Bosses ...

I had some time to myself the other day .. and I was reminiscing on my past jobs with all the companies I've ever worked for .. and you know what most of them have in common?

Grouses about our bosses.

About how your boss is THE most penny-pinching asshole you've ever seen .. or how incredibly calculative they are in paying out your salary ( like trying to delay your salary like into the next week of the following month ) ..

Well, let me tell you about one of MY previous bosses.

I was with his company sometime back - actually to be precise, I was attached to his company for almost half a year. Now of course, following the standard modus operandi of the typical asshole boss, they are very very nice to you during the interview. And you start getting deluded into thinking .. Hey, he's a nice guy. He's so humble and understanding despite being so rich.

Yeah .. right.

It always seems to start about 2 months into the job when he starts picking on the small things .. like your punctuality, for example. Never mind that you work till almost 09:00pm daily and that you even work on Sundays AND public holidays.

To your boss being punctual is a sign that you look forward to each new day with enthusiam and eagerness .. doesnt matter even if you were drinking like a goldfish with him the previous night till 04:00am .. doesnt matter that HE comes in at 11:00am ... YOU have to be in the office at 09:00am SHARP.

And then it gets even worse.

He tells you that the company is planning to expand .. we're going to get a new office ( in his case, a new office means a new building ) and that he has to start looking at cost-saving measures.

So later when you are due for confirmation, you find that a lot of the so-called promises that was made during the initial interview are conveniently forgotten.

Like your increment, for example. And oh, what about that position he promised you? And of course, the typical penny-pinching boss would not be one if he didnt cut back on the smaller things in the office.

Like your mileage claims.

Bad enough that you are basically paid the LOWEST mileage per kilometer in MALAYSIA .. he has to lower it even further by citing that fuel prices has dropped in the last few months. Hello? You are not even paying me maintenance and you are paying me less than 30cents per km .. and now you are lowering it to less than 23 cents per km?? You think my car runs on water is it? Or that my car is totally service free? And that my tyres NEVER run bald??

I'm like away for almost 2 weeks at one time on sales calls .. even working on Sundays and public holidays .. and I have to pay for my own petrol to bring in revenue for you ???

Something is very very wrong here.

As it is my basic salary is lower than the average general worker .. and you dont pay me any meal allowances for my outstation visits .. and if I were to fall sick I don't get to claim any medical expenses .. now I have to top up for my own petrol and hotel stays??

Fuck.

Well, things being what they are .. and with the situation not likely to improve anytime soon I made the decision to leave that company. I didnt feel very good leaving .. not because of the boss or because of the peanuts they were paying me .. but because I had made friends there .. the office and sales people got along fabulously ( ever wonder why when you have a less than perfect boss, the staff seems to be great? ) ..



Now I'm with a new company .. and of course im still in the sales line .. and you know what? The boss seemed very nice during the interview.

I hope history doesnt repeat itself.


Any of you guys have the same experience ?

Nice Place ....

Time really seems to pass quickly.

It only seemed like yesterday I was looking forward to Christmas and New Year's Eve ... and before I even could savor the year end holidays .. I find myself in the 2nd week of January .. listening to Chinese New Year adverts on the radio !!

And oh, btw .. I didnt make any resolutions for this year. I figured since I wasnt gonna be able to keep them ANYWAY .. so why go to all the trouble?

Anyways .... was wondering what to eat (why does everyone I know seem to have this problem? As in what to eat?) when I remembered this nice little place that I had lunch at with Fanny ..















What I liked about this place was that it had a very personal touch to it .. as Auntie Juliet herself would be flitting from table to table .. checking on the portions served and making conversations ..















I also noticed that despite not being air-conditioned the place was filling up quickly on a hot afternoon - guess the menu had something to do with it .. in fact, most of the tables you see have been reserved ...













































And this was what Fanny had ..















What I had .. now I know why reservations were needed .. the dip was really good !!















And of course, it being a hot afternoon there's nothing more refreshing that your local ABC to cool things off .. the portion was huge .. so we shared the dessert ...

Wow .. this is making me hungry ... hmm ... I wonder if Fanny or Stepfannie is free for dinner tomorrow .. hehe ....

Good riddance 2008 .. Welcome 2009

I don't know about you ... but 2008 really sucked big time for me.

What with the petrol prices sky-rocketing and the current economy making a nose-dive .. well, let's just say I wasnt exactly sad to see 2008 go.

On the other hand, 2009 - the year of the Ox - has been 'predicted' to be a challenging year .. I guess you could say for me it's kinda true as I'm gonna be in a new company and a new position ..

Anyways ... goodbye 2008 .. you suck .. and

Welcome 2009 !!

Christmas ...

It's the 25th of December today.
It's Christmas.

I woke up really early today .. and as I've done for the all the Christmases before today .. got ready and found myself in church for Christmas service.

I guess it just won't feel like Christmas if there isnt any carols being sung .. or if I dont find myself in church .. listening to the story of that little baby being born in a manger.

Actually .. I was wondering ... what does Christmas mean to you?

More business?
A chance to shop till you drop?
Presents?

I guess for me Christmas will always be the time for me to spend time with family .. and a chance to remind myself how lucky I am to have family and people around me that would put up with my nonsense. Hehe.

Anyways .. here's me wishing you ..


Merry Christmas and a Fabulous 2009 !!

Getting Married ..... and Staying Married ..

I attended a close friend's wedding last week.

December seems to be a month for weddings, it seems .. most of my colleagues and friends have been attending weddings for the entire month, mostly on weekends.

As I was sitting there sipping brandy and sharksfin soup .. as well as just looking at the proceedings, I was left wondering ... the bridegroom and his bride seemed so happy and in LOVE .. but .. how long will it last?

I mean, is LOVE the ultimate factor in bringing together two people? And is LOVE gonna be there like 20-30 years down the road? When LOVE is gone, what is there left?

Which ultimately brings me to an article I read last week.

There's this Rabbi ... Rabbi Dov Heller .. who's a 'relationship coach' who insists on these factors before choosing a life partner ...


Choosing a Life Partner - by Rabbi Dov Heller, MA.

When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50 percent, it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding Mr/Ms Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they’re getting married, they’ll say : “We’re in love.” It seems that this is the #1 mistake people make .... Choosing a life partner should never be based on love (alone) !!

Though this may sound not politically correct, there’s a profound truth here. Love (alone) is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come.

Let me say it again : You CAN'T build a lifetime relationship on love alone. You need a lot more.

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you’re serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION #1 : Do you share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important?

Let me put it this way : If you’re married for 20 or 30 years, that’s a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time?

Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose.

Two things can happen in a marriage. You can grow together, or you can grow apart. Fifty percent of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life bottom line - and marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION #2 : Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust i.e. trust that I won’t get “punished” or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings.

A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe withthe person you plan to marry.

QUESTION #3 : Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions :

Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis?
Are they serious about improving themselves?

A teacher of mine defines a good person as “someone who is always striving to be good and do the right thing.” So ask about your significant other : What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic? Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement.

There are essentially two types of people in the world : People who are dedicated to personal growth and people who are dedicated to seeking comfort.

Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION #4 : How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure.

Ask : Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up themselves and self-absorbed? To measure this, think about the following :

1) How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus boy, taxi driver etc?
2) How do they treat parents and siblings?
3) Do they have gratitude and appreciation?
4) Do they show respect?

If they don’t have gratitude for the people who have given them everything, you cannot expect that they’ll have gratitude for you - who can’t do nearly as much for them!

Do they gossip and speak badly about others?
Someone who gossips cannot be someone who loves others.

You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly will eventually treat you poorly as well.

QUESTION #5 : Is there anything I’m hoping to change about this person after we’re married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to “improve” them after they’re married. As a colleague of mine puts it, “You can probably expect someone to change after marriage... for the worse!”

If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them.

In conclusion, dating doesn’t have to be difficult and treacherous. The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating, to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues. Falling in love is a great feeling but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don’t want to find yourself in trouble because you didn’t do your homework.



Hmm ... sounds kinda right .. doncha think?

Are you Happy?

It's the 18th of December ... exactly one week till Christmas ... and exactly two weeks till a brand new year ... 2009.

In the Declaration of Independence .. principally authored by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States -it states and I quote .. " All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "

The pursuit of Happiness.

Why doesn't he just say Happiness? Why the PURSUIT of Happiness?
Is Happiness something that you have to pursue? Something that is forever being evasive?

I dont know.

All I do know is this ... I'm not gonna wallow in my own misery anymore. I'm not gonna be all 'this shouldnt have happened to me' and so on and so forth.

I'm gonna be happy.
I'm gonna look at life differently .. and if I do have to pursue Happiness, so be it.

I'm gonna make 2009 a year to remember.
And of course, I hope all my hopes for a better 2009 doesn't all go to hell by the 2nd week of January.


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!

Bad Karma ?

I was driving around in KL last week along Jalan TAR .. it was almost 1:00pm .. and as usual, Jalan TAR was absolutely jammed packed with pedestrians and traffic ..

One thing I noticed .. despite the sweltering heat and bright hot sun, that didnt seem to deter anyone from walking around .. and then, I noticed this :















It kinda looked like a bus .. except that it had an open top ... and there were people in it !! On a closer look I saw this :

There were like almost a dozen or so people in the open top bus .. what made me notice was that despite the dust and heat .. these people seemed to be chatting and dancing ( yes, you read that right .. DANCING ) around .....

Now, I dont know about you but with that kinda traffic combined with the dust and heat and smog .. I wouldnt be 'prancing' around in an open top bus !! And definitely not in a tube top and skimpy shorts !! Isn't that the fastest way to get sunburned ? I thought that it was some kinda advertorial event .. but I couldnt see any cameras ...

On a totally unrelated event ....

I was having tea with a friend in Subang 2 days back ... and when I walked back to my car I saw this on the passenger's side door ....

Apparently some bastard tried to force his/her way into my car ... but nothing was taken despite the fact that my wallet was left in the glove compartment ..

Later, after a more lengthy discussion with my mechanic .. I found out that this was pretty common - it seems that these guys are not out to take anything from your car .. they just want the LOCK so that they can duplicate the car key .. and they always target the passenger side door or the boot, hoping you won't notice ..

And so with your LOCK and your car registration number, it would be pretty easy to find out where you live .. so that they can come back late at night when you are fast asleep and just drive off with your car !!

The mechanic also told me that he was offered ( he said NO ) almost a thousand dollars for a copy of ANY car key and registration .. to be passed to a syndicate specialising in stealing cars ..

And so I had to change the ENTIRE car's locks .. so as to avoid the chance that if in the event my car IS targetted to be stolen .. it won't happen .. SHIT ... cost me a few hundred ringgit .. wonder why my car .. it's only a bloody WAJA after all ...