WESAK DAY 2008

I had a glance on TV and they were interviewing some kids about Wesak Day. I had a shock of my life. I thought people are more educated these days and parents oh dear parents...some of them told their kids some rubbish information ey...One kid said that Buddha came from Thailand. One said Buddha came from China. What kind of 'history' do people teach their kids these days? There are a lot of literature these days for you parents and teachers to teach your children. If you do not know, do not make it up. Kids are your replica. They will reflect YOU whether you like it or not. Gautama Buddha was from INDIA not THAILAND or CHINA!

Anyway Happy Wesak Day my Buddhist Friends! Sorry to vent on this HOLY day...

MCP!!!!!

Well...I should not be angry at this..really...I received this email in Bahasa Malaysia (Malay language)...I am trying my best to translate....

No matter how poor my translation is...this must be written by an MCP (I think you know what it means);

Kajian Menarik terbaru..>> New interesting study:

*Lelaki:*> MEN

1. Pandu ke bank, parking dan berjalan ke mesin ATM> 1. Drove to the bank, park then walked to the ATM

2. Masukkan card> 2. Insert ATM card

3. Tekan number PIN dan jumlah yang dikehendaki> 3. Entered PIN and amount

4. Ambil duit, card dan receipt>> 4. Retrieve cash and receipt

*Wanita:*> WOMEN

1. Pandu ke bank> 1. Drove to the bank

2. Matikan enjin kereta> 2. Switch engine off

3. Perhatikan makeup di muka melalui cermin pemandu> 3. Check make-up through rear view mirror

4. Semburkan minyak wangi> 4. Spray perfume

5. Sikat rambut dan berjalan ke mesin ATM> 5. Comb hair then walk to the ATM

6. Mencari Kad ATM di dalam beg tangan> 6. Search for ATM card in the purse

7. Masukkan kad ATM> 7. Insert ATM card

8. Mencari nombor PIN ATm dekat celah penyepit rambut dalam beg tangan> 8. Look for PIN in the purse stucked in between hairpins

9. Tekan nombor PIN> 10. Enter PIN

10. Membaca arahan ATM selama hampir 2 minit> 10. Read instruction for 2 minutes

11. Tekan "Batal"> 11. Enter "Cancel"

12. Tekan sekali lagi nombor PIN> 12. Enter PIN again

13. Tekan "Batal" sekali lagi> 13. Enter "Cancel" again

14. Telefon suami atau pakwe untuk bertanya nombor PIN yang betul> 14. Call husband or boyfriend to ask the right PIN

15. Tekan nombor PIN yang betul dan periksa baki duit yang tinggal> 15. Enter the correct PIN and then check balance

16. Masukkan jumlah yang dikehendaki> 16. Enter amount

17. Tekan "Salah"> 17. Enter "Cancel"

18. Masukkan jumlah yang agak besar> 18. Enter bigger amount

19. Tekan "Salah" sekali lagi> 19. Enter "cancel" again

20. Masukkan jumlah yang lagi besar> 20. Enter a larger amount

21. Keluarkan dan amik duit dari mesin ATM> 21. Retrieve cash from ATM

22. Masuk ke dalam kereta> 22. Went back to the car

23. Periksa makeup di muka sekali lagi> 23. Check make-up again

24. Mencari kunci kereta dalam beg tangan> 24. Look for car keys in the purse

25. Hidupkan enjin kereta> 25. Start engine

26. Jalankan kereta.> 26. Start driving

27. Berhenti tiba-tiba> 27. Stop immediately

28. Pergi balik ke mesin ATM> 28. Went back to the bank (ATM)

29. Ambil Kad yang tertinggal dan resit.> 29. Retrieve left behind ATM card and the receipt

30. Masuk kembali ke kereta> 30. Went back to the car

31. Letakkan kad ATM di atas Dashboard> 31. Put ATM card on the dashboard

32. Buang resit atas jalan> 32. Throw away receipt

33. Tengok dekat cermin pemandu> 33. Look over the rear view mirror

34. Perika makeup sekali lagi> 34. Check make-up again

35. Membetul-betulkan rambut> 35. Check hair

36. Masukkan gear kereta untuk reverse (undur)>36. Reverse gear

37. Brake mengejut lagi> 37. Brake again

38. Masukkan gear kereta ke depan sebab tersilap tadi>38. Driving mode again (wrongly reversed)

39. Memandu lebih kurang 3 km> 39. 3 KM down the road

40. Baru teringat nak lepaskan hand brake..40. Remembered to release the hand brake

Phewwww......it's tough to be a woman huh???????

MENARA KUALA LUMPUR (KL TOWER)

The Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) sits in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. A colleague asked me to tag along to this place so I did..I met a few members of the management team of this tower since they were having a private function to say farewell to their Group CEO.

A breathtaking view from the top.
Malaysians, do pay a visit to this place, it is worth your money to pay to get in :-)

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

My conversation with a colleague yesterday was a little bit disturbing when he was belittling teachers. Certain remarks were made due to his incidents with a teacher who taught his son in school. The teacher were told to be very 'evil' and he was thinking of moving his son to another school. On a few separate occasions, I was faced some dilemmas regarding teachers and schools myself, having putting lil brother and sister through the process of education here. Those who went through education system everywhere in the world had for sure went through some weird incidents and issues whilst struggling to 'learn' about calculus or politics...I told my colleague to carefully assess the situation before making any harsh decision or action. If possible to talk things out with the teacher and tactfully talk to his son. Then, spookily I received an email from a teacher friend;

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE:

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?" Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

''I make kids wonder. I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.

They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE . What do you make Mr. CEO?" His jaw dropped, he went silent.

I forwarded this email to my collegue. He didn't say anything to me this morning...

WEEKEND GETAWAY

9.5.2008 Friday

2:15pm Picked up from home
I was excited about this little weekend getaway. Partly because I had wanted to have this with the one I have been in love with for a long time; Peter Petrelli. So, when he suggested we got away over the weekend, I said yes without hesitation. He arrived and I was happy. We were on our way to a chill-out weekend. In the car, I looked into my purse and realized that I forgot my camera. Great…so if you see any pics for this blog..I didn’t take them.

3:15pm LCCT
Parking was a little bitch. But we managed to get one. Well, after all Peter was my HERO! Ha ha.

4:10pm Depart
There was a group of people on the flight that was going to a hash run in Langkawi. The flight was full of ‘excited’ people and we both closed our eyes through the whole one hour flight to Langkawi.
5:10pm Arrival – Langkawi Airport
It was easy to find a ride to our hotel; Sunset Beach Resort in Pantai Tengah, Cenang. I hadn’t been to Langkawi in a Loooooong time and I was pretty surprised how beautiful this little island was. The sunset beach resort was the exact match to what I imagined the place was going to be.

We checked in. Very cozy room we got there…

7:00pm – Walkabout and Dinner
We made our way to walk around and see what’s around. We were next to the underwater world.

I thought to myself, if we don’t have any plan we should visit this place. We stopped by a bar to quench our thirst. We stepped out of the Bar and there’s a guy hailed us and yelled “Taxi?”. Peter Petrelli asked how much and we both jumped into the guy’s car and headed to Bonton.

8:00pm – Dinner at Bonton
Oh wow...that place was filled with beautiful cats. Hanging out like it was a cat’s joint. The ambiance was “Kampung” like. Very ‘Malay’ concept but nicely done. I saw a few people whom I thought I recognized from Bonton in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t know their names so I kept quiet. But Peter Petrelli was more curios than I did so he asked away only to find out I was wrong. We had a very nice dinner there. Then we headed back and rest.

10.5.2008 Saturday
10:30am Breakfast
I didn’t have much. I just had coffee and some scrambled eggs. Peter Petrelli suddenly had this idea of “Soldier” breakfast. I made a remark, ”That was very English and people in America/Canada called it differently”. We both laughed at it.

12:30pm

We were then picked up by Peter Petrelli’s friend; Sylar and Maya to Telaga Harbour. After a brief introduction, Peter Petrelli and I jumped into an ‘old’ Volvo where the door was almost ripped apart. I thought that was very ‘cute’. First we stopped for lunch at The Loaf which belongs to our former prime minister; Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed. The food was alright. I ordered the spaghetti Alio Olio and it was pretty drenched. I thought Alio Olio was supposed to be ‘dry’ and ‘oily’. It was oily alright but they didn’t get it quite right. O well, what do I know…I only know how to eat ha ha.
We then went to the boat and then went to Kuah so that Sylar would get some stuffs for his boat. Maya and I went to the Malay Restaurant and waited for the boys. There, Maya showed me some pictures of her home and friends there. I was intrigued by some of the pics and they brought the smiles to my face. We grew pretty tired waiting for the boys and finally they called it quit and sent us back to the Hotel. We agreed to meet up at Champor Champor later on in the evening for dinner and drinks

8:30pm – Champor Champor
We walked to Champor Champor coz it was not that far from Sunset Beach. Sylar and Maya were already there. We joined in and got our drinks. We met Uma and Theo. They own and run the bar. We had some pretty interesting drinking conversation. Some interesting people started to walk in.
We stopped for a bit and grabbed a table for dinner. I had some mutton curry and it was delicious.
We then return to the bar area to continue with silly talk. More interesting people started to walk in and as the night went further, the conversation started to get weirder. Sylar volunteered to send us back to the hotel.

Uma and Theo; Great company, great drinks and awesome food!

11.5.2008 Sunday
I probably woke up around 11:00am. We woke up and quickly grabbed a taxi and headed to Telaga Harbor.
12:30pm – Telaga Harbour
We arrived at Telaga Harbour but made a quick stop to tapaw (take away) some food. We got some sandwiches and Sylar let us in. We had a few bite and I was more excited to do some ‘sailing’.
While we were eating, there was this American Lady passing some flyers out to Peter Petrelli saying that she fixes sails. He talked to her for a little bit for Sylar needed the sails to be fixed. It was almost too spooky that this lady showed up when they needed one.

2:00pm – Sylar took the boat out
Sylar started the engine and off we went…leaving the harbor slowly. I was excited. The boys were busy. As we went further, the ‘ombak’ (tide) was really high. It had been a long time since I was on a boat. It started to rain…then heavily…I was drenched but I loved it. This one somehow didn’t agree with my tummy. I puked a few times. So did Maya it seemed. After that happened, Sylar decided to take the boat back. We arrived back safe and I was a little disappointed with what happened. I wish it could be a longer experience and as Sylar put it to the boys at the harbor…”Hujan dan perempuan sakit” which meant,”It rained and the women got sick”. What an unfortunate day….I wish I knew how to sail and knew what exactly to do…not DECKING…Maya lied down so I helped out a little bit when the boys were putting the sail up and down.

5:00pm – The Volvo wouldn’t start
That beat-up Volvo was cranky. It couldn’t start. We then decided to just call for a cab. We saw some monkeys on the street. A couple of tourists took some pictures. Our cab finally arrived. When we arrived, we agreed to meet up later in the bar next door for some food and drinks and to watch a little bit of football.

7:30pm – Dinner at the Oasis
Sylar and Maya were already waited at the Oasis for us. I had some Tandoori prawns and it was delicious. Peter Petrelli hardly touched his food and he claimed that he wasn’t that hungry. Then I realized it was mother’s day and I sent a text message to mom. I called and informed my sister and she was at “the Garden” gallivanting. Our table was at the beach and we could hear the sound of the tide..so soothing and relaxing. Peter Petrelli’s invited Maya to play pool. I didn’t want to embarrass the people around me with my pool skill so I just watch everyone played ha ha. We then watched a little bit of football and then headed back to the hotel. AT 11:30pm we were out like a light.

12.5.2008 Monday
8:00am – Taxi to the Langkawi Airport
We woke up in time to get ready to go home. 3 days were not enough for the both of us. The transport was waiting for us.

8:20am- Checking in

While lining up to check in, there was this lady with a daughter in a pram. She was in front of another lady who was in front of us…duh how many in front LOL…Anyway, she saw her husband coming in with some luggage and she left the line. A few minutes after she came back to the line and the lady in front of us refused to let her in. So she moved in front of us and Peter Petrelli made a remark saying she should get back. She told Peter Petrelli that because she was from India he looked down on her. She accused Peter Petrelli and the other lady of not ‘fearing god’ for refusing her to get back in the line. Finally, an older man behind us asked the lady to get in the line in front of him. At that time, I couldn’t be bothered to say anything. I learned from some people, in a heated situation, better stay quiet than adding fuel. Nevertheless, the older man saved the situation.

8:50am – Starbucks

After we checked in, we were both craving for Coffee and almost automatically we went to Starbucks. I had my usual Caramel Macchiato and Peter Petrelli had his cappuccino.

9:35am – AirAsia

We left Langkawi (sob sob)….

10:25am – Landed LCCT

We landed in KL apparently 10minutes ahead of schedule (wow..AirAsia must mention that huh). I was not looking forward to go back to work. The journey was pretty quiet. We both hardly said anything.

11:20am – Home

Peter Petrelli dropped me off.
Thank you Peter Petrelli for that little get away..and the opportunity to get to know you a little better. *KISS*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL SISTAH

Felt like only yesterday that I held her in my arms..she was a chubby baby and we all loved to pinch her chubby cheeks...now 25 years later..she's grown to be a beautiful woman. Even though we can't really pinch her chubby cheeks any longer, we still feel like pinching her anyway lol. My parents drove over 300km to be here with her on this day. We must celebrate with the loveliest gal in the world. She's no longer 'little'..we know that..but to us, she's still our lil gal whom we must protect from harms way. My dear little sister, Happy Birthday and we all LOVE you!

LABOUR DAY

I am thrilled that today is a holiday for people in Malaysia. I am not thrilled that it is already May in 2008. I made it a point that I vegetate today to the max. I didn't even get out of my apartment door. I was pretty content re-watching episodes of queer as folk (US version) and rome. I ordered in almost everything today starting from breakfast.

Yes! I am celebrating labour day without doing ANY labour work whatsoever.

This is ONE day that I refuse to think about or do work. NOT even house work.

I took the garbage out though...does that consider work? darn...

I received a few text messages from friends and colleagues wishing me happy labour day.This one caught my eyes;

"7 secret of success...I found the answers in my room;

1. Roof said-Aim High


2. Fan said-Be cool


3. Clock Said-Every minute is precious


4. Mirror said-Reflect before you act


5. Window said - See the world


6. Calendar said - Keep up-to-date


7. Door said - Push hard to achieve your goal

Wishing you HAPPY LABOUR DAY"

I am wishing all of you happy labour day as well :-) Enjoy!