outdoors. And it was next to a little pond too! Apparently that was the seat with the best view in the whole restaurant and we were a little unlucky not to get that one. Oh well. Maybe next time? There was also a private room for functions that can fit up to 15 people comfortably.

Oh, I almost forgot about the bill. No, it didn't reach the astronomical figure I thought we had to pay. For a casual fine dining experience, waiters with good manners (although a bit on the slow side) and food that leaves your tummy feeling happy, it was quite light on the wallet! (No, I'm not showing off, this is just to tell that I thought it was going to be SUPER ex but in the end it wasn't SUPER ex)

* * *

The following day, I and Afiq drove to this dodgy part of KL where there's a futsal court in an abandoned warehouse. Of course, that's where all the futsal courts are. In a dodgy old warehousing/factory site. Haha. The reason we were there is because we were joining the Legal Aid Council and Selangor/KL Bar Council friendly futsal tournament. Mimi invited me to be on her team and I thought Afiq would be a great addition so we got ourselves both a place. However, both of us woke up late so we missed the first match in which the team, Crackhead 1 (or 2? we kept changing. And what a name. Tsk tsk.) lost 3-1. It's ok, not to worry, the latecomers will save the day! Or will they?

Crackheads! -_-; I still can't get over the name. Blergh

We got our jerseys, straightaway changed and warmed up. Up against our first opposition, Mimi and Shereen (from LAC) were in the team too. Afiq was running everywhere and I tried to anchor the midfield bit, but of course I was actually the Achilles heel for the team, only having played futsal TWICE in my entire life. >< I realised I kept making silly mistakes by losing the ball a few times which led to the goals against. So I switched to a position I'm fairly familiar with - being the man between the sticks. That went better, except I lost two stray balls haha. In the end we lost by a bigger margin, 5-2, Afiq having scored twice (one was disallowed since he was in the D position), and I grazed my knee having dealt with a striker. It looked like a superficial wound and it didn't hurt initially, oh but of course.

The married couple in the team

The second game kicked in not long after that and halfway through I was really pancit. The two girls were replaced with two young boys (our substitutes who played in the first game since we weren't around) who were technically much more gifted than me. I went into the game with one goal: to score one goal. I let the youngsters do all the running, being the last man just before the goalie. The team against us this time were even stronger, and looked like they've been playing all the time. They even had a big-ass Del Piero (just a guy wearing a jersey with del Piero's on the back). At the very last minute though, we knocked the ball confidently (since we were 5-0 down and got nothing to lose except with a bigger margin LOL) and I was suddenly in a perfect position to drill in a goal with my favourite left foot. Ahh. Goal achieved.

The brotherhood

We sat down for a little while to watch the semis and the finals. Mimi's elder sister, Acik, was in the team in the final and they met the team which pummeled them 6-3 in the group round. Unfortunately they lost again with the same score so they had to be content with 2nd place. Afiq and I left not long after that, and for two weeks I had to nurse my "injury". Couldn't really bend my knees while praying so that was kinda awkward. A "gift" from the futsal field!

So there goes our 4th year celebration. :)

The yet-to-be-married couple in the team. haha. I can't believe this is the only anniversary picture we have together!

My Musings

2009-06-18T06:32:00.007-07:00

As I and Afiq sat down on the pondok enjoying the ikan masak asam pedas by our one and only Mom, I felt I was transported right back to Pontian and relived the few days I was back in hometown.

* * *

It dawned upon me that I haven't been back for 6 months already. The last time was in December, and even then, it was ad-hoc. So the only really proper time I came back home and lived the life I used to live in Pontian was during Raya. And even then, Raya isn't considered everyday living coz it's an annual event.

So after exams, I took some time off and drove back. It's been awhile since I last took a breath of fresh kampung air. As Aisha said, going back is good coz it purifies you from all the negativity of living in the city, and I can't agree more.

This time round, I didn't notice much changes alongside the town, although later on I learnt that it is due to the new part of town developing - Pontian has this large piece of tambak land near one of its coastlines and is touted to be the new town, even the bus station has moved there.

I had a few agendas up my sleeve - going to the tailor for my baju raya, meeting up both sides of the grandparents, having some good ol' kampung durian, having home-cooked meals, and last but definitely not the least, going to the most superb tomyam restaurant EVER. Details in the following paragraphs.

It's been 3 years since I had a new baju raya, and even then, the one I had for the past 3 years is the one I bought, not tailor. So it has been quite awhile. The task of finding the kain is reduced as my dad were given 2 pieces of cloth for I-dunno-what and he didn't want it as he already has several. So I gladly took it (haha thanks Dad!:P) and off to the tailor I went. My mum told me that it only costed around at most RM60 per set (top and bottoms included) and that's a real steal! Compared to the SUPERB fashionista tailor that someone sends to Ipoh for raya (ladies' rate is RM300 per set, I don't know how much it would cost for men's seriously), this is very much an affordable rate. Plus, how funky of a baju raya would you want? The one that the Sultan of Johor wears is already breaking the tradition (baju Melayu with slacks and..for the love of God I can't find a picture. I'll update this bit as soon as I get it). Adakah aku akan kena tulah Sultan? Aaa cabutttt!

* * *

Ok major scare passed. I was thinking of bringing my younger brothers to see both sides of our grandparents. My mom's mother normally lives with my mom's youngest brother near Kangkar Pulai (close to JB), so I decided to drive there on Friday. But lucky me Mom told us that Nek Luh (Luh is shortform for Galuh; in Banjar terms it means "small" since Nek Luh is petite) is actually staying with Mok Teh for the week (it was school holidays) so it was justa stone's throw away compared to the initial place. Nek Luh being Nek Luh, it was really tough to have a proper conversation (as I'd mention in my previous posts) so we had to really speak up. She didn't even hear us when we're just outside the door so we had to wave on the window ^^ Conversations problems apart, Nek Luh treated us with what she knows best - her cooking! She made this fruit jelly which wasn't really hardened (as she just just made it) but boy did it quench my thirst (Pontian was REALLY hot too).

Afterwards, we made our way to Telok Kerang, my dad's side. I think my family's lucky in the sense that both sides of our dad and mom are really close by. I still remember during my childhood, the first day of Eid, we managed to cover both sides in one day. I wonder how my children would spend their Eid...probably with PSPs in their hands. Ah well.

Atuk Yan wasn't feeling the best the day we visited. He just slept like a baby, and the only time he was up was when we woke him up to salam him. Really didn't dare to wake him up after that. Nek Bisah said Atuk has been like that for quite some time, and she finds it hard sometimes to help lift him up whenever nature calls since she herself is quite old too. We got some updates from Nek Bisah, but mostly things that we already knew of: Kak Huda getting engaged with a guy from Singapore, Amal trying to find a job (already is working at the time this is written), Wak Awang coming back for one day to sleep in the house etc etc. We didn't also manage to catch Pak Ngah (who lives next door) but I suppose that's fine, perhaps during Eid?

* * *

After all that, it was makan time. I've been looking forward to go to this place ever since I felt like going back. The last time I went was during 1st year summer holidays. This is a place so deep into the village, but so popular that Singaporeans come over and eat here. This is a place none other than the great, the famous, the [insert your own superlative here] ...

Yep. None other than the restaurant named after the great first African president. I do not know why on earth they chose this name (albeit the double l's) but it doesn't matter. What I do know is...

Otak2 as starters. The portion is of course bigger than any other portions served in KL side-restaurants.

Huge, fresh and succulent prawns!

The ikan siakap around these waters are twice the size you get in KL. So, er, they shrink in size when they travel on land?

Green and leafy vegetables... still a non-favourite but at least there's other stuff too!

"Argh..lapar lapar.." kata Afiq

"Apa? Ada orang mintak kirim? Cakap kat dia banyaaak cantek!"

The bill came up to around RM130 buckaroolas (and plenty of leftovers taken home for second round since we made a mistake of ordering portions for 3 instead of 2) and it was WORTH it.

So any friends who are coming to town, I will bring you here! Hohoho.

* * *

As I and Afiq sat down on the pondok enjoying the ikan masak asam pedas by our one and only Mom, I felt I was transported right back to Pontian and relived the few days I was back in hometown.

Boy, it was good to be home.

My Crunch Time

2009-06-04T19:55:00.002-07:00

My exams will be on the 8th and 10th June. I'll be covering two huge papers, Financial Reporting and Taxation. Granted, they're not as huge as the Advanced Stage papers but I suppose that's why we're taking these papers last for the Professional Stage.

Obviously I am scared and nervous. I feel like a Manchester United team that is suddenly revolted after the first goal from Barca. I started off very brightly, going to libraries (note the plural) to revise, do questions, made some notes, organised the papers (although not as organised as others). But now I feel lethargic, tired. I've tried sitting timed tests on my own but I still do not reach that level enough to pass. And I'm scared shit. I've been over a couple of failures and I certainly do not want to be feeling it again. (I told a friend that this course taught me that even with all the hard work, sometimes you won't be able to make it). I need to make myself believe that I am confident that I can pass these papers. Yes, it is a tough qualification but thousands before me have passed and so can I. I am technically able to do these papers and that's why I took it in the first place.

Of course, one could only work as hard and pray as much as one can.The rest, we leave it to God.

Here's to a whacking good time in the exam room, guys.

My Tears

2009-05-27T15:01:00.003-07:00

Tonight was the night (or early morning, depending on how you see it) of the Champions League finals. After several failures, I finally managed to catch Udon and bring him to BRJ (famous mamak at Wangsa Maju) to watch the game and try the succulent nasi lemak. Alas, it was not to be although we left 45 minutes prior to the kickoff. The place was CROWDED! Egad, it wasn't like that last year..

So the three of us (my brother Afiq included) went around hunting for other places and we found a small-ish place near the new set of buildings not far from the newly opened Wangsa Maju mosque. We had the last seats no thanks to others who have plonked themselves firmly on their respective places. Note to self: must not sleep for overly hyped games! So we sat down, ordered our drinks etc, and before long it was kick off.

On paper, United looked on course for a repeat of last year's triumph. Barcelona's defence was weakened by the absence of Dani Alves, Rafael Marquez and Eric Abidal. Even Iniesta and Henry wasn't fully fit according to the reports. United meanwhile only had Ferdinand with a slight injury but even that was shaken off.

Prior to the game, it was expected that United continue with a tried and tested formation of 4-3-2-1, with Park and Rooney at either side of the flank supporting Ronaldo. It was devilishly clever during the semis against Arsenal since it wasn't expected. Barcelona on the other hand, had their usual 4-3-3 combination with Toure and Pique acting as stand-in centre backs, while Messi was switched to the centre forward position with Eto'o and Henry flanking him. (note to self: to point this little bit out later)

The first 10 minutes was a blitzer for United. Early free kick from Ronaldo was clumsily parried by Valdes and had Park Ji-Sung not been an Asian (quote of the night from Udon), he might have been on the scoresheet. A couple of minutes and a few more chances fell down the Portuguese winger-turned-striker. Barcelona looked very nervy. Things are going alright for the champions, and if this 10 minutes is exploited into 90, United may well become the first ever to repeat a success of the new Champions League format.

And then, in a blink of an eye, everything changed.

Iniesta who was described as "playing on one foot" managed to squeak in a pass to Eto'o into the box who took a side-swipe and wrong-footed Vidic. He applied enough power to put a shot past Van der Sar at the near post and Barca took the lead. 1-0.

I could straightaway see United players look shell-shocked, as if the wind took out their breath. And then everything went wrong. Misplaced passes and silly mistakes from everyone, no more magic from Ronaldo. When they should have been careful in possession, they threw it away to the opponents. United was being schooled by Barca on ball retention, with Xavi and Iniesta gluing the ball onto their feet and latching it to others so frequently, creating spaces and chances. I was flabbergasted. United had never looked so out of shape. Even in the 4-1 demolition by Liverpool, they still had it in them.

I could see the strategy laid down by Sir Alex Ferguson not working to the team's benefit. As industrious a player Park could be, he was not clinical enough nor he had the ability to create chances and support the striker. The trend of attack seemed to come from the left, but Rooney was three shadows of a player he is and he could not unshackle the "2" Puyols (comment from table next to ours).

And this is where Guardiola's gameplan succeeded. By switching Messi to the middle, there was no Evra vs Messi. Guardiola knew that Evra could have handled Messi the way Theo Walcott was silenced, so the silky-footed diminutive number 10 is put in the middle to meddle with the centrebacks. And meddled he did. A few times he outplayed 3 to 4 white shirts with his trademark dribbling and playing the ball on the ground and I gasped. All this talk about Ronaldo vs Messi made me wonder.. coz actually there shouldn't be a duel between them. They're entirely different.

Second half 1-0 to Barca, and there is a need for the hairdryer treatment. Anderson, whose only contribution was the first free kick of the night, was substituted for Tevez.I was hoping United to come back stronger.

But they didn't. In the words of Giggs, they "never really showed up". It was like watching Lin Dan tearing Chong Wei into pieces during the Olympic badminton finals. Chong Wei never really showed up. For a moment United had a brief spell of possession and it ended with a Rooney cross evading both Ronaldo and Park (in was in this moment that Udon shrieked the infamous "Why is he an Asian.." rant). United were looking more and more lethargic, and this is all very confusing, seeing that ALL the players were rested during the last Premier League match. Berbatov was then brought on to replace Park and United moved on to a 4-2-4 formation in search for an equaliser. I could see that this is something done in desperation, and little did SAF know that he was walking right into Guardiola's hands.

Out of nothing, Xavi was already outside VDS' left-hand side of the penalty box and whipped a looping cross to the right.

And then there was an eternal jump. It looked as if the player had overdone it, but somehow he managed to lean his neck back and caught the ball with an exquisite looping header. VDS could only look as the ball nestled into the net and I could only put my hands on my head. Messi's moment of magic was truly stupendous, even if he was from the opposing team. 2-0 and 20 minutes to go, surely there's no way back from this judging from the diarrhea-ed performance. My gut was wretched, but afterwards that sinking feeling was no more. I graciously accepted defeat and approved that Barcelona was the only team who turned up to play football.

United's performance was really forgettable. The best United player for the night had to be VDS, for Barca could well have more than two goals had he not been alert on Puyol's header (that's why we had 2 Puyols, first he had a go at United's keeper and then he went scrambling back to ditch Rooney. And he's like, a million years old?). Barca weathered the first 10 minutes, and then turned the tables and made United look silly. There is surely a lot to ask for United, post-match. Why the confidence drained so quickly after the first goal like water drained from a washing machine is beyond me. Why wasn't Messi man-marked, and how could it have been different if Ferguson didn't rely too much on counter-attack.

So congratulations to Barca for being the finest of the hour. Deservedly champions, I'd say. To United, better luck next time and congratulations on making it to the finals.

My Indie Artist

2009-05-19T08:30:00.006-07:00

How often is it an artist from Malaysia is featured in Youtube.

Almost never, until today.

I first heard her on Fly FM and I thought she wasn't Malaysian. But so was Estrella (heard them on Hitz.) Awesomeness. I supposed you heard about her going to the US to record her debut album? heh. Sile layan. Lagu "Kantoi" kelakar wei!

My Other Survey

2009-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Are you still wondering the one where I used BSB as the artist?

Pick Your Artist:

Backstreet Boys

Are you male or female:

Boys Will Be Boys

Describe yourself:

Like A Child

How do you feel about yourself:

Incomplete

Describe where you currently live:

Siberia

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:

Safest Place to Hide

Your favorite form of transportation:

Shining Star

Your best friend is:

Larger Than Life

Your favorite color is:

Spanish Eyes

What's the weather like:

Forces Of Nature

Favorite time of day:

Everytime I Close My Eyes

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:

What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful

What is life to you:

More Than That

What is the best advice you have to give:

If You Want It To Be Good, Girl (Get Yourself A Bad Boy) - wahaha zomg

If you could change your name, what would it be:

The Perfect Fan

Your favorite food is:

In Pieces

Thought for the Day:

Just To Be Close To You

How I would like to die:

Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

My soul's present condition:

Inconsolable

My motto:

I Want It That Way

Hmm. It's kinda awful.

My Survey

2009-05-08T09:12:00.004-07:00

Answer the following questions using only song titles from ONE artist. Try not to repeat a song.

Pick Your Artist:

Coldplay

Are you male or female:

X&Y

Describe yourself:

Green Eyes

How do you feel about yourself:

We Never Change

Describe where you currently live:

In My Place

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:

Amsterdam

Your favorite form of transportation:

Clocks

Your best friend is:

The Scientist

Your favorite color is:

Yellow

What's the weather like:

Rainy Day

Favorite time of day:

Daylight

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:

A Rush of Blood to the Head

What is life to you:

Viva La Vida

What is the best advice you have to give:

God Put a Smile on Your Face

If you could change your name, what would it be:

Death and All His Friends

Your favorite food is:

Strawberry Swing

Thought for the Day:

What If?

How I would like to die:

Cemeteries of London

My soul's present condition:

Swallowed in the Sea

My motto:

Don't Panic

Aite y'know what, I didn't do a Jason Mraz coz my brother already did that one. Damn.

I did a BSB, but some questions didn't turn out as nice.

My Buzzing

2009-05-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

The seven dwarves were all sitting in a tub. They were all feeling HAPPY.

So, he got up.

My Buzzing

2009-05-05T13:50:00.002-07:00

"I had a Wham Bam Yam at Swensen's just now - I chose it just because the name is so interesting!"

"Oh really? You should try Topless Five next time then."

My Darkness and Light

2009-03-28T10:38:00.004-07:00

View of KLCC at 8.30pm, picture courtesy of The Star Online.

The widely-given-media-coverage Earth Hour has ended just over a few hours ago.

I was at Azmimi's place and she mentioned that her household will be celebrating it by turning off most of the appliances available, except the air-cond for baby Aqil (kids nowadays spoiled man! must have aircond to sleep! :P). Apparently that wasn't the only appliance switched on - the 2nd Astro and TV was also fully functional. Haha.

But apart from that it was total darkness. 5 of us, 3 adults plus 2 very much hyper kids were contemplating what to do in the no-light situation. I managed to get the unwanted attention of Azmimi's nephews by switching on my mobile's light...After a pretty much dull half hour (Aznita wanted to share ghost stories but was opposed by her sister haha) I went downstairs where it was more cooling. We saw several other households lit up as if nothing happened. Evidently, with nothing to do (although I did hear several suggestions by JJ & Ean from Hitz FM Morning Crew show) I fell asleep on the couch. Haha.

_____________________________________________________________

When there's light, there's bound to be darkness.

When there's an action, there's an equal reaction.

(Go listen to Jason Mraz's Life is Beautiful if you still haven't heard so)

And this mirror image (again, I'm still not over being mes-Mraz-ed) is exactly what I saw in people around me when this Earth Hour ascended to its position.

Anis messaged me and she thinks its a gimmick; the case is more obvious with Markus from PJ. However, he did list down a few good points that could be seen as thinking ahead. Well Markus, I applaud you there but I believe Malaysians are a bit slow in that change department, no? I guess the key here is to implement awareness, and however big a PR event this Earth Hour might be, I believe it is successful in terms of catching people's attention and making them aware.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/25/focus/3535498&sec=focus

Some of my friends, like Iqbal Pandaman and Denise Gan stated in their statuses that they support Earth Hour. Even my Principles of Taxation lecturer Mr Simon Kok and my current client in Klang reminded me to turn off my lights. I know one person who has a gung-ho proportion of support to this event, Kakcik. She even thinks that the Earth Hour purpose is defeated if one lights one too many candles.

Izzaldin of Brunei had a different take - he opined that it is a waste of time. In his exact words, "think about it..in your whole house, do you think your lightbulbs use the most energy? Wanna send a message? Good luck doing that in the dark ;)" while others like Hisyam Suhaimi had a more cynical approach. "Guess what.. I can do earth hour everyday..best aper candlelight dinner.." Layen mentioned this: "Earth Hour? People should learn to conserve electricity everyday and not just for an hour! :p" Iqbal Pandaman had a slight steer of view when he changed his status to "Earth Hour has ended..let's get back to wasting energy, shall we? *insert weird emoticon that I don't know how to do here*

The point is:-

1) as a PR event, yes, this is a very much successful event. It got all the media buzz, artists and famous people encouraging everyone to support the event and all that jazz.

2) on the awareness bit, I suppose we can look here for pictures of people doing their bit.

3) Polarising opinions is seen between friends of mine. While contrasting opinions are welcomed as it provides challenge and fun while reconciling the differences, it could easily led to other things too, e.g. catfight dan yang sewaktu dengannya. Of course, there's nothing to be fought about this event (least not that I've seen/heard). It's doing your bit for Earth and hopefully this will spur each and everyone of us to be more mindful of the effects of the things we do that takes it toll on Mother Nature.

So that's how I celebrated my Earth Hour. How did yours go?

A Sight to My Sore Eyes

2009-03-19T08:12:00.007-07:00

E
You've got the best of both worlds
G#m F#m
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
A B
And lift him back up again
E
You are strong but you're needy,
G#m
Humble but you're greedy
F#m
Based on your body language,
A B
Your shoddy cursive I've been reading
E
Your style is quite selective,
G#m
Though your mind is rather reckless
F#m
Well I guess it just suggests,
A B
That this is just what happiness is
_________________________________________________________

The first time I heard this song, I felt it was so unreal. The initial thought that came to mind was "Wow, the verses describes my ex quite accurately!" And naturally, I don't really listen to songs that remind me of those days coz I couldn't care less. Although I must admit there was something else attached to this song. I couldn't quite point my finger as to what it is. All I know is that it is such a listen-able song. It felt like a slow and steady summer breeze from the beach seeps through your whole body. Nice feeling, no?
_________________________________________________________

Men and women, boy aren't these two such different creatures. No wonder the term "men are from Mars women are from Venus", which comes from the best-seller written by John Gray. But I suppose you lot know that. To each his or her own differences, style, personality, likes and preference, nature, way of thinking, way of doing things, perceptions. The list goes on. For one to understand the other, don't ask me how. I myself am still on the learning curve. Heck, even John Gray admitted he himself is learning all the time.

Let me start off with a statement. "Men are visual creatures". What do you say to that? I'd see my male buddies nodding in agreement, while my female counterparts even more so. "Ya, all you guys do is ogle at women all day long and ask each other's opinions if that girl of this girl is hot or not! You guys don't have anything better to do issit??!" It's an even more hapless situation when that guy has a girl around his arm. "OI OI why are you looking at her?! She's prettier than me issit..!!" (typical Chun-Mei-like sentence haha)

Before I delve even deeper into such a (useless) discussion with my inner thoughts, let's come back to the point where I mentioned that men and women have their own nature. Now let's take that and add it with "men are visual creatures" and make that into an equation. I see my male buddies losing interest in this..right, go on and switch on the telly, watch that match you've watched twice already. Or go watch any PCD's MTV and drool. Now where were we?
_________________________________________________________

BRIDGE

A B
Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
A B
It's like picking up trash in dresses

CHORUS

E G#m
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
F#m A B
Kind of turn themselves into knives
E G#m
And don't mind my nerve, you can call it fiction
F#m A B F#
'Cause I like being submerged in your contradictions, dear
A F# A E
'Cause here we are, here we are
________________________________________________________

I mentioned that I call such songs by Mraz "mirror songs". Look at the lines. A girl who can take down a man and lift him back up again. She's strong, but she's needy. She's humble but she's greedy! Such contrasting features of a person put together in a sentence, shows how polarisingly personified she is. At least, initially that's how I see it. Usually someone who's strong doesn't need anything to get by, cause they have the strength to carry on. How can humble and greedy mix together? What would it be called? Hum-dy? Greed-le? Kinda sounds like Humphrey and Gretha getting married (I don't know who the heck are they).

Personally, the verse that nailed it was "your comebacks, they're quick and probably have to do with your insecurities". I think it's self-explanatory though. Haha. Try putting that with "Don't mind my nerve, you can call it fiction". I believe Mraz was trying to say, "hey, you know that hearsay where they say men have only one emotion? That's kinda un-true, you know? But I guess since you haven't heard well I'm gonna pretend that the hearsay's well alive and kicking so yeah go ahead with your knife-like words. And I'm ok with that."

Before the last chorus, the continuation sung by Mraz is "it's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes". To me, it sounds like irrationality. I remember vividly during my Canada days when I was having dinner with my buddy's family and his mom asked one of the relatives "Does anyone want apple pie and ice cream?", to which the guy said "Am I breathing?" Yes, I know it's not the same, but it's very much similar. When "yes" is the only answer available, is there a need to guess?

All in all, I guess trying to make sense of it all is like picking up trash in dresses. Can't one do the right thing and change into better clothes to pick up the trash? Or was it done because the person's in a hurry for an event and he/she forgot to take out the garbage? A beautiful mess you say? Nonetheless, still a mess.
_______________________________________________________________

VERSE 2

E G#m
Although you were biased, I love your advice
F#m
Your comebacks they're quick
A B
And probably have to do with your insecurities
E
There's no shame in being crazy,
G#m
Depending on how you take these
F#m A B
Words I'm paraphrasing this relationship we're staging

BRIDGE

A B
Hey, what a beautiful mess, this is
A B
It's like picking up trash in dresses

____________________________________________________________________

Of course boys and girls see things differently. The way to work it is to try and see things on a same page, although I can tell you that it's very difficult to do so. Myself, I tend to see things literally. Like this song, for instance. I know my duet partner thinks in such a way too. But then Azmimi pointed out a few things in the song which I'd never think of had I not conversed about it with a girl.

"You got the best of both worlds". What does that mean? This is the starting point for the mirror verses. You go through life with its ups and downs, you meet a person, fall in love and later on realises that the person have a set of rather annoying habits or quirks or things they do on a regular basis. It could be something that can range from just about anything. I suppose I don't have to write down a list coz the song suggested it well.

The phrase "a beautiful mess", as Azmimi puts it, should be seen in unity. Figurative. Yes, it is a mess, but it's a beautiful mess. One that you could see beauty in it. One that you could appreciate. To me, that sounds a lil bit artsy, but I think I understand what she means. I suppose it is a situation where you don't mind being stuck in. It is the unconditional acceptance of one's self, regardless of who that person is, what colour the person's skin is, what language does the person speak...I can ramble about this all day but I hope you get my point.

This just in. The part where I mentioned irrationality. I have come to believe that irrational fears, thoughts, and everything that is associated with it will always be around. It is how you deal with it. I try to be rational most of the time, partly because I am a guy but mostly because I think it is the best approach to most things. However, I've also learned the hard way that sometimes, being rational is the most irrational thing to do.

___________________________________________________________________

I cannot for the life of me think of any guy friends of mine who does not look at women, ever.

Unless that person is really pious, like Tuan Fairuz. Or any produk berjaya from KISAS anyways. It is our nature to look at women. It's a sport, a hobby, at times it is somewhat comparable to breathing (extreme cases). My housemates add girls on Tagged everytime I see him on the living room PC (which happens to be his anyways, but that's a probable cause. He then advertises and try to sell his stuff to them). My neighbour who had an untimely break in his engagement is, well, back to being single. And my current junior in my current job will without fail point out to awek-awek UiTM everytime we pass by a group of girls after lunch. Oh, and how could I forget Encik Udon who stalks SJ? My life is being surrounded by guys who do guy stuff, but I don't suppose I need to point that out.

___________________________________________________________________

CHORUS

E G#m
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
F#m A B
Kind of turn themselves into blades
E G#m
And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard
F#m A B
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
A F# A E
Cause here, here we are, Here we are
E G# F# A B
Here we are, here we are, here we are, here we are,
E G# F# A B
Here we are, here we are, here we are, we're still here

BRIDGE

A B
And what a beautiful mess this is
A B
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes

CHORUS

E G#m
And through timeless words and priceless pictures
F#m A B
We'll fly like birds not of this earth
E G#m
And tides they turn, hearts disfigured
F#m A B
But that's no concern when we're wounded together.
E G#m
And we tore our dresses, and stained our shirts
F#m A B
But it's nice today, all the wait was so worth it...
____________________________________________________________

It's nice to say we've played in the dirt. Let's tear our dresses and stain our shirts, for later on it will be washed and cleaned and be all nice and fresh. And the cycle will repeat itself.

It's nice to know that for all the bad times you go through, there are good times that you can hang on to, or look forward to later on. Life is beautiful, as Mraz's first song from his second album strongly suggest. And this is precisely why.
___________________________________________________________________

I believe at the end of the day, I will always be who I am. People would love change if it was for the better, myself included. But I wouldn't be me if I weren't myself.

But I could be a better me. And while I know it may take me years, I pledge that I will try.
____________________________________________________________________
Incoherent? Yes. Don't understand and wanna try? You're better off doing sudoku. But thanks for reading.

My Concert of the Year - Jason Mraz

2009-03-16T06:59:00.005-07:00

He looks kinda calloused, but his performance is top-notch

A million apologies to my readers for this late, late write-up. Work and life has been quite demanding lately. Nevertheless, I will relate the mes-Mraz-ing experience I had less than 2 weeks ago. The effect was such that I'm still humming to his tunes 24-7! :P

I went off early from work at about 6pm and took me around an hour to reach KL Sentral from the PJ Hilton area. Mimi left her place at 6.30 and still reached there before me. ><>

We got off the station at about 5 to 8 and I realised that there were signs leading to Stadium Merdeka, but not Stadium Negara. Hmm...are we at the wrong place?? Luckily I managed to get hold of Afiq and he mentioned it's not far off, just follow the crowd and we should be fine. So followed the crowd we did, and fine we were.

Oh, by this time I should mention that I already bought tickets for the concert, since I couldn't afford to miss it. What did I do with the tickets I won from the previous contest?

Afiq dan pasangannya haha

I gave them to my brother Afiq and his current girlfriend Nani ;) Initially I thought of making a quick buck or two by selling my tickets, but then I also knew how much Afiq, urm, adores (for the lack of a better word) Mr A-Z, as his brother does too. Heh. He was SO delighted when he finally saw the tickets in my hand ahaha..

We could hear people screaming and shouting once we entered, but my goodness, was it burning that night or what! It was sooo hot, the only way to cool down is to hog one of those huge tubes that supply air-conditioning around the stadium itself!

I had a bet with myself that the concert will start off with "Make It Mine" since the song starts with this line:-

"Wake up everyone, how can you dream at a time like this?"

and that the concert will end with the high-tempo-ed "Butterfly", my ultimate favourite song of his latest album.

Suffice to say, if I offered myself 10 million bucks, I would've managed to keep all of it :P (ok yes I'm not good with hyperboles etc so continue reading)

But I can tell you this.

It doesn't matter what song he started with. Not at all. Because when he started strumming that musical instrument which I swear could be part of his limb now, and at the same time belting out those universally-funky-jazzy-with-a-lil-bit-o'-everything-in-between tunes with his soulful un-crack-able voice, it was like you were transported into a different world where music has never sounded this good. It doesn't matter at all if you don't know a word of his mouthfuls coz you can still have a great time enjoying every single second of it.

And that's how I felt throughout the concert. It was amazing to see the energy emitting from this 31-year old fedora-hat funky seeping to the crowd. The whole band accentuates each and every song just a little bit more, making it different yet entirely familiar. The mid-tempoed start was a perfect build-up to his older hit "The Remedy". And suddenly somewhere in the middle of the song Mr Wordplay started singing a verse which EVERYONE around me, except me, was familiar with (Later I learnt that it was a verse from the song Wonderwall by Oasis). It was quickly followed by a ukulele version of "You and I Both", something which I've seen in concerts posted on Youtube. It had more sway when performed un-plugged like that, compared to the original one in his first album.

Yep, there's a guy in the band sporting a Malaysian jersey.

Afterwards, slower, more pop-ish kind of songs like If It Kills Me, and Live High was heard. Jason (ok we're going on a first name basis now) asked the crowd who came here tonight with their best friend but they have feelings for them. Haha. I thought that was cute. Life is Beautiful (not to be confused by the evergreen Italian movie) was one of the songs that really brought out Jason's ability as a lyricist, and I thought it was well done. I'd call it a mirror song, coz each line of the lyrics is an opposite to the other. A Beautiful Mess, another mirror song with ballad-like tunes remind me of just how sincere a singer he is.

The rest of the songs he sang that night were mostly the more famous ones, starting off with Geek in the Pink, Dynamo of Volition, I'm Yours, and Lucky. I don't know if I correctly heard (coz I was so busy enjoying myself) that someone commented he changed the lyrics from Geek in the Pink to Geek in YOUR Pink. Oo-kay, the wordplay's getting a little explicit there..haha. When he started motor-mouthing Dynamo of Volition, everyone else around me just stared while I tried my best to sing at the speed of sound. Gyahaha. I'm Yours? Hands down the most fun song during the concert. His trademark scats and rumble-da-dee interacted, no, connected with the crowd. It was a letdown though for Lucky, what with the female singer coming in late and making such a horrific mess out of the lovely song. Many would have agreed with me that it would have been better if the crowd took Colbie Cailat's parts.

All these songs I described above took around an hour. One blink-of-the-eye hour. It was so fast, we absolutely had to have more. So Jason came back with an "I Love KL" pink shirt, sleeve cut off (remember, it was sweltering hot that night) and professed to No Stopping Us and Butterfly as his encore. It was a sight to see when towards the end of the show Jason took polaroid pictures of his band and him and threw it into the ocean of people in front of the stage.

Overall, I'd rate the performance as well above 20 on a scale of 10. With all that spontaneity, the crowd-pleasing, the mix-ups and what-nots, I'd be surprised if anyone who went to the concert did not tap their toes or move their shoulders even just a little bit (assuming they're not fans and they were there just because their darlings were). I only have 2 regrets:

1) One and a half hour is simply not enough. Where's Bella Luna, Mr Curiosity, Details in Fabric (could've gotten another guy singer to duet with him on this!), Absolutely Zero, On Love In Sadness, Clockwatching, and Wordplay?? But I suppose time is of the essence and there's no way he can fit in all these songs in the setlist without having the concert way past midnight.

The gang

2) I was separated with Afiq and Nani since I brought umbrellas and I had to put them outside on one of the counters. I would have had an even more rocking time coz Afiq and I know the words, unlike people around me who screams Jason's name whenever he performs a lesser-known song. It could've been the greatest karaoke session, damnit!

Johan Mraz & Jehan Mraz.

We went back home with a sweaty body and a hoarse voice but it was worth it.

Tired but content

My Forwarding...

2009-03-08T03:03:00.003-07:00

...before I post my review of the highly-anticipated Jason Mraz concert

A letter of appeal to Malaysians Politicians.

We are carrying this message in a full page advert in the Star tomorrow. Pls forward, email, blogpost, facebook this message if you share the same sentiments, thanx, anas zubedy

Dear Malaysian Politicians,

Please stop the power chase, call for a truce and focus on the economy.

I do not claim to speak on behalf of all Malaysians, but I have strong convictions that many share my sentiments.

Our concern today is not who rules the country or heads the state governments but the looming bad economy.

Whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat leads, it is meaningless if Malaysians have no job to go to, no money to pay rent and no means to put food on the table.

I am a business owner, like other business owners and managers of corporations I have a responsibility to ensure people under my care and payroll continue to have jobs and a decent income to take home. We work hard and willing to go the extra mile to make sure our nation not only survive this crisis but come out stronger and wiser. We need your help.

Let me explain. I am in the business of Training, Development and Consultancy and have 20 people in my team.

Saedah is 42. She keeps the office clean and helps organise the training rooms. She has four children and her husband is unemployed. She was first hired on a part time basis, because she is very hard working and has a great attitude, we offered her a full time job to help provide a stable income for her family. Even then, when her third child started school this year, it was a struggle for her to buy new school uniforms and other necessities. Saedah lives on a ‘kais bulan, makan bulan’ basis, so, if she is jobless, her tap runs dry.

Samsuri is 27 years old. He lives with his sister and her family in a low cost government flat in Sunway. He does our despatch, helps with various clerical works and occasionally acts as a driver. During the first week at zubedy, we learned that he not only did not have money to buy new clothes and shoes for work, he had no money for lunch. Like Saedah, if he has no job, his tap runs dry too.

Alicia in Client Servicing turns 26 this year. She lives with her dad who is 71 years old and retired. Her mom passed away when she was little. Alicia is a hard-working team member, has a gentle caring outlook and fun to be with. (We like to poke fun at her as she blushes easily). Last May her dad went through a major operation, thank God he has recovered well. Alicia needs a job, both for herself and her dad.

Sudesh, 38, is one of our facilitators. When his father passed away last year, he moved back and lives with his mother in Seremban. He shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Seremban daily, leaving home sometimes as early as 4 in the morning and returning late at night. He is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice, he knows what he needs to do to survive and to care for his mother, but he too needs a job.

Like fellow Malaysians, every one of us in zubedy needs employment, those that live from hand to mouth like Saedah and Samsuri and others like Alicia and Sudesh with family to care for. We Malaysians need the Malaysian economy to be strong. We need you, our leaders, to work hard and to work together to make our economy viable.

So this is my plea.

Pakatan Rakyat, please stop your attempts to take over the federal government and persuade BN’s lawmakers to join you. Stop all legal proceedings, no more 916 and let go, just let go. The nation can wait till the next general elections if they want change. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and gracious and give you their support in the next elections.

Barisan Nasional, please stop any attempts to take over PR states and win over PR’s lawmakers. You have proven your point with Perak. The nation can wait for the next general elections if they want your party. Focus all your talent, energy and hard work in steering the country out of an economic downturn. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and smart and give you their support in the next elections.

BN and PR! Call for a truce. Get together and compromise. Someone has to give in. Or has hate consumed your heart till it blinds you? You can do it. You have enough intelligent people between you. I am sure you can find solutions. Take the nation to heart. That is why you are in politics in the first place.

Focus on the people.

Focus on the economy.

Anas Zubedy
Managing Director
Zubedy (M) Sdn Bhd

My Visit to Mix FM Website..

2009-02-24T07:36:00.003-08:00

..just for fun brought me this.

Wait for it..

BAM! Hehehe.

Serius tak sangka leh jadi sebahagian daripada pemenang kot??!

I'd say all of the winners have their own identity. The first guy, I'd say was highly likely the best with guitar and vocals. Serious cool tahap iceberg. I can look at his chords and probably try to imitate him. The 2nd guy didn't sing, he just used the song and made up a really cool vid all complete with a storyline - though he took it at Cyberjaya so I'm guessing he knows how to edit videos to make 'em look cool and stuff (like Kakcik). The third pair got two guitars and so the plucking & strumming can be divided, thus making it easier if you're an amateur. Myself and Farizal? I don't know...suppose the harmonising bit where sometimes it's in and sometimes it's not..hahaha.

I'm going to see Mr Wordplay!!! Weehoo!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Camerawoman (no other than Mimi of course) and my duet partner Farizal who lent not only his soulful husky (ish puji melebih ni) voice, but also his Sony camera (since Mimi's one ran out of space already. Haha macam menang Grammy pulak. Naseb ahh.

P.S. - tiba-tiba sebelah nama aku letak "Pontian"... aku tak ingat la pulak register pakai daerah asal aku haha...

My Attempt...

2009-02-23T19:31:00.001-08:00

...to win the prestigious concert tickets of Mr Wordplay himself

happening this 4th March 2008.

I submitted the video embed yesteday midnight at Mix FM's website.

Hopeful? Yes. But since I am by nature a pessimistic person, I'm not

putting much chance in it haha. Good fun though.

My Man-Crush

2009-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

...as Kakcik would probably aptly put it. But I don't care. Haha.

Here is a prelude to what I believe would be the concert of the year for me.

Lovely.

2009-02-02T07:44:00.002-08:00

Wy do I feel as if a lot of things have changed since I started a working life?

Hell, I know that things are going to change. Of course it's gonna change.

I just didn't think it'd be, you know, much too much.

2009-02-01T00:54:00.002-08:00

I guess it is gratifying to know that you are able to touch someone's heart.

NB: This one-liner post marks my 200th published post, obviously excluding whatever drafts I have in my Blogger.

My Gratitude

2009-01-23T13:14:00.001-08:00

Thank you, God.

2009-01-22T00:52:00.000-08:00

2 perkara yang aku dapat hari ni:-

1) 4D - Duduk diam dapat duit?

2) "Apa khabar hari ni?"

"Baik, sangat baik, yes!"

2009-01-19T16:43:00.001-08:00

There are 2 kinds of seniors in my short experience in PwC:

1) The one where you would die to finish your work for them;

2) The one where you wouldn't.

My Peak Period

2009-01-14T08:17:00.002-08:00

Yahhoo! I believe this is my first time surpassing the 00:00 mark during a working day. I remember last time during peak period (which was the same client too) the latest we stayed was just before 12 midnight. Damn..

NB: the "Yahhoo!" above does not in any way show that I like staying late for work.

NNB: this also cannot compare to Bojol's every-other-day-staying-till-the-early-morn'-but-he-ain't-watching-p0rn'-working day till his alarm goes off and wakes up the whole of Cemerlang Court...ahaha.

My Funny Calvin and Hobbes

2009-01-10T02:08:00.001-08:00

click for a bigger picture.

My Rant

2009-01-10T01:17:00.001-08:00

I eff-ing hate answering tailored procedures!! Takes up so much time and I'm deprived of doing my own work. Gyahhh.

My Doubt (and perhaps everyone else's?)

2008-12-30T20:37:00.005-08:00

No, this isn't really about myself being plagued with endless self-doubts. I just like to try and title my posts starting with "My..." in line with Scrubs episodes.

My mum loves forwarding emails to me. Most of the times I don't read them. But once or twice, the title will catch my attention and I'll skim through it. But today I think it was so relevant that I decided to do a little write-up about it.

It's about the Old Town White Coffee franchise. Afiq and I had lunch last time when we came back to KL from Pontian and he pointed out "Eh, tanda halal tu macam baru letak je" or sth like that. I kinda shrugged it off, thinking maybe they just renewed their halal certificate. But then I had a second look and saw it's not really like the halal stamps JAKIM gives out. Hmm.

The Halal sign that was supposed to be (the right-most)

And so it happens today that my mum forwarded an email saying there's lotsa doubts about their products, whether it contains non-halal items etc. Sure, they do say "No Pork is Served Here" but that in no way means they serve halal food (which takes me back to my heyday in Warwick when Soo Ann asked me why I don't buy chicken at Tesco - she thinks it's halal since in Malaysia people go and buy 'em from supermarkets!).

So I did a brief Net search and found the following:

1) A copy of a Halal Certificate issued by Jabatan Agama Islam Perak regarding their drinks (not food) which expires in January 2008 and a blog-post that linked it(dated June 2008)

2) A blog-post which mentioned a female customer asking the waiter on the halal status of this place to which after 3 times, only he conceded that it's not halal (dated February 2008)

3) An online query to JAKIM in which JAKIM claims that the franchise is not a holder of the JAKIM Halal Certificate (dated November 2007)

4) A blog-post which links all of the above (dated August 2008)

The dates, I believe, is of particular importance so that we can have a brief idea of when the public starts to recognise this. And now its the end of 2008.

OK, maybe we can have a 2nd look on those items I've linked above:

1) The halal cert issued by JAIPK expires in January 2008. There is no evidence to say whether or not they have renewed it, what more to include extra halal certification for the food they serve. However, I believe the certification e.g. Kitchen Halal or Whole-Premise Halal comes from JAKIM (or now known as Halal Development Corporation).

2) & 4) Obviously any blog-posts should be taken with a grain of salt since it represents the own writer's view which may not be necessarily true. However, we also should not discount the claim since it is a strong one, which a lot of people have been talking about.

3) The online query was made in 2007, so I gave the benefit of doubt that perhaps the franchise have applied for a halal certification. I checked here and found none.

So, being the auditor that I am, I wrote 2 queries: one to Old Town, confirming whether they have a Halal Certification by HDC/JAKIM, and if not, have they applied for it; the second being a query to HDC confirming the status of the franchise. Obviously 3rd party confirmations will take some time and once I get them I will update this post. I do wonder why things like this still happen? I guess during those times I lived outside Malaysia, most of us do not take these things for granted and try our best to ensure that our food intake is not from un-halal sources. Back here when things should be fine, it isn't. No wonder Omar asked me why halal-certified restaurants serve alcoholic drinks.

Oh, it's lunch time now.. guess where I won't be going?

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

Re: Status Halal "Old Town White Coffee"
Inbox X

refcenter@hdcglobal.com

to me

show details 2:40 PM (4 hours ago)

Salam,

Old Town White Coffee tidak pernah memohon untuk mendapatkan sijil halal daripada pihak kami.

From: "Azmir Jani" <azmir.jani@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:55 AM
To: info@hdcglobal.com
Subject: Status Halal "Old Town White Coffee"

Assalamualaikum dan selamat sejahtera,

Pertama-nya saya ingin memohon maaf terlebih dahulu andaikata pihak tuan telah menerima pertanyaan sebegini.

Di sini saya ingin bertanya tentang status kafe "Old Town White Coffee"? Adakah halal dan sah di sisi syarak? Adakah kafe ini telah membuat permohonan untuk mendapatkan sijil pengesahan halal?

Saya berharap agar pihak tuan dapat memberikan respons dalam masa yang terdekat supaya keraguan saya dan ramai pihak lain boleh dihilangkan.

Sekian, terima kasih

Azmir Jani

My Perceptions

2008-12-26T01:01:00.003-08:00

"If I Were A Boy"

[Verse]
If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

[Verse]
If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted (wanted)
Cause he’s taken you for granted (granted)
And everything you had got destroyed

[Bridge]
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say its just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong

[Chorus 2]
But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy

I suppose from the last post you could tell how I could have different perceptions on one thing, granted that I have time to look on it from other perspectives.

When I first heard this song, I LMAO-ed. Why would Beyonce wanna be a boy? Was she tired of being the centre of attraction that she's so used to? Does she not want to dance off and make people scream when she sings Bootylicious? Perhaps she just wanted to feel how it is being a male homosapien and do the things we do, you know, watch football, laze around, hang out with guy friends, etc. So I told myself "This is a stupid song" when I heard it in the car on the way to work.

But first impressions work as well as how you listen to a song for the first time in a car on your way to work. You don't really hear the song; sure, you listened to it, but did you manage to get a glimpse of what it was trying to say? There's a difference, y'know, between listen and hear. People wanna be heard, not listened to. (This is taken off John Gray's ultimate bestseller Men are from Planet X and Women are from Planet Y. keke) Almost all first impressions are wrong - this may be off-the-hook and too bold a statement to write, but let's consider it from my point of view. A few of my friends in KMYS thought I was garang when they first met me. That's kinda not true - I can be like that if there is a need to be. What about first impressions during interview? Wouldn't everyone put up a good show and tell their interviewer that they're the person for the job? Wouldn't we all say we're a team person, we put the company first, we choose you instead of the others because so and so, etc? When 2 new persons come together and start dating, wouldn't they put up their best front and try to win the other with their own charm?

Perhaps, in a nutshell, what I'm trying to say is that first impressions have to be taken with a pinch of salt. There may be a need to discount the first impression. Coz it's like looking at a Proton Savvy from the side (read: that's only one-dimensional). There's lotsa other sides to it, the front, the rear (though it is a bit ugly with that little tail behind..), the engine bay, the trunk, the driver's seat, the front passenger's seat and the rear seats (I can assure you that the last two are the most boring place to be in a Savvy. All the fun is in the driver's cockpit. OK stop!)

And so when I had time to myself I started listening closely to the song. The melody's alright - it managed to keep me interested. I suppose I wasn't really a fan of Beyonce/Sasha Fierce, hell, I wasn't much a fan of female singers to begin with.

I think the first thing I began to notice is how the alternating feel of the verse and the chorus came out. The verse shows how she wanted to be a boy, and a bad one too (at least that's how I see it). But when it came to the chorus, it's like she's transformed, coz she was previously a girl, see, so it's as if she knows how to take care of her own species even when she became a boy. If this doesn't make sense to you then I suggest you skip along and do something else which is productive.

I think the song also emphasises one of my firm's values - put yourself in other people's shoes. It sounds easy when you say it, but imagine when Russel Peters went shopping in China and he couldn't find a size 10. The storekeeper said "you are too big! Try a size 8!" in which he replied "how about I can't negotiate my foot size?". It's not as easy as it sounds. To really do that, I think one has to be an ethnographer. I covered Polly Toynbee's "Hard Work" and wrote a short paper on it, summarising how she undertook jobs like maid, helper in a bakery store, cook at a kitchen school, part-time nurse at the hospital: all those part-time jobs we see posted around UK. She did that so that she could have a glimpse of what it's like to be in the lower class of the society, and although she had her biasness at some points (since she came from the upper-middle class of society where you don't have to think when you spend in Sainsbury's), she managed to get to her objective. She understood that life was hard to come by when you're in such a situation, but there are still things that could make you smile.

At this point of time, I'd ask me to put myself in my manager's shoes and try to review my own work before submitting it to him/her for review and coaching notes. It's tough. How could I see what my manager sees? Try and put myself in my dad's shoes: how did he manage to raise his kids and keep a family together? I'm sure it's not as easy. Try and put myself in my grandfather's shoes: how the hell did he manage to raise his kids and keep a family together when all he did was to be a penoreh getah? "Not easy", he tells me. Try and put myself in Azmimi's shoes: how does she cope with my pendulum moods and silent anger?

Here's to our 3 and a half years together, sweetheart.

P.S Here's the link to the original music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVTyLqkez6A

For some reasone the uploader (I suppose the music firm in charge) disallow embedding.

My Unnecessary Spending

2008-12-25T01:40:00.009-08:00

Remember sometime back before I turn 24, I went Fossil-crazy and posted this? Well evidently it didn't stop there.

As I read further about watches, it became more evident to me that there's broadly two types of watches sold in the world: 1) Designer watches - examples would include Fossil, CK, Guess, DKNY... 2) Watches by watchmakers - perhaps names such as Rolex, Rado and Tag Heuer would come to mind, although there are more names which you have to stop and think of how to pronounce it - at least I do - e.g. A.Lange & Sohne, Maurice Lacroix, and Officine Panerai to name a few (which are actually very famous in watch-world).

For reasons that I am unable to explain, I suddenly Googled the name Omega. I found this link and started reading it.

Suffice to say, I was hooked after a few. I do not know how or why, but I was and that's all there is to it. I wasn't satisfied yet with what I just read, so I You-tubed for audio-visual references and found a few links.

I bet Udon must be thinking why the h*ll did I left Ms Fossil after a one-week stand and went on to pursue Xiana-Omega-Xain (trademark protected since it's derived from Bojol) for life (read: why did I buy this watch, especially when I went on to rant that I do not like metal bracelet watches since it cuts my wrists and it does not feel comfortable). Is Ms Fossil not good enough for me, with those blinking dials and the sexy inner workings?

To which, comes my review of the watch:-

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

True, at first glimpse I would've written off this watch from the first time the second hand moved. But the more I looked into it, the more I felt ... that I had to take a second look just to ensure that I should write it off from my list. It was much like the Proton Savvy, I think. Initially much of the reason why I traded off my Tiara with the Savvy is purely on the Proton Exchange programme. But there was a connection developed after taking a spin in it every day - no, I didn't test drive the Savvy. I just wanted a new car. And I think that's pretty much what happened to me buying this. I just wanted, or needed, a new watch.

Perhaps the most striking bit of this watch is the dial, which contrasts with the watch as a whole. Black versus silver, it kinda gives that centre of attraction (which definitely is - you buy a watch to look at the time, not how smooth the polished edges of the bracelet is) that normally stands out from alluring women. I felt that the wavy pattern on the dial itself is gorgeous, since it depicts the whole crux of the watch being a Seamaster.

As one can see from the picture above, the huge markers and the sword-shaped hands are generously coated with SuperLuminova, making it clearly legible in the dark. The uni-directional bezel is clearly legible too (although it does not grip as good as a coin-edged bezel like its brother, the Seamaster Planet Ocean, and the numbers could rub off if you toy with it all the time), so if I ever go diving at some point of time in my life then it's good to keep track of the level of oxygen I have left. Not that I'm going to, in the near future at least. But having that thought in mind is quite pleasant. Nice sandy beaches, life of the underworld..ok ok stop. Off-topic!

If you notice, there's a second crown at the 10-hour position, and that is the helium valve escape. If you read the article I linked above then you'll understand what it is, but in a quick description, it's a device on the watch which helps ease the pressure built into the watch when one goes diving into deep depths - the watch has a capacity of going down to 300m below sea level (I was going to write "going up to", but that kinda didn't make much sense). Yes, not that I will ever dive in a divers' cage, but it's a complication I grew to admire after time and a great conversational piece (this phrase is taken from the article too).

The metal bracelet was probably the one reason that should have hindered me from buying this watch. It's metal, I don't feel comfortable in metal-bracelets and most of the time it will leave scratches on my wrist.

After a few days of trying it, I was quite amazed to see that my wrists were clean of scratches, thanks to the smooth edges of the bracelet. I went to a jeweller to resize the bracelet, taking off 4 links and though it is not the perfect fit, I find it wear-able. Yes, the Seamaster logo does stamp itself on my hand after a long day of wearing it but it rubs off quick so no shouts there.

And as always, the one thing that kept watch enthusiasts going for such masterpieces instead of famous brand names mentioned earlier is mostly due to the fact that most of these watches are mechanical/automatic, which means it doesn't run on batteries. I'm not saying Fossil doesn't have an Automatic line - they do. But I suppose people find comfort in things that has been proven to work, and watchmakers certainly know best on what they're doing. To be certified as a "Chronometer" like the Omega Seamaster Professional 2254.80.00, certain standards and rigorous tests are applied (the only one I know is that the watch should not be 4 seconds more or 6 seconds less than actual time for the first 10 days).

But all this does not answer the one ultimate question: why did I choose this instead of the ones I eyed my eyes out?

Well..here are some reasons:

1) A watch is the only piece of jewellery a man would ever wear. A good watch compliments the way a man looks - just look at Daniel Craig and his Omega. (Yes I know he looks good even without the watch, hell, for girls he'd look great without his clothes on!)

2) As people tend to "watch-wardrobe" (have a number of watches to suit several occasions), I find myself perhaps needing to do the same. But so far, it's only this watch. It's great for worktime, greater for casual time, and best for formal occasions. I'd probably leave it for rough times though, even with the durability advocated by this watch.

3) I fell in love with it. Simple and easy.

And I think reason #3 is why. Sure, it is big and bulky, and it feels a lot heavier compared to my lost Swatch, but with that I feel the premium offered. Sure, it's bracelet is made out of metal and I still hate metal bracelets, but I'm prepared to put that aside for such a great looking piece of engineering. Sure, the helium valve's never going to be used, but I found time to appreciate such elaborate complication. Sure, it's probably not the perfect watch based on my description last time, but it shows the date and there's no sub-dials within the main dial and that still fits what I like in a watch.

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

So there it goes. If anything, this little piece of thought I wrote out goes out to show that love is blind. Nothing's perfect in this world, but it doesn't matter if the one thing you set your eyes upon is perfect within your sight.

P.S - Did I mention that this watch is actually a replica? I'm not gonna fork out RM12,450 for a watch! Kahkahkah :P

P.P.S - Btw Udon, if you manage to notice the initials of the title...yep buddy, this post has you written all over it. Keke. OK that sounds too gay I'm going to stop writing.

I am Estrella-fied!

2008-12-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

A word play on "electrified", but I'm sure you got that anyways.

When I first heard the single played on Hitz.fm, I thought it was someone outside the local music scene. And when Afiq told me he has the whole album and it is from an indie-turned-mainstream Malaysian band, I was surprised.

The fastest thing that drew me to their music is the jazzy bits that seem to dominate each and every song they have in the album. It somehow suits my listening mood, and this would definitely be on the top of my list if I'm ever stuck in a traffic jam.

I think the lead singer's voice is uber-cute. Similar to Colbie Cailat to draw a comparison, but perhaps a much younger Colbie. Not to mention she is quite a looker too. Keke.

Personal favourites include Stay, Take It Slow, Ternyata, Heaven, Foolish Senses, and Masih.

Enjoy the videos below!

Stay (Music Video)

Take It Slow live at No Black Tie

Ternyata

Stay (Acoustic)

Take It Slow live at 8TV Quickie

My Birthday Celebration

2008-12-13T17:38:00.008-08:00

I wanted to write this earlier but the thought of having to study for my exams makes me not write it any earlier. haha.

After having a karaoke-birthday party for Aisha's, I felt like having that too. But there were also times when I had other ideas like paint-balling or something like Laser Quest, but it didn't really materialised.

3 days earlier, Mimi asked if I was free on Friday the 21st and if so, she was going to treat me for dinner. I wasn't sure if my PwC friends are going to take me out or something, so I told her let's wait for a day and see if they plan to bring me out or something. Nothing happened (I assumed everyone was busy studying too) so I told her dinner should be fine. Who knew that on Friday itself Aisha (the only one who didn't study this time round) started messaging me about dinner plans at Cheng Ho. Aiseymen, awat tak habaq awal-awal? With that plan foiled, I proceeded to The Apartment at KLCC.

It had a nice relaxing atmosphere, just like how a nicely decorated house would be. No wonder it was called The Apartment? Anyways, let the pictures do the talking:

Our starter - I think it was spicy-sweet squid mixed with cherries and veggie. It was surprisingly a good combo.

Mimi's spaghetti

My main course: thai green curry with fragrant rice. I remembered the rice was so good! Hahaha

Chocolate mousse! The chocolate was so thick, I'd have it all over again.

Afterwards, I sent Mimi home and she said she'd give me my present at 12 midnight. I had to close my eyes first and could only open them after the count. I still couldn't see what it was coz she had it behind her back. I was so shocked to see this:

to which I wasted to time and strummed out one or two songs:

ye ye aku tak pandai sangat main gitar tapi cukup laa untuk telinga sendiri haha

It was a beauty. I think I was so shell-shocked in the first place I could only say wow and such inaudible things. No wonder she was so happy when I said I could send her back. Haha. She had trouble figuring out how to send me the present and thus having me sending her back is a perfect way to give the present.

The day after, I had karaoke plans. I say plans since I had 2 sessions. The first one is with Farizal, Atfy and Rizal, which were my uni-mates back in the good ol' Warwick days (Of course Atfy and Rizal was also my juniors from KMYS). Farizal booked the room in Low Yat Plaza from 11am to 2pm for the lunch option, and I thought the prices were very good. The funny thing is after 2pm the machine didn't lock itself and prevent us from choosing more songs, so we stayed until 2.45pm and only realised we had another session at 3pm. So myself, Mimi and Farizal left the two boys and headed out. Too bad my PNB pet sis Dira (who had her birthday right before me - 21st November) couldn't join. If not, it could've been a triple-whammy celebration (Farizal's on 19th Nov!)

no wonder you were late! glad you could make it :)

"Dia...Isabella..lambang cinta..yang lara.."

Aku dengan Rizal tengah duet lagu Crush by David Archuleta hehe

The next session from 3pm to 6pm was at Redbox Plus in Pavilion, with Mimi's group of friends. We didn't start at 3 though, but that wasn't really a matter since I'm sure they'll extend our time booked. Finally we made it in at 3.30pm. I realised Sheryl, Audrey and Rina was nowhere to be seen. It also didn't dawn upon me that they were the ones who brought my birthday cake specially baked by none other than my other half :) At first I thought we were only going to sing English songs but these bunch of people picked Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mentera Semerah Padi and Isabella to sing! Farizal as usual left a very good impression to the rest haha

Audster who suprised everyone that she knew lotsa Indo songs, Sheryl who can really sing! and Rina who spent most of the time eating hehe

Mimi said "at Jin Han's BBQ birthday party I remembered you saying that you don't want a cheesecake for your birthday so I made this" - it's a mango cake topped with a wholesome of fruity goodness. Superb.

A big smile for a big cake haha

Farizal double-impressed everyone by singing a Mandarin song

We ended finishing the session at 7pm, a good half hour more than what we expected. Haha. At this point of time I already kinda felt knackered. I'd say the Backstreet Boys would be too, if each of them have to do a solo for like 7 hours. Hahaha. We settled for dinner at Groove Junction Bistro (at least that's what I think the name is) since I wanted a place with live music. I know The Apartment has this acoustic sessions going on throughout November but I already went there the day before. All in all, a super fun day out!

And of course last but not least another karaoke session out with my PwC friends at The Gardens, Midvalley. (I think it was a week after or so?) We opted the 1-6pm session with high tea buffet starting only at 3. Only then I realised when I go to karaoke sessions, I don't go out and take food for myself. At Pavilion I only stopped once since I felt really hungry and got some roti canai leftovers. At the Gardens it was the girls who took extra food for me :P And again, the machine didn't lock itself out and we sang till 6.30pm. Phew. Thank goodness there were no extra charges!

Myself with another birthday girl Azie (25th Nov), Farhana-Serina-Misterina (keke) and Aisha

With my "housemate" Anis and her future roommate Md Nor :P

With my Mawi-songs duet partner and Aisha's partner-for-life Amer

So here's the part where I say my thank yous..hehe.

To Azmimi Ahmad Pharmy, I cannot thank you enough for being the one.

To everyone who wished me via SMS, Facebook, emails, and MSN Messenger (no more Friendster, it's way too dull. And I can't access YM since I don't have it installed in my PwC notebook), thanks for all the warm wishes :)

To my PwC friends, I hope the karaoke session was good enough as a replacement for not having dinner! Hehe :P

And So It Is...

2008-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

...just like you said it should be..

life goes easy on me...

most,

of the time.

Exams are over and now life is back to square-auditing-one. I almost felt like I forgot how to work.

I felt I was more ready this time round, having practiced a lot of questions and all the past papers. But hell, ICAEW always have a way to catch you off guard, y'know. In hindsight, I think I should've done better with BS since the data analysis always come out. The only saving grace was Dina's dream about Value Chain Analysis - yeap, she dreamt that a question would come out on that and it did. Surreal. Financial Management...well I think I did all I could. I predicted a big question on swap and for about 12 marks, that's considered quite big. But unlike Dina, I didn't really practice on swaps coz I felt I was wasting time trying to comprehend something that I found hard to grasp. Yes finance is not my forte hence why I'm in auditing.

I have a gazillion things to write, but for now I'd like to just jot down one thought that has been bugging my mind:

I came across this article one fine day in The Star online.

I understand the fact that people are unsettled since world crude oil prices are now so low that we're kind of subsidising the oil we're buying, so to speak. You and I know that the government said that they will review prices and adjust accordingly to the market price. See, this is me trying to put myself in these people's shoes.

But this is the reality of Malaysians nowadays. It is true, what Ustaz (alamak aku tak ingat la nama dia) at Warwick once mentioned to us - Malaysians especially Malays are now running into this materialistic culture, where everything and anything is measured in material terms. I don't deny myself doing that, for I am an auditor and we have to ask the accountants to adjust whatever that is material in their books.

But humans are forever going to be naive accountants when it comes to reality, quoted from my Marketing lecturer, the hot and hip Ms Miranda. I am sure you remember 4th June 2008, when the Government decided to increase petrol prices from RM1.92 to RM2.70. In a flash roads were flooded, not by rain, but by cars, people who are greedy and kiasu enough to fill up their tanks so that they could feel safe in their hearts knowing that they have enough petrol at RM1.92 per litre for the next few days. But exactly how much the savings amount up, in real terms (excluding inflation) or money terms (including inflation), when finally they have to give in and pay RM2.70 inevitably? I can bet my shiny little frugal fuel-saving pocket-rocket built-for-toughness Savvy that there was negligible savings if any. And by negligible I mean naught. T-zero. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.

Fast forward to today and we see the invisible hand of demand and supply making its presence known thus reducing the crude oil price to about USD 50 per barrel. The government made steady reductions of the petrol price in line with the reduction in global oil prices. OK, maybe not very much in line as a professor from UUM pointed out in that article - "it should be RM1.62 berdasarkan kajian yang saya buat". Now we're paying RM1.90, which is 2 cents lower than the normal RM1.92 and 28 cents higher than what we should be paying based on the professor's research and claims. Lo and behold people think the reduction's not enough. "Aih tak cukup ni, patut turun banyak lagi ni, harga minyak dunia dah murah ni bla bla bla". This is perhaps one of the evident examples that Malaysians are clutched under the emergence of materialism.

My question here is, especially to the Malay Muslim community, is di mana kah rasa bersyukur engkau orang?

Yes, I know the government said they wanted to reduce the prices according to the market price, but this is still the goverment we're talking about here. At least they're still reducing it, no? Can you bet against my own ass that they're not? No. And this is why humans will always and forever be naive accountants. The reduction already surpassed the RM1.92 mark that we have been resigned to the last few years, and these people still feel it is not enough. Aku rasa lah kan, kalau engkau orang cuba rasa bersyukur sikit, minyak turun jadi RM2.50 pun dah cukup ok. Takde ke cikgu agama engkau orang ajar kalau kita rasa bersyukur, rezeki akan lebih dipermudahkan? (Yes I am emo, ok I'll try to control my tone.) I personally think that the reduction is more than good. I mean, whoever the hell thought petrol prices would fall again after the massive increase? I certainly didn't think so at the first place. And then the government announced that they were gonna review the prices and adjust accordingly. And they did (the word "accordingly" is a relative measure. We've been there, let's not waste time).

I guess my point has been conveyed at this time. I just wish people would start to feel more thankful being a Malaysian. Look at our Thai neighbours. Bloodshed here and there, they find it better to be hatin' and make war no peace, the AFF football match venue had to be shifted which indirecly caused our national team to lose (digression). Can any of you imagine what Malaysia would be like if something like that really happens? I'd pack myself up in a cargo box and ship myself to Vancouver y'all. And still people discount the future too much and start leaving the country already.

Whatever, losers.

23 things I did when I was 23

2008-12-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

Haha this sounds kinda lame, trying to copy Kenny Sia's post on his birthday. Nevertheless, I think it's a novel idea by Mr Sia and I sure do hope he doesn't become tulan at me since I won't get paid if I post this. So here goes!

1. Bought my first car

It was November and it looked like a good bargain. So there. Yes yes I know I've learnt not to trust myself when choosing second-hand cars..haha

During one of the times when the Tiara broke down haha (you can see the hood up)

2. Traded in my first car for a brand new Proton Savvy

Didn't fall in love with this baby at the first glance but after I got to know this pocket rocket I couldn't believe why everyone else dissed it and said it was whack. Some say it's the hideous looks, but then again that's really typical Malaysian judging everything by its looks. Jin Han was more diplomatic in saying "even if people think it's ugly, it's got its own looks. It's got its own character." Word.

3. Started my first job as an auditor in PwC

One of the rare pictures my VT-now-associate took during work. Goodness me. How can we work in this kind of mess? Haha..

4. Endured a long distance relationship for the 2nd time

Chose the word "endured" because it does seem like a silent torture to me. It was kind of tiring being so far apart.

5. Sang karaoke the first time

Obviously this was not the first time around since I don't usually bring my cameras anywhere. But you get the picture.

6. Taken and failed 2 ICAEW Professional stage papers. Re-sat for 1 and passed.

Resitting for another and I would like to have all the confidence in the world to pass this one.

7. Bought my own washing machine

More like bought it from Bojol first since he bought an LCD TV to be used as a gigantic screen for the PC at home and after a few months bought a TV receiver to be used for his workstation in office. Keke.

8. Bought my first printer

This is the first asset I bought with my first paycheck! Haha..though now it needs a new black ink cartridge. The colour ink is still in abundance though.

9. Had my laptop stolen

I really don't have pictures of my laptop, it was so old. But I had all files backed up so no problemo. Plus the culprit won't get far if he doesn't have a power supply - although I reckon it's easy to get one from any computer shop.

10. Went to my first snorkelling trip

The place was called Lang Tengah, and it didn't really have good mobile phone reception. Haha.

11. Went to my first BSB concert

Needless to say I enjoyed myself immensely. And I was among the few who knew most of the lyrics for the new album, so when the boys sang new stuff, people just sat down while I sang with the boys. Wahaha.

12. Went for 2 roadtrips, one to the North, and another to the South, in quick succession

I covered this in my previous posts, can have a look see here and here

13. Registered as a voter.

Registered, mind you. I didn't go back Pontian to vote. And look what happened. Haha.

14. Attended my best friend's wedding

Shaza had her walimah 2 days after Raya Haji last year. And now, she has a kid! Her name's Aliya.

15. Puncturing my tyre and changing it (with help obviously)

I was on the way to see my career coach and the front right tyre went kapoom barely after I left my house.

16. Went to Kemensah and rode an ATV.

It was an SNG activity organised by the seniors. After a few rounds of trying that thing, the coach felt I wasn't good enough so I had to wear a helmet. I wasn't the only guy who had to though. Haha.

17. Got myself 2 credit cards for no reason

Well it really is CIMB's fault here...they never told me the first card was due for collection already. har de har har

*update on the credit card: my usual Petronas CIMB credit card has been retained by a cash deposit machine since I accidentally selected the "check balance" option instead of "payment"*

18. First time giving away duit raya

yeah I know the picture's not parallel with the title but I think it's a funny pic :P

It wasn't much, but I suppose 'twas ok considering I've only been working for like 3 months. The high point was when I gave Kak Cik duit raya and she totally flipped hahaha

19. Played badminton for my department and lost both games but still became champions :P

I actually only played with my partner on the tournament day. Yes no kidding. Maybe that's why we lost. But we were the only ones who lost in the team, everyone else won. So we still got gold! Kahkahkah

20. Watched a hell lot of movies (at least for me lah)

ack. senget plak. lupa nak resize

Self-explanatory. But I didn't actually watch The Golden Compass. I just wanted a picture with Nicole Kidman.

21. Organised an SNG almost entirely all by myself

Looking back, I think I'd never wanna organise it again on my own.

22. Went to PD with my family

I remember going to PD with the whole family when I was a little boy. It's been quite long since we had a family vacation. Plus my mum wanted to get away for a bit, so a little family time was nice. Next year we're planning to go snorkelling! Hehe

23. First time watching a live musical performance - P Ramlee

It was go-ood. I actually enjoyed myself immensely. But I still think Scrubs episode 6 from Season 6 stands to be the best televised musical I have seen so far.

On 22nd November 2008, I turned 24.

My Damnation

2008-12-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

This post shall be on top until after I finish my December exams, as a way of reminding myself about stuff.

* * *

This post will be a bit messed up and incoherent, I guess, as was all the previous posts anyways coz this is just a collection of my thoughts and I'm still thinking as I write.

We really danced our hearts out for the KSP Dinner, we did. But I guess people forgot about us and we didn't win the best performance of the night. Kudos to the May-June 08 batch though, their sports-fashion show was simply an out-of-the-box idea. I really had a great time with my batchmates though. :)

On another note, I failed my Business Strategy paper that I took early June this year. I remember writing in this blog of mine that I was giving myself a second and final chance. I remember saying to myself, if I don't make the cut this time, I'm out. It's bye-bye PwC and hello to serving 8 years of bond with PNB. Which might not be too bad since I still know most of the juniors who are coming in this August.

You see, the thing is I've always been confident and sure of myself. I know I can do things, and I do them. I'm good in English back in primary school and that was the only paper I got 100% - I didn't even get a hundred for Maths when that should logically be the only paper you can score such a mark. When it comes to failures, I know I can learn from it, bounce back next time and win the round. But this time, it's been quite tricky. I failed in two first-attempts already, and that has surely got to be the perfect Mike Tyson-style-hook that caught Michael Spinks sleeping in one corner and a comatose a tenth of a second later.

The point is, I am having serious doubts with my own capabilities. And there is something that people say when you start losing belief in youself, but I just can't quite remember it off the top of my head. See, I used to be a good student. Not the best, and certainly not the worst either, but I had my moments, you know, the flash of brilliance coming in once in a while. But I did say I had enough of it and that I was going to do no more. But when it comes to this profession, my take is all wrong. There is a need to be a hardcore knowledgeable guy when it comes to auditing. You gotta upgrade yourself constantly, coz the profession's dynamic. So when what I want and what the profession dictates me what to do is heading in different junctions, I'm totally lost.

This belief issue is starting to get its grip on me. Or maybe it has been around for some time? I honestly don't know. I do think about worst-case scenarios a lot, though. It's as if I worry more about things that I can't handle, although I certainly know I shouldn't be worrying and I'm not. It's just, well, being rational. Realistic. And how realistic is it for me to carry on this professional exams if I already fail twice in my first attempts? The rest of the papers aren't getting easier. People die taking the Advanced Stage (ok of course that's an exaggeration).

I called Chun Mei once I got home and checked the results and told her what I had in mind, and she straight away scolded me for even having set my head around it. "It's not that you're not capable", she said. "You did score a good mark in your Accounting resit, so that proves you're nowhere near incapable. Maybe you were just a bit kan-chiong at that time..or maybe you were nervous, maybe you were a little low with your confidence level.." Honestly, it could've been that, or maybe it could've been that I'm reckless with my studying, I don't feel like doing it anymore, hell it could've been anything. "Look, I respect what you have in mind and I don't wanna push you too much, but please just re-consider things and think about it. Talk to your girlfriend, maybe she'll help you out to think as well. If you've reached a decision please let me know, ok?" At this point I was just too tired to think.

I sms-ed my mum and told her what I thought, and said I'm not sure but I'll think about it over the weekend. Her reply was "Son, you're still young. In my opinion you should resit for the exam, I don't want you to regret later." I don't know, Mum. I think if I do choose to go out, I guess I'm just making a favour to everyone. The partners in the firm won't have to deal with failures, I won't have to appeal with them so that I can resit, the batch will have higher passing rates coz the one guy failing in every sitting is out already. And perhaps I'll be happier somewhere else. After all the grass is always greener on the other side, no? :p

My dad gave me a call this morning too, saying that "kalau boleh resit, amik je la." Hmm. So he's on the same page as Mum. Was a bit sleepy still when I picked up the call.

I've already talked to Mimi about this a long time ago, when I first failed. I don't know if there's much to talk anymore.

So I turn to Scrubs. And this is what I get from Season 4's My Boss's Free Haircut episode:

Miss Goldman: What now, Grampa?!

Dr. Kelso: You are going to shut your damn yapper and listen for a change, because I got you pegged, sweetheart. You want to take the easy way out with the surgery because you're scared. You're scared because if you try and fail, there's only you to blame. Well, Missy, let me break this down for you, Bobbo-style. Life is scary. Get used to it.

J.D.'s Narration: And then it seemed like Dr. Kelso wasn't only talking to her.

Dr. Kelso: There are no magical fixes. It's all up to you. So get up off your keister, get out of here, and go start doin' the work.

Miss Goldman: What if it's too hard?

Turk: [leaning down to face Dr. Kelso next to Miss Goldman] Yeah, what if it's too hard?

Dr. Kelso: Turkleton, I have no idea why you're chiming in, but I'll say this to both of you. Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy.

Yep, you got that right Bob-o. Nothing that's worth having comes easy.

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

My Resdung-itis Part 2

2008-12-06T02:31:00.002-08:00

So I was hit quite hard with the resdung (or sinusitis if you prefer English, tho' I'd be using 'em interchangeably) and before I fell asleep courtesy of Zul's Coscinium (traditional pill from HPA) I Googled places to seek relief. I found a few and sent SMSes to see if I can get a reply. I got one so I decided that was the place I should be heading to.

The place was at Kg Dato' Harun and the guy's name was En. Ahmad. He is a pengamal perubatan Islam and that was fundamentally the reason I texted him first. He asked me to bring a big bottle of water. Once I got there we exchanged greetings, he asked me what was the problem, I explained and off we go.

First of all he used his fingers to put some pressure on my nose and started reading some Koranic verses as well as the Selawat Syifa'. Next, he used some roots from a kind of wood - I can't remember what the name of the wood was. He dabbed 2 cotton buds to the roots (they were in powder-form) and asked me to stick the buds in my nose, my left nostril first and after a good few minutes, my right. He said this is to ensure that the ibu resdung flows out from my nose. After like 10 minutes I felt my nose being runny and he said don't try to blow your nose, just let it flow down (I had a small bowl covered with plastic underneath my nose, lying on my tummy). Honestly I thought there should be a lot of the sinus going out, but somehow there wasn't much. Perhaps the Coscinium blocked it off? I remember waking up and blowing my nose, and coagulated sinus came out like the Brady Bunch is home. Hmm.

Next came the most popular method - using specific resdung candles. My eyes firstly was covered and I think he just put the candles near and all around my face. I thought it lasted quite long and the smoke from the candles are obviously not fragrant, I had to breathe through my mouth. Afterwards he took the cover off my eyes and gave me a mirror, "Ha, nampak tak tu putih-putih kat muka? Semua tu hama resdung yang dah dikeluarkan pakai lilin tadi la" he said.

Afterwards he gave me 3 packets of cubes which he claimed were herbal tea to help with the medication. I need to drink it every night before I sleep. It actually has a sweet taste so it's just like drinking normal tea.

During the day after the medication, I felt the resdung becoming worse. I had runny nose non-stop, similar to what I had the day before. It was so bothersome I couldn't focus to study and I opted to sleep. The day after, I am still *sniffing sniffing* throughout the day albeit at a much lesser scale and today, at a much lesser scale than yesterday. So I guess it is working after all? I'll give it time, at least until I've finished drinking the herbal tea.

My Resdung-itis

2008-12-03T08:58:00.003-08:00

...is so bad I am awake now and cannot sleep. My head is throbbing, the nose won't stop running, and I feel puffiness in my eyes.

I have to get some prescriptions. Aack. Dah la nak exam ni.

My Grand Relatives

2008-11-28T05:36:00.003-08:00

At this very moment, I should be packing my stuff since I'm going back to KL after a 5-day break spent at Pontian but I think I've got something interesting to share.

Aizat (my younger brother) and I went to visit my grandparents this afternoon just to see how they were doing. Alhamdulillah both of them looked fine. But Atuk is now always on the bed. He does get up when he sees people coming and visiting though. When Nenek saw Aizat she instantly asked "Where's Aizat?" - in her mind Aizat was Afiq. Even Mak Ngah thought the same, albeit being surprised in her mind that "Afiq" has shrunk a little! Ahaha.. I couldn't blame them for not being able to tell the difference haha. Luckily I stayed on a normal size :P

Atuk has lost a lot of his hearing now, so it's really difficult trying to have a conversation with him. We do try and answer his questions by the simplest of answers, using hand gestures and signals, sometimes talking a little bit loud so that hopefully he can just about pick up what we were saying. Atuk thought Aizat was still in Form 3. Hahah. "Dia dah kat kolej dah, Tuk". I think only Nenek can speak to him without having to sound like a person who couldn't find a microphone..

I remembered Dad was saying that Mak Ju had some old pictures re-sized so that they were bigger and can be put in a frame, so I asked Nenek where was it. In the living room, she said, and off I went to get my hands on it. And no sooner then I did, I started laughing out loud. Here's why.

The picture looked so retro. No, it is retro. The picture holds almost all of my uncles and aunts from my dad's side, save for Wak Awang who was the picture taker - eh, didn't KakCik do the honours as well for the family picture they took when I wasn't around? Keke.

I had a hard time finding out who's who. Well at least the little ones in the pictures. Coz they're little and obviously they do not look the same at all now that they've all grown up and have kids already. Actually most of the ones sitting on the floor are my cousin, except Pak Wan (second from left).

I think Mak Ham (short for Hamidah) - the middle line, far right, wearing a skirt and looked as if her face had the geisha make up - stood out from the rest, namely coz she looked like a Chinese. I remember Nenek telling me one fine day when she was pregnant with Mak Ham, they had a Chinese neighbour in front and she saw their child. She was very fair-skinned, and Nenek berkenan with her. (I have trouble translating that word. But I hope my non-Malay readers get it?) I mean, both Atuk and Nenek are like the purest Javanese of every sense and later they got a child who looked like a Chinese. How amazing is that. Her children, save for the middle kid, are all fair like that and we used to call them orang putih when they were much younger. Now the eldest is Form 5, I think, and the youngest is going to Form 1.

I also think I can safely say that my dad looks the best out of the lot. Keke. Here's a closer look. He's in the middle. And oh my God, Pak Long's jambul looks a lot like P Ramlee's one.

Dashing, isn't he?

Then I went off to Pak Ngah's house which is virtually attached to Nenek's house. I think he was taking a nap but Mak Ngah was in. She told us how Pak Ngah never really recovered from being sick since after they went to perform the hajj last year. But he has all these different kinds of sickness, e.g. gastric, aches, joint pains etc since he was young (coz he worked hard) and so it has taken a toll on his body. One of the persons they got to know during the hajj inspected him and said "I suspect this is angin pasang (hernia) but get it checked out, just in case I'm wrong". They managed to confirm that it is hernia and doctors recommended operation, but Pak Ngah doesn't want to go in yet. "Mahal, lepas tu tak mau nyusahkan anak-anak kata dia." said Mak Ngah. He's been trying traditional medicine for at least a year now and still hasn't lost hope in it.

Well I hope and pray he gets better soon.

Ok, time to pack! I will update more once I get back!

A New Chapter In My Life

My Nikah Ceremony

My Ode to Tuk Yan

My My, He Works Hard For The Money

My Last Few Months...

My Third Week

My Flower

My First Week

My Move to the Other Side of the World

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 3

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 2

My (Almost) Trebelation - part 1

My Thoughts about..

My Proposal

My Weekend

My Review of Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth

My receptors...

My trip via DUKE highway...

My Review of the Malaysia Cup Final

My Post-Exam Rambling Entry

This Is It

My Professional Mistake

MY Miss Universe Fail?

My ICAEW Buka Puasa Event

My Desires

My First Time...

My Heartfelt Question

My Convivial

My Headache

My Stoodle-isation

My Desire

My Community Outreach Programme

My Bulk of...

"Because they don't care?"

"Why Malaysians March"

Why do Malaysians march?

My Gratitude Cafe

My Blogworthy Moment...

Our 4th Year Anniversary

My Musings

My Crunch Time

My Tears

My Indie Artist

My Other Survey

My Survey

My Buzzing

My Buzzing

My Darkness and Light

A Sight to My Sore Eyes

My Concert of the Year - Jason Mraz

My Forwarding...

My Visit to Mix FM Website..

My Attempt...

My Man-Crush

My Gratitude

My Peak Period

My Funny Calvin and Hobbes

My Rant

My Doubt (and perhaps everyone else's?)

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My Perceptions

My Unnecessary Spending

I am Estrella-fied!

My Birthday Celebration

And So It Is...

23 things I did when I was 23

My Damnation

My Resdung-itis Part 2

My Resdung-itis

My Grand Relatives

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