I was in Kuching since Wednesday this week and had just got back to KL today. As usual, the first thing I did as I enter my apartment was to switch on the fan. The fan didn't move. And so I flicked the switched again. and again. and then again. Nothing. I went out and saw the neighbors lights switched on. I said to myself "It can't be the bill cos payment was done earlier this week".
So I went to the management office to check. The lady behind the counter asked "Have you changed your meter to your name?" I said "No". She then said "The developer has instructed TNB to remove your meter and now you have to go to TNB and make the name change" After many Q&A later, I resigned to the fact that there's nothing this lady can do to help me, and the only solution is to go to TNB and do just what she said to me.
I called the developer's office, asking how come I wasn't informed about the drastic action that was gonna take place, the man on the line said there were. After several Q&A later, I realized it was going nowhere and I just have to go to TNB office. So I bought RM10 setem hasil, photocopied my IC and flew to TNB. I got there a few minutes late. The door was locked, the counter was closed. And the guy with the gun wasn't gonna let me in even after I half-begged him. That was that.
Since the office is closed on weekend, I will now brave the next 3 (or more, depending on how long it'll take them to re-connect the meter) nights in darkness. Without A/C. Without TV. Without DVDs. Sigh.
I was mad and angry, and I eventually realized that I should be angry at myself. Cos this was all me. My product. I procrastinated. Like I always do. And I frakking hate it.
I'm writing this post at Starbucks GEM; 2 Iced Venti Passion Tea and counting.
Bought candles and am gonna spend my nights in solitude and self-reflect.
Or I might just go and watch movies now till Sunday night!!!
Will I ever learn???
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Of Yasmin Ahmad
I was at Delucca last night with Jazzy and Azhar, watching Chandra performing on stage with Zailan Razak Project. It was great seeing Chandra perform again after seeing him last at The Alexis bistro in Ampang.
Mid-performance, Zailan made an announcement, and asked us, the audience, to dedicate a moment of silence in respect of Yasmin Ahmad's passing. The news was heart-breaking. And it still is.
I have not seen Yasmin's past movies (regrettably) but I did catch Talentime when it was showing at MBO Ampang with Wan. The movie was deeply moving and heartfelt and it left me in tears. And then there are those tv adverts which, as short as it was, touched the very core of emotions, reminding us of the importance of giving and loving without judgement, which is often overlooked and forgotten.
Kita hanya mampu merancang, Tuhan penentu segala. Semoga roh mu dicucuri rahmat Allah (s.w.t.)
The song Pergi will always remind me of you:
Sayu, terpisah
Hikayat indah kini hanya tinggal sejarah
Berhembus angin rindu
Begitu nyamannya terhidu wangian kasihmu
Hujan lebat mencurah kini
Bagaikan tiada henti
Kaulah laguku - kau irama terindah
Tak lagi ku dengari
kau pergi......pergi
Sepi, tanpa kata
Terdiam dan kaku tak daya kau ku lupa
Apapun kata mereka
Biarkan kenangan berbunga di ranting usia
Mid-performance, Zailan made an announcement, and asked us, the audience, to dedicate a moment of silence in respect of Yasmin Ahmad's passing. The news was heart-breaking. And it still is.
I have not seen Yasmin's past movies (regrettably) but I did catch Talentime when it was showing at MBO Ampang with Wan. The movie was deeply moving and heartfelt and it left me in tears. And then there are those tv adverts which, as short as it was, touched the very core of emotions, reminding us of the importance of giving and loving without judgement, which is often overlooked and forgotten.
Kita hanya mampu merancang, Tuhan penentu segala. Semoga roh mu dicucuri rahmat Allah (s.w.t.)
The song Pergi will always remind me of you:
Sayu, terpisah
Hikayat indah kini hanya tinggal sejarah
Berhembus angin rindu
Begitu nyamannya terhidu wangian kasihmu
Hujan lebat mencurah kini
Bagaikan tiada henti
Kaulah laguku - kau irama terindah
Tak lagi ku dengari
kau pergi......pergi
Sepi, tanpa kata
Terdiam dan kaku tak daya kau ku lupa
Apapun kata mereka
Biarkan kenangan berbunga di ranting usia
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Of talking it out, iced coffee and control
I met a friend for a drink today at Pavilion after work and we got to talking about a couple of stuff. I ordered an iced grande 5 pump caramel coffee - my all-time favorite. and no, it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds.
At one point during the chat, I had the feeling of dejavu. I could hear myself saying the same thing I always say in similar conversations in the past. "I think you should talk about it". I realized that I say this a lot. and i mean a lot. a-little-too-much a lot. I say it to death a lot. Ok, you got the idea. The reason I do this is because I truly believe that talking things out is one of the best ways to sort things out. Obviously you're not gonna magically fix everything just by talking, but it will give you an insight to a deeper sense of a mutual understanding. Maybe not every single time, but I'm convinced that you'll discover more, good or bad. And I do this a lot. I'm very accustomed to talking things out with people I work with, friends and family and am glad to say that it more often worked than not. So I guess am gonna stay a fan of talking things out for a while longer, at least. Hehehe.....
I also think that talking things out kinda gives you control. Cos the more you know, the more informed you become. And knowledge is power! Well at least that's what's written on most school walls...hehe. But control can also be messy. I'm sure everybody appreciate a certain sense of freedom. But we also like being in control don't we? In the end, I think it boils down to our willingness to accommodate and compromise. But nobody, nobody at all, should force us to accommodate or compromise. It should be our own birth right.
Except for LOVE. Cos LOVE aint' just a nobody.
At one point during the chat, I had the feeling of dejavu. I could hear myself saying the same thing I always say in similar conversations in the past. "I think you should talk about it". I realized that I say this a lot. and i mean a lot. a-little-too-much a lot. I say it to death a lot. Ok, you got the idea. The reason I do this is because I truly believe that talking things out is one of the best ways to sort things out. Obviously you're not gonna magically fix everything just by talking, but it will give you an insight to a deeper sense of a mutual understanding. Maybe not every single time, but I'm convinced that you'll discover more, good or bad. And I do this a lot. I'm very accustomed to talking things out with people I work with, friends and family and am glad to say that it more often worked than not. So I guess am gonna stay a fan of talking things out for a while longer, at least. Hehehe.....
I also think that talking things out kinda gives you control. Cos the more you know, the more informed you become. And knowledge is power! Well at least that's what's written on most school walls...hehe. But control can also be messy. I'm sure everybody appreciate a certain sense of freedom. But we also like being in control don't we? In the end, I think it boils down to our willingness to accommodate and compromise. But nobody, nobody at all, should force us to accommodate or compromise. It should be our own birth right.
Except for LOVE. Cos LOVE aint' just a nobody.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Reader
I finally got around to seeing this movie and I find it to be a great story.
I've always had a penchant for movies that are sad and moving. Well I obviously am a big fan of lots of movie genres, but movies like this one would evoke those deep thoughts and feelings, one of them being empathy. And I do think that empathy has a lot to do with it, empathy for the characters. If you have this, then you'd enjoy movies more often than not.
Hanna Schmitz once helped a boy in need. A 15 year old. An affair ensues - the boy would read to her, after and/or before you-know-what. But she disappeared one day. Years after, when the boy was in college studying law, he observed a trial of 6 female prison guards of an old war camp, one of which is Hanna Schmitz. Hana and the others are apparently responsible for the deaths of 300 prisoners who died in a fire back in those days.
Throughout the trial, Hanna's answers made her appear naive, ignorant and honest, but the revelation came when Hanna chose to claim responsibility as the leader of the guards rather than letting people know that she can't read and write.
This is where questions come in. Why, would anyone in their right mind, choose life imprisonment over self pride? But then I guess it wasn't pride. It was shame. A sense of shame so deeply rooted within the soul that makes it impossible to admit. And it surely wasn't all shame. Surely there was fear. Fear of consequences. But how can that be? How is it possible to comprehend that consequences of one's admission towards one's inabilities could outweigh consequences of admission for murder?
Whatever Hanna's reasons were, she stood by her decision, even as she shook when the sentence was read in court - guilty of murders on 300 counts - life imprisonment.
Micheal (the boy), now realizing that she's illiterate, sends recordings of his voice reading from some of the books he used to read to Hanna for her to listen to in jail. And this act of kindness (and empathy if I might add) breathes life into Hanna and eventually motivated her to learn to read, and then to write.
On her release day, Michael came to collect her and was informed that she had hang herself in her cell. "She never packed. She never planned to leave" said the guard. But I think she did. She did want to leave the place. Until she found out that there was nothing (or no one) waiting for her outside that prison wall. Until Michael said to her "I wasn't sure what you've learned".
A little empathy could have saved her.
I've always had a penchant for movies that are sad and moving. Well I obviously am a big fan of lots of movie genres, but movies like this one would evoke those deep thoughts and feelings, one of them being empathy. And I do think that empathy has a lot to do with it, empathy for the characters. If you have this, then you'd enjoy movies more often than not.
Hanna Schmitz once helped a boy in need. A 15 year old. An affair ensues - the boy would read to her, after and/or before you-know-what. But she disappeared one day. Years after, when the boy was in college studying law, he observed a trial of 6 female prison guards of an old war camp, one of which is Hanna Schmitz. Hana and the others are apparently responsible for the deaths of 300 prisoners who died in a fire back in those days.
Throughout the trial, Hanna's answers made her appear naive, ignorant and honest, but the revelation came when Hanna chose to claim responsibility as the leader of the guards rather than letting people know that she can't read and write.
This is where questions come in. Why, would anyone in their right mind, choose life imprisonment over self pride? But then I guess it wasn't pride. It was shame. A sense of shame so deeply rooted within the soul that makes it impossible to admit. And it surely wasn't all shame. Surely there was fear. Fear of consequences. But how can that be? How is it possible to comprehend that consequences of one's admission towards one's inabilities could outweigh consequences of admission for murder?
Whatever Hanna's reasons were, she stood by her decision, even as she shook when the sentence was read in court - guilty of murders on 300 counts - life imprisonment.
Micheal (the boy), now realizing that she's illiterate, sends recordings of his voice reading from some of the books he used to read to Hanna for her to listen to in jail. And this act of kindness (and empathy if I might add) breathes life into Hanna and eventually motivated her to learn to read, and then to write.
On her release day, Michael came to collect her and was informed that she had hang herself in her cell. "She never packed. She never planned to leave" said the guard. But I think she did. She did want to leave the place. Until she found out that there was nothing (or no one) waiting for her outside that prison wall. Until Michael said to her "I wasn't sure what you've learned".
A little empathy could have saved her.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Of balance, ownership and aliens
I always feel that life has a lot to do with balance.
You gotta balance work with personal life, balance the time spent among people you love, balance your hands on - hands off approach, balance your jokes with your values, balance your addiction to certain things, balance your decisions to always reach a win-win situation, balance your personal thoughts with your sense of professionalism, etc, etc.
It's not easy, but it's a constant requirement.
There are many things that could tip off the balance and ownership is one of them. When you feel that you want to own certain things, processes, responsibilities or success, it drives you to the desired result. That's when the lines of balance get smudged and crooked. It's not about your job - my job anymore, it's more of "what we need to do to get things right".
And that is often where I get into trouble.
When the total balance thingy is screwed, it brings consequences. Feelings change, doubts are raised, emotions are evoked, perspectives flipped over. And sometimes, it can also change your form of existence. You may no longer be a homo-sapient. You take on a totally new form. You become an alien.
When you're an alien, well.............................................then EVERYTHING CHANGES.
You gotta balance work with personal life, balance the time spent among people you love, balance your hands on - hands off approach, balance your jokes with your values, balance your addiction to certain things, balance your decisions to always reach a win-win situation, balance your personal thoughts with your sense of professionalism, etc, etc.
It's not easy, but it's a constant requirement.
There are many things that could tip off the balance and ownership is one of them. When you feel that you want to own certain things, processes, responsibilities or success, it drives you to the desired result. That's when the lines of balance get smudged and crooked. It's not about your job - my job anymore, it's more of "what we need to do to get things right".
And that is often where I get into trouble.
When the total balance thingy is screwed, it brings consequences. Feelings change, doubts are raised, emotions are evoked, perspectives flipped over. And sometimes, it can also change your form of existence. You may no longer be a homo-sapient. You take on a totally new form. You become an alien.
When you're an alien, well.............................................then EVERYTHING CHANGES.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Of Kuching, work and Bing!
Having been in Kuching a while now, I've patrolled the streets and malls a bit in my effort to uncover secrets the town has to offer. Then on one night, I came across Bing! coffee, two shop lot rows behind my hotel.
This was my second visit to Bing!. Khai had brought me here during my first trip to Kuching a few weeks ago. We came to this outlet at first, but was told that their La Marzocco was under repair. A kind staff then suggested for us to go the their only other outlet located somewhere on the way to the airport. Khai wasn't entirely sure so the guy tried his best to give us the simplest of directions. And so we tried and we found the outlet. I ordered a Mochachino and it tasted nice, unsurprisingly since they use illy coffee.
Halfway through our drinks, one of the staff came over and asked whether we came from their other outlet and we said yes. Khai asked why and the staff said the staff we met earlier had called in to find out whether we were able to find our way. We said to ourselves "Now isn't that nice?" It always feel great to encounter such courteous and genuinely nice people in the service line who takes pride in making people happy! That was a big plus point for Bing! for me.
And so I was really happy to have found out that the first outlet I went to was just around the corner! I walked in and had another cup of Mochachino. The environment was great and the staffs seemed friendly.
I am now at Bing again for their coffee, WiFi and their comfy sofas. hehehehe. Naturally I would be at Starbucks but there are none within this part of Kuching town. The nearest one is in The Spring and it would cost me RM12 by cab, one way. Therefore I'm here.
Started working on site today doing room checking and all. The anticipation is building as opening day is just 6 days away!
Hmmm......hope I'll lose some kilos!
This was my second visit to Bing!. Khai had brought me here during my first trip to Kuching a few weeks ago. We came to this outlet at first, but was told that their La Marzocco was under repair. A kind staff then suggested for us to go the their only other outlet located somewhere on the way to the airport. Khai wasn't entirely sure so the guy tried his best to give us the simplest of directions. And so we tried and we found the outlet. I ordered a Mochachino and it tasted nice, unsurprisingly since they use illy coffee.
Halfway through our drinks, one of the staff came over and asked whether we came from their other outlet and we said yes. Khai asked why and the staff said the staff we met earlier had called in to find out whether we were able to find our way. We said to ourselves "Now isn't that nice?" It always feel great to encounter such courteous and genuinely nice people in the service line who takes pride in making people happy! That was a big plus point for Bing! for me.
And so I was really happy to have found out that the first outlet I went to was just around the corner! I walked in and had another cup of Mochachino. The environment was great and the staffs seemed friendly.
I am now at Bing again for their coffee, WiFi and their comfy sofas. hehehehe. Naturally I would be at Starbucks but there are none within this part of Kuching town. The nearest one is in The Spring and it would cost me RM12 by cab, one way. Therefore I'm here.
Started working on site today doing room checking and all. The anticipation is building as opening day is just 6 days away!
Hmmm......hope I'll lose some kilos!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Of home and away
I have been away from home for a few weeks now.
It started from 1st Feb. with my trip to Kuching. I went back to KL on 6th Feb. After spending the weekend in KL I went to Penang on 9th Feb for 5 days. On the eve of valentine's day, I was on my way to KK. After a week in KK, I am now back in Kuching since Friday. I will probably be here until mid March.
I miss my bed and my pillows.
I miss driving my car.
I miss sitting on my sofa, watching dvds.
I miss Rock Corner.
I miss my friends back home.
Guess I'm just not used to traveling and being away from home too long.
That saying of "practice makes perfect" had better be right!
It started from 1st Feb. with my trip to Kuching. I went back to KL on 6th Feb. After spending the weekend in KL I went to Penang on 9th Feb for 5 days. On the eve of valentine's day, I was on my way to KK. After a week in KK, I am now back in Kuching since Friday. I will probably be here until mid March.
I miss my bed and my pillows.
I miss driving my car.
I miss sitting on my sofa, watching dvds.
I miss Rock Corner.
I miss my friends back home.
Guess I'm just not used to traveling and being away from home too long.
That saying of "practice makes perfect" had better be right!
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