CANE & BELT

I had a rather interesting dialogue with a couple of work colleagues. All are married with kids (sorry, no chance for you single and young female readers...if there is any).

We were talking about how to discipline a child in this modern age. The cane is apparently the top choice as the most effective way to halt a child's wrong doing or mischief. Followed by...yes, you guess it ... a belt...yeah yeah....I know most of you disagree and will leave a comment requesting my contact number to report for child abuse.

I will only support the canning but definitely not the belt or clothes hanger for that matter. It was this guy whom has lived in Scotland for more than 15 years and it is his wife that uses the belt to discipline their children. The wife is an "Ang Mo" (white Caucasian) and prefer to use the belt and cane (made in Malaysia bought by the husband during his annual visit to his home town in KL) to teach their children a lesson. My immediate thought of the buckle hitting the poor old fella's body must be dreadful...maybe I have been watching too much of those violent and bloody DVDs...no parents in their right mind would do that...or would they?

Then, there is this other guy whom his wife is the so called "the bad guy" in the family that will not hesitate to whack the kids with rattan canes until there is distinguished cane mark....almost bleed as he described it ... on arms and legs around the areas not covered by sleeves or pants/skirts. He said the wife has no 'feeling' when executing these punishment BUT it was so effective that every time when the children are no behaving, all she need to do is stood and stare at the guilty party. Suddenly, everything is back to normal and the kids behave like angels.

We have also talked about "time-out". I used to practice that a lot on my eldest son when he was 3 or 4 years old. But, it soon lost its effectiveness that I had to buy 2 rotans (rattans) from the market that will do the magic. This other colleague whom uses "time-out" method said a couple of months back he ordered his then 8 years old son to stand at the corner, the son was so emotional that he broke out and cried...while banging his head on the wall....I thought that was quite stupid of him. The father then has to quickly stop him from further causing injury to his tiny brain.

After finishing my Kopi-O (black coffee), I continue and asked if anybody ever stopped in the middle of the highway and kick their children out of their cars? To my surprise, all of them concurred.

I felt really good because I am not the only one that has ordered my son to get out of the vehicle on one of our Melaka trips. One of them even said, the wife said "let's go home...and don't look back". Apparently, they have left their 8 years old son along the main road near One-Utama shopping complex and drove home without him. Luckily they were staying around the vicinity and the son actually knew the way and walked all the way home. After that the poor boy never repeats the nonsense in the car anymore.

One thing for sure....regardless of how do we discipline our own children, the most important point to remember is that they are not severely harmed/injured (physically and mentally). Choose a method that is most effective and one that will not have an adverse effect (both long and short terms) and definitely not get you in jail!

NO NOSE

Paaaa.....PAA, early morning and my girl was calling for me. "Good morning!" I said as I walked down the stairs. She saw me and dashed right at my direction and said "Heelloooo Paaa" while rubbing her face full of chocolate chips from the Choc cookies she had for breakfast.

I told her to stop rubbing so hard and that "If you rub so hard, your nose may fall off and your eyes & mouth may change shape". She rubs even harder and I had to stop her. This time she looked at me and gave a cheeky smile. I said "Why do you do that?" She replied "I want to rub off my nose so that I can change to Mummy's nose.." I asked again "Why?" She paused for a while and said "Mum said if I tell lies, my nose will grow very very long like Pinocchio. So, I want to rub it off so that you change another nose for me that will not grow longer when I tell lies..."

I looked at her innocent face for a moment and said "Look girl, you don't have to change your nose because you want to tell lies....all nose will grow when you are not telling the truth."

She immediately responded and said "Noooo, Mum tell so many lies but her nose is still the same....like when she told Poh Poh that she has lost so much weight looking after all we monkeys but at home, every time I heard she said Ohhh Man...I am sooo fat got to go gym." "And when Mum told the pork man at the pasar (market) that she only has 10 ringgit, so give discount lah...when later I saw she has more money in her pocket".

I laughed and said "Don't be silly lah...actually your nose will not grow long long even if you tell lies...this is something big people say to make small people like you not to tell lies lah. But you should never tell lies OK?"

She gave me a big grin and said as she ran out to the garden "Now I am going to tell Kakak (our maid) to throw away my porridge cos my tummy pain pain...."

I soon realized that I have made a big mistake to wipe off her belief in the long nose story. I need to think of another way to stop her from lying. Maybe a big pair of Dumbo ears should do the trick? Or is she too clever to know that this is just another scam.

TONG Sampah (Disposal BIN)

Drove pass a double storey linked house this morning on my way to work and saw this disgusting pile of crap, waste objects, plastic bags, old newspaper etc. with some over-night leftover food or sort dripping all over the supposedly rubbish bin.

There is this white paint writings on the disposal bin that reads "TONG SAMPAH". My goodness, how obvious can that be... I will be damn surprised if the council's trash collector can miss this one. What else can a bin filled with such amount of crap be? A new way of decorating one's home? Or maybe scientific raw material for advanced chemical research?

I would rather not waste the white paint but to write something like "Harap jangan marah kerana sampah yang menjijikan ini!" (Please do not be crossed over the state of this disgusting pile of crap in front of my door step.) At least, in that way the council's trash collector will not crush the rubbish bin to release anger due to the awful (and inconsiderate garbage owner) way of disposing the refuse.

SALARY Review

As a result of the annual salary review cycle which ended last month, most employees have got their salary adjustment letters just before the actual salary going into their respective bank's account end of this month.

I can clearly see some happy and some not-so-happy faces. Funny how these things affect people THAT much. The immediate reactions include higher Internet hit rate on Recruitment sites, online shopping (obviously something to celebrate and time to buy some goodies for the loved one...or could be a reward for one self...like the expensive watch that kept appearing in their dream), and last but not least the instant messengers...to keep friends and family informed of what has happened to their income.

I am equally anxious about mine but for some reason it has lost the 'sense of excitement' probably because I have already knew what to expect being too long in the work force i.e. zero is OK but anything else would be a bonus!....Yes, sad isn't it....when you have been too long in a company and constantly infested with the fear of being replaced by younger (and obviously cheaper) candidate from the street.

Nonetheless, I won't say I am not prepared for the day when the chop will come...it's not the first time and it will not be the last as long as I am still working for someone.

I quite like the idea of playing coach and mentor around these periods as many of the younger peers will seek advices from old fart like me (I am not that old really...just turned 4 big ones but looked like 24 that type of baby face). Almost all these "wise" words revolved around the topics of "fair versus unfair" and "To go or not to go".

Oh well, whom am I kidding...I have my own ass to cover. On one hand, I tried to play saint and persuade people to stay but on the other, I would hint that perhaps a greener pasture awaits on the other end of the rainbow if your personal aspiration moved in tangent with the company's goals.

And then there will be a time when I stopped and think for a moment....What about me? uhmmm, should I change? Or this job is way too comfortable? I will tell you when I finally bite the bullet. Now, get back to your work (if you actually have one).

LIFE on THE fast LANE

I have just returned from abroad after a hectic business trip in Manila. It was an exhausting week considering I had less than 3 hours sleep every night that I have slept all the way on the plane (well, almost...until some punk shook my arm during the meal time).

No..no..it's not like what you think...making full use of every minute to have a good time with those model-looking Filipino chics though I wish I had. Maybe next time and I will write them in this blog when that happens.

Anyway, I had a little bit of private time while waiting in the departure lounge in Manila airport. It was a wide open area where passengers are scattered around their departure gates waiting for the boarding announcement. It may be the time of the day that most flights are heading to those OFW (Overseas Foreign Workers) favourite destinations like Bahrain, Riyadh, Qatar, Doha etc. Mind you all the OFW folks going out to work at these places are not exactly the maids or construction workers by the looks of the way they dressed and carrying bags that they have with them...LV, Prada, Chanel (could be fake I know but, doesn't seem so because there is this charisma oozing out and simply make one believe that they belong to the elite group of expatriates).

I was watching this one family with 2 young daughters (maybe 5 and 8...I am guessing) traveling with the working father it seems. Wife was gorgeous...I mean my standard may be low but this gal was beautiful and uhmmm shappy. My guess is...husband work his guts out and she works her guts out at the gym and pool. Just when I thought how the hell will she manage that considering having to look after the two girls, house work, cooking etc. there is apparently this "maid" looking Filipino women was tagging along carrying some of their hand luggages.

Man, they are traveling with their own maid....imagine that. And for a moment, I thought they are one of those poor OFW families going out to earn some green back to support their nation's coffer. I was dead wrong ... they are probably the people that live on the fast lane and earn big bucks having an expatriate lifestyle in these countries.

Now I am jealous....and yes, I knew exactly how much are these people potentially earn as I have a rare chance to experience that kind of lifestyle for a short period of time (5 months to be exact) a couple of years ago. Live like King is understatement, the kind of "wild" experiences is beyond your imagination considering "money will do the talking" and there are tonnes of foreign nurses and school teachers that are willing to "do more" to please you. I have to stop thinking/writing now....otherwise, I may have to quit my job now and catch the next flight out there. Just kidding! You do have to strike a balance between those flamboyant lifestyle with reality and I think the latter does last a little longer considering the fact that you will not be able to sustain sleepless nights for too many months/years having different partners every night.

Age must have caught up with me as I have not thought about the future until I saw this Filipino family and reminded myself of the "life in the desert". There are still so much to do and prepare for the younger generation. I wanted to be able to live and meet my son-in-law...wow...that's a scary thought. Maybe play a round of golf and beat the shit out of him (or the other way round). Changing lanes along the course may just alter the entire outcome altogether.

Alive and Kicking in MANILA

Arrived in Manila, Philippines yesterday afternoon. It's been 2 months since I was last here. Nothing much has changed...still as chaotic as ever. Working chics are still plentiful and pretty & sexy as can be. I am still not fully recovered from my cough and flu....still coughing like a dog. Really hated this else I could be having more fun for this trip.

I will be here with some UK blokes (our partner) until at least the end of the week but the agenda is pack as hell...boring.

Last night, we wet out for dinner at this very nice Italian restaurant in Greenbelt. Fantastic food but one of the brits (mind you...he has just arrived and have not even adjusted to the time zone yet) has already greasing his eye balls at all young and fabulous chics that waltzing around our table.

One peek at the open air bar and pubs downstairs, woopie....more of those REALLY REALLY attractive patrons with VERY revealing attire. I can tell that our guests are eager to get into action. They ordered a speedy buffet dinner and a bottle of wine. But within 20 minutes, they are done. Leaving me and my other colleague from local office still struggling to shaft our food down the throat. Do you really think the 'Ang Mo' (whites) has wider throats thats why they grow into much larger body physique than the Asian? Probably.

Anyway, after paying the bill (they paid of course considering after converting to their currency, it is probably less than the expense for one person) we head straight to the nearest watering hole. A bar called "Sexy Blue" or something.

When inside, I was shock to see that there are like sea of teenagers and 'working girl' looking chics everywhere. The ratio is like 5 girls to a guy. Forget about the live band...was so loud that I couldn't be bothered to talk...just nod and smile...don't know what the hell is everyone's saying.

I ordered a bottle of San Miguel beer and my guests went straight to the serious stuff...brandy and whisky by the bottle. Obviously, the first chic that got hit was the waitress...she was only wearing a bra and tight shorts...you know the type that is not meant for plump people. Very cheeky as she serves and occasionally rubbing against our friends from the country that just got bomb at by their own terrorists. And for that she gets 200 pesos tips (about RM 14)! I am sure I will be seeing more of her and her friends coming by here.

After that, a group of 3 chics in their late twenties walked towards our direction and my itchy friend can't help but to chat them out...and they answered! My instinct told me to leave as I can sense something more exciting going to happen. I can practically see their blossoms as they are wearing the kind of low cuts that is as good as not wearing anything on the top (of course). 'Salamat po' (Thank you) I said and I just need to excuse myself...not that I want to but I knew I will probably check straight into the hospital if I don't. Damn!!! I am definitely going to take some interesting photos in there if I had stayed.

One of the chics grabbed me as I was walking out and say...hey, why go so fast....we are fun you know....(of course, I knew...you think I was born today!)...she gave me a sloppy kiss on the neck and I just have to push her off ... gotta kick myself for this.

Anyway, the night went passed quickly and I felt much better the next morning. Well, what happened to my guests....I had to wait at the breakfast place for over an hour before they reply to my SMS. Needless to say...someone got laid and I think they probably forgot their own names when they return to the hotel last night. I just hope they have their kidneys intact as there are cases (could be a hoax) that people woke up in the bathtub filled with ice cubes and one side of their kidney missing!!!

I can't wait till tonight...lets see where our local guide is going to bring us.

SEPET...The Movie

I know what you are going to say...Yes...it's been out ages ago and probably a stale story to tell. But, I just want to blog about it while catching a breathe between rushing out a proposal.

I have borrowed this SEPET CD from a golfer friend. He has been telling me about this movie since like February but only remembered to bring it last Saturday and I have no time to watch it until about 2 hours ago.

The story line is quite simple and no brainer to some respect. It is about a Chinese boy named Jason Lee Siau Loong (Bruce Lee!) who is a part-time illegal VCD seller. He fell in love with a Malay girl called Orkid. This is truly a Malaysian made movie and some contents may be termed as sensitive to some. It talked about inter-racial marriage, preferential treatment to certain race, how the culture differences introduce like a huge wall between different races from trying to explore what is it like living the lifestyle of the others (of different ancestry).

It is really unlike movies that I would usually go for (I like all those action packed, really haunted ghost movies, hradcroe pron, black comedy) but once in the blue moon I would watch crappy movie like this one. Somehow it gives you a really warmth feeling about what is happening in real life and through the eyes of some people who see things differently.

The ending of the movie was quite sad that Jason has to die in a road accident right after everything seems to be going well again and another happy ending.

There are a couple of scenes which are quite cool like:

Ah Keong (Jason's friend) said: "some xxxxx are lazy..." and Orkid said "No, all xxxxx are lazy" this is probably why the movie has stirred up quite a big storm amongst the xxxxx community.

Ah Keong was lying on the hospital bed after kena hantam (beaten up) by some gangsters...he said: "Wah...going out with a pretty xxxxx chic wearing sarong and nothing inside..." then he actually put his hand in his uuhhmmm...you know where and adjust his position on the bed.

Yam (Orkid's nanny and housekeeper) was combing Orkid's mum hair and the mum is combing Orkid's hair on the staircase, Orkid's dad walked down the stairs and handed Orkid a comb....but he is bald!!!

Ok...Ok...enough of shit like this...boring for most I know. Let's switch back to my British Open...I think Tiger is going to win this year. It's too easy for him....driving 300+ yards and always putting for eagle at the link course like that. If you are not a golfer or do not have a golfer boy friend or husband, this is Greek to you. Oh well, tough shit...good night and have a great xxx tonight.

Deadline, Flu, Problem, Problem and Problem..

Didn't write much lately partly due to the proposal deadline for one of the bigger bids that I am working on. We have been following this account for almost a year now. Boring!

What can be worst than having to work your guts out ...long hours...and catch a flu along the way. The ruler 'up there' is fair when come to treating people like me...having an easy and totally unexciting working life. Have so much time to relax and blog when market is slow and customers has no budget. Once in a while, shit happens and you are going to work your butts out and doubly cursed with some illness that make your day even gloomier.

That's is still not bad enough. There are like 3 other domestic problems coincidentally took place within the same week. My better half begin to churn out all complains kept for the last 6 months, children having flu (hmmm....may have caught mine from them...what to do...I am such a loving dad) and cough (I have walked in and out of the same clinic more than 3 times within a week...asking for same sort of medicine...luckily ING is paying). And worst of all, the maid's problem...oh yes..this is the worst as it is turning the entire household almost upside down and inside out. Totally chaotic!

Is this what Lilian Too (not sure if that is the correct surname) the famous Feng Shui Master termed as the 'bad time'...the lowest point of the year? I must go and get some Patt Quah or Pi Yu to protect those strategic angles and positions at my home. Oh heck! may be I should just make myself more ill and get admitted into hospital....that way I can get away from work, family, and nonsense about maid problems. Didn't you hear about "Ta Ming Pu Sze, Pit Yu Hoh Fuk!" translated from Mandarin as "if you survive death (or serious illness/tragedy), there will be good luck awaits you".

Aiiiyah....just couldn't do it....I am just not the give up type...just need to go through it...may be tomorrow when I wake up, all trouble will be gone.

Good night and hope I don't get up tomorrow morning and see a pretty nurse serving me breakfast.

Proton and Their Problems

Gone are the days when Proton cars charted the top 60% (or more) of the private vehicle market share in Malaysia. I am not surprised at all not just because of recent surge of locally assembled cars like Naza and Honda that has succeeded in penetrating the midrange car market. Especially those priced between RM 60K-90K but more to blame was the quality of the newer model of Proton cars....simply appalling.

I have heard enough of bitching and cursing amongst the new Proton car owners and regrets is often understatement.

The shield and protection has gradually vanishes following the retirement of one of our great leaders. It is time to really go through the acid test of competition with car manufacturer of its class. Forget about AFTA which is probably a joke as the net effect on imported car's prices is simply not exhilarating at all.

So, what can really go wrong with Proton? Nothing, really... except for the management of the national car company which is probably a bunch of monkeys putting on their thinking cap trying to entice the investors and board with unrealistic profit forecast and revenue projection.

It is pure common sense that if you cannot increase the car sales or boast the market share globally, the only alternative is to cut cost of production. They can't slash their employees either otherwise there will be too many unemployed "certain race" and that will definitely tipped over the scale of New Economic Policy that require extension to achieve the original objective.

That leaves the quality of the car parts and production costs. Right, now we are talking... why not source the supplier within (locally) and get Ah Beng and Ahmad to supply the plastic car parts made of recycled materials. And don't forget Muthusamy for the scrap metals for the body. There...all sorted...we can cut to cost by as much as 50%....says one executive.

Hmmmm....that make perfect sense, says the boss and let's do it! All we need is some really fancy design ... design that will fool all the buyers whom will only find out about the Milo tin or Coke's can when they accidentally scratch their car in an accident.

Savvy could be another story ... the body may well be made of recycled old proton that has been in the yard for way too long but no takers.

Another Look at SMART & STUPID

I was reading a very interesting blog on viewtru about 'smart' and 'stupid'. I couldn't help it but have dropped a comment or two on the same topic with an analogy that I have heard from years ago.

Why are people born differently? Does it really matters if you have more gray substance enfold within one's cranium?

I am a true believer of circumstances and most importantly the environment and place of abode that one subsists in. I mean .... look at the jungle living tribes in certain undeveloped, unspoiled land of today. The natives that live there do not really need to stress their IQ too much in order to survive another day. And yet, they learn to hunt, cook, cure and reproduce to ensure continuity of their heritage. It is the survival instinct that encouraged them to be at par with others or risk not having the delicious wild boar's penis for snack at later part of the day.

Being smart or dumb in such undemanding state of affairs rarely makes a great difference to their day-to-day chores.

A total reverse of the situation applies to the world that we currently live in. You may say it is a jungle out there but without a little bit of wit, and to do thing a little bit more efficient (doing things right the first time rather than doing the right thing), I will be damn surprise that no one called you "stupid" just because you did not churn out results that they are expecting.

Hence, the word "stupid" became synonym to doing the wrong thing....who defines the "wrong" anyway.

For example, if you ask your domestic helper (if you have one of those) to wash your car (obviously, if you have a maid, you should own one of these as well) and she (have not met a male maid yet) pulled out one of your old T-shirts for the final rinse and dry.

Suddenly, you heard an unusual squeak sound coming from the direction of your car .... creeeekkk.....craakkkkk....creeekkk......you jumped out of your leather sofa (if you have a maid and car, you should be living in a decent house and leather sofa should be the matching furniture I presume) and peep out....OMG! you yelled....three long zigzag lines of scratch marks being tattooed on your beloved car's bonnet. "Bodoh" and "Stupid" may be under statement at this point...but I am sure some swear words in your mother tongue should be in order.

Your wife (yes, you should have one of these else you do not need a domestic helper) quickly dash out of the kitchen (as she has to cook, otherwise your maid's food make you visit the 'jamban' - toilet, like 6 times a day!) and stop you from grabbing the golf clubs (that completes the lifestyle of 'smart' people like you...minus the children...they should be on the way soon...after all these stress...you need a good fcuk) to take a swing at the maid. Your wife has to clean up the blood stain if she doesn't stop you. You then realized that an instruction to the maid was missing, you forgot to ask her to check if the buttons on the T-Shirt was removed before she uses it. Now...whose fault was that...the 'smart' or the 'stupid'?

The maid would not have inkling about washing a car...otherwise, they could be better off than you.

In the land of the Blinds, One Eye is King! Everybody is considered smart in their own way, it is where you are and whom you are mixing with that determines your level of intelligence.

It's just relative!

4th of July "Thugs"

The grandfather clock just struck 12 times as I was watching the Smurfit Open Final day 'Live'. Suddenly, there were like machine guns shooting from all directions. WTF! I thought ... this is not even CNY or any eve of major celebrations.

When I pop my head out of the window, there it was ... beautiful fireworks embraced the otherwise clear and tranquil midnight sky. That must have been at least a solid 15 minutes of majestic fireworks display (probably more magnificent than the government sponsored pyrotechnics exhibit).

Just as I was trying to figure out what seem to be the occasion that warrant spending the thousands of dollar, my eldest boy came into the room and yelled "Happy Independence Day!!!" I was shocked at first but managed to calm down and asked "What do you mean? this is not even August...didn't your teacher teach you about our Independence Day?". He said "No......This is America's Independence Day lah not our own Merdeka Day lah ... silly".

Hmm...that's true .... 4th of July and there is a quite a big American community living at the nearby housing estate. No wonder they are celebrating like 12 hours ahead of their fellow Americans back home in the states.

"How do you know that?" I asked again. "I read it from Mum's phone just now and Mum told me tomorrow is America's Independence Day...someone sent her a SMS ...blaa ..blaa ... blaa and let me knw if u r off 2moro, it's Independence Day! Thks" He was quoting each word of the message presumably acronym from the SMS ending with "thugs". I thought for a short while and replied " Son, it is not THUGS....it's 'Thanks' in short....people trying to save the keystrokes in the SMS messages hence, 'thks' is actually 'thanks'....got it?"

"Ohhhh...no wonder....there are so many words that I can't even pronounce...like 'IMHO', 'ahole', 'lol', 'l8r' ....".

A word of advice, put away you phone or at least keypad lock it ... otherwise, you never know how will your younger children use those new language that they have learned from the SMS messages.

Living on Credit

This is not something new...in fact, I have seen many people both here and abroad that live on Credit from the day they first obtained a credit card from the financial institutions.

Imagine living on future money... money that you have not earned but somehow the banks are willing to extend the kind gesture to all the poor souls knowing that they can squeeze the exorbitant interest charges that accrues until you finally paid off all outstanding balances. Yes, you can continue to enjoy your flamboyant lifestyle, nice watches, pub hopping, golf and designer cafe etcetera. When the spending reaching the pre-approved limits, a very sweet voice from the card centre miraculously phone you and say, congratulations sir/madam...we have increased your credit limit...you can continue to live like King but don't forget to pay the minimum payment. Phew! you said...and thought you need to go back to your frugal lifestyle but nooo...my lucky star is still shining.....

Wake up my friend!

If you think that the minimum payment is actually 'minimum', then you are damn wrong. The minimum payment is merely the sum of money that covers the interest charges (ranges between 18% - 19% p.a.) for unpaid credit balances plus possibly a tiny fraction of the original balance from your spending on card. If you read the fine prints on your credit card's statement you should see the explanation on 'minimum payment' that roughly translated into "If you pay minimum payment every month...you will eventually clear all you credit debt with the bank." Yeah right @#*$% you fcuking misleading pigs...may be in the next 5 or 10 years you can probably achieve that.

The interest is always compounded and the system at the bank already calculated that the cardholder would continue to be their slave for as long as they continue to pay minimum payment every month. It's like paying minimum payment of 10-00 bucks where 7-00 bucks cover the interest charges and 3-00 for the outstanding balances.

So, if you are among those who still enjoy living on Credit but paying minimum payment every month...I wish you well and do take care of yourself as you need to live long enough to repay all your credit card debt.

Don't worry .... the bank will always be there with bunch of sweet voices at their call centres servicing all you loyal profit contributors.

A Pinch and A Punch on The First Day of The Month

Majority of the working class would be feeling ecstatic today as the wages is usually quietly sneaked into your bank account while you were sleeping the night before. With the exception of approximately 10% of you that expect the same around the first week of each month.

A Pinch - Miscellany bills, Splurge on that bottle of perfume that you thought may increase your chances of attracting some attention from the opposite gender, a new Accessory for your beloved car or motorbike (OK..OK..a new umbrella if you are still catching the train/bus/taxi), a new line of Designer Fashions (so that you look astonishing when walking with fellow colleagues), any small amount of expenditure <= 100 bucks.

A Punch - Your car loan repayment (if you are lucky enough to afford one), Rental (if you are a big boy/girl that finally stood on your own feet after hiding too long under your parents' home), Home loan (now, this is an achievement...got yourself something that keep you going and work like a slave for the next 15 or 25 years! You Idiot...You've asked for it!), Your Children's School Fees (no..no...this is not the neighborhood kindergarten or local elementary school that only asked for a small token to keep them going, we are talking about those Montessori Programs, Private and International Schools or worst still if your child has been sent overseas where the exchange rate is at least double of your home country's....you are dead meat!!! You fool...now you must be regretting...just because your neighbor's children is also there...sigh!), last but not least Your Insurance Premium [it is true that you need some form of protection for your family when your "Bus is going to Jalan", time to go whether you like it or not when you had a little too much to drink but going at 180 km/h trying to rush home to watch the 'Live' telecast of Brazil Vs Argentina but some jerk suddenly decided to sway into your lane and whoosh!...you are in the queue ready to check-in to the other world. BUT, you don't have to elect coverage of 500K or more...just because the Insurance Agent has pulled her skirt a little higher (funny, women don't usually fall into these temptations even if the agent is a real hunk...no offence)]

On The First Day of The Month - Oh well, by this hour of the first day of the month, you would probably realized that the income is too minute and it is time to find a second or third job. And your bank balance has barely enough to cover your lunches, petrol/bus fare/train passes and occasional late night snack with your pals.

I hope that cheers you up a little before counting the days to end of the month. Have a good evening.

JOINERS ... LEAVERS ...THE PERPETUAL CYCLE...

Is this the trend for month-ends or the current job market simply improved and it is back to the good old days of "employees market"?

Just this morning, I've been receiving no less than 4 e-mails from different department heads announcing respective joiners to their department starting 1st of July.

And, by 5pm I am receiving "good bye" mails from fellow colleagues (6 and counting) ..."Blaa Blaa Blaa, today is my last day....thank you this thank you that....here is my personal contact details...keep in touch etcetera."

The irony was that to the company, the net effect in terms of headcount and resources pool is unaltered big fat ZERO. Can you imagine this, the joiners are saying good-byes to their respective fellow workers and our leaver making sure they have the seats warmed up in anticipation of the newbie's arrival. I guess this is the main reason for having the notice period so that company can plan for the seamless changeover....timing has to be right.

Amongst those 'good-bye' mails, one of them has my name spelt out as "someone he looked up to...mentor....blaa blaa blaa...." I was so touched (nope...didn't cry) and had to make my way to shake his hand and wish him well although he was sitting on another building floor.

When I return to my cubicle, I began to wonder "Do you really think there is such thing as growing old with the same firm you have joined since fresh out of school?".

Fcuk! don't waste your time, pack your bag and go home...start looking for a better paying job first thing tomorrow morning. Don't forget about the flashy BMW 525 poster that you have pinned on the wall for the last 15 years!

Bloody Maids Problem!

Today is really a shitty day, not because it is month end ..salary, bills..etc. but MAID's problem! We've just got a new maid, replacing the other that is due to return this Saturday after 2 years of service. She is really DUH (we had Ah Blurr, Ah Duh, Ah Tut...all alike, hollow between the ears). Their common reaction is to stare at you looking completely Blank when you talk to them...nothing went into their head as if you are blowing hot air straight into their faces.

This is actually our 6th or was it 7th maids since we started needing this social pain from 1998...can't live with them but can't live without either. Yeah, yeah I can do the maths its like one maid a year when the standard contract is for 2 years. Of the lots, 3 ran away and one demanded to be released as her ego was bigger than her breasts.

Since I have reported the runaway cases through the same police station, the officer even asked if I have touched their arse the wrong way...Fcuking bastards!

Anyway, back to the new maid...she has been here almost a week now...and we thought with the overlap and everything..we should have a seemless changeover...but we are damn wrong. Apparently, she told my old maid that she is not happy here...too much work, not relax at all and she wants to see the agent. She basically wants out and 'choose' another employer...she is going nuts (yes..we think she is loosing it as crying in the middle of the night and mumbles under her breathe all the time just doesn't give us the confidence that she is fit to work at all. Fcuk!

So, I called the agent and told her all these and that we can't possible live with the risk that she may harm the little ones at home. Out she goes...and begin our 3-months wait (again!) for another suitable one.

Sometimes, I just wonder...why us? Just luck I guess ... you just simply cannot rely on those fcuking make-believe biodata anymore. Come to think of it, the only time we had a good (reasonably OK) domestic helper was when my son (then 3 years old) 'tikam' [pick] one from the pile of biodata from the agency. May be I should do the same again....any 3 years old boy/girl that I can borrow?