Di Perantauan...

29 July 2007

Pukul 4 pagi aku dah bangun. Time ni lah aku baru terhegeh-hegeh nak packing. Kelam kabut gak, memandangkan aku dah suruh my dedicated taxi driver untuk ambik aku kat rumah pukul 6 pagi. Sebenarnya, flight ke Perth pukul 9:40 pagi. Tapi aku nak singgah office jap before ke airport sebab nak ambik documents and coats. On the way ke airport, hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Pukul 7:45 pagi baru sampai airport. Waktu nak check-in, terserempak dengan ND yang nak pegi meeting kat Jakarta.

After checking in, I headed straight to the business lounge. The thought of having a quick nap in the business lounge came to mind, but I quickly dismissed that idea as it was less than 2 hours away from the departure time. Takut overslept pulak! Instead I decided to treat myself to a hefty breakfast, feasting on what is available at the business lounge. The rest of the Malaysian delegates were also there, some looking overly tired for having to get up so early in the morning, some looking ever so eager to get on with the mission in Perth. I was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about this trip. There are a number of issues that need to be discussed carefully during this round of meetings.

Four passengers had gone missing after checking-in and this had delayed the entire boarding process. They finally showed up. Thank God! As the result, we were airborne 20 minutes late than scheduled. All in all, it was a smooth ride to Perth with minor bumps here and there. I sat next to a businessman from Perth who was on his way back from India (which I found out only minutes before we landed in Perth).

I slept for a while and woke up just in time for ‘brunch’. To my surprise, the meal served was an exact replica of what I had for breakfast at the business lounge. Takkan recycled kot!! Ha.. Ha. Tapi makan, tetap makan lah kann..

Sampai kat Perth, we proceeded to the Rydges Hotel which all of us would be staying for the next one week. Oh btw, the bus yg suppose to take us from airport to hotel datang lambat 30 minit…so sampai hotel pun dah lambat. And the fact that it is now the tail end of winter season in Australia, it was already dark when we reached Rydges at 5:30 p.m.

Lepas checking-in, aku keluar dengan other delegates for dinner. Teruk jugak le we all menapak coz semuanya tak tau ke mana nak pegi. Finally, we all berpecah. Majority pegi makan fish and chips, while aku dan 2 orang lagi (because takde tempat dah nak pegi) ended up kat kedai mamak… err, Northern Indian Restaurant…ke tiga-tiga belasah beriani (talk about trying something new!!). Lepas dinner, singgah ‘drug store’ untuk beli some supplies for my stay kat sini. Tengok tv jap… sambil layan sms kengkawan and then zzz…

Semoga Cepat Sembuh...

28 July 2007

Woke up late today. Perancangan nak ke office disebelah pagi, lenyap. Anyhow, aku still kena ke office sebab documents untuk ke Australia besok semuanya kat office... Walau sibuk macam mana pun today, aku dah promised myself to visit NA kat hospital. NA terkena serangan asma yg teruk sampai masuk ICU semalam. RS text aku cakap dia tak dapat join ke hospital sebab ada another engagement.

Segan jugak aku nak melawat anak dara orang kat hospital kalau sorang-sorang ;). Nasib baik NM and MZ pun nak pegi melawat tengah hari ni... so tak le segan sangat. Aku sampai ke hospital dah pukul 1:15 ptg. Ingatkan nak beli gift or flowers kat NA. Tup-tup, tutup pulak gift shop kat hospital ni. Hanj gilerr... Aku pun membebel kat staff hospital ni pasal gift shop yg tutup nih.... According to sorang nurse ni (aku rasa dia nurse lah kot... ada tanjak atas kepala.. hehe) tauke gift shop ni memang buka-tutup kedai ikut suka hati dia saje.... Laaa... macam tu pulak!!!

ICU tempat NA menginap ni terletak di tingkat 3, waktu naik lift ni aku dok terbayang-bayanglah betapa longlainya si NA ni..., letih, sakit, tak larat, etc (yelah kat ICU kann....). Kat tingkat tiga, merpati dua sejoli dah dok tunggu aku kat tepi lift.... (err.... merpati ke?). So, dengan sopan santunnya aku melangkah masuk dan memberi salam dengan kuat sekali... tak sangka pulak ramai org kat ICU tu... ramai aci pulak tu... aiyoo... malu sekejap.

Segala sangkaan aku tadi meleset sama sekali... sihat je si NA ni... ada batuk2 manja sekali sekala... itu je. Rupanya, NA tak boleh keluar dari ICU lagi sebab bilik kat luar masih lagi penuh. Dari katil NA boleh nampak satu file di sebelah meja nurse yang membuatkan kitaorang tak senang duduk.... file tu ialah file MISCELLANEOUSE!! Pencemaran bahasa betul... nak je aku bangun dan betulkan spelling kat file tu (tapi sebenarnya takut kena serang dengan nurse... sekian!)

Setelah selesai mengacau NA, aku pun tumpang merpati yang tak berapa merpati tu untuk ke Maju Junction (MJ). Si NM ada majlis puspanita kat kelab KERTU pukul 3:30 ptg, so sempatlah drop me off kat MJ kejap. Tujuan utama ke MJ sebab nak lunch la and untuk menghilangkan ketagih Starbucks. Lepas lunch kat food court, aku tapau Caramel Macchiato untuk ke office. Menapak lah aku dari MJ ke office, berpeluh jugak le.

Kat office buat keje apa yang patut sampai 6:30 p.m.

Aku berhajat nak beli traveling bag baru... sebab yang aku ada ni tak berapa melerts. Dulu aku dah ada satu, tapi pecah waktu aku balik dari Washington D.C. April haritu (semuanya gara-gara terlebih muatan. Dahle kena penalty extra charges, beg pun jahanam). So aku pun ambik LRT ke the Mall. Kat situ ada House of Leather yang jual Mendoza bag yang aku nak. Ada a few yang aku berkenan, tapi aku prefer yang lain dari orang supaya senang nak recognise kat airport nanti. Lepas belek2 for 15 minutes, aku pun beli model Seahawk, hardcase.

Aku tinggal bag tu kat kedai lepas aku buat bayaran, coz aku masih nak merayau-rayau lagi. Singgah pharmacy jap beli a few things, lepas tu ke Parkson ronda-ronda. Kat Parkson, terjebak beli sweater Timberland - kaler merah (alasannya, kat Perth baru lepas winter, so sejuk lah kot...). Lepas selesai shopping, aku balik. Lepak rumah je malam ni. Sambil tengok IKON, aku campak baju dalam mesin untuk dibasuh. Persembahan finalists IKON tidak seperti yang aku harap... agak mengecewakan. Walaubagaimanapun. tahniah buat Jac and OAG. Sekarang ni dah pukul 1:25 pagi. Taxi akan datang ambik aku pukul 6:00 pagi untuk ke BNM ambik barang dan kemudian terus ke KLIA. Packing pun baru nak start ni...

Air Dicincang...

27 July 2007

I was in a meeting the entire morning, preparing for the trip to Perth, Australia this Sunday. Oh! I wish I can better prepare myself for this trip, but I have too many things on my plate that make it impossible for me to focus. I came back to office from the meeting at about 12:30 noon. Sempat checked incoming mails and emails sebelum keluar lunch.

Aku keluar lunch and sembahyang Jumaat with MO. Sembahyang kat tengah panas.... peluh menitik-nitik. But I guess, I shud not complaint... kurang pahala nanti. Lepas sembahyang, I had cendol kat Kupang and kemudiannya bergegas to the book fair nak cari buku Harry Potter - Chambers of Secret...sebab semalam dah habis. Tinggal dua copies je lagi... I grabbed one and WHWI grabbed the other one. Lepas bayar, berlari pulak aku naik ke office... sebab trade negotiation seminar (TNS) nak start. Hari ni final day of the seminar, and so far, it has been beneficial. Sambil dengar seminar, ada lagi urgent memo yg perlu dibereskan... mana nak focus dengar lecture, mana nak baca memo lagi.... aiyooo...

TNS habis lambat pulak hari ni. 6:30 p.m. baru selesai. Berlambak-lambak missed calls and sms kat handphone. Returned calls to yang mana penting je lah. Balik office, ada quick discussion dengan PM...(my staff ye, bukan perdana menteri). Lepas maghrib, aku bergegas ke Sogo untuk ambik taxi ke MidValley sebab aku ada dinner appointment dengan a friend who is more like a brother to me. Aku memang tak suka MidValley Mall ni...too crowded lah. But, sebab nak pegi dinner kat Chili's je, so aku pun OK je lah... initially, I wanted to go to Rebung kat Bangsar.

Dinner started at 8:30 p.m. I ordered fried steak and ZAW ordered lamb shank... Memanglah mamat ni kuat makan kambing.... walaupun cholestrol dah off the chart. Sebab dah lama tak borak, panjang lah cerita... ntah berapa gelas air aku dah belasah aku pun tak tau. Sembang about his work, my work, about common friends, etc... I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation (not sure bout him larr). Sejak kecik, I always wanted to have a younger or elder brother for me to fight, share secrets, give advise, seek feedback, etc...and now I believe that I have a number of them, ZAW included. Midnight baru bertolak balik from MidValley, and ZAW was kind enough to send me home (the night before KKY hantar aku balik)... maklumlah aku ni naik public transport jek. We talked further pasal our hasrat to help those yg kurang bernasib baik... Last year we planned something, tapi tak jadi... so we hope this year boleh berjaya lah... It's too premature to share with my audience here.... InsyaAllah, mungkin satu hari ni.

Air dicincang takkan putus....;-)

Nota Kaki:
Heard about NA masuk hospital from NM. Semoga cepat sembuh ye... banyakkan berehat... Jangan lah susah-susah hati. Besok Abang Long visit, kay...

Malam Jumaat...

26 July 2007

While orang lain busy doing what they suppose to be doing pada malam Jumaat, aku pulak sibuk bertarung atas badminton court dengan bebudak office. Dah lama tak main badminton...ada je halangannya....so lepas ketagih lah malam ni. Main 3 sets, menang dua, bungkus sekali.... okaylah...sekadar nak berpeluh.

Lepas mandi and naik office jap, aku pegi dinner ngan KKY kat City Garden.... penat je lah aku exercised main badminton, sebab lepas tu aku dah belasah nasi lemak tiga bungkus....hampeh!!

Earlier today, disebelah petangnya, dalam hujan-hujan yang tak berapa nak lebat ni...aku dengan AAA dah janji nak gi cari camping/hiking bag di Kompleks Campbell. Terpaksa lah aku pinjam payung dengan my staff sebab aku ni memang jenis tak suka pakai payung... (pernah waktu tingkatan 2 dulu, aku purposely tinggalkan payung atas bas sekolah sebab my mum yg paksa bawak payung....aiyoo...keji betul perbuatan tu bila diingat-ingatkan). I know for fact that there is a shop selling barang-barang for outdoor activities kat kompleks ni... tu yang berkobar-kobar sangat nak cari. And true enuf, memang ada bags yang aku and AAA berkenan....AAA siap berkenan dengan topi ala-ala Indiana Jones...memanglah si AAA ni kuat melaram...hahaha. Aku pulak dah berkenan dengan this particular Deuter bag, air contact.... mahal lah jugak...tapi kalau dah berkenan, pejam mata je lah....

I thot I was extremely productive today. I worked through lunch coz SS wanted to meet and discuss progress of initiatives under the purview of my department. And lunch was the only time yg aku free. We had a quick discussion sebab aku nak check out book fair yang sedang dianjurkan oleh KMC. Oh, btw, MO pun joined us for lunch.

I always love this time of the year, bila ada book fair macam ni. Yelah, I get to buy books at discounted price.... Apa lagi, aku pun memborong tak ingat....Dalam masa less than 1/2 hour, I purchased 12 books in total. Aku borong the entire series of Harry Potter (chambers of secret je takde). Sebab the series ni dah habis, so I thot now would be the best time untuk aku start baca. Aku ni jenis tak suka menunggu....kalau tengok tv series pun, aku prefer kalau beli DVD for the entire season. Lepas tu tengok non-stop dua tiga hari sampai habis, rather than kena tunggu episode by episode.

In addition to Harry Potter's collection, aku jugak beli 4 other books. Yang paling aku suka ialah satu buku ni yg berjudul "Working with You is Killing Me"... ha ha... I thought it would be funny kalau aku hadiahkan buku ni kat some of my colleagues or superiors..... aiyooo.... mau tak naik pangkat aku lepas ni...ha ha.

After lunch, sambung training on trade negotiation... I find it to be very informative as the speaker has more than 30 years experience in trade negotiation. Memang this guy knows his stuff. Berbaloi aku initiated this training programme.

Taking Time Off...

25 July 2007

I took morning half day leave today. Saje je. Nak berehat... rasa kepala macam dah berserabut... banyak sangat benda nak pikir... work related mainly. So masuk keje dalam pukul 2 p.m. Petang ni adalah hari pertama seminar yang section aku and our training centre co-organised. Tak banyak yang belajar today, sebab banyak introduction... tapi aku rasa it was good for those who are new to the subject of trade negotiation. For besok and lusa, more substantial topics will be discussed.

Lepas office, aku ngan AFA janji nak dinner kat Sogo... I promised him lunch haritu tapi dia ada hal... so tukar dengan dinner lah... We went to the Thai restaurant kat Tingkat 6. Ordered dalam 4-5 jenis lauk, but makan 2 orang jerr.... bley?

Post dinner, I told AFA yg aku nak shopping sket... nak cari tie. AFA teman sekejap, and he then cabut. Aku continued with my shopping until it was time for Sogo to close for the day. Setelah jenuh semalaman kat Sogo...berikut adalah hasil pencarian aku... haha. Memanglah terjebak...kalau ikutkan nak cari satu tie je...

Balik rumah, mandi dan sebagainya...terus pulak bergegas keluar untuk jumpa Mus, sebab dia dah buat proposal insurance aku.... tapi bila aku tanya follow up questions on the proposal... ala-ala gagal nak jawab pulak... hampeh... terus hilang keyakinan aku nak membeli... sekian. Balik rumah, streamyx pulak down...so tido je lah.

Down Time

25 July 2007

Streamyx was down last night. Entry for 25 July will be updated later.
(6:30 a.m. 26-07-07)

Business as usual

24 July 2007

Nothing much happened today. I was busy with work to prepare for the upcoming meetings in Perth. Banyak lagi benda yg perlu diselesaikan. Had McD for lunch. Keluar ngan HA ke Sogo (sebab dia nak beli socks, bley?). After lunch, ada briefing on amendments to the benefits and terms of employment... dapatlah aku clarified a few things.

After work, aku lepak cafe kejap... had my dinner early today..sebab aku rasa macam nak demam. MM pun ada kat situ, but entah apa dia buat, macam serious jerr... Lepak with a few friends yang baru blajar nak main Bridge (err...tapi aku tgk macam intro to daun terup je...hehe).

Aku ngan AAA decided not to go cycling today...

Sebelum Maghrib, aku dah chow balik... On my way home, dalam LRT and via sms, confirmed dinner arrangement dengan ZAW this Friday. We can only meet later that evening sebab aku punya ex-taskforce members nak buat gathering before that. Stakeholders need to be managed kann...ha ha

Mus nak discuss insurance proposal yg aku suruh dia buat... I've asked him to propose a package that maximises savings element, and kurangkan 'protection' and 'investment' elements. But tak nak discuss today lah.... told him that we will meet up tomorrow, instead.

I've been wanting to read several books that I recently purchased... (err... satu tu free) Now is the time...taaa...

This is where I belong, this is where I want to be...

24 July 2007

While the future is very much uncertain, it is filled with new opportunities and possibilities. We choose our own future by what what we do or fail to do. While most of us would like to eliminate the elements of uncertainty in life, we must learn to live with it effectively and creatively in order for us to progress and succeed.

As for me, an opportunity presents itself in a form of a new job offer with a multilateral organisation. I've been thinking about this for the past to weeks, weighing the costs and benefits of such offer, visioning how the future should be for me, understanding implications if I choose to accept or not to accept the offer, etc. And, now I have made up my mind... yeah, that's right! I've made a decision.

I've decided to STAY!

Deep inside me, I will always wonder whether I'm too much a coward for not accepting this offer. But the people who know me best, know that money and power are not what I'm going after. Job satisfaction is! I strongly believe that my current organisation allows me to achieve this. And by having reached this decision, I would like to think that I have evaluated objectively all my options.

So, no regrets, folks! No regrets! This is where I belong and this is where I want to be...

Entry Rojak!!

23 July 2007

Pepagi lagi dah ada meeting to finalise recommendations yang I need to urgently submit ke pihak2 yang berkenaan by end today. Memang pening sebab melibatkan banyak parties and banyak benda yang not within my control. But Alhamdulillah! disebabkan good working relationship that we have with other departments / agencies.... semuanya selesai juga akhirnya.

I have several vacancies in my Section which will soon be advertised. Ada openings at both managerial and executive levels. Susah betul nak cari suitable candidates these days. Aku pun secara proactive on a lookout for talents. Kalau ada sesapa yang rasa ada competencies to do trade negotiations, leave your contact here!
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For the past few years, I have been actively involved in sharing whatever little knowledge I have through various learning programmes organised by the in-house training centre. I have covered topics such as knowledge management, role of knowledge workers, fair market practices and equitable treatment for consumers as well as financial services negotiations. From time to time, I do get invited to lecture at INTAN and IDFR.

Today, we had a faculty recognition day to recognize internal subject matter experts and facilitators who have contributed to the learning in my organisation. BB gave away tokens of appreciation to the respective faculty members, me included :) [I gave away the tokens received - in the form of Sogo voucher - to my secretary, ye lah...bila lagi nak buat baik...hehe]

There was also a talk by a distinguished scholar on the topic "Life long learning in a globalised world".
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My current work has allowed me to travel extensively. I'll be going to Perth, Australia to attend a series of meetings/negotiations this Sunday. Most likely, I'll be staying over until Thursday next week. I hope to be able to confirm my travel arrangement latest by tomorrow. I just hate the process of traveling - packing, unpacking, checking in...etc. Tapi apa nak buat, dah keje macam ni... I just have to be positive about it :)
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Petang tadi, macam biasa pegi cycling ngan AAA. At times, aku rasa macam dah fit sikit semenjak berbasikal ni, at times semput gak lagi... AAA sempat lah memperagakan lampu kelip dan loceng yang dibelinya..... (Tak lah nampak macam schoolgirl.... ) Doc pulak ajak aku gi ekspedisi berbasikal dari Rawang ke Ipoh bulan depan..... gila apa?!! Aku kayuh 5 km pun dah nak tercabut sendi-sendi. Sekian.

Lepas mandi kat gym and sambung keje sikit, aku balik dalam pukul 9:30 mlm. Singgah kedai makan depan rumah for dinner. Lepak dengan Mus dari pukul 10 sampai 11:30 malam kat kedai makan tu... sembang-sembang kosong about work. Then, baru aku balik...

Dah takde energy nak sambung keje or nak layan tv.... after prayer, terus zzzzz.....

Nota kaki:
-Sempat jugak lah aku sms Maya malam tadi tanya khabar pasal dia yg on MC....get well soon girl!
-Discussion aku ngan Amy pulak tergantung petang tadi sebab aku bz sangat.... kita sambung nanti yek

Lost In Time

22 July 2007

Today is Sunday.

I awoke in the morning to a dreary day. Rain falling between heavy and a drizzle. I'm not sure whether the monsoon season has arrived...oh well! I'm not even sure whether we have monsoon these days...

I stepped out on to my balcony. The rain had built itself up into a fury. Quite the torrential rainstorm. I thought, "This is exactly what I need, some motivation for me to stay in and clean my apartment." I spent the entire morning cleaning up my apartment. I was also successful in doing three loads of laundry.

By noon, the thought of going to office to finish up some work almost vanished. I was too tired from the backbreaking hours of house chores. I was not even in a mood to go out for lunch...how weird is that?

After shower and light snack, aku just melepak tengok tv.... Took a quick nap disebelah petang. Hujan pun tak berhenti-henti lagi.... lagi lah aku malas nak keluar. Habis semua majalah2 yang baru aku beli, aku belek...Men's Health, 98 Home, Time, GQ, Impiana. Lepas belek2 magazines....aku belek2 keje plak...sampai lah ke malam....

Keluar dinner pun dah dekat pukul 10 malam. Lepas dinner...aku layan satu lagi movie, "Two For The Money" lakonan Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey. I find the movie quite entertaining. The movie is about a former college football star's uncanny ability to predict the outcome of a game which introduces him to an unexpected new career when his gridiron glory is sidelined by a crushing injury.

Rating: B-

Good nite!!

What A Show!

21 July 2007

Today, I spent the entire morning 'lepaking' at home... It was peaceful, relaxing and free from the "kalut-ness" of office environment.

HA and I planned to meet at 2:00 p.m. kat Planet Hollywood (PH) ... yelah kan hari ni party with Dayang. Sila rujuk entry terdahulu kalau nak tahu cerita on this. Mula-mulanya aku planned to have lunch kat PH.... tapi sebab table semua dah fully booked (despite advice by PH yg suruh aku datang sejam awal kalau nak table... hampeh) so aku ngan HA decided to lunch kat Societe, Lot 10.

Lepas lunch and pusing2 Lot 10, we made our way to PH. True enough, punyalah ramai manusia yg datang nak tgk show. Bebudak office pun ramai,... sure kecoh kalau gambar aku kat PH ni keluar in one of their blogs...he he... tak kisah lah, takkan lepak tgk concert pun nak bising.

And what a show it was! Memang entertaining walaupun bermula agak lambat. She sang a number of songs from her latest album, Dayang 2007. I thoroughly enjoyed her rendition of 'Listen' (penyanyi asal Beyonce)... nampak Dayang begitu lega sebab tak terkuchil nyanyi lagu ni...haha...

Kalau tak silap aku, ni dah kali ke 3 aku tgk Dayang performed kat PH. While nobody can deny yg Dayang can really sing, what impressed me the most is her ability to communicate with her fans. Memang terhibur aku petang tu dengan telatah Dayang and her fans... aku ngan HA berdiri kat tangga je coz malas nak membelah lautan manusia kalau nak get closer to the stage.

Habis je show, we went to Yow Chuan Plaza (YCP) coz aku nak cari barang sikit... HA memborong sakan kat Timberland Warehouse Sale.... aku tak beli benda, sebab benda yg aku nak either takde, or kalau ada pulak, takde size...sekian!! Habis shopping, perut pun dah berkeroncong....so pegi lah cafe kat YCP ni... lepas makan. HA sent me home.

Sampai rumah, after Maghrib and all... aku just lepak coz dah malas nak keluar. Memandangkan aku ni memang kaki wayang, so aku pun layan movie Mr Brooks. Malas nak komen, cukup kalau aku cakap movie ni aku kasi rating B-.

TGIF!

20 July 2007

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! Friday has always been my favorite weekday - longer lunch hours, tak banyak meetings and not many phone calls. Today is no different.

SS came over to seek feedback on her proposal before going to the management. I gave her my 2 cents worth of feedback. I also had a quick internal meeting with colleagues and my immediate boss on training issues as part of the department's mid-term review exercise. For my section, I have also identified several training programmes for the 2nd half of 2007. One of which will be held mid August, in Berne, Switzerland. GP will be attending this programme. It is my sincere hope that GP will benefit greatly from this programme. Investment in human capital has always been a priority. Nevertheless, given the unique nature of our work, it is not easy to find suitable programmes that suit our requirements. In some cases, we had to design our own programmes and source for expertise to train us on specific subject matters.

Lunch at Jalan Duta Food Court was merely untuk mengisi perut sebab dah lambat... Dah tak sempat nak fikir apa nak makan dah! Just makan apa yg ada and cepat. As usual, aku keluar dengan AHA for lunch on Friday. Then we proceeded to Masjid Wilayah utk sembahyang Jumaat. Sempatlah aku jumpa memember lama dan bertanya khabar masing2. Banyak yg doing quite well out there. Alhamdulillah!

After prayer, balik office sambung keje.

After office, met up with KG and SS for coffee kat Cafetaria. Discussed issues confronting them and possible ways for them to address these issues. Of late ni, aku macam jadi consultant pulak... ada yang came to seek my views sebab nak berhenti kerja... ada yang nak second opinion on work... ada yang have issues with their bosses, staff, colleagues, etc. I tried to help setakat mana yang boleh... bukannya pandai sangat nak bagi advice pun.

Aku balik awal hari ni. Saje nak rehat kat rumah... awal dalam kamus aku ni, kira sampai rumah sebelum 9 malam. Sampai rumah.... layan tv jap, sambil melayan sms-sms Amy pasal kejadian di sebelah petang...sabar ye Amy. Abang Long simpati...

AAA yg tengah shopping accessories for his bicycle pun sms tanya kalau aku nak beli coil bike lock. Aku pun pesan lah satu for my bicycle. Loceng ngan lampu kelip pun rupanya ada dijual utk basikal...tapi gila apa nak beli? Bukannya schoolgirl nak pasang loceng and lampu kelip kat basikal... hehe

inilah basikal Hybrid-Vintage-Polygon aku

Entah bila aku ter-zzz. Sekian

Stong Waterfall

20 July 2007 - Entry 1

Apau... my benchmark on how I want to look like in 15-20 years suggested a weekend trip to Stong Waterfall. As at now, we are looking at the possibility of organising this trip from 10 - 13 August 2007.

My first reaction, "Kat mana tu?". I did a quick search on the web and gathered the following info:

The tallest Waterfall in South East Asia – Stong

Most non-Kelantanese will find it difficult to comprehend landmarks mentioned to fix the where about of this waterfall. But, do not be despair, it is not difficult to reach. Study these possibilities.

Option 1] By car, from the junction town of Jeli on the East-West Highway, take the road south - 48 kilometers towards Kampong Jelawang. This tiny settlement may not appear on most map, most locals along the way can guide you to this famous landmark. After a third of the way, the Pergau river runs parallel on the left to join the Sungei Galas. The road passes through very sparsely populated area with riverside villages. Landmark at destination? This is an open land, a couple of shop houses, a Y junction and a big Waterfall in the hills on your right. From here on follow the signage!

Option 2] By car. - Reachable by road from the new Gua Musang/Kuala Krai Trunk Road. Head for Dabong, a 48 kilometers after a right turn off from the north bound Trunk Road. There an easy river crossing send passengers to the Jelawang side.

Option 3] The easiest way. Reaching Stong long ago and for those who depends on public transport means taking an overnight train to stop in Dabong. This is a quaint township with almost no traffic and narrow roads. You can reach the resort by moving or walking along beautifully paved "kampong" road for 5 kilometers. More details repeated below.

Some facts - Highest peak in that vicinity is Gunong Noring Timor -1,861 meters overshadowed by the taller Gunong Noring - 1,889 meters to the west.

Long before entering the town of Dabong, from the east, this waterfall can be seen over 8 kilometers away. It releases water from the Stong Mountain Range at a saddle. The word "Stong" actually derived from the English word "stone" Early travelers were fascinated that the mountain range is made up of one huge boulder. The name of "stone hill" was gradually accepted and cut short to "Stong"!

For those not interested in climbing, the area around the resort is a perfect retreat. We have seen a tree with unusual anchorage. A suspension bridge taking visitor across the gorge. Offering them a panoramic view of the basin plus the base of yet another waterfall area. A nice pool with clear water to has made the vicinity wholesome.

Note:- Most holiday makers come by train. Get yourself to Dabong, Kelantan, it is a long haul from Tampin. From the train station, it is a 5 minutes walk to boat crossing at Sungei Galas. Taxi drivers stationed across the river are available at the train station to solicit for business and will guide you to the river crossing. If not, you cannot get lost. Ferry crossing is RM2. Then the taxi fare to the resort is RM3. If you have booked in advance, someone will even pick you up. If not, there will be others on freelance.
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I quickly volunteered to join the trip. We need to form a group of 10 to enjoy the rates offered by the Baha Camp. All we need is another 7 nature aficionados as AAA (my cycling mate) and Apau have already indicated their interest to join the trip.

Apau, proactive as ever...has come up with the draft intinerary for the trip:

GUNUNG STONG
aktiviti di air terjun kem baha (2 hari 1 malam)
full box (RM 190.00 1orang)
min (10 orang)

hari pertama
7.45pagi :
tiba di Dabong
sarapan pagi

8.30 :
ke kpg Jelawang
kemas diri

10.00 :
taklimat ringkas
bertolak ke Kem Baha

12.30pm :
di jangka tiba di kem Baha
makan tengah hari
pasang kemah
aktiviti bebas

4.00 :
minum petang
aktiviti bebas

8.00mlm :
makan malam

9.30 :
suai kenal
aktiviti bebas

hari kedua
5.30pagi :
sunrise

7.30 :
sarapan pagi

8.30 :
ke kolam 7
flying fox
minum pagi

12.00pm :
makan tengah hari
kemas diri

2.00 :
berangkat turun ke kpg Jelawang (Resort)

3.30 :
dijangka tiba di Kpg Jelawang
minum petang
kemas diri
aktiviti bebas

6.30ptg :
berangkat ke stesen keretapi Dabong

kelengkapan yang perlu dibawa:
beg hiking yang sesuai
baju hujan
pinggan dan gelas serta sudu garpu
pakaian semasa aktiviti
sleeping bag dan lampu suluh
ubat persendirian

Jom!!

LDP...

19 July 2007

Berkejar ke office today coz I had to attend a prep session for the leadership development programme. I must thank the management for investing so much in leadership development and for giving me an opportunity to participate. Now, I have a chance to discover how I impact others as well as understand my weaknesses and leadership style. I now need to identify raters utk buat assessment on me based on the criteria set.

Had my favorite soto for lunch at Don Alley. Mcm biasa, went out with HA and ZAG. Sebab dah janji dengan HA & ZAG, I had to decline invitation daripada AAA utk makan ayam kampong. Rugi!!
AHA pun ajak lunch jugak, which I politely declined as well.

I had several discussions in the afternoon with staff. I shall not go into details due to the confidentiality nature of my work.

Cycling today was not as bad as the previous sessions. AAA and I, both rode all the way to the Lake Garden and back. Both of us are the proud owners of Hybrid-Polygon bicycles. So far, I’m satisfied with the bicycle. Cuma tadi ala-ala takleh nak shift gear sekejap, so struggled gak la naik bukit.

Lepas cycling, I was contemplating whether I shud join the badminton session organized by Fit. Unfortunately, I was just too tired from the cycling. So I decided to just drop by to say hi to some old friends whom I’ve not met for quite sometime, ZAW, UZ, etc.

I cancelled dinner with KKY as I didn’t want to stay back late. Headed home at about 9:45 p.m. While at home, echanged text messages with ZAW on latest developments. Both of us agreed to meet next Friday for dinner.

My blogging has been inspired by the fact that some of my friends are experienced bloggers. Thanks Amy for the special entry on our get together last weekend. Mati larr aku kena simbah acid lepas ni.

To Maya, buat apa larr nak gi bukit jin bertandang tu weekend ni? so not cool... he he.

Notes: I may have to go to Perth on 29 July

Party with Dayang

18 July 2007

Pukul 1:10 a.m., (ada sms masuk, terjaga sekejap)…. Marah pun ada, rasa guilty pun ada….ini semua gara2 incident haru-biru malam tadi.

4:30 pagi, terjaga lagi….baru masuk tido dalam bilik… harus lah lambat ke office (walaupun tiap2 hari lambat…regardless)

Work went on as usual…nothing to talk about.

Lunch kat Sogo with AFA and HA. Aku terjebak beli CD Atilia…memang lah kaya kedai CD tu dengan aku punya investments…selalu sangat. Atilia ni anak Salamiah Hassan. Suara sedap. Lagu2nya aku belum layan betul2, so I can’t really comment. Once dah ripped and masuk ipod, baru senang nak layan…

Aku juga ambik kesempatan lunch untuk membetulkan keadaan haru-biru semalam, dengan menghantar 1 sms…. Problem solved and crisis averted! I just hope that I don't have to go through this again :(

Cycling pun tidak hari ni sebab ada plan lain, lagipun hari hujan…. Perlu ke nak susah-susahkan diri?

Janji dengan Sir-Man (SM) to meet up with him kat Planet Hollywood for dinner kul 9 p.m. Waited for taxi kat Sogo sampai kebas2 kaki….taxi sikit, org punyalah ramai..perrggh!! tak larat aku nak tunggu. Ended up ambik LRT and Monorail to Bukit Bintang.

Aku belasah chicken and rib combo, SM makan some black pepper stuff. The whole reason I was there not so much sebab aku suka makan kat situ…but sebab nak beli ticket utk show Dayang this Saturday. Dapat pun beli 2 tix!! I’ll be going to the show dengan HA (my concert partner – kalau ada show/concert memang HA lah jadi peneman).

Sape SM ni? SM ni kawan kepada kawan aku. He applied for a job kat my organisation and now HR dah called for assessment session…(donno the right term). Dia a bit worried lah about his chance. I believe he's capable given the right exposure and guidance. So aku tolong2 lah sikit to prep him up for the assessment session on 19 July 2007. All the best bro!

One Fine Day, errr...Not Quite

17 July 2007

It has been a very productive day today... I’ve managed to clear a bunch of memos relating to various ongoing trade negotiations. Nevertheless, the key challenge of undertaking proper CBA remains (CBA serves as one of the basis in policy formulation). Not that I do not have the expertise within my section – tapi everybody is just overwhelmed with too many things to do at once – everyone is overstretched….

We drove out for lunch…errr…HA drove…aku and ZAG menumpang. We often frequent the ‘ikan bakar’ joint kat Bukit Aman = Tang Ling. And today was no different. When the 3 of us get together, memasing mulalah merepek tahap cipan… with certain hot topics dominating the discussion…..

After office, aku and gang decided to cycle again. Hari ni kali ke-3 mengayuh basikal dari office ke Lake Garden... (walaupun basikal dah beli 12 hari) pergi bertiga dengan si HA and JL. Sakit-sakit bontot dan belakang yang dialami pada hari pertama pun dah kurang lah....

We decided to try a new route lepas cycled along my “cuci mata” route = jogging lane. We then cycled along the road leading to the Bird Park. Mak ai! Some of the bukit(s) teramatlah tinggi sampai tak larat nak kayuh….

Came back home at about 10 p.m. Took a quick look at the draft speech for Boss Besar (BB). The speech needs further improvements…tapi sebab dah tak larat….besok je lah sambung. *Ada incident haru-biru malam ni.... tengoklah kalau rajin, aku buat special entry on this*

Sedar2 dah pukul 4:30 pagi…tido kat sofa je kerana teramatlah letih. Dinner pun tak sempat. Sekian

A New Beginning

15 July 2007

Assalamu'alaikum and hello...

The only constant is change! And this blog is entirely dedicated to document and capture changes taking place in my life and in the lives of people who matter to me.

Terlalu banyak yang hendak ku coretkan, yang ingin ku kongsi bersama, namun biarlah coretan pertama ini sekadar menjadi salam perkenalan tanpa dibebani dengan isu-isu yang mengusutkan.

But....where do I begin? I have a fairly successful career... love the organisation and the people that I'm working with, but hate my job. A major change in my career plan in the near future is possible. But, only time will tell.

On personal front, I lead a simple life. I don't live my life based on how others judge me, but rather based on my assessment of what is right or wrong. Now, the fact that I'm juggling so many things at once, weekend with friends is my only escape from the reality of life. It's the time when I get to be crazy again and free myself from the perennial dreariness of corporate lifestyle.

till next time...

Wassalam...