Dari 'Legend' ke 'Legend'

23 September 2007, Sunday

Today I had another round of negotiations in the morning. Walaupun semalam tak cukup tidur, aku gagahkan juga ke 'that virtual hotel'. Hari ni ada joint session. All went well. Negotiations ended at 1:00 p.m.

Lepas tu aku ambik cab ke Suria KLCC. Heran pakcik cab tu bila aku cakap aku nak ke KLCC sebab jarak antara hotel dengan KLCC tu cukup dekat. Perlu ke aku nak jalan tengah hari rambang ni... ambik cab larr...

Takde benda pun yang nak dicari. Saje pusing-pusing. I quite like this one jacket and bag kat Zara. Kat Isetan pun ada a few items yang menarik. Seperti biasa, aku terjebak beli bag. Kali ni kat GAP. Lepas tu, aku balik rumah.

Petang ni aku janji nak berbuka puasa dengan RS. Lagipun aku nak buat keje sikit kat office. Besok ada brainstorming session dengan pihak atasan. So kena prepare sikit. Sampai rumah, aku nap kejap sebab dah letih sangat. Kat luar hujan lebat, so lagi nyenyak lah aku tido.

Lepas sejam tido, aku mandi and bersiap ke office. I also wanted to send my shoes for repair and polishing kat Sogo. Lepas singgah Sogo for about 15 minutes, aku masuk office. Walaupun petang Ahad, ada 2 colleagues yang sibuk berkerja... rajin betul.

Memula aku ingat nak pegi Quality Hotel for buka puasa. Tapi hati ni berat nak ke Legend Hotel sebab haritu I quite liked dia punya spread. I called the Legend Hotel to make reservation. Dalam 6:25 p.m., aku dengan RS ambik LRT ke sana. So minggu ni bermula dengan buka puasa kat Legend dan berakhir jugak dengan buka puasa di Legend. Lepas ni pergi tempat lain lah pulak...

Aku makan sikit je sebab aku rasa perut aku dah masuk angin. Aku cuba serba sedikit, dari kerabu, murtabak, popiah basah, beriani gam and dessert. Bila nak makan lagi, rasa dah tak boleh masuk. Nak muntah pun ada. Rasa macam nak demam pun ada. Gelak si RS tengok keadaan aku. Sembahyang pun rasa macam tak sempurna jek.


Then we went back to Sogo untuk ambik kasut aku. Aku masuk office and buat keje sampai 10:30 malam. Takut gak sorang-sorang kat situ...kot-kot lah. 10:30 sharp, aku ciao.

Quiet stay at home

22 September 2007, Saturday

Harini aku sepatutnya ada negotiations kat that 'virtual' hotel. Tapi ada hal pulak disebelah pagi. Lagipun, selalunya substantial negotiations take place in the afternoon. So tak perlu lah kalut. My staff pun ada kat sana, so it is not urgent for me to be there. By 1 p.m., aku dah bersiap sedia nak pegi hotel, tapi belum sempat aku keluar rumah, KR called cakap that negotiations for today dah selesai, sebab tak banyak issue. Terus tak jadi aku nak keluar rumah.

I just lepak at home. Did some reading... + membongkang je yang lebih. Nak keluar berbuka puasa pun malas. So I just ordered Domino's Pizza. Malam pun just lepak kat rumah. A quiet day indeed!

Nobody else to blame!

21 September 2007, Friday

At 9.00 a.m. aku dah terpacak kat that 'virtual' hotel for the trade negotiation meeting. The meeting went quite well walaupun tetap bertelagah among a few member countries. We finally managed to agree on key issues at about 12 noon. Aku and NN bergegas balik ke office. Aku janji dengan AHA nak pegi sembahyang sama2 kat Masjid Wilayah. Dengan jam and all, dekat 1.00 p.m. baru sampai. Lepas sembahyang aku sepatutnya ada meeting. Cancelled lah pulak. So I had some free time to clear my in tray.

After contemplating for 2 days, I have decided that I will still go back for Hari Raya. Tapi sekejap je lah sebab nak ke US. I sought my secretary's assistance to help me book return flight tickets to and from Alor Setar. Malangnya semua ticket dah habis, and the only one left departs from KLIA on Hari Raya pertama at 1:55 p.m. and balik to KL on raya ketiga petang. Padan muka aku. Lambat sangat buat reservation. There's NOBODY ELSE TO BLAME OTHER THAN MYSELF.

Late this afternoon, I received a Poslaju letter from University Malaysia Perlis. Terpinga-pinga gak aku coz I have not dealt with anybody from the uni. In fact, I don't even know that such university exists... aiyooo. The content of the letter is even more shocking. The letter says that Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi telah mengenal pasti aku sebagai salah seorang tenaga professional dalam bidang perbankan dan kewangan and as such aku dijemput/dikehendaki untuk menjadi pensyarah/penceramah jemputan di Universiti tersebut. However, I'm free to decide on the topics for my lecture. Terkebil-kebil gak aku, bila masa lak aku tersenarai sebagai tenaga professional? mana diaorang dapat contact aku? sape yg recommend kan aku? dan macam2 persoalan lain. Tak boleh jadi ni.... so aku pun menjalankan tugas perisikan dengan membuat panggilan to a few people yg aku rasa would know pasal hal ni. True enough, memang company aku yg recommended my name.... tapi ntah macam mana aku tak diberitahu. Nasib baik aku tak call and reject the invitation... tak pasal-pasal je nanti.

Anyhow, malam ni aku berbuka puasa di Ginger, Central Market. I quite like this place sebab ala-ala romantik dengan mood lampu yang agak gelap... (kalau ada tikus besar kucing lalu bawah kaki pun tak nampak sebab begitu dimmed sekali). Dengan dekat 10 jenis lauk tak termasuk dessert, makan kat sini memang berbaloi. Sedap juga, except for the cuttlefish yang rasa macam selipar jepun. Kelakar tengok NM, MZ and RS terkial-kial nak minum limau barli (ke barli limau?) sebab tak diberi straw. Nak minta segan pulak diaorang ni... haha.

Dessert pulak ada element durian yang memang tak dapat diterima oleh sistem pemakanan aku. Ada yang kata lempuk, ada yang kata lempung... setelah berhujah selama 5 minutes, we agreed that the correct term is lempuk, sebab lempung = paru. Betul ke? Aku terpaksalah ordered dessert yang lain sebab tak makan durian.

Lepas makan, pegi sembahyang kat surau di tingkat atas yang agak terbiar... the last time aku datang surau ni, aku rasa 10 tahun dulu. Lepas sembahyang aku jalan balik ke office dengan RS. Kat dalam Central Mall ada orang jual toys. Terjebak beli remote control helikopter sebab nampak macam best. MZ pegi hantar NM balik kat taxi station. Aku sambung keje sikit, then ciao!

Coaching for Impact

20 September 2007, Thursday

Today, I attended the Coaching for Impact course conducted by Ms Alice at our training centre which is part of the overall leadership development programme. The programme aims to ensure that participants achieve the following:

• understand the importance and benefits of coaching
• be aware of how your subordinates perceive your coaching style
• understand the skills involved in coaching
• able to use the 5-step process and the GROW model

The session was highly interactive with individual and group activities to foster greater understanding on the subject matter. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the session tomorrow as I have to attend a trade negotiation meeting at one of the hotels in KL.

After the session, I tumpang RMM back to office. Thanks RMM. Tonight I have another get together for buka puasa at the Cozy House, Great Eastern (GE) Mall. After Asar, I tumpang NSK to GE Mall. MNH and HA will be joining us as well. Aku memang suka makan kat sini coz makanan dia memang OK. Cuma service nya kadang-kadang lembap sebab ramai sangat orang. Malam ni pun sama, dah nak habis makan, baru lah ikan yang dipesan sampai. Minuman si HA pun dah berejam baru sampai... nasib baik lerr that poor soul tak tercekik kat situ.

Lepas makan and sembahyang, HA singgah kat cold storage nak beli kentang (don't ask my why...) while aku and NSK singgah kat Signature Kitchen to admire the interior design for kitchen, dining area and living room that they have on display there. Bila lah aku nak buat renovation untuk condo aku tu, aku pun tak tau. Lepas tu HA sent me home. Sekiann...

Los Angeles vs. New York vs. Washington D.C.

19 September 2007, Wednesday

Traveling arrangement to attend a meeting in Washington D.C. needs to be finalised ASAP. As the meeting starts on 18 October 2007, I need to arrive there on 17 October 2007. Unfortunately, there's no direct MAS flight to New York on 16 October. If I take the one on 15 October, I will arrive 2 days early and therefore need to stay overnight either in D.C. or in New York. Alternatively, I can fly direct to Los Angeles on 16 October and either stay overnight there or connect immediately to D.C. By connecting immediately, I'll be able to reach D.C. in the early hours of 17 October. Initially, I was tempted to stay overnight in either LA or NY. I'm quite familiar with both places coz I used to study in Southern California back in 1993/1994 as well as spent a month in NY during a winter holiday in 1995. So I thought it would be nice to pay either place a visit. This trip to D.C is going to be my third visit to the US this year (balik kampung pun tak kerap macam ni...). I was in San Francisco in January and in Washington D.C. in April.

I have finally decided to fly via Los Angeles, connecting immediately to D.C so that I have more time to prepare for the meeting in D.C.

What pisses me off is the fact that I have to apply for a new visa. I'm currently holding type A2 visa which allows me to enter US for trade negotiation purposes. My visa is still valid until end 2008. For this meeting, I was told that I need the type G2 visa. Buang masa betul!

Aku half day lagi pagi ni... I needed to run a few errands. Lagipun cuti banyak lagi.

Hari ni aku plan nak buka puasa dengan geng biasa... Hasrat hati nak pegi Islamic Arts Museum kat Lake Garden tu. I quite like the setting that they have there. Makanan pun boleh tahan. Yang boleh pegi cuma, NM, MZ dan aku. NA balik buka bersama keluarga. RS pulak dah janji dengan bebudak lain.

Dalam 6:35 p.m., aku, MZ and NM dah sampai. Mak ai... awallah pulak. Takde orang pun lagi. So we all lepak by the glass wall menikmati keindahan sekeliling... sambil bersembang-sembang.

Dah dekat pukul 7 baru masuk ke restaurant. Memang malam ni takde orang pun... (belum gaji kot). In total tak sampai pun 20 orang. So makanan memang lah banyak... I quite like the briani and segala masakan daging yang ada. Salmon pun not bad...cuma rasa a bit dry. Banyaklah Mediterranean dishes. Kuih muih melayu pun ada. Desserts pulak ada sago gula merah, bubur kacang, cakes, etc. Cuma satu jek... minuman dia semua manis 'melecass'. Kena sendiri tambah air.

Lepas berbuka, we all took turns pegi Maghrib and sambung makan lagi. Lepas tu NM and MZ sent me back to office sebab masih ada keje yg belum beres. Lambat lagi balik hari ni... :(

Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan...

18 September 2007, Tuesday

Aku seorang yang agak vokal... terutamanya dalam mesyuarat bila ada usul atau pendapat yang ingin diketengahkan. Hari ni, disebelah pagi berlangsung Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan +++ di Kementerian +++. Melihat kepada agenda mesyuarat, tiada isu yang melibatkan company aku. Kehadiran aku sekadar memastikan aku memahami konteks menyeluruh dan isu yang dibincangkan. Aku rasa, dekat 50 orang yang hadir daripada pelbagai agensi. Mesyuarat berlarutan selama 3 jam. Ye lah...kalau dah ada sampai 8 kertas kerja yang nak dibincangkan, mau tak lama. Dan nampaknya, aku tak boleh lari daripada bercakap dalam mesyuarat macam ni. Tetiba je, Chairman minta aku punya views on the issue discussed. Terpaksalah aku kongsi my 2 cents worth of ideas.

Dalam pukul 12 lebih, aku balik ke office. Aku bercadang nak ambik cuti half day disebelah petang. Memandangkan waktu lunch aku takde plan, MM, AAA and RMM ajak main Boggle kat bilik MM. Aku ni memang malas main games yang kena pikir-pikir ni...tapi apa salahnya mencuba. ARG pun ada. Memanglah aku tak reti main and asyik dapat tempat tercorot je. But I must say that I enjoyed the game.

Walaupun aku cuti, tapi sebab ada benda urgent aku stayed back sampai pukul 4 p.m. Bila sampai kat rumah, aku sempat berehat kejap je, sebab aku janji dengan HA and MN untuk berbuka puasa kat kedai asam pedas di Kampung Baru. Aku janji to meet HA kat Putra Station, Kampung Baru at 6:30 p.m. Aku sampai awal pulak di Kg Baru, and HA and MN lambat sikit sebab jalan jam.

Malangnya, kedai asam pedas kegemaran tu tutup pulak... hisshhh... hampeh betul. We ended up kat Juwara Tomyam for buka puasa. Lepas buka puasa we all singgah kat surau Jawa untuk Maghrib. Cantik view from surau ni... mengadap KLCC. Aku pun snapped some photos. Terawih buat kat rumah je lah. Lepas tu, HA dropped me off kat LRT Masjid Jamek sebab dia nak balik ke office. Aku balik terus ke rumah...

Temptation of Ramadhan

17 September 2007

This morning, AAA surprised me when he bought me a Mountain Morph Pump - a state of the art frame mounted bicycle pump. Thank you so much, bro. Nevertheless, as at now, I haven't got the foggiest idea on how to use the pump as it looks too canggih for my bike...hehe. I will only find out after Raya as I don't cycle during fasting month...takut pengsan kat Lake Garden :p

Hari ni, as usual, I was occupied throughout the day with meetings and work assignments. But the thought of having to 'buka puasa' at our cafe no longer seems attractive to me. I wanted to eat out.

For the first 4 days of Ramadhan, I was able to resist the temptation of indulging myself in Ramadhan buffets. However, the temptation failed me today. While I do agree that gorging on an extravagant buffet at the end of the day defeats the purpose of Ramadhan, such practice has become an accepted culture in Malaysia as it offers us the perfect setting for family and friends to gather.

I made a reservation at the Legend Hotel's D'atas Brasserie for 'buka puasa'. Dalam pukul 6:15 pm, aku and RS left the office and headed straight to the Bandaraya LRT station. Tak sibuk pulak LRT station petang ni... In less than 20 minutes, we all dah sampai kat the Legend Hotel. Tak ramai pun orang kat sini, meja kosong pun banyak... There are 70+ dishes served... sampai tak tau nak makan apa.... Sebab dah sampai awal, we just lepak and omong-omong kosong sampai waktu berbuka. Aku berbuka dengan some appertizers... and makan serba-sedikit. Baru je berbuka, boss aku called from office to inform me that I have to attend a meeting in the United States bulan Oktober ni. Yang leceh tu aku kena bertolak from KLIA on 16 October 2007, which falls on raya ke-4. Tak Raya lah aku tahun ni... The news dampened my appetite... makan sikit2 je. We then went for prayer and tapau Starbucks. We went back to office as I needed to do some work. Dalam pukul 10:30 p.m. baru balik rumah.

Selamat Berpuasa, Ramadhan 1428 H

13 September 2007

Selamat berpuasa buat semua umat Islam, semoga mendapat keberkatan.

Footnote: Banyak hajat yang nak aku tunai kan di bulan yang mulia ni... tapi keje pun dah makin berlambak. Akan kucuba setakat yang termampu...

Today, I Turn 32

12 September 2007

Today, I turn 32. I don’t even mind turning 32 coz I’m having such a good time. I mean, it helps that everyone around me are at least 5 to 10 years older than me at work... (mati aku kena serang lepas ni)..hehe. But generally, I think it’s okay being 32 and single if you’re happy with your life, content with who and where you are, and are surrounded by good friends.

Sejak semalam lagi sms tak berhenti-henti masuk wishing me well for my birthday. Selalunya tak meriah macam ni... ramai sangat ke orang yang ingat my birthday? Terharu gak lerr...heh heh. To me, birthday is not such a big thing... it is just another day in your aging process. It is not like semalam aku 16, and tetiba hari ni terus jadi 32.

Kat atas meja aku pagi ni dah ada cards and gifts from dear friends/colleagues. Thank you so much. Susah-susah aje. After sending them a quick thank you message, I had to concentrate on work. Banyak sangat outstanding work yang aku nak tengok.

NAMN pulak dari semalam lagi dok ajak lunch and I sensed something fishy.. Aku ni, while suka sangat celebrate birthday orang, tapi tak suka bila orang celebrate birthday aku. Mainly because ada elements of surprise (the cake, the singing, etc)... yang membuatkan aku tak comfortable. Yelah... aku ni kan control freak, and therefore would always want to be in control.

Tapi aku setuju jugak dengan lunch invitation tu, coz lepas LDP tu aku nak lerr kurangkan my controlling behavior ni sikit. To be a better person kann...

We went to an eating place kat Hartamas yang namanya aku dah tak berapa ingat (pakcik dah tuo ni). Makanan yang dihidangkan ialah masakan negeri sembilan. Aku tumpang NSK ke restaurant to... TQ NSK. Bila we all sampai, NAMN, SN, RA, HA, RMM dah sampai. Haz je belum. Tetiba si HA keluar from dapur with the birthday cake. Thank you all for the wonderful treat. Makanan kat sini memang sedap. Something different. Cuma bau tempoyak tu je yang aku kureng sket!

Lepas lunch, balik ke office bertungkus lumus lagi. I had a meeting at 3:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. ada another celebration kat my department. Makan lagi. And another cake. Nasib baik le besok dah puasa... hehe. Thank you all...Continued with work until about seven. Lepas maghrib, aku planned nak balik terus. Normally, I would have another makan2 session disebelah malamnya, tapi sebab besok puasa... I thot balik buat terawih larr lagi afdal. On the way back pulak, terserempak dengan HA. We decided nak pegi dinner dulu...we agreed to go somewhere near Ampang and ended up kat Wong Solo. After dinner (which HA belanja... thanks bro), HA hantar aku balik.

Otak pun dah letih, so aku planned to nap for 1 hour.

Sedar, sedar dah pukul 4 pagi. Kelam kabut lah aku dengan Isyak and Terawih. Ada lagi 5 sms yg masuk with wishes. For Sahur, aku just minum air jerr... Selamat berpuasa.

Rokok Batang Besar

11 September 2007

I was really not in the mood to do anything fun (or hu-ha) today. Cycling after office pun malas. Dinner with gang pun malas.

RMM belanja lunch tadi kat Coca Restaurant, BSC. Thanks RMM. And seperti biasa, I managed to injure myself when dealing with 'hot' items. Melecur ibu jari aku terpegang periuk steamboat yg panas menggelegak tu. Dua minggu lepas aku melecur kena seterika kat rumah. Apa la nak jadi!!

Mulanya aku bercadang nak ambik cuti besok. Tetiba boss called cakap yg besok he'll be on leave and my peers will also be away. So, I have to take charge of the department tomorrow. Tak dapek lah nak cuti. Sebab takde mood, I cancelled dinner plan with the gang. Maybe we will do a buka puasa get together.

Nevertheless, dalam pukul 7 macam tu, aku dengan KKY decided to go dinner together. Walaupun takde mood, makan tetap kena makan kann...AAA pun available, so invited him to join as well. We had dinner kat Bora Asmara. When we arrived, ramai la pulak orang malam ni. Mungkin sebab dah nak puasa, banyak orang buat group outing or family gathering.

After dinner, we had coffee. AAA wanted to try their cigar. So we all panggil la waitress coz AAA wanted to order Numero 5. Bila AAA tanya samaada kat sini ada jual rokok or not to the waitress yg ayu bertudung ni, waitress tu jawab, "Bang, kat sini rokok yang batang besar adalah". Aiyoo...terkedu all of us, sambil menahan gelak. AAA ordered Numero 5. Lepas je waitress tu blah, berdekah-dekah we all gelak. Kesian betul. Aku plak, ordered Pisang Goreng Bali with Ice Cream for dessert. Lepas dinner, KKY hantar aku balik. Thanks KKY! (despite pengalaman ngeri sangkut kat tol 3 kali malam tu...:p)

EU-Asean FTA Negotiations Unlikely To Succeed, Says Academician

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- A successful free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is unlikely because the Asean nations are unwilling to consider tackling the non-tariff and regulatory barriers, an academician said Thursday.

European Centre for International Political Economy's co-director Razeen Sally said the alternative was for the EU to strengthen regulatory cooperation on all trade issues with Asean countries collectively and individually, instead of going for an FTA or FTAs.

"The EU, which wants a strong and serious FTA, is unlikely to get it from Asean collectively for the reason I've mentioned," he said.

"Secondly it's because Asean lacks a common negotiation machinery to deal with EU, thus it takes so long to come up with even a basic common position," he told reporters after the seminar entitled "The EU-Asean FTA in the Context of the EU's New FTA Negotiations in Asia: Something Serious this Time?".

In May this year, EU and Asean agreed to launch FTA talks. There is currently no bilateral FTA negotiations between the EU and Malaysia.

Sally said although both sides of have agreed to negotiations, he foresees a bleak future as the existing FTAs that Asean countries have, bilaterally and collectively, are weak.

On the ongoing FTA talks between Malaysia and the United States, Sally said although still ongoing, it was "reflectively blocked".

"I don't think that the Malaysian government is in a position domestically to make the relevant concessions because what it means is significantly opening up the Malaysian market in services and investment, plus having a regulatory overhaul on various areas, all of which are related somehow to the Bumiputera policy," he said.

"I don't think it's possible to address these very sensitive domestic issues through an FTA initially," he added.

Asked if the New Economic Policy (NEP) was an impediment, Sally said: "Yes, clearly. That has been the major impediment to doing a deal with the US.

"Besides being a co-director of the international economic policy think tank based in Brussels, Sally is also a senior lecturer in international political economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

His research focuses on trade policies in Asia, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and preferential trade agreements, and his new book on trade policy will be coming out next year.--

BERNAMA

The News is Out

10 September 2007

Hari yg sibuk. Terkejar-kejar ke sana ke mari. Banyak betul memos and inputs to be cleared.

Aku keluar lunch dengan KKY after seminggu tak borak, just to catch up on what has been happening for the past one week. Initially, we wanted to go to Ayam Kampung Cheras (lagii??), tapi sebab jalan jam bangat, terus we all menyimpang ke Ikan Bakar Tanglin.

Boss aku panggil petang tadi... ingatkan pasal keje. Rupanya the department has received the transfer letter from HR. Yes folks, it is now OFFICIAL that I'll be leaving my current department effective 1 October 2007 for 2 years. Hint: Most likely I have to move up to tingkat 18. I guess, sepanjang Ramadhan ni, I'll be busy transitioning ke tempat baru ni.

After office, aku lepak dengan MZ kat Cafe. Then jumpa Y kat surau sebab nak kasi coklat untuk anak dia yang aku beli kat Langkawi. 8:30 malam, aku dengan RS keluar ke Bangunan MARA for dinner....apa lagi... makan our favorite meehun sup lah. Sampai rumah dah 11:30 malam...zzz


p/s: Happy birthday buat sepupu aku Kak Lydia yang menyambut hari lahir yang ke 40 hari ini.

Teman Terulung

9 September 2007

Dedicating this song to all my close friends...

Teman Terulung

Bila bertaut senyuman
Mata berlirikan
Memancarkan keluhuran
Cerah kesederhanaan mu
Seindah kejujuranmu

Detik seia sejiwa
Terungkap setia
Tiada upaya sepi
Mekar kudup penantian ku
Hadirnya teman sejati

Melangkah kita menjejak mimpi
Bahgia berdiri dengan mu di sisi
Harapan kita meniti hari
Sentiasa seiring

Paling agung teman terulung
Tenunan emas sayap hidup ku
Tak inginku undur bertamu
Bertakhta teguh
Ke akhir waktu

Restful Weekend...

9 September 2009

Sejak aku balik from Langkawi, banyak benda yang nak diselesaikan.... pergi maintenance office bayar bills, main badminton, grocery shopping, beli CD, laundry, mengemas...etc.

Aku jugak jengah office on Saturday and Sunday, tengok apa keje yang outstanding. But I was definitely not in the mood to do work.

Tapi besok I need to work full steam...sebab banyak yang outstanding after a week away from office. Hingga saat itu.

Lelaki Ini

Kasih, kenanganku
Ingatkah saat saat dulu
Kasih, apakah dirimu
Merasakan semua itu

Ke mana pun langkahku pergi
Ku masih melihat bayanganmu cintaku
Dan kemana pun arah anginku berlari
Hati ini masih kau miliki

Lelaki ini yang selalu mencintamu
Selalu, tanpa ragu
Lelaki ini yang selalu memuja
Hanya dirimu
Yang bertakhta dalam sanubariku
Sanubari ku
Aku yang mencintakan mu
Hanya dirimu…

Karena cintaku, tak berbatas waktu
Karena cintaku, tak mengenal jenuh hatimu
Hatimu…

LDP - Leaders Develop "Perut"

6 September 2007

Hari ni merupakan hari terakhir LDP yang mana some of us dah renamed LDP jadi "Leaders Develop Perut" gara-gara banyak sangat makan sepanjang programme. Mana taknya, we had dinner kat Pelangi Beach Resort lah, Yacht Club lah, BBQ by the poolside lah... plus all those heavy lunches, breakfasts and tea breaks.

In addition to the formal learning, I also learn to respect and see my peers from different perspective. I made friends with those yang selama ni aku jarang bercakap, mainly because of age differences. And now we are friends, with common interests and all. I do appreciate the bond we created and hope that it will last forever.

I also enjoyed going out with the guys after dinner or blasting our voices away in the karaoke room. I helped some of them to prepare for the BBQ night which require participants to sing during dinner. Ha ha... it was fun. Aku yang memang kaki menyanyi ni memang tanpa segan silulah menyanyikan lagu2 pada malam BBQ tu. Memandangkan koleksi lagu yang terhad, maka terpaksalah aku menyanyikan lagu-lagu yang ada seperti Sampai Hati, Biar Bulan Bicara, Rendang Tak Berbuah, When You Say NOthing at All. Tambah fun lagi bila all of us menari to the tune of Joget Lambak. Some of you are really good dancers and aku pulak terkengkang-kengkang kesemputan cuba nak ikut steps... Kesiann...

and a Control Freak too....

4 September 2007

Today, we also received a personalised FIRO-B Report. The FIRO-B tool measures interpersonal needs in 3 areas namely inclusion, control and affection. The FIRO-B tool scores you on a scale of 0 to 9. And guess what? I scored 8 and 9 in 5 out of 6 areas indicating high interpersonal needs in all those areas.

My overall score of 45/54 falls in the high range. This suggests that:

• My involvement with others is enjoyable and satisfying
• I work best in a group, interacting with others.
• I like to work on teams and to solve problems through discussions.
• I prefer to be with others and have plenty of social interaction.
• I am an extrovert.

The group exercise which was videotaped, further confirmed my controlling behavior after we reviewed the tape. I was seen taking charge of the group discussion in the tape. Through this exercise, I learned to be aware of how my action affects others and therefore would allow me to take the necessary corrective actions.

Oh! Dear... I am Delusional

4 September 2007

Today we received the Bar-on EQ-360 Multirater Feedback Report. Hello people! It is therefore confirmed that I'm DELUSIONAL! I rated myself higher than what others rated me. I rated myself in the category of 'well-developed' EQ while the rest categorised me as having 'effective EQ'. 3 areas where exist significant score disparities between me and my raters are on 'Assertiveness', 'Flexibility' and 'Independence' where I score myself significantly higher than what others gave me. My coach says that I have high self esteem and is very comfortable with myself, hence the results...



I need to find out more... ;)

Thank You for the 360 Degree Feedback

3 September 2007

To me, one of the most valuable lessons from the programme is the 360 degree feedback. 20 raters altogether rated me on 18 competencies. I also did a self assessment on this. Out of 18 competencies, raters on average rated me higher than I rated myself on 13/18 competencies as follows:

No	Competency	Average Scores
		All Observers	Self
1	Forging Synergy	4.05	4.00
2	Relationships	4.19	3.90
3	Building and Mending Relationships	4.06	4.20
4	Compassion and Sensitivity	3.89	3.29
5	Leading Employees	3.89	3.77
6	Communication	4.05	3.40
7	Leading Change	3.93	3.60
8	Getting Information, Making Sense of It, Problem Identification	3.99	3.43
9	Sound Judgment	3.88	3.50
10	Influencing, Leadership, Power	4.17	3.33
11	Has the Courage to Take Risks	4.05	4.25
12	Risk-Taking, Innovation	3.93	3.20
13	Courage	3.89	4.00
14	Results Orientation	3.99	3.67
15	Business Perspective	3.85	3.60
16	Acting Systemically	4.14	4.20
17	Coping with Pressure and Adversity; Integrity	3.93	4.71
18	Straightforwardness and Composure	4.02	4.00

Of equal importance is the written comments on my strengths and areas for development. The most significant areas for development as written by all raters are as follows:

Self:

• need to improve communication skills to be an effective communicator so that intended message can be effectively disseminated
• Need to improve on managing subordinates and investing in their human capital development so that they can contribute effectively to the organisation.

Others:

• technical knowledge on macroeconomic
• as XXX is assuming a management role, he has to start to delegate his work more effectively and make use of his direct reports
• to continuously build internal strengths, mentally and spiritually. Need to keep healthy and a balanced life.
• tremendous demand is being put unto this individual, that may break him.
• effective delegation, mentoring subordinates. Reason: as he moves up the corporate ladder, a key success factor in getting things done is via effective delegation
• He needs to allot more personal time - a workaholic. Needs to learn to say no.
• Developing his subordinates effectively through coaching and empowerment
• self control and maturity
• punctuality
• to further enhance his management and leadership skills
• more open to others' ideas and willing to listen to others
• managing different needs, conflicting ideas in particular from stakeholder who is not a direct supervisor/alliance. Ability to manage different needs is important for better buy-in, future collaboration and seen to be balanced and impartial.
• focus on core work. due to his wide ranging ability to undertake managerial management work, he has been unable to give greater focus on his core work. Should not be deemed as his shortcoming but will be further improved if given the opportunity.
• I have not noticed anything glaring for development. If anything, it would be outside his control as I have observed management's tendency to give him work beyond his core work's purview, which nevertheless, he has managed without compromising the unit's operations. While I can understand these projects are necessary primers to develop an officer's ability to assume the mantle of greater leadership, my concern more is for his work life balance.
• perhaps some improvement on time management in terms of clearing reports etc - but the present lag could be due to the fact that he is in charge of a lot of projects currently.
• continuous engagement with stakeholders to complement or strengthen the knowledge and maturity
• although his people skill is already good, he could probably work on being a bit more diplomatic in his dealings with people who're not on the same page with him.
  
• Last I checked, the one area XXX needs to improve is delegation skills
• although he has subordinates to assist him, XXX tends to complete most of the tasks himself because the deliverables, often, did not meet his expectations. This, in my opinion contributed to the overwhelming deadlines he has on his plate.
  

The 360-degree feedback is the most useful as it gives me a clear understanding on how others perceive me and in what way I need to improve. Thank you to all raters who contributed your efforts and time to help me improve.

I am a Casual, Pressure-Prompted E, N, T, J

3 September 2007

During the morning session, we got the results of MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Personality Assessment. This is a self assessment programme which I did online about 2 weeks ago.

My type came out to be ENTJ (Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, Judging). According to the report: -

"ENTJs typically are logical, analytical, and objectively critical. They like long-range planning and strategic thinking and prefer to be in charge.

Their focus is on ideas, and they like to think ahead, making a systematic effort to reach their objectives on schedule. They are impatient with confusion or inefficiency, and they can be tough-minded when they see these problems getting in the way.

ENTJs prefer to work with framework more than details. They like to come to quick decisions about how to proceed and then actively lead others forward accordingly.

Systems and principles are important to ENTJs, who apply principles to whatever they do. If they are to change their methods, they need to change their principles first. They value logic and consistency.

ENTJs are likely to be most satisfied in a work environment that values long-range planning, involves them in making decisions, and lets them see that the plans are implemented. People can count on them to take charge and make sure things are done competently."

SPOT ON!!

Leadership Development Programme (LDP)

2 September 2007

Aku ke Langkawi hari ni. Flight pukul 3:30 p.m. Seperti biasa, Tan datang ambil aku kat rumah untuk ke KLIA pukul 12:30 p.m. Hari hujan, so risau gak kalau turbulence ke apa on the way up. But everything went just smoothly. I think about 8 of us took the same flight to Langkawi. All in all, there are more than 20 of us for this batch of LDP. The programme is part of the efforts to develop high caliber and effective leaders within the organization. Banyak assessments yang perlu dibuat before attending the programme and many of the assessments require 360 degree participation, from boss, superior, peers, etc.

Sampai ke Langkawi resort dah pukul 5 ptg. After a welcoming drink, aku ke bilik to unpack. Dinner and ice-breaking sessions will start at 8 p.m. So sempat lah berehat kejap.



Malam ni nothing much. During the icebreaking session, we were required to draw in 4 quadrants, each quadrant depicting 'my life at the age of 10', 'my life 10 years ago', 'my life now' and 'my life 10 years from now', respectively. Once completed, we were required to hang the drawing on our chest and to walk around the classroom and try to interpret the drawing on everybody's chest. The owner of the drawing then supposed to explain the rationale for his/her drawing. Immediately, I learnt 1 lesson -- that I suck at drawing. He he. Overall, it was a fun exercise and got me to know my peers better.

Post ice-breaking session, a bunch of us went to check-out the karaoke room. Memang tak sangka yang aku akan banyak menghabiskan masa di sini setiap malam aku di Langkawi... :p

Happy Birthday, Malaysia!

31 August 2007

Malaysia turns 50 on 31st August 2007 - celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence. On display is a myriad of colurful events, ranging from parades, exhibitions of the country's history to carnivals and other cultural activities. Namun, masih kedengaran cakap-cakap yang rata-rata antara kita masih belum merdeka. Tepuk dada...

Manusia Berpegang pada Janji

30 August 2007

Hari ni lunch kat ayam kampung lagi... aku dah janji nak belanja member aku yang sorang ni. Haritu aku ada sound dia (tu lah...aku ni laser sangat) pasal satu incident, so dia dah ada sikit merajuk. Now dah OK, I hope. semoga tidak merajuk lagi... 0 - 0 lah yea :p

Sizzling Dishes at Sri Ayutthaya

28 August 2007

Dah lama sepatutnya aku belanja bosses, superiors and peers sebab aku dah confirmed dengan jawatan aku sekarang. Finally, hari ni a bunch of us were available for lunch. Aku suruh one of my bosses decide kat mana nak lunch. Aku ni mana-mana pun tak kisah. Aku jadi financier jerr... So my boss decided that we shall go to Sri Ayutthaya.

Named after the ancient city of Ayuthaya, this Thai restaurant has an extensive menu with a wide and varied selections of salads, soups-mainly tom yams, mains with emphasis on seafood, a wide range of vegetable dishes, rice and noodle dishes and desserts.

Tom yams are a speciality here, especially the seafood version with generous portions of prawns, squid, mussels and sliced fish cooked in the hot and sour concoction.

I recommend this place for people looking to enjoy authentic Thai dishes. Quite cheap larr... for about RM500, seven of dapat menikmati masakan Thai yang enak-enak.

Lepas lunch, ladies semua diberikan sejambak bunga...tak tau apasal! Sekian.

Juga Jutaan Terima Kasih kepada NA dan NM sebab belikan abang long souvenir dari Medan. Sukaa.... kain tu bang long nak tinggal kat office untuk diguna sepanjang bulan Ramadhan ni.