A Distracting Email...

Just when Iwas busy thinking about quiting my job, today I received an email from Germany. The QRA manager there Peter invites me to present a yield related topic at their upcoming workshop in Erfurt. Basically he asked me what I would like to present, and he will arrange so that I can fly there... wow... so nice. He told me that the Quality VP Klaus would like him to arrange so that we can form small groups for discussion and knowledge sharing. Sounds like they are interested to know more about my yield enhancement methodology... hehe.

It's a really distracting email, just when I am thinking of quiting everything, this news come... why why why??

Freeze

What if everything in this world just freeze for a moment?...

Will everyone starts to listen and talk to their heart again??...

Rain rain rain...

It's been raining day and night here... feel lazy to do anything this weekend, just stay at home listening to the rain... somehow feel nice. Took a joy ride just now, listening to Norah Jones suddenly makes me feel sad inside. Kinda numb emotionally nowadays, brain works most of the time, heart wasn't... Suddenly feel like escaping from this current world and run far far away to somewhere where I can hear my breathing and feel alive again. Yeah, I'm a bit emotional tonight... all b'cos of the rain...

Are many things fated?

Many years ago I was invited to join my current company by my current director. Two months after I joined the company, it announced its first shut down and I was forced to take 10 days unpay leave. That 10 days, drastic things happened to me and changed my life and perception completely from then on.

2 year ago, I had a new boss that led many people quited their job. After a year of suffering, just when I started to think about quiting my job, the company merged with a Germany company. The management was restructured and my boss was replaced by my current management. Things get better, but still I thought of quiting my job.

This week, my company announced VSS. I applied but I was told by my boss and director that the chance for me to be approved is slim. However this time it triggers me to seriously think about leaving my job, and my bosses are now awared of it. It puts me at the edge of deciding when I should tender my letter, even if without the VSS compensation.

A fortune teller once told me that I will set up my own company at the age of 35. His words somehow register in my mind. However I was living in my comfort zone that I was too lazy to do anything towards that direction. Days went by and things keep happening in a way like messages to push me toward leaving the current job. I don't know why... is everything already designed and pathed that way for me? Should I take the words from a fortune teller seriously?


I have worked in engineering field for almost 10 years now. My daily routine was to get out of bed early in the morning and go to work. My work involves sitting in front of a computer whole day long, as well as interacting with whole bunch of people in the office. Both my previous and current jobs are of similar nature which makes me very used to this kind of life style. Even though there are many issues happening everyday requires my urgent attention which can be quite stressful, my job does not require me to use much physical strength, just stressing my brain. It was not too bad.


If I were to quit my job and start something new on my own, life can be quite tough. It requires full self descipline and money won't come easily without putting in effort. Guess that's the pro of working for others, at least I won't have to worry too much about the business, just get my work done and go home.

These few days, I couldn't focus fully at work. I kept imagining my live after leaving my current job and start a brand new one on my own alone. Somehow I am quite hesitated. Leaving a comfort zone is just not so easy. However stay on in this comfort zone bores me and I am not seeing myself going anywhere in the next 5 years. Well I look back to my previous 10 years, I don't think I would want to repeat doing the same thing for the next 5-10 years.


Standing at a cross road, I don't know what to do, where to go next... Should I just let loose and go with the flow and see where it brings me?... If I stay on my current job, what will happen in the next few months? Will more signals appear to alert me to kick my ass out of my comfort zone?? I really don't know...

An Email Bouncing World... 彈 email 神功 ...

Last week I received an email from an engineer Julian (豬臉) from the Customer Engineering (CE) group, which requested me to help investigating a new device’s issue as he was requested by the customer to do so. My group usually doesn’t handle devices that are still under prototype stage. So I forwarded the email to the Customer Complaint (CC) engineer who logs in customer’s requests and engages the corresponding group to investigate.

The CC engineer then forwarded the email to the R&D PI group, which the R&D PI forwarded it to the Operation PI (OPI) engineer. The OPI engineer then forwarded the email to me and requested me to help investigating. I told the engineer that this is still under prototype stage which the owner is CE 豬臉 and customer’s requests are to be logged and handled by CC.

After one week, today I received an email from 豬臉 again which he forwarded yesterday to his boss and his boss forwarded to my director to ask for help. My director wrote just one word ‘yes’ as he is usually very busy. Then this 豬臉 just used it as a top down management instruction to push his responsibility to our group.

After my engineers and I read it, we looked at each other and wonder can a job scope be simply redefined by going through bosses? Now, we have to do his job just because the CE guys normally know nothing and do nothing.

I thought for a while and forwarded the email to my boss to clarify the scope and he said since his boss, the director wrote one word ‘yes’, he guess we will have to do it from now on…

I was a bit pissed off as I know all these CE, CC, OPI people usually just sit there do nothing but forwarding emails everyday. Just because we do more and know how does not mean we have to do all their jobs…

Well one thing that really amazed me is the speed of email bouncing (彈 email 神功) in the office, it’s definitely much faster than the speed one really sits down to work on an issue. Gosh!

VSS... Dreams...

I heard a news today that my company is going to offer VSS (voluntary separation scheme) to some of the selected employees... I'm thinking should I go for it?

The deal I heard is that the company is going to pay 1.5 month for every year of service + 3 months (3 months notice). A lot of people in my department were very worried to hear the news. I have mix feelings.

Well, I have always wanted to quit my job. Now that they offer VSS means I can get compensation, at the same time leave the company without giving 3 months notice. Sounds good to me... However if I can't get a job in Kuching, I'll have to leave for another place. Normally my market worth should be okay but now with the same job market but so many supply of human resources, my package offer may be affected.

Well, may be I should start looking into setting up my own business cos' according to fortune teller, I will setup my own company in the future and get rich. May be it's fated that way really... hohoho how I wish.

What will I do if I take the VSS...

1) Spend few months traveling around. Go to Europe, Bali, Sydney (to visit my bro) & NZ (to visit my another bro).

2) Look for a job in a new place that I like or,

3) Think of business idea and look for business partners. Get it going - find a place, setup office, setup PC, hire assistants if needed, then start to engage customers. After everything is set, the $$$ keeps flowing in... wowowowowowow!!

4) Then the business and $$$ runs for itself, and everyday I just do networking with people at kopitiam or fly oversea for spaghetti, coffee or sushi... hahahaha.

How I wish that turns real, then I will sure get a mountain of coins to bury my bosses now... kakaka... go crazy just by imagining it...

Tissot - T22138631

My new watch - Tissot cronograph T22138631:

Watch Information:
Model number: T22.1.386.31
Crystal material: Sapphire
Clasp: Safety Clasp
Case material: Stainless Steel
Band material: Stainless Steel Bracelet
Band length: womens-standard
Dial color: Polished stainless steel case, Silver-tone dial w
Bezel material: Stainless Steel
Movement: quartz
Calendar: date
Water resistant depth: 100.00 meters

A lazy afternoon hanging out with the chabos

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. Since the chabos have nothing to do, we decided to go out for lunch at a Korean restaurant, then hung out for coffee at Mr. Ho, followed by shopping for spectacles and watches (got my Tissot today...yippee)... then went for drinks again. My goodness, I totally forgot about what I wrote in my previous blog...

Time to work out...

I put on some weight lately... I used to eat a lot and still managed to stay fit but now I feel like by just breathing, I gain weight.

It's been quite sometimes I didn't do any exercise at all. Almost forgot how it feels to sweat after work out, I kind of remember it feels good. Guess it's time for me to kick my ass and start doing some serious work out. Soon you should see a beautiful 'S' shape lady turning few heads walking down the street...


Well... I hope so...hahaha

National Geographic Channel

Starting few months ago, I started to watch National Geographic channel on regular basis. It covers things that attract me very much, mostly science related, from natural disasters, plane crash investigation, the beginning and end of universe, the UFO, the animal’s nature, forensic investigation etc… cool.

I ever heard that only guys love to watch NGEO, guess it’s wrong or may be my interest is more guyish. I like to watch the stories and tell my engineers second day in the office, they also find it very inspiring and keep asking questions. I feel like I’m becoming a NGEO’s spokeswoman… hehe may be I just enjoy to play the role as a knowledgeable story teller.

Do u know any girl out there who likes to watch NGEO?

The Wedding Dinner

I attended an ex-colleague's dinner tonight at MP. The bride groom is a Phd Dr. in biotechnology from K.L., 36 yrs old but very young looking, currently he is running his own business. My friend Pauline is a famous pretty girl, at the same time a niece to a local Datuk. The couple looks very lovely together.

At my table, there was a guy who used to date Pauline, I think... When the couple came to our table, the chatty guy became very quiet, stood at the back until Pauline went to greet him... what a moment... a typical 新娘結婚了, 新郎不是我 (the bride got married, the groom is not me...) scene.

The Amazing Race Asia...

I just watched Episode 10 of 'The Amazing Race Asia' on the AXN channel. The teams went all the way to india. The tasks were tough like hell... counting >1000 nuts, carrying pails of milk on the head, forced to eat full indian meal till puking, bare hand making dungcakes, pulling donkeys on the road, carrying bags of chillies, running bare foot on hot surface etc...




In the end, the first team to arrive was awarded....

AN AIR ASIA TICKET TO LANGKAWI...

OMG, for all the effort, they won just 2 tickets to Langkawi on that lousy airline. That could have just worth RM19.99 on a normal day if they depart from K.L.. Now with the offer between Jan to Oct, everyone could actually just get it for.... RM0.00.

What a XXXX!

http://amazing-race-asia.axn-asia.com/

Cargo Plane Crash Lands, Kuching Airport Closed

KUCHING: A Boeing 737-200 cargo plane crash landed at the Kuching International Airport yesterday morning, bringing air traffic at the airport to a standstill for six hours.


http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/National/
20070114101716/Article/local1_html

Will the ‘taxi light’ be off forever ??...

Have you ever watched a Japanese series called ‘Love Revolution’ ? At the beginning of episode 1, the actress 江角真紀子 stood by the road side, kept waving at the cabs passing by but none of them stopped to pick her up. Just as she was giving up and turning away, a taxi stopped in front of her with the light on and door opened… she was shocked and just stood there puzzling…

I always remember that scene… what it implies was that sometimes we try very hard on something and it just doesn’t happen, but just when we are giving up, suddenly it comes quietly…

This recently I was being asked few times about this ‘taxi’ related question by a friend.

My friend : “When will your ‘taxi light’ be on?” (apparently she is impatient to see this chicken friend of her doing nothing about herself for these 2-3 years time, while all other friends have got married and have had babies).

I joked and answered : “My light is probably broken permanently”…

Then I get a very cute comment from that friend : “Get it fixed and get in the line!!”

Haha that’s a very cute friend indeed.

Anyway she prompted me to think about this question. Well, I don’t really have an answer for myself at this point. Somehow my priority has changed. I don’t see a point to ‘get in the line’ anymore. I kept thinking “If happy, why look for trouble??”

I know it sounds negative but it’s true. I hate to handle troubles, I prefer peace and to be fully in control of my own life. Things can be often out of control when it involves another person. That’s what I learned.

Another friend told me I’m like Anego in another Japanese series called ‘Anego’. That Anego always busy body about solving other’s problems but never let anything happened to herself until one day….

At that time I was amused by her description about me which was quite true except the last part - the story that happened to Anego later. Well, guess what… it did happen to me few months later but nothing really happened as I already knew about what had happened to Anego eventually in the story.

Strange but often I get a lot of pre-alerts from my friends and it makes me think and stay very clear minded about things that happen around me. Good and bad though, I think I’ve slowly becoming a story teller rather than letting myself having a chance to get involve in any stories. In another words, I am turning into a 冷靜的旁觀者 和 說故事者.

Well what will happen to this Anego down the road?? I don’t really have an answer …

What makes Kuching beautiful?? (continue...)

Taken with my SE W800i during my joyride... before they are all gone one day...

Bui Poh

Some pix of my niece 'Bui Poh' during my last trip back to home town... (she was sick and have 'lost weight' according to my mum)... So cute...

Guess who?

Guess who this is...

What makes Kuching beautiful??

Today I’m upset and angry…

After lunch I took a joy ride to the new airport and this is what I found…

This is how the scenery used to look like:


Can you see the difference? Yeap, all the big old trees at the middle of the road are gone, ALL GONE!!!

One of the main reasons that make me prefer Kuching than many other cities as a place to live is the greenery it offers. Everytime after traveling to K.L., Singapore and other places, coming back to Kuching makes me feel like coming home. The moment I stepped out from the airport and took the ride back home, I saw big beautiful trees along the road. It gives me cool and peaceful feelings. That’s why I never want to leave this place.

The way to the airport used to be one of my favorite joy ride routes. The best time to drive along that road was early in the morning, when the sun just comes out. The ride under all those trees was magnificent, with soothing sun shining through all those trees and when it’s a bit misty... The ‘Hornbill roundabout’ were quite nice too. Now, ALL GONE, replaced by a stupid flyover under construction!!!

Other of my favorite routes are the ‘Padang’ roundabout and the road along the Reservoir Park. The trees there are old and absolutely beautiful. During my first few years in Kuching, I used to drive around these places just to admire the trees. It reminds me of another place that I used to live for 5 years, Christchurch. Of course Christchurch is much more beautiful (tall trees are everywhere), but I’m happy to find a green Kuching which I couldn’t find elsewhere in Malaysia.

Anyway I am shocked and worried today. I hope no more stupid guys go and chop off the old trees around Kuching, else I will write to the city council and complain. If this continues and nobody can do anything to stop it, I guess I will choose to leave Kuching… I’m serious, it’s just too sad to see all my favorite trees gone one by one…

New Year Resolution

Come to conclude my 2006, it wasn’t that bad really:
1. My dad’s heart operation went successful, a great relief to the whole family.
2. I got a promotion and salary increment last year.
3. I manage to close my 2006 financial account with >10% return from my investment as I planned in the beginning of 2006.
4. Hit my saving target.
5. Visited Australia and met up with my beloved old school mates and Jou, the timing was not bad, I get to meet up with Betty, Rita and Ying and had a wonderful time there.
6. Learned Chinese computer typing, as planned.
7. Bought a new handphone and a laptop.

What didn’t I achieve:
1. Read at least 1 book every month. I only read 4-5 books in 1 whole year. Just so lazy to read nowadays.
2. Plan for my own business. Still haven’t come out with a sound idea.
3. Hit my target weight. I gained weight instead of losing… goodness.

So my 2007 resolutions are (similar to last year):
Personal Development:
1. Read at least 1 book every month.
2. Learn 1 new skill/new sport.
3. Study investment.

Family & Personal
1. Spend more time with my mum and dad.
2. To hit my target weight.

Financial:
1. To plan for my own business.
2. To gain >10% return from my investment.
3. To hit my new saving target.

Fun & Adventure
1. Traveling - visit at least 1 major city/attraction.

Hope I can have a happy and well balanced year in 2007!

p/s: Jou, you too. 2007 will be a good year, trust me!

Holiday...

It’s holiday season last month… so my electronic devices and network decided to go on ‘holiday’ too. First my broadband applied for 3 weeks leave. Then my phone line found out and felt envy at it so it just went on strike and quit working. As I can’t blog at home, I thought I might just make myself a couch potato by watching the pirated DVDs. However after working ‘OT’ for few nights on Christmas and New Year breaks, my DVD player decided to quit on me too. Next… what’s next… nothing, I’ve got nothing to do at home except watching Astro and reading magazines.

I called the broadband provider N number of times in the past 3 weeks, which they called my condo management and asked them to fix the phone line, then my condo management called me so that I could called the broadband provider to come and fix it. I went on this ‘Amazing Race’ for 3 weeks and eventually went mad. Seems like patience just won’t make things work. So I called to shout at the provider, screwed and screwed them until they finally came and fixed it today. Here, my golden piece of advice, where things just don’t work, try using violence.

Regarding my DVD player, instead of getting it fixed, I went to Sony and got a brand new one which guarantees to play even scratch/damage discs. It can play all kinds of format. On top of that, it offers karaoke function too. All for just RM429.

Ended up I was so busy today, watching DVDs, singing karaoke, cooking and now blogging. Anyway, ‘YO!’ everyone, I’m back!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!