money growing tree

I finally got a money tree on my workstation. I've been wanting this green looking plant since the day i started working and now it has become a reality. One colleague even have couple of those plant and swarmed the whole partition of her workstation..i'm guessing she is a prosperous person...
Last week they held some competition and the consolation prize is the tree. Grand prize is an ipod touch..and as usual i never get those lucky draw stuff..ever..
But i always look on the bright side..i'm a tree hugger now! I'm not sure though how long this tree gonna last..coz it's already starting to turn yellow..maybe i should start pouring some h20 into it.

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

foodies

There something abt roadside burger stall that captures the tastebud of malaysians...nothing compares to burger ramly...not even burger king..or big mac. It's the culture..maybe, but also the smell of freshly grilled beef patties. Then nothing can beat their burger special..wrapped in egg...or the double special...quarter pounder whaaat..Plus they are freaking cheap compared to their competitors..it's the best go to food for everybody, all walks of life. The usual mcd and bk joints are fast food but not easily accessible in the rural areas. But burger ramly is everywhere! My first burger ramly experience happened god knows how long ago..but it was in my weekeend pasar mlm in my hometown..and i never looked back..

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

A new beginning for big ol' me..

My orientation lasted 1 1/2 days...there was like 30 over new hire onboarding on thursday..they go thru all intros...basic SOPs, do's and dont's..same thing i heard 4 yrs ago..but the major difference was..they have orientation or briefing instead of.."here's your thinkpad..good luck!"...before lunch time you'll be in a meeting without knowing what it is all abt...and majority of new hire back then will quit within the next 12 month due to frustration, sense of belonging and just flabbergasted with the amount of processes to get one thing done. If one can survive 1 yr in there..and still kept the sanity in tact..you're good to go..
Plus now, we got a new thinkpad instead of used up..5yrs old laptop..one major disadvantage owning one..it just keep on going not like other brands..sorta pakai buang scheme..
Well, they gave me a T61...a 14inch widescreen chugger..It's almost twice as big as the eeepc..my back gonna curse me for this...may well serve the whole lifetime i'm here..coz it's like a tank...i think only those who have used thinkpad would appreciate the durability and built quality of the machines and forgiving its quirkyness..mainly its lame colour and screen brightness.
I thought i'm getting the xseries..the one i used before..but with deployment center have a rule to follow...male getting the t's and female gets the x's...coz it's lighter. it seems like i wont be getting rid of my asus eeepc yet.

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

Here come the taxmen...

For the 1st time ever..it took me less than 5 minutes to submit my e-filing for 2008...yeap that includes the time it took me to reset my password and retrieve a new password...it was a breeze..kudos to IRB for having a good system in place. But the IT guy i spoke over the phone in the morning mentioned the current set up are able to cope with 60,000 concurrent users in each session or was it each second..i forgot..but the problem usually occurs when our countrymen submitting it at the 11th hr..or end of the month...last year it was like 600,000 users trying to log in simultaneously...imagine cramming in 100 commuters in a mini bus..not even a supercomputer can cope with that kind of demand..or expectation...so dear readers stop facebooking for 10min and go here https://e.hasil.org.my/

I'm still waiting for my tax refund for 2004-2007..sigh

Geylang Kopitiam

We went here last weekend and were surprised with the variety of foods they're offering...it's not ur typical kopitiam like old town..focusing on coffee n toast..but instead authentic singaporean delicacies. I never fancied kacang pool/fool/phol...but wifey loves this one so much..sorta a common delicacies in her family...i'm a more sup tulang merah fan..and it was not that bad. The best sup tulang merah i had was in perth by iman's grand auntie. The one here did not have the same taste but yet quite filling as the one in perth..
How to get there..just aim for taipan area....it's located at the corner shoplot near to the al falakh mosque...can't miss it. They do have another branch or i think the main branch in shah alam...it's owned by a malay singaporean couple...go check it out..
No coordinates were taken down while eating here...the writer was too busy eating to care abt that..

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

My last days..

This will be my last days as a free man..starting this thursday..i'll be one of the minions of an evil organization hell bent on destroying the world..ok that was an exaggeration..tak pepasal offer letter aku kena tarik balik...but to put it mildly..i'll be joining the rat race again...my mind keep imagining the guinea pig running in that roller cage...arghhh...no turning back..already signed with blood..blue colored..
Anyway..i hoped to not blog abt my work..coz its kinda gray area..some ppl do get fired after ranting abt their work or firm..i shud put up a disclaimer in here to avoid that personal or professional views in an entry..
But looking back...what else i can blog except for my work...my previous entries were abt my xboss or vendors..their colourful characters..and how awful ppl can be...it's kinda depressing..
By the way..i remembered posting an entry about long winded and vague position...well i got my wish..after the two words in the pic up there...3 more corresponding words come after it...and that does not include the 2 sectors i'm handling..it's gonna be a mouthful..just hope the job isn't a handful...hey it ryhmes!
And last nite...i had a weirdest dream..well frankly all dreams are weird..but last nite i dreamt of pouring water on the laptop keyboard...well at least it's a thinkpad..so it wont be a problem..but wat the heck was that?

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

pix of the day

ni kalau audit 5S tgk ni sure dah kena tolak banyak markah. tapi bilik siapakah ni? obviously not from Block 10



sila speku.

hint:
1) change from stylo to nerdy just recently

Test print screen

Testing...

That's where we're staying rite now...

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

THE EDGE IN SEPANG

Since getting this phone..i've added unlimited celcom broadband to my bill..opted for the RM68 instead of rm98 which supports hsdpa..but i figured..only city centres have the 3.5mbps pipeline...so why bother paying 30ringgit extra if the service is crap..even usj area still connected to 3G..with intermittent connection to the latest 3.5G bandwith...to my surprise when we went to alor star..the 3G coverage is pretty good..i was able to surf way much faster than a dial up modem...but it took me awhile to tether the nokia to my ubuntu eeepc...luckily i just updated the laptop to the latest distro which supports e71....sigh.....and here in sepang..they finally rolled out EDGE aka 2.5G pipeline...yeah still slow but atleast it is stable not as erratic as the dial-up...so after many2 years using the 1515 service..i might just cancel that account..and for the 1st time i'm able to post an entry from my hometown...wooohoooo
Thank you celcom( this entry by no means endorsing the service provided to other areas..and not paid advertisement)

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

Mee udang Kuala Sepetang

This place is quite famous for the mee udang...and pretty packed due to the by election..
The prawn portion is generous and less noodle..i was pretty full after eating only the prawns..they are huge....the whole dish taste sweet and hot at the same time...am not very good to describe how good this noodle is...except to try it urself..
But on a sad note..the menantu passed away while working there..not sure of what..but the owner have to close the shop immediately after ambulance took the body away...and ppl kept coming in..they have to put up a sign board " kedai tutup" at the roadside...pity...
I was planning to put up the coordinates for this place using my gps enabled phone..so others will be able to try it out later with their gps..but i still can't figure out how to print screen on this phone..
This is what i got from the saved location function..some gibberish..hopefully i can sort this out later...
<GarminPoint lat="0.107926597" lon="1.751899907"> <name>Point</name> </GarminPoint>

Sent from my Nokia E71 phone

another date with mr tow truck

Maybe i have to mandi bunga...luck is just not on my side these days...2nd time riding tow truck within 3 months in malaysia..and both time while driving wifey for her duties to the country...why me!!

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An end to the extended early retirement

Yes..it's finally over..my so called honeymoon. Am suppose to report duty on 16th of apr. It was pretty quick though, landing this job..of all the ppl I contacted..and interview I went...I didn't called him..my former boss suddenly called me on tuesday..asking why I didn't called him sooner..I gave him the usual bs...then met up with him on wednesday..2hrs of male bonding and kowtowing..and only 1 minute of real interview question.on thursday hr contacted to finalise the deal..and the next tuesday i accepted the offer..
In term of package..i was shooting for the sky..but end up falling flat on the ground..it's the employers market currently. So i can't complained much. I didn't even get a 30% increase..instead a 5% per yr increment for the 2 yrs i left the firm...sigh. I can't even get a higher band for the role i'm taking on..arghhh!
So now, i need a new wardrobe..can't fit into my old clothes...but i have a feeling wifey plak yg terover excited.

Via E71

missing my car

Yeay...i already secured a parking spot for MAFS0. Wanted to bring back the old MAFS0 but there's already 2 buyers waiting inline for it back home. Kalo masuk ebay nih sure untung...cash only!..So kena la carik a new version of MAFSO. At the moment i'm adjusting to MARbIIb which belongs to my father...hazab betul nak park kete nih..and pls no side parking for me!!! and the fuel consumption is like a thirsty camel! Mr evil has resigned from his chauffering activities..to take on a bigger role..as the work from home stuff he's doing rite now so im driving to work now every single day...huuuu

via E63

sisih sapu susun seragam sorok....so??

pix from last nite just before i left. this is how it looks before the 5S audit ppl came this morning. rite after lunch back to the usual mess
via E63

Idiot driver

Personally, i couldn't care less..but you drive a pretty expensive car..meaning u earn more than me..and theoretically u must have at least have a degree or passed high school...so not mentally retarded or blind..but u still act like an idiot parking ur car like that. nak senang parking pakai kapcai la!

via E63

Histo in History

Yesterday morning..i checked my mail for any happy news e.g offer letter or something close to it..but i end up with a sad news from the folks in sydney....

Dear Zul,
miss you, do you miss us? news news news histoderm is no more. we have
been made redundant! heard last week at the beach where else, that
things are bad in malaysia, do you have a job? how is sherri doing? when
are you coming back? try puppy tia @ hot mail! gotta go,let us know how
you are doing.
arlene mark and poopy

I was shocked!!...took me awhile to gather myself before i was able to read that email again and again..i just couldn't believe my eyes that they were made redundant in an instant. In a way..i was glad that i didn't took up the permanent position when they offered me a working visa last year..but sad coz these ppl are my friends...
Today, i called arlene..and she explained everything in detail...their last day will be tomorrow...the HQ wants to consolidate labs in sydney..so they're forcing everybody to move up to rhodes...north of sydney....well not everybody though..they're terminating couple of ppl..and offered VSS to mark and arlene. Since both of them have served in the lab more than 10yrs..the package seems to be worth it. Mark already got a job in another lab and starts in the coming monday..arlene is planning to take it easy for couple of weeks before applying any jobs in the maroubra area.She hates the thought of driving for more than 20 minutes to work... Hui and Jeanelle took up a position in rhodes since both of them are new to the team so no vss would be worth it for them. Gaby the office jerk resigned...julie and sharon still looking for a job i guess..annete the liason officer..a total bit*h from rhodes terminated with 24hrs notice..or maybe less. She came in the morning...the boss gave her the axe..she packed her bag and personal stuff...the boss followed her to the company car...cleared all her stuff...followed her to lobby and waited until she got into the taxi..just incase she goes berserk and start killing the top managemen with a stapler..

So, the pictures i took before i left will be a lasting memory of that place...all the best guys..

Now I know why...

Why employer reluctant to allow staffs to work from home...one get too comfortable at home..no pressure..and nothing gets done.
Last friday, after jumaat prayer in bandar utama and makan briani kambing kaw..RM 8..I went to OU to chill with frens..and while waiting for them..I managed to get started on my biz plan which I procastinated to write 2 weeks ago..plus a new opportunity..
This work from home is just a propaganda to do less for more pay...yeah most of the ppl I met who work from home are highly paid due to the title they hold..Global Business Operation lah..Asia Pacific Leader something lah...I remembered a CEO who thinks the more words in the job title the less work he does..sorta inferiority complex.over compensating maybe...like Chief Exec Officer..or Asst Vice President.especially if it's a matrix organisation....compared to Clerk..or Nurse..Prebet..it's short and simple but they bare the grunt of the work...
Also now I know why ppl hangs out in these cafes during office hours....they dun have a proper job like me...pretending to look busy but instead surfing FB or blogs. I mean it's no harm entertaining ur clients in here..cheaper than makan hotel..but I always baffled those who came in with jeans and tshirts and sat with a glass of ice blended macchiato all day long...there u have it..my observation of the week

LCD Obsessed Culture (LOC)

These day..gadgets comes in every shape and sizes...and most of these stuff comes with an LCD screen. ..it reminds me the must have watch to have and be seen...the 1st digital watch..that was maybe 20 yrs ago...casio was it?? or alba...basic features..it has a cool stopwatch function..anyways from there on i think i've developed this syndrome...
Most of the toys i've purchase must have LCD screen...that's why i didn't get myself an ipod shuffle...it doesn't have any screen at all...for me..the more screen..the better. Bigger screen are the best..
I've ignored the syndrome for a very long time..coz maybe i didn't noticed it...but it has manifested again lately when wifey and I goes window shopping for new kitchen appliances..and i noticed most of the appliances i liked has a screen or should have one...

1. Toaster - already bought one in aussie..didn't have one...it's just sucks
2. Rice cooker - haven't seen one..hopefully the japs would come up with one..
3. Fridge - i think samsung has this lcd screen with reflective glass door..uber cool
4. microwave - LCD is a std feature..so no worry
5. hob - not sure wat to do with the LCD screen..haven't seen any model with it..maybe can be implemented with the convection tempered glass hobs...it's a hob and a tv..so u dun miss out those precious oprah moment while cooking
6. hood - this wat inspired me for this entry...i saw a touch sensitive hood by fagor or rinnai..not sure..haven't accustomed myself with the brand name..anyway..i drooled over this thing
7. oven - should be the same as the microwave...
8. washer & dryer - hmm...i dun need a LCD screen..but if it can fold the clothes and put it neatly in the wardrobe..i'm a happy man...coz i'm very bad at lipating baju..could never get the right dimension for each one i folded..

So there...hoped somebody out there from the engineering dept read this entry...make my wish come true..thank you

labelling hobby

My father likes labelling...he would labelled all of the stuffs he bought with date and price..sometimes with home address..
Once while we're in sydney..i asked my father to bring in a gayung for the toilet from malaysia. He wrote down our maroubra address complete with postcode and state...hahaha..
Mr evil was LOL when he saw the gayung..coz he doesn't see any benefit out of it...

via E63

My sweet feet

While we're doing spring cleaning for usj house, i found something very nostalgic. It's a bottle of feet talcum..for smelly foot toddlers and based on the condition and brand of the talcum...it's centuries old..expired long time ago..
.....hehehe..gebuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

via E63