"Pin-drop" ponderings...

It's like "pin-drop" silent lately... at work, anyways. Not much work (not much that requires rushing anyways), not many demands from people (seems like a lot are out of office this week as well) and generally been very quiet (perhaps everyone (outside, i.e. customers) is busy with clearing their own stuff before Chinese New Year?) So, it's the re-emerging of the blogger in me, hehe... Provided that there are stuff to talk about lar. Here's some anyways:

The Ikea Incident
This happened to me at Ikea last week - went there on Friday with my colleague for lunch. Craving for Swedish meatballs, hehe. So anyhoo, as those of you who are familiar with the drinks system at Ikea - there are two types of cups available for the free flow of drinks (either carbonated or coffee/tea). The first cup, the glass goblet-like cup, is for the carbonated drinks only as it "cannot" withstand high temperatures - priced at RM1.50. The second, the ceramic(?) mug, is able to withstand the heat of hot coffee/tea - priced at RM3.00 and people who "purchase this cup" will get the convenience of safely consuming either hot or cold drinks in their cup. Okay, I think the foundation has been laid... Now for the feature "presentation":

I got the RM3.00 cup, which meant that I could have either hot or cold drinks. And, not wanting to start with the delicious coffee before I had anything to eat, proceeded to fill my cup with a carbonated drink. As the bubbly gush of sweet, sticky (if you spilt it!) drink filled my cup, I got a "oi, you can't take cold drink in that cup - only meant for hot drink!" from the fella (most likely foreign and new to Ikea) who was refilling the coffee beans in the coffee machine (ooh, they've got a new coffee machine by the way!)... grrr... >.<

The Lack of Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger, or previously commonly known as MSN Messenger, had always worked perfectly well in my office. Hence, on days like these I can at least catch up with some people - most times, I'm swamped with work and my status is set to "Busy" (to the point that Irene Lai will "ask permission" to chat, haha! - no need lar... so pai seh liddat ler!). Sadly, from Monday (28th Jan), although I am able to sign into Messenger, I am unable to send or receive messages. To the misery of some other "Mesengger-kaki's" at the office and myself, it continued on in this trend the next day...

Then a glimmer of hope came on Tuesday (29th Jan), after lunch - Irene Lai messaged me and I received it!! Since then, it was back to normal. What joy for all of us!! Messenger worked just fine for the rest of the day. =)

The joy didn't last long, as yesterday (30th Jan) the inability to send or receive messages via Messenger set in again... and the trend has continued on till now. Withdrawal symptoms, such as increased stress levels and a gloomy outlook, seemed to have set in for the Messenger regulars, who have since (in attempt to retain their sound mind) either resorted to continuing their moping and lamentating, or to Web Messenger (which seems to be working just fine). Thankfully, I also have a blog to keep myself occupied, no? *winks* Haven't resorted to using Web Messenger... yet. I still harbour hope that it's just some problem at the "Messenger service provider", which should be resolved... soon?! =S I do hope it's not my office firewall-ing (the horror!!) Messenger, sigh. Here's hoping Messenger works properly again!!

"Blonde" Moment

Hey hey!! I'm back from Terengganu, went to work on Friday... and will be going back to the workload again tomorrow...

Had a great weekend... "Celebrations" on two occasions... It was truly a lovely time... Much thanks to those who made them so special!! =) Thanks to the people at SAN for the January babies celebration, and thanks to those who came out on Saturday night for the buffet at Le Meridien... Good food, great friends, lasting memories... thanks!!

Okay, now to the featured topic... "blonde" moment... I feel so silly, hehe... I was out in the evening and had forgotten that I didn't turn off my car's headlights after I had parked... So, by the time I wanted to drive out at dinner-time, I couldn't open my car (using the remote) and when I tried to open the car manually, I found that my central locking also didn't work; this was the point I figured that my car battery was probably out... So, went and called AAM lar...

The technician came by an hour later and we manually opened the car, opened the hood... He plugged into the battery he brought and then when we started the car, the alarm went off (duh... we opened manually mah) and there it was: the headlights all nice and bright, haihz... *sweat* Initially, the technician thought that the battery was drained cos the car was heating up... (Wasn't too surprised that the radiator was heating up since I have not checked on the water for a while liao... Was going to fill up the water before I drove out at dinner-time... But well, obviously, in the end, the battery died-ed because of leaving the headlights on... Aiyo, what a ditz!

So, the "blonde" summary:

1. Didn't check on radiator water (but maybe not so blonde lar this one... cos I remembered to check before I went out mah...)

2. Forgot to turn off headlights (second time this happened... haihz...)

3. Called AAM (so embarrasing!) when I could've just had some help to jump-start the car myself... sad.

Okayz, on the lighter side... do look out for the summary on the Terengganu retreat and the birthday celebrations... =)

Pushover

Am I a pushover? Is this why I'm so tired all the time lately? Or am I just being paranoid or exaggerating?

Perhaps I have been trying to please everyone? It feels like unlimited work within limited time; and at times it feels like I'm the only one who is doing the 'work' - if I don't do it, no one will... And nobody cares. >.<

But if no one is willing to do it, should I also follow the status quo and buat tak tahu (pretend not to notice)? Or should I "dare to be different" and take on 'the challenge' and 'stretch my limits'?

I'm really confused and in a 'dilemma' at times... All I can do is keep reminding myself that in the end, I'm working for One, not everyone... The rewards are in Heaven, and not on this earth... But it would help if things would relax a little bit every now and then - and cut me some slack... >.<

Inhale... Exhale... Repeat.

What a day... an exceptionally long, tiring day... time really flew by and the workday ended very exhaustingly... thank God for the strength to endure it and now, it's over...

Today turned out to be the last day to close-off the submissions for the meeting, which will be held tomorrow. I had started the day off thinking, "I'd wrap up everything today so that I will be able to attend the talk/seminar/meeting (I'm not even that sure what exactly it is, lolz!) that my boss wanted me to sit in tomorrow morning - after all, the submission will close tomorrow". So much for that. Surprisingly, I wasn't the only one who thought the submissions would only close tomorrow - so did my immediate boss!! Well, we were both thoroughly surprised and hence, I had to rush work like crazy today... We finally "negotiated" with Fifi (thanks, girl!) to close the submissions by 3pm so that we could put as many applications through to be tabled at tomorrow's meeting.

Praise God, I managed to get quite a lot of work done - also thanks to all my MSN buddies who heeded the message to "strictly DND until after 3pm" *grinz*! I also managed to get the GL for my parents' visit to the doctor tomorrow. =)

So, a very busy day indeed... Didn't even realize it was time for lunch until the punchclock "sang" and after lunch time flew again till it was time to go home... A really, really busy day, where at any slight chance of a break required a gentle self-reminder to "inhale... exhale... repeat." *winks*

Sickie wanna rest at home...

Yup... feeling sick liao, haihz.

Yesterday, my workload was like some sort of twisted ironic joke ler. Started the day off having nothing much to do - good lor, then I can read up in preparation for Bible Quiz this Friday, as well as work on the SAN blog... Was just thinking, "What a nice break for a change..." (Was swamped with work for the past few weeks, so a break was much welcomed)

One of our department's admin girls came over and asked if I could "CTC" (certified true copy) some documents. Since I was free, I thought why not and welcomed some work to keep me occupied. "Surprise" #1 - the stack was more than an inch thick and I have to sign each and every page! Then later on, just before lunch, I received a thick stack of documents, which were license applications I had to evaluate - a stack that measured up to a couple of inches thick! ("Surprise" #2) Moments later, "Surprise" #3 came along... another stack of document to CTC - about 1.5-2 inches thick, and again, each and every page required my signature... *faintz*

By the end of the day, I had completed signing the first stack of CTC documents and cleared up the applications (counted a total of 25!) before I left for the day. Unfortunately, the houseman I requested to help me to get a company's contact number faxed the document that I had prepared but not planned to send out yet... haihz. This led to me having to entertain the "uncle" that called and tried to weasel/intimidate/bargain for me to approve his application although he was missing some key documents. Called me 2-3 times, and in the end, I passed the last call he made directly to my immediate boss - who told him the same thing (no license if insufficient insufficient documents), haha!

So, today - so far I've completed CTC-ing the remaining documents from yesterday as well as clear up some follow up cases... Unfortunately, the sniffles that started this morning seems to not want to clear itself, haihz... Now I'm feeling feverish and weak liao... Head feels heavy...

Sickie wanna go home... haihz.

28 Days Later... [The Update]

It's been a while since my last blog post... Been busy - the reason for the endless mountain of work? Please refer to The Prelude.

Anyways, I've been swimming (you could also say 'drowning', but that would just be a bit too morbid, doncha think?) in work since I got back into the office - thank God that I'm still alive, though, hehe! Plenty of work to keep me occupied so I haven't been able to post or say much via MSN either.

Thankfully, things are starting to be more under controlled now and the office has been quiet for a couple of days (which means I have time and space to settle my work). Probably will be quiet for till the end of the week - slightly more than half my department are away in Singapore for a seminar, another two more are away for training till Thursday, one more went off to Penang yesterday for some workshop. Today's attendance: my direct boss (who's covering for Head of Department), another officer and yours truly... If you think that is few, you should've seen yesterday - my direct boss (who went out for inspection, so does that count?) and me! - this leaves me the 'highest ranking' staff in my dept (the rest are admin staff) and the 'right' to be "boss for the day"...

I know, I know what you must be thinking now: "Wah, get to be boss - good mah..." On the contrary!! Being boss is good... Playing boss is NOT. Someone from the admin department tried to twist my arm into making a decision regarding some renovations that supposedly is confirmed and finalised for the department. I wasn't updated with the latest plans or decisions regarding this renovation matter - the last I heard was we were waiting on upper level management to decide whether or not the renovations can be done --> how does the ding dong expect me to make any decision with the excuse "since I'm the boss for the day and the contractor is already here to discuss"? Gah!! In case you're wondering... Of course I didn't make any decisions and told him to come back another time when at least my direct boss (whom I hope knows what is happening) is around... duh.

Anyway, on a brighter note... I've also been working on my homelife group's blog... Finally got it kick-started (after quite some delay)!! Praise God, it's finally up and running! If you wanna take a peek there, you're welcomed to. =) Just click here to be redirected!

Two Weeks Later... [The Prelude]

Been out of the office for two weeks... well, most of the two weeks... Which explains my Houdini act from MSN as well as the blog... I know some have been looking out and found no new updates - thanks for dropping by anyways or noticing that I was offline for so long yah; your support/care means a lot to me... =)

Well, the past two weeks have been crazy... Two weeks ago, I was in Malacca from Monday to Wednesday (for work lah... not play, lolz!) Then was supposed to be out of office for at least half a day on Thursday, but at 9am, I was 'grounded' and scolded unnecessarily by one of the bosses (the head of the secretariate team for the seminar we're conducting the coming Monday - Wednesday) - he 'commented' that I didn't know how to plan my time and my work and 'accused' me of being "calculative regarding work" (whatever that's supposed to mean... haihz), then told me to reschedule the appointment and stay in the office to clear up the seminar-related work! I've already been working full time on the seminar-related stuff for the past couple of weeks full time and almost everything was already in place... But, what to do... boss mah... stay in office lor... So Thursday and Friday was 'grounded' in office to work on the final bits of preparatory work... There were changes every now and then, even up till the last day, aiyo... Even stayed back on Friday for an extra hour overtime (no OT pay la, for those who were wondering... lolz!) even though I actually wanted to rush back home so that I could make it on time to meet up with some friends for dinner before going to the Leader's Conference at church that evening.

Leader's Conference was Friday night and the whole of Saturday (started at 8.30am for breakfast and ended at around 4pm). Sunday was it's usual 9.15am - 3pm at church for Creative Arts class (teaching) - Sunday Service - Christmas Musical practice! Then it was a quick visit to Jack and Lyanne who were celebrating their son, Darrell's full moon, followed by dinner with my family and a visit to my aunt's.

Slept fairly early on Sunday as I had to be at Sheraton Subang at 6.30am to prepare for the seminar registration, which was supposed to start at 8am... Good thing we were there already... There was a participant who came at 7am!! So, Monday to Wednesday was running around and working at Sheraton Subang for the seminar. Made it to pop in to visit Andy (get well soon, golf diva! We're all praying for you...) at SJMC on Tuesday during lunch hour. Thursday was Deepavali, which was a public holiday. Went for an overnight retreat with some cell group members, which meant I had to take a day off from work on Friday - this also means an entire week out of the office. Saturday was spent going out with friends and then Sunday's activities again.

Thankfully I had a nap before dinner, so I'm hoping tomorrow I will be able to walk into office and not crawl in, lolz! Phew, what a busy time... Will have to settle reports and claims and prepare for an upcoming meeting (and the minute-taking for the meeting) and start working on the paperwork that's been put aside for weeks due to the seminar-related work I was busy with... Whoa, I gotta stop thinking about what's waiting for me at the office, or else I won't be able to sleep, lolz! Well, all glory to God for sustaining me throughout the past two weeks... The retreat, although tiring, was great fun and a good break away from the craziness of the office! =)

Wave Vs. Touch

I'm sure most of you modern-age people are familiar with the terms "Visa Wave" and "Touch and Go", as well as how they work, right? Imagine this...

At the toll booth... Driver of the car in front of you stops at the "Touch and Go" panel on the "Touch and Go" lane... Whips out the "Touch and Go" card... WAVES it in front of the sensor panel... Wave, wave, wave... Drop! (The card falls out of the driver's hand - probably from the frantic waving) Driver opens door, picks up the fallen card and... (you'd think they'd figure it out by now... but...) WAVE! Wave, wave, wave... (you guessed it!) Drop!! Open door. Pick up. Frantic waving continues... *sweat* Finally, after more desperate and frantic waving... the sensor somehow managed to sense the card! (Thank GOD!!)

Okay, stop imagining... it actually HAPPENED!!! Sighz... At the time, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or yell at the woman. Have we become so high-tech that we start to fuse all the technology and get confused between them? *winks*

Work, work, work...

Work, work, work...

Had such a long day today. My working hours are 7.30am - 4.30pm. Had a meeting today at 8.30am - preparations towards the meeting started as soon as I got into work. A bit slow lah, since it was still early in the morning. Need to pick up momentum. =P

The meeting was tiring as there were quite a number of issues addressed. Well, tiring mostly for me since I was the secretary at the meeting. Have to pay extra attention and try to figure out what is going on and who is trying to say what. To make things more complicating today, the previous minutes were questioned and "amended" during the meeting. I have put every effort to ensure that every minutes I write is accurate, so the nit-picking was not appreciated. No one else wants to write minutes, but don't seem to blink when "spotting" mistakes, sigh. What's worse is that some "mistakes" need not be aired out like dirty laundry, but was brought up anyway - and by my own department! *faints* So much for team spirit... sadness.

After the meeting was a blur of work. Mostly was the handling of registrations for a seminar my department will be conducting. Registration forms are starting to pour in and I'm the only one handling the registration and the administrative tasks involved with registrations. This is on top of my regular work, which I haven't even had a chance to touch the entire day! =S

Need to get someone to train me on how to use the module/program that I need for one of my new job descriptions. Have to complete today's meeting minutes draft by tomorrow, if this is possible. Have to catch up on the work I was unable to do prior to having the module/program installed into my PC at the office. Work, work, work... Never ending work.

Thank God for Fifi, who suggested a nice place for lunch. =) It's a new restaurant called 'My Elephant' - recently discovered Thai restaurant - but that's another story.

Anyway, despite all this, I still say I LOVE MY JOB and am thankful that God has placed me here. =)

I finally dug up my sermon notes from a service I attended at Metro Tabernacle. The sermon addresses our work and the marketplace anointing . Points to remember: our work is sacred and God-given; the marketplace anointing is the power of God demonstrated in the workplace.

Here are the 6 ways to succeed in work that was shared. Hope it will be useful to you!
1. Know your calling and destiny
~ find out how God has wired you; recognise your passion and abilities
2. Find a job that you enjoy
3. Do your job with excellence
~ excellence is an attitude within you
4. Be a servant and be faithful in the little things
~ what is your attitude towards your job?
~ serve the company as if you are serving God
5. Walk in obedience and the fear of God
~ the marketplace anointing is not to fulfill our own agenda
6. Get the marketplace anointing
~ bring the presence of God into our workplace, into the world
~ marketplace anointing is not about making money, but to manifest Christ's power in the world

** I pray that both you and I will make a difference in our workplace, wherever we are and whatever station of life we are at. And if making a difference requires us to dare to be different, may we be bold enough to do so - trusting and relying on God every step of the way. God bless!

["For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11]

Two cents...

Sunday service was mainly inspiring testimonies from two people. Both testified of God's goodness in their work - both in the corporate world and in ministry. Makes me think what about me? What can I do to make a difference in my workplace?

Attended the Bahasa Malaysia service along with Shi Wei, mostly to give moral support to Ps. Tim, who was sharing that day. He shared about God's people stepping into our heritage. Here are the points... I'll translate for those of you who need it. =)

1. Ingatilah kebaikan Tuhan (Joshua 24:2-13)
(Remember God's goodness)
2. Buatlah pilihan yang bijak (Joshua 24:14-15)
(Make wise decisions)
3. Bersedialah untuk melepaskan dirimu (Joshua 24: 19-24)
(Be prepared to let go of yourself)
4. Jadilah saksi terhadap diri sendiri (Joshua 24:26-27)
(Be accountable to yourself)

As he was sharing these points, the questions arose again - What can I do to make a difference at my workplace? And the answer (or at least I think it is the answer...) came - to BE different. Some of my colleagues tell me that eventually I will be very curt when dealing with applicants. As it is, I am already told that I'm being too nice and I will be "pushed around" by the applicants. This would explain why some of them are also curt when talking among colleagues, or maybe just to me? =S

So, I'm going to (sorry if this is straying from the intentions of the sermon points...) apply these points by:
1. Remembering God's goodness of placing me at my workplace - I love my job, but not necessarily the stress that I have to face at times.
2. Making the wise decision to honour God in all I do - remembering that my work is for God, so I will be different and hopefully, make a difference! =)
3. Letting go and let God take control of my work - I am currently doing the workload of two people and can only run on the strength and wisdom from God.
4. Being accountable by "writing" this down - hoping that one day when I look at this post again, I can smile and be thankful for the ways God has seen me through.

** I believe God's words speak differently and individually to each person. Hence, the above points are how the sharing has spoken into my heart and into my life. I hope the sermon points will also bless you and touch your heart in a special way... God bless!

Fried brains?

I wonder if I'd managed to fry my brains...

Yesterday afternoon, I had to attend a seminar in KL. I'd already woken up in the morning feeling lethargic and a sore throat about to happen. Went into office in the morning and took some herbal pills to (hopefully) reduce heatiness (is that how you spell it?). However, I started sniffling the whole day - someone actually commented that I sounded as though I was crying! =S

Well, in the afternoon, after getting a quick bite for lunch, despite still feeling rather sick, I began my "adventure" to KL. The reason I'm calling it an "adventure" is because I wasn't too sure how to get there, but managed to get some directions from a few friends (Thanks, y'all...)

Thankfully, I made it there without getting lost. Went with another 2 colleagues in a convoy. The convoy leader roughly knows how to get there... phew! It was rather funny cos all three cars took turns to lead when trying to guess which building we were supposed to get to, haha!

Anyhoo, the seminar is another story in itself, so I'm not going into the details. Roughly, I had to sit through a seminar on crystal healing... some New Age concept. The presenter started his talk by going around and banging his "singing bowl" and placing it in front of the forehead. That "singing bowl" produced such a ringing that my head was spinning... =S (already feeling sick enough ler... haihz)

Well, by the time I got back home, I was feeling kinda drained, exhausted and sick. Decided to take my temperature cos I felt body ache and feverish. Wondered if it was just hay fever, otherwise the sniffles were actually because of flu. The thermometer read 38 degrees Celcius! Being one who dislikes Panadol (somehow it makes me feel sicker after taking it... I know this sounds wierd, but I feel like puking after taking paracetamol - active ingredient of Panadol), I rested a little bit and then went out for dinner and Prayer Meeting.

At Prayer Meeting, I was requested to sing backup for Pastor Timothy who was songleading. I was wondering how I was going to manage this because my throat was sore and scratchy, but I just trusted that God would make a way. Pastor Timothy lead the worship team in prayer before we started, and by the end of the prayer - praise God... throat was A-okay for singing! =)

Still had chills and body ache by the end of Prayer Meeting though. Went home and measured temperature again - an average of 38.3 degrees Celcius. One time the reading was actually 38.5 degrees Celcius!! =S

So, a cup of milk and two Panadols an hour later (forced to take Panadol already since the fever was so high... an hour later cos I fell asleep after having the milk, hehe...), it was wet towel on forehead for the rest of the night in an attempt to lower the fever. My head felt like it was about to explode at certain times... Recalling people telling me how high fever can cause brain damage didn't really help the situation much. Already feel like my brains were being barbecued as it is... =S All I could to was ask God to relieve the pain, and soon, I was asleep.

Praise God, this morning when I woke up, temperature was at 36.5 degrees Celcius... normal! =) Then only I realized that I could've really fried my brains cos I recall hearing somewhere that one degree above normal was already considered high fever, whereas two degrees above normal is quite critical liao. Thinking back, I was actually considering going to the hospital last night, but was too tired and in pain to want to move after getting home. Thank God, I think I didn't fry my brains... but I think I may have possibly been close to it, though... =S

In any case, praise God for healing and protection over me! =)

Anything, Whatever, or...

I recently made an interesting discovery. I'm sure you are familiar with the response, "anything..." or "whatever..." when asked a question as simple as "What would you like to drink?". Do NOT answer either one of these in Singapore unless you are aware that you WILL be served a drink called "Anything" or "Whatever". It's found everywhere! From coffee shops to food courts to roadside peddlars.

Basically, "Anything" is carbonated and is made in 6 flavours: Cola, Cola with Lemon , Apple, Fizz Up, Cloudy Lemon and Root Beer. "Whatever" is non-carbonated and is made in six flavours as iced tea: Ice Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, White Grape Tea, Apple Tea and Chrysanthemum Tea. (Read more about it by clicking here)

To put it simply, these drinks come in a generic can so it's anyone's guess what you'll get once you pop that can open, hehe. When I tried it, I got a Cola in my can of "Anything" and an Ice Lemon Tea in my can of "Whatever".

Sadly, I can't find this in Malaysia. However, I did have a deja vu experience a couple of days ago. Jason had given me a can of Ice Tea Mango, which I'd dutifully chilled in the fridge to make the experience of drinking this new variety of Ice Tea better. Little did I know or even expect when I took a sip - it tasted like an isotonic drink!! Thinking the food I was eating must've interfered with my tastebuds, I decided to pour a little bit out into a cup. There is was... fizzy (carbonated) and whitish coloured liquid. Could it be the manufacturer filled the can with the wrong drink (cos the manufacturer also has a line of isotonic drink)? Or, is Malaysia about to have it's own line of "Anything" and "Whatever"? Took a whiff... Smells like isotonic.

Since when ws Ice Tea carbonated?

So,

carbonated + whitish coloured liquid + smells like isotonic drink + tastes like isotonic drink = must be isotonic drink?

(Is this formula correct?)

The One About The Dream...

Dreams... An expression of our emotions? A vision of things to come? The playing of our subconscious thoughts?

"Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung identify dreams as an interaction between the unconscious and the conscious." (Wikipedia - Dream)


I suppose by now, you would be able to guess that I'm up at this hour because of a dream.

"According to Craig Hamilton-Parker, author of Fantasy Dreaming, many humans find certain dreams extremely difficult to recall." (Wikipedia - Dream)



I have to agree with the guy. So, I figured I may as well blog about it since I can't fall back to sleep, sighz.

It was quite real... at least it felt that way, cos I think I woke up whimpering...

I drove to someplace (I think it was some sort of school), parked right in front of the building and went into the building. I reckon that I was going for class or something. I had brought along my laptop in a computer bag, and I remembered my new camera was in the bag as well. After a while, I realised that I had left my bag in the car. I quickly rushed to the entrance of the building, it was raining outside. Dark skies. I could see my parked car from the entrance. I quickly ran to my car. Then everything went into slow motion (like the movie, Matrix). I was approaching the front of my car. Don't even remember if it was still raining, but felt like it wasn't. My mouth dropped, and so did my heart, as I fell onto my knees. Everything happened s-l-o-w-l-y. The car door was ajar. And it was opened from the 'wrong angle', as in, the door opened from the hinge instead of the erm... door. (I have no clue how that was possible! But, I suppose in dreams, anything can happen, right?) At that instant, I knew. The computer bag with my laptop and camera in it - gone! My heart fell to the ground before my knees touched the ground. Then slow motion picture of knees dramatically hitting the ground with a splash as the raindrops kept falling. The next scene was going home and telling my mom what happened. Crying from the devastation of my loss due to my absent mindedness.

I suppose it was then I woke up whimpering. I laid there wondering whether it was actually real. Sure felt real... Realized it was a dream and tried to go back to sleep. Obviously, that didn't happen.

I am reminded of how we should be good stewards of what we have. Often time, we take what we have for granted. Or, we don't use what we have. For example, the gifts, talents and characteristics that God has given us. How many actually serve others with what they have?

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. - 1 Peter 4:10 (NASB)

Moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. - 1 Corinthians 4:2

I have only just a minute,

only sixty seconds in it,

Forced upon me, can’t refuse it;

didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it;

But it’s up to me to use it.

I must suffer if I lose it,

Give account if I abuse it.

It is only just a minute,

BUT ETERNITY IS IN IT!

Of weekdays and weekends...

Do you know what day it is TODAY??

Last Friday night (Satay night... yeah, SATAY night) at cell group meeting, right in the middle of the discussion we were having while chomping on the yummy satay, I got a call... My phone was on silent mode lah! It was buzzing away and seeing that it was a cell member, I thought it was going to be a typical conversation asking where we were meeting that night (I must look like an information kiosk... sighz)

Interestingly, the first thing the caller said was, "Kim ah... is today... Thursday or Friday ah??" *slap forehead!!* "Erm... Friday..."

That was Friday night...

At 7:30AM the very next morning, my mom suddenly came into my room and said hurriedly, "Oi, wake up!! 7:30 already... still sleeping ah?! No need to go to work ah??" *sweat* "Mom, it's Saturday lar..."

Blog Negligence??? Guilty as charged...

Yes, Leishia, guilty as charged for blog negligence...

Look out for the post on the "Save Elmo Campaign"... brought to you by the combined efforts of YAC1 on Movie night!! (Yes, Kenrick, it's coming... soon!!)

Other happenings in the past week include...
... having been put on the spot (again!!) cos people forget that I CANNOT speak Mandarin - I'm soooo applying for the Spoken Mandarin course (dunno if I'll get approval to go since it's 2 months long *shudder*)
... sick-sick-better-sick-worse-sick-recovering still
... completed the draft of my Job Description (yeah... I'm writing my own Job Description, haha!!)
... fallen asleep at work (hey, reading guidelines is no fun, okay! and perhaps it's all the meds I've been ingesting, sighz)
... late for work (stuck in traffic for slightly over an hour... I did not leave from home late)

Wish list... I wanna see Shrek 3 and Pirates of the Carribean 3. Anyone interested? And, most importantly, anyone got tickets??? *grinz*

I have a cubicle!!

It's been a little while since my last post. Just reported in to my 'new job' mah... So far, things have been both up and down. I got my leave approved for camp, and then after yesterday's internal meeting, it was decided that all leave applications were to be handled by our direct superiors and not the department head (who'd already approved my leave for camp)!! Thankfully, my direct superior was alright with it, so praise God!! I get to go for camp, yay!! Just praying and hoping that nothing pops up between now and then, so that I really get to go!! Pray with me, ya?

Am currently filling a position in 'Technical Management Unit'. Sounds so glamour-rama, right? But it seems the job scope is a whole lot of ISO documentation work, i.e. paperwork! And I'm all by my lonesome in that unit... *shudder* However, I was still granted an opportunity to train to be certified as an auditor... praise God! And, because I'm the only one to be trained for certification, I have to now prepare my own training schedule and make sure I get trained... ironic! So... faster finish training, faster get certified, faster get to do different stuff at work lor!

Ah yes... I have a cubicle!!! I can 'hear' Vino singing the cubicle song as I type this, haha! Well, I'm 'well provided for' here... Own cubicle, own computer, own desk, own chair, own drawer... Even an extra chair at my table for 'guests', haha! Yeah, pretty well taken care of lar... no complaints!! *grins* (Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you bunch back at the research centre!!! Let's do lunch sometime, yeah?)

The one about the posting

Posting. A word that can send shivers down the spine of anyone working in the government sector. You see, in government service, we (government servants) are sent to our respective workplaces based on posting. Anyone could be posted anywhere. Can be quite scary ler.

Anyways, I got a post in Perak during my housemanship year. During that time, I was 'lent' to an institute in Petaling Jaya. This means, I'm actually working (or rather, training) in PJ, while "holding" a post in Perak. Confusing? Yeah. It is confusing.

Then once I'd completed the houseman year, I was supposed to work in Perak (where I'm posted) but a miracle happened! I was transferred to a research institute in Kuala Lumpur! This kind of transfers are quite rare, as in 'normal' circumstances, once being 'lent' out, we have to return to our post and work there. So... miracle number one!

Thinking all was fine and dandy in the research institute in KL, I was transferred to a new institute two months later. This new institute is currently based in KL so not much of a change there. In fact, the institute is currently operating in the premise of the research institute I was posted to. However, this new institute is about to become 'privatized'. This means that I would not be fulfilling my compulsory service requirement if I stayed on once that happens (the privatization). Since I had to serve in the government sector for another 2.5 years, I was advised to apply for a transfer before the privatization happens, which was exactly what I did.

Yesterday (Good Friday... and indeed it was a good Friday!), I received news that my transfer has already been approved (considered very fast, as it took less than a month since I'd started the application process!) and that I will have to report to the new posting on 16th April. And, on top of that, I got my first choice of posting locations!! Wow, another miracle!! Praise the Lord! Woot!

Will have to go for my induction course from 12th onwards, so will have to call to postpone the reporting date. Looking forward to the new posting, which is actually the institute where I did my housemanship training, so not that much learning curve before I get used to the new post... yay! Will miss my colleagues, who have become very good friends... do keep in touch ya?

Minutes of 'fame'...

Yesterday, I had too many minutes of fame. Yeah, so many people want their '5-minutes of fame'... But trust me, you don't want it the way I had it, haha!

I'd left my car's headlights on (*slap forehead*) after I finally secured the parking lot. This motorcyclist took a long time to get the idea that he was in my way... grr!! I suppose all the energy that went into getting him to realize that kinda resulted in me forgetting about the lights, sigh. (Time to whip out the gingko??) Oi, a lot of energy went to that effort wei... some more after managing to successfully 'sleep-drive' to work ler!

Went for the computer course I'd signed up for... then at 10am, my colleague called. Quietly picked up the call lar. "Oi, you left your car lights on lar!" *dsshhh* So, I excused myself from the class and went to turn off the lights lor. Then I tried to start the engine, just to see if the battery has died already... And that's how the 'too many minutes' began...

The car won't start... The alarm went off... *sweat* Anyone and everyone who passed by stared as they went past. (Now that I think about it, how come none stopped to help ler... aiyoh!) Thankfully, my colleagues came to the rescue! Finally got the car jump started from one of the company cars. (Yeah, I know where the drivers' room is now, haha! Yes, there is a room for all the drivers!!) After the whole thing was over, there were a few people who came to me and told me that they saw the lights on, but... didn't know which department I worked at (this is excusable, since the lady is my parking neighbour only), forgot to tell me (*sweat*), don't know where I was (acceptable, since I'm not in my 'usual place'), blah, blah, blah!! I was sooo tickled by the irony! =P

Well, still... a few people to thank... Lim, for being the 'muscle' behind the task (hehe!)... Vino, for the company while I let the engine run to charge the battery... Lai, Rae and Yoges (good to see you, Yoges!!) for their company too!! The kind soul who lead me to the drivers' room... The company car... The jumper cable... Okok, getting carried away here, haha! Well, it was good to know that there was help to fix the problem... and it came speedily too... Managed to get the car started in about 15 minutes from the time I'd let the alarm rip! Praise the Lord for providing so many kind souls along the way!

Ok, today, I checked and double checked before leaving the car... haha!! Still a bit 'paranoid' kua... haha!! Yes, in case you were wondering, I DID turn off the lights today! Enough 'fame' lar... The lady (my parking neighbour) knew I was a pharmacist ler... and I don't even know her wan!! Never even spoken to her before! Scary!! Sighz... I guess that's what you get being the only pharmacist here! So much for being just a face in the crowd in an unknown territory...

Down and out...

Been awhile since the last blog... So much has happened. This post, as the title says, is about being 'down and out'... Other stuff or happenings will be updated later la... Can't write that much right now, haha!

Okay... yesterday, was physically down and out!! It all started with the occasional sneeze and sniffle. Brought leftover pizza (compliments of my sis) for lunch. Decided that I could use an 'outing' to get away from the cold office, so I went out with my colleagues when they went for lunch. Having already been sniffling, decided to have 100Plus la... At least can replenish some of the fluids I've been losing, hehe! Earlier in the day, took Sunkist Orange Juice and popped in vitamin, along with plenty of water, hoping to ward off the progression of the dreaded sniffles. Seemed to help a little bit, but when we came back after lunch.... it struck!! Acute case of ahchoo's and tissue dependance!! Sighz. Was so bad that I went to one of the bosses at my workplace to ask for the rest of the day off. Thankfully, I got just that!

So, off I went. Managed to get home in one piece, thank God. The sniffles were starting to win the battle... As soon as I got home, I was already too exhausted and sick. I wonder if I'd looked in the mirror, would I see a greenish hue? Anyway, I took an antihistamine, changed into something more comfortable, and slept... Slept... Slept... From 3pm, I wasn't even conscious of my surroundings (good thing no fire or war broke out, hehe!) until about 8pm. Woke up, ate dinner, was out again by about 9pm. Woke up in the middle of the night, around midnight, I think. Watched the finale of 'My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss' (extremely funny reality show!!) and then finally took a bath. Yes, I know that it's late, and I should not be taking bath at such late hours, but the initial plan to bathe before taking a nap when I got home could not materialize lar. I suppose it's good also, was waaaayyy too tired! If I had fallen over in the bathroom, I'd be... I'd be... oooh... I'd be in heaven... woohoo!! Okok, coming back down to earth now...

That was yesterday. Slept after the bath, and this morning, I woke up on the first alarm!! Haha. No snooze ler! Not something that happens often, hehe! I just laid there, wondering whether or not I wanted to go in to work today. Felt a bit feverish, but consultation with the trusty thermometer showed a normal temperature. So, decided to go in lah. As soon as I stepped into the office, I started to regret coming in, haha. Body aching from the effects of the acute onset yesterday! By the time all my other colleagues mosey-ed in, I'd managed to psych myself to stay in the office. No more sneezing and sniffling. Just the body ache. Bearable lah.

Later in the morning, there was a call from front office (department's office). At the time, I was trying to take blood pressure reading - the manual/traditional way! So long since I last did that... and it's still not an easy feat!! Front office said that (main) admin called to ask me to go downstairs to see the admin officer in charge of my employee file. Figuring that I'm not gonna get anywhere with my attempts to 'traditionally' take blood pressure measurement, I went down using the back stairs to admin, wondering what I could be called for.

Down the steps I went, one by one by.... whoops!!! Slipped a few steps!! Held onto the side rail for dear life, haha! Good thing I'm not that heavy kua... Or else cannot hold on to myself ler! Haha! Well, no broken bones... no broken back... no broken head... thank God!! Just lost some skin cells to the rail due to the friction. Thankfully, I had trimmed my nails last night. Or else, there might have been more damage (broken nail and such), haha! Feet scraped against the stairs, but I think my long pants prevented any scratches. Not sure if I sustained any bruises, but we shall know tomorrow, won't we?

So, feet aching a bit and feeling a bit shaken and unstable from the slip, went into admin to look for the admin officer. She wasn't at her table. Hey, didn't the call say to go down now? I asked her colleague for her. She pointed to the back. No. No sign of her. Then, suddenly, she popped up from behind the table! She was squatting next to another person's table. Must've been blocked by the computer also, haha!! I was chuckling by then... thinking, like some magic trick, haha!! Like Jason popping up from behind the partition on his cue to enter the scene at skit practice on Sunday, haha!

Here's the ironic thing, she asked me why I went down, as she asked to call her only. Hmm... must be miscommunication lar... sighz. Anyway, since I'd already gone down, she passed me a copy of the letter to inform me that I was selected to go for the Induction Course in April. Erm, a bit of background : induction course is basically introduction of government service and the laws and regulations during service, etc. For all government servants... Yes, I'm a government servant. Compulsory service. Ask me another time. Long story.

Okay, so there I was thinking, oh wow, at least I don't have to wait any longer, as I'd already been in government service for slightly more than 1.5 years. (We need to do the induction course and pass the induction exam before we complete 3 years service; and the exam results take months before it is released) Then I read on... the induction course will be in.... CORAL BAY RESORT, PANGKOR ISLAND!! Woo hoo!!! So, I'll be away for induction course from 12th - 25th April! Time to go shopping for sunblock, hehe! Not so sure what is in store, but the timetable suggests long long days of activities and lectures. Need to wake up at 6:30am everyday!!! Sleep is scheduled at about 11pm, but from stories from seniors, I may be expecting much less sleep than that. Sighz. Oh well, you'll hear all about it when I get back. The good part is that during the 2 weeks, I'll be on unrecorded leave... haha! However, the not so good part is that the exam is on the very next day after we come back : 25th April 2007. So fast!! On the lighter side, at least all the stuff that was taught will still be fresh in my mind, right?

Okay... that's it for the tales of 'down and out'... Until next time... I'll try to be more careful on steps, and so should you... *winks* Take care!!

Reflections of the past week...

Last week really flew right by. For most part, I was in a rather semi-conscious state. Perhaps I was just waaayy too tired. For those of you who had to endure my repeated questions (since I can't seem to retain any information at all!! eh, this is worse than my already failing & short memory, okay!)... I appreciate your patience!

Let's recap last week and summarize the little bits and pieces that I can recall, hehe...

I remembered being all excited that Lovy was coming to visit... Major shopping spree!! Erm... mostly window shopping lah... don't worry!! *winks* Lovy got a few good buys though!! =) Ooohh... and my first taste of Ultimate Frisbee last Sunday... Yeah, Leishia, those people can run circles around you, can't they? Oh, and the difference between my experience and Leishia's is, I didn't get any 'formal training', i.e. the 'manual' that Leishia was blogging about... I got on-the-spot explanation and quick lesson on how to throw the frisbee (eh, in case you're wondering... I CAN throw a frisbee lah!!), and on to the game! To sum up the game in 3 words: FUN. Tiring. FUN!!!!

Ultimate shopping spree on Monday... Dragged self to work on Tuesday... late! Sigh. Was out the whole day again as I had another appointment after work. Perhaps I should've took an MC... but do they dish out MCs for lethargy?? Oh well... got home and slept till morning... Woke up late again... RUSH RUSH RUSH!!! Wednesday went by like a blur... too tired to go for prayer meeting some more... You may think I had enough rest since I missed prayer meeting... think again!! Thursday morning - I think I'd turned off my alarm instead of snoozing it... haihz!! And then Thursday became... another blur....

Friday came along really quickly... managed to get up and got to work at 7:15am!! What a feat, haha! But, it came at a price lah... Dozing off while driving... happened about 2-4 times! Thank God, I managed to get to work in one piece!! Sat down in office... fell in and out of sleep for an hour... not that it helped that much... but at least it got me through the day... Think I had a short nap during lunch hour also... Thank God for 2.5hr Friday lunch break!!!

Friday also happened to be the day that Matta Fair started... (Matta Fair = travel fair, where you can get discounts on flights, travel packages, etc) So, thinking that I'd avoid the crowd (and it was already pouring cats and dogs by the time I was leaving office), I took an alternative way home... little did I know that it took me 1.5 hours and about 1.5-2 times the normal distance, with RM3.20 in toll, to get home!!! Hence, missed my ride to cell, and had to drive self there. Sooo tired on Friday evening, couldn't bear to get out of bed as soon as I'd plopped onto it, in order to make some instant noodles for dinner. Ended up stuffing in 2 pieces of cream crackers after taking a quick bath and before leaving for cell group meeting. Interestingly enough, I didn't even feel hungry... must be the lethargy overriding any feeling of hunger, haha!

After cell meeting, went home and slept!!! Slept till about 11am... was awakened by parents cos they wanted to go for brunch and then visit my aunt who's warded in the hospital... So, dragged myself out of bed and we were out of the house by 12pm. Had brunch and then on to the hospital...

At the hospital, you would think that the fruit basket was meant for the patient's consumption... think again... haha!! In the end, my aunt had a quarter of a plum and 2-3 grapes... out of about 4-5 plums, an orange, 2 small bunches of grapes, and a couple of Packham pears!! She didn't want to eat cos it was too hard, and she didn't want to keep it for too long in case it spoils... so in the end, it was fruit fest for her son's family and mine, haha! Ironic!!!

Went home, napped, finished homework for Sunday's class... I suppose it was sufficient rest to get me up to make it to class on Sunday morning... 9am, okay... After Sunday service was lunch and go home for more rest... Sorry lah, Leishia, couldn't join in for frisbee... And soon enough, it was Monday... the week seemed to have flew right by!!

Overall, it started great!! Especially hanging out with Lovy and Donny. By Wednesday, I was like a walking zombie... So far, it seems that I'm back to normal (whatever that is, hehe!)

Oh yeah, yesterday ended with quite a sad note... I lost my white gold ring that my mom gave me. Think it slipped off without my noticing when I was washing my hands at KFC. So sad... And this morning, I had such a tough time (dunno how come suddenly liddat) maneuvering the side parking, I scraped my tyre against the curb and squished a few leaves of the plant that was growing there.