Lets chill with the chosen one! another gem :)
22 July 2008
21 July 2008
Where is the love..
It has been sometime since I last updated this chamber of my thoughts..from getting flu , which was also caught by lil D on top of work and politics at work.. I find myself extremely exhausted .. no energy even to vent.. add that with a dash of Malas and a touch of escapism in the form of Japanese drama online that maketh the lack of entries.
I miss blogging as it is a form of therapy for me..so here I am..this entry is a vent entry if you are not in the mood to read about the mad rantings of Z sila click X or go surf another blog. You have been forewarned.
Now where shall I start.. I will be flying off to the Capital of Malaysia in a months time for a conference and are so looking forward to it. The procedure to adhere before you can go to such conference in this place of work are as follows :
1) Fill up a training form with conference/course/meeting title and the justifications of why you simply must go to this one as opposed to tonnes others that is on offer. That requires time and effort
2) Send said form to your Boss for approval and support
3) Said form will be presented in the training committee's meeting
4) Said Committee will approve/disprove and later get the big guy (CEO) to sign off for the big go.
In my case the committee doesn't see the need for me to learn more about corporate governance but the big guy decided to approve and i get to go anyway. However, that's just simply not the issue.. the issue was the lodgings that I was supposed to be booked in during the conference. I received my approval letter one fine day and what did I see , I am supposed to stay 15 mins away from the venue of the conference which is a hotel itself..what the mackerel! Imagine the inconvenience.
Being concerned I proceeded to clarify this matter with my training head and his reasonings was initially "oh we dont have corporate rate "..but when quized on how much difference he said oh about $40 ..I said I would gladly pay the difference and he say that would be up to me..but he said we are just trying to save money for the company.. He said if you stay at the hotel we picked for you it would be easy for you to shop.. I told him in no uncertain terms that that was simply just not the issue!
When asked what was my entitlement in terms of lodgings he became defensive ..he very firmly and clearly told me to my face that I am not entitled to stay in the same hotel of the conference unless I am a GM. I asked when was this policy imposed because I remember going for another conference not too long ago and was allowed to stay in the same venue as the conference. Training head became defensive and said that is then this is now. He clearly couldn't answer when the policy was made , it certainly was never disseminated to the staff.
What really bugged me was the idiotic reasoning's behind it all.. can you imagine the difference between the supposed lodgings and venue lodgings was just $40 . That amount would be what I roughly would incur in cab fairs in any case especially with the increase of petrol . How is that savings if that really is the real contention. Getting back to training head, he told me to bring my grievance to the HR &Training GM.. So I did. She got a shock to hear about the so called policy (she denied ever making that policy) she promptly changed my lodgings to venue lodgings and instructed Training head to rectify and start booking. Victory for Z but I hated having to do that..I mean imagine had i just accepted the decision I would have to endure the inconvenience of it all.
I thought that was the end of that...5.15pm HR & training GM rang me to convey the message that my particular lodging is booked to the brim and that they are trying to get help from the embassy to secure booking..I mean haiyooo seriously.. I told her that wont be necessary as I had bestie whom I am sure could check out room availability for me. I just had the feeling that this whole little affair has been blown out of proportions its just stupid. Immediately after texting bestie she rang and said yup there are rooms available I mean duh! I suddenly felt like its me against the world and like they are trying to make life difficult for me, would'nt you feel the same way ? Anyway I got that sorted out and yes now I do have a booking reference phew..
Somehow the exchange of words and the whole affair affected me.. spoilt my mood for the weekend in a way as that was at the back of my mind constantly. I know I should not let it get to me but ..cant help it.. anyhoo..training head is all smiley smiley to me lately and asked me if my accomodations are sorted.. whatever..this would probably be the last training I would volunteer myself to go for.. just to save me from the Agro.
That happend the week before..I felt that no matter how proffesional you are or how prompt you are in responding to tasks and resolving tasks people dont really give a toss out of some misguided need to make sure their work is done (as long as they dont get blamed) without really assessing the situation. Cest la vie! I just have to live with it for the time being I guess.
Overall feeling for the week : dissapointment
I miss blogging as it is a form of therapy for me..so here I am..this entry is a vent entry if you are not in the mood to read about the mad rantings of Z sila click X or go surf another blog. You have been forewarned.
Now where shall I start.. I will be flying off to the Capital of Malaysia in a months time for a conference and are so looking forward to it. The procedure to adhere before you can go to such conference in this place of work are as follows :
1) Fill up a training form with conference/course/meeting title and the justifications of why you simply must go to this one as opposed to tonnes others that is on offer. That requires time and effort
2) Send said form to your Boss for approval and support
3) Said form will be presented in the training committee's meeting
4) Said Committee will approve/disprove and later get the big guy (CEO) to sign off for the big go.
In my case the committee doesn't see the need for me to learn more about corporate governance but the big guy decided to approve and i get to go anyway. However, that's just simply not the issue.. the issue was the lodgings that I was supposed to be booked in during the conference. I received my approval letter one fine day and what did I see , I am supposed to stay 15 mins away from the venue of the conference which is a hotel itself..what the mackerel! Imagine the inconvenience.
Being concerned I proceeded to clarify this matter with my training head and his reasonings was initially "oh we dont have corporate rate "..but when quized on how much difference he said oh about $40 ..I said I would gladly pay the difference and he say that would be up to me..but he said we are just trying to save money for the company.. He said if you stay at the hotel we picked for you it would be easy for you to shop.. I told him in no uncertain terms that that was simply just not the issue!
When asked what was my entitlement in terms of lodgings he became defensive ..he very firmly and clearly told me to my face that I am not entitled to stay in the same hotel of the conference unless I am a GM. I asked when was this policy imposed because I remember going for another conference not too long ago and was allowed to stay in the same venue as the conference. Training head became defensive and said that is then this is now. He clearly couldn't answer when the policy was made , it certainly was never disseminated to the staff.
What really bugged me was the idiotic reasoning's behind it all.. can you imagine the difference between the supposed lodgings and venue lodgings was just $40 . That amount would be what I roughly would incur in cab fairs in any case especially with the increase of petrol . How is that savings if that really is the real contention. Getting back to training head, he told me to bring my grievance to the HR &Training GM.. So I did. She got a shock to hear about the so called policy (she denied ever making that policy) she promptly changed my lodgings to venue lodgings and instructed Training head to rectify and start booking. Victory for Z but I hated having to do that..I mean imagine had i just accepted the decision I would have to endure the inconvenience of it all.
I thought that was the end of that...5.15pm HR & training GM rang me to convey the message that my particular lodging is booked to the brim and that they are trying to get help from the embassy to secure booking..I mean haiyooo seriously.. I told her that wont be necessary as I had bestie whom I am sure could check out room availability for me. I just had the feeling that this whole little affair has been blown out of proportions its just stupid. Immediately after texting bestie she rang and said yup there are rooms available I mean duh! I suddenly felt like its me against the world and like they are trying to make life difficult for me, would'nt you feel the same way ? Anyway I got that sorted out and yes now I do have a booking reference phew..
Somehow the exchange of words and the whole affair affected me.. spoilt my mood for the weekend in a way as that was at the back of my mind constantly. I know I should not let it get to me but ..cant help it.. anyhoo..training head is all smiley smiley to me lately and asked me if my accomodations are sorted.. whatever..this would probably be the last training I would volunteer myself to go for.. just to save me from the Agro.
That happend the week before..I felt that no matter how proffesional you are or how prompt you are in responding to tasks and resolving tasks people dont really give a toss out of some misguided need to make sure their work is done (as long as they dont get blamed) without really assessing the situation. Cest la vie! I just have to live with it for the time being I guess.
Overall feeling for the week : dissapointment
05 July 2008
Eerie tales
"Once upon a time"... Most fairy tales starts with those 4 words..as a child I was a voracious reader.. enid blyton, famous 5 , secret 7, nancy drew , hardy boys and any fairy tale books including volumes upon volumes of encyclopedia that my parents invested for me. I will pour through the pages and loose myself in its contents. When I stayed over at my Gran's I will normally sleep with my one of my aunts if they are in the country or my great grandma. The best part about that is I always get her to tell me stories before I sleep or have a story telling session when we are just lounging around after lunch or dinner in the weekends. The story the Fantastic 4 (click on the link for Fantastic 4 reference) keep asking her to repeat over and over again are her accounts of Cerita Hantu (Ghost stories) . We had a blast listening and later on would not be able to sleep on account of being freaked out beyond believe. Amazingly we still ask for more hehe it must have been the adrenalin rush of being scared out of the our skulls!?
One story that is etched on my memory is that of my great granma's relative in olden Singapore. The story goes that my Great Granma has an uncle or was it cousin? who loves going to town with his buddies. Well if you could call it town in the olden days.. being a young man they would definitely go to weddings and functions where there will be some sort of "joget lambak" (Dance) session . Whenever he goes .. he would always be warned not to stay out too late. At the time they don't have street lights and distances are some. The only method of transportation are you own two feet or bicycles, cars are commodities that not many can afford. He owned a trusted bicycle.
One night after those joget lambak sessions he set out home quite late. He was cycling while whistling..I would guess bahagia as he had had a good time wooing girls at the joget lambak, as he was cycling he saw a young lady standing at the road side as if waiting for someone. She was a beauty red lips fair skin and all. He stopped thinking she must have been from the same function . He asked her why she was waiting alone in the dark .She told him that she was waiting for someone to bring her home and that the person promised to fetch her. He had an eye for pretty ladies and thinking of mengurat (wooing) and being a good Samaritan and all thought perhaps since its late why not send her. She accepted his offer.
She had a realllly lovely heady perfume on and he almost drowned in that scent as soon as she got on his bicycle.. but he also had to break some sweat as she was extra extra heavy despite being tiny and svelte and curvaceous ..read sexy in a nice kebaya and sarong. As he cycled he had a whiff of something ..the smell of rotting flesh..the bicycle suddenly felt light ..when he turned he saw something in white on the air as if the person he had behind him was lifted up to the air..thinking initially she has been pulled up it later dawned upon him that she was actually that thing on the air..one word came to his mind.. Pontianak! That thing starting making screechy wailing sounds ..it was hideous..with long hair , long nails and all.
He cycled fast and later on ditched the bicycle and ran like there is no tomorrow. He pounded on doors to let him in and finally reached his house and pound some more . He screamed and shout for his family to let him in. When he was finally in the house . He got a scolding and his mom told the whole family who was by then awake.. they were told to keep quiet and just read the surah's in particular Al Qursy. The "being" terrorised them for quite sometime..living at the kampong they lived in a typical malay kampong stilt wooden house. The thing was apparently scratching on walls under the floorboards on the roof in between bursts of what the malays call "mengilai" or screeching wailing laughter not unlike the cry of a banshee. The thing went away after a while and the story goes that it will make itself scarce before dawn breaks. Suffice to say that the incident taught him a huge lesson after that. The villagers were all told of the story and was asked to be vigilant and not to stay out too long.
Apparently they were told that the "thing" likes to prey on young men as she died on child birth and was jilted by her lover when she found out she was pregnant or something like that..as i grew up there was so many variants of the reason why the pontianak came to being but the common denominator is that she is gorgeous ,hate men and wants to avenge her death.
Whether this is fact or fiction we enjoyed the stories tremendously. I miss my great granma.. she was a brilliant cook and was ever so happy to indulge us with her stories. I think perhaps I should document what I remember of her stories and preserve it for posterity. I hope you enjoyed this story too.
03 July 2008
sighss...
Have you ever felt like in one whole week every minute of the day is spent on something.. from paperwork to consultations to meetings ,discussions. When you thought you have an hour free theres always someone on the phone or IM asking for this and that. I need a break..this knackered lady needs time out..I think I should pamper myself this weekend.
A lot has been happening on the work front.. from mundane and highly entertaining things such as "power struggles" (yes I kid you not), getting an attachment student to "mentor" if you can even call it that and preparation of a particular meeting with the Big Wigs etc. etc. etc. this has somewhat affected my efforts on the challenge bestie and I have agreed upon but persevere I must, I now aim to at least loose something come August.
sighsss..am gonna need to plan lil D's birthday and now apparently we can only have the party after 080808 on account of cousin in law's wedding on that very same date. It also turned out that two of my niece and nephew shares the same birth month as lil D. in fact 6th ,7th and 8th consecutively different year though (no! we did not synchronize timing it was a fluke ok.) I digress..anyhoo hubz and brother in law thought it would make sense for us to have a combine birthday celebrations .. a huge bash with bouncers et all. I am all for it since Ramadhan is around the corner and by then it would've been too late to hold the party. Although.. I have to say..I do have this tugging feeling that it would've lost the magic for lil D already. So I resolve to get him his very own cup cake with two candels on it and his birthday prezzy that night . This will be celebrated at my aunts place.. I just hope theres no function that night! I guess I will make actual plans once I get the actual itenerary for the wedding.
Sighsss.. the saying goes.. if you love what you do .. you will not be going for work..cant remember how that goes but thats roughly how it sounded like.. Well I love what I do but I sure as hell wish I can chill for a bit too. At the end of the day I know I have to thank the Almighty for giving me all the blessings.
and how was your week peeps... have a nice friday!
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