Bye bye 2005

In a few hours we shall end the working year of 2005. It has been a good year. As I recall the year, these are the events that pop up in random order.....

1. Exams.....it was a decision that took like 2 days to decide b'cos a dear brother is embarking on his MBA, so I followed suit (for the fellowship/companion of friends in "suffering"). I am glad that it is all over now. It the midst of it all, I used up all my annual leaves, which explains why I am stuck in office over the Christmas - New Year period.

2. Trip to Xian, was really enjoyable and nice.

3. what else?? CCF Camp, a song which still stuck in my head - Find Us Faithful

FIND US FAITHFUL

We’re pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who’ve gone before us, let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover, and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

So.........Happy New Year to all......!!!!

Pimplometer....

Over the years my body has developed a pretty reliable way of measuring and showing me the stress level I am in. By the number of pimples on my face and on my scalp.....

Pimples on face :)
1 to 2 - More irritated then stressful (a bit more then annoyed).
2 to 4 - Ok now we are talking some stress.
4 to 6 - Now some destress is needed....movies, walk, just drive around aimlessly.
More than 6 - Ok system begins to shut down.....whatever you say is just noise to me :) :)

Well just in case you picture me as a young pimply face teenager (which I left not THAT long ago), I have been blessed with pretty manageable pimples (thanks to some VERY....I mean VERY bitter.....chinese medicine, which lingers on your tongue for like 2 days and we have to have a separate pot to cook it, cos it will spoil other food because of the bitter tasteeven after washing and soaking the pot overnight). So most of my pimples are only on the surface which I can squeeze and leave almost no mark.

Pimples on scalp :(
These are the painful ones.....worst of all they will soon be "exposed" to all to see, at the rate I am going give it maybe a couple more years.....hey I am not loosing hair I am gaining face!!!!

1 pimple - Ok stress is on.
2 or more - Major stresssssssssssss.

Guess what was my level for cantata nite?

4 on the face and 1 on the scalp.....arrrrrggghhhhhhh

Sure no prob.....ooops

Those few words summarise what I have gotten myself into this Christmas. It all began with a nice soothing voice over the handphone...."Can you help out on projector for the Cantata next Friday?" That's like 1 week ago. So it was like reflex action that I mumbled something like ..."sure no prob..."

Then Tues nite it dawn on me...what??!! so many diff programs?? Skit, children choir, 2 videos, combinations of camera & PC presentations, main choir....and guess who needs to control all the switching....me??!! Aiyoh......such a "complex" production and thanks to CH there are more and more gadgets on the table.....let's see what a LCD operator has to deal with on a Sunday?

1. 3 projectors to control.
2. The usual worship and sermon stuff - powerpoint for songs and sermons and videos.
3. Wireless Instant Messaging (that explains the wireless access point sitting prettily on the edge of the table). (Luckily CH is not insisting that we use this). Already there are too many "Windows" to manage on the PC.
4. Switching from PC to camera to PC etc.
5. So depending on the complexity of the session - one will be frantically clicking and pounding keyboards etc.

So you see, to date this is probably the most complex session that I have to deal with.....some how friends keep telling me I always get the best training......get thrown at the deep end from the start.

My sessions are always full of interesting training - exceptionally more cars need to repark, last minute videos to play, last minute presentations, last minute coordination with story telling and have to click precisely at certain parts, video won't work (no matter what I do - short of acting out the clip myself), change in software and presentation mode etc etc. And now this??!!

Well I thought I will get a relatively stress free Christmas....looks like not really.

But hey then again it is Christmas.....the best time of the year.....maybe I should be thankful that I could celebrate it, all because someone came 2,000 years ago.

So consider this an open invitation to all and join us at FBC Pantai, 8pm, 23 Friday 2005 for a night of music presented by a 70-strong choir, skit and adorable children choir too.

See you there..... :) :) :)

1 week anniversary

How lame?? Well that says it all, nothing much has happened except that I am now in a new company but still within the same group.
Been busy settling in and remembering new faces and names....gosh I am really hopeless at this.

So what's my schedule like for Christmas?? Let's see....

23 Dec - Christmas Cantata at my church, consider this an open invitation for anyone reading this. Will be doing the projector.
24 Dec.....hhmmm I think there is a party somewhere (have to reconfirm with wife).
25 Dec - yeah Christmas day......I think there is a BBQ at nite.
26 Dec - catch up on sleep......
27 till new year..... :( :( work?! what to do, I have finished up all my leave on exams this year so have to start accumulating my leaves for next year.

2006......gosh how time flies.......this will mark the 10th Anniversary of my departure from the Land of Hobbit.......wonder when will I make a trip back there :) :) if not for expensive airfare and high exchange rate.....it used to be RM 1.30 to NZD 1 when I first step on the Land of Hobbit...now Skull Island too I heard/read somewhere.

ASEAN Summit - Road Closure

Got this from a colleague (shld be quite accurate, but don't hold me responsible :))


11th Asean Summit ( 11th ~ 14th Dec 05 )
In conjunction with the 11th Asian Summit that will be held in Kuala Lumpur from the 8th till the 14th, Polis DiRaja Malaysia confirms that dress rehearsals will be held on the 5th and 6th of Dec 05 before the actual event from 11th ~14th Dec 05.

Please refer to the following table to view the timing for the affected road closures in stages:-

• 5th Dec 05 7:30pm - 9:00pm
• 6th Dec 05 3:00pm - 5:00pm
• 11th Dec 05 7:30pm - 9:00pm
• 12th Dec 05 8:00pm - 10:00pm
• 13rd Dec 05 8:00am - 12:00 noon
• 14th Dec 05 8:00am - 12:00noon

1. The intersection of Jln Bukit Bintang and Jln Imbi Traffic from Jln Tun Razak to Bukit Bintang will be diverted to Jln Imbi.

2.The intersection of Jln Bukit Bintang and Jln Raja Chulan. Traffic from Jln Raja Chulan will be diverted towards the Bukit Bintang and Tun Razak Intersection.

3. The intersection of Bukit Bintang and Sultan Ismail.

4. The intersection of Raja Chulan and Sultan Ismail. Traffic from the KL Tower to Jln Tun Perak will be diverted towards the Jln Puncak and Jln P.Ramlee Intersecton.

5. The intersection of Jln Raja Chulan and P. Ramlee. Traffic along the bus lane and teksi lane will be diverted towards Jln Sultan Ismail.

6. The intersection of Jln Puncak and Jln P. Ramlee. Traffic from KL Tower to Jln P.Ramlee and Jln Sultan Ismail will be diverted to Jln Raja Chulan.

7. The Intersection of Lorong P. Ramlee and Jln P. Ramlee, traffic will be diverted to Jln Raja Chulan.

8. The intersection of Jln Sultan Ismail and Jln Ampang. Traffic from Jln Raja Abdullah to Jln P. Ramlee will be diverted to Jln Ampang. While traffic from Jln Ampang and Dang Wangi will be diverted to Jln Raja Abdullah.

9. The intersection of Lorong Kuda and Jln Stonor. Traffic is diverted to the KLCC Parking and Jln Medan Kuda.

10. The intersection of Medan Kuda and Jln Binjai. Traffic will be diverted to Jln Medan Kuda and Jln Tun Razak.

11. The Ampang and Jln Tun Razak intersection. Traffic from KLCC will be diverted to Jln Tun Razak while traffic from Jln Tun Razak will be diverted to Jln Ampang and then to Jln Tun Razak.

12. The Ampang and Yap Kwan Seng Intersection. Traffic from Jln Yap Kwan Seng will be diverted to Jln Ampang while traffic from Rennaaisance via Jln Ampang will be diverted to Jln Yap Kwan Seng and Jln Ampang.

13. The Kia Peng and Raja Chulan Intersection. Traffic will be diverted to Jln Perak.

14. The exit from the KL - Ampang Elevated Highway to Jln Ampang. Traffic will be diverted straight to Wisma Denmark.

15. The intersection of Sultan Ismail and Jln Raja Abdullah. Traffic from Jln Dang Wangi to Jln Sultan Ismail will be diverted to Jln Yap Ah Shak, while traffic from Jln Raja Alang to Jln Sultan Ismail will be diverted to Jln Ampang.

16. And finally traffic from Jln Sultan Ismail to Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman will be diverted to Jln Raja Abdullah and Jln Dang Wangi.

The following roads will be completely closed to traffic during this event:

1. The intersection of Jln P.Ramlee and Lorong Perak.

2. The intersection of Jln P.Ramlee and Jln Perak

3. The intersection of Jln P.Ramlee and Jln Pinang.

4. The intersection of KLCC and Jln Pinang at the traffic lights.

5. from Jln Perak to Jln Pinang near Wisma UOA.

6. Jln Changkat Kia Peng and Jln Kia Peng

7. The intersection of Jln Stonor and Jln Kia Peng

8. The intersection of Persiaran Stonor and Jln Stonor.

9. The Intersection of Jln Stonor and Exxon Mobil.
10.KLCC exit and Jln Ampang from Nikko Hotel.

Scams, scams and more scams

Some how I dunno why I always get targeted for scams....maybe I look stupid and easy target???

Let's see how many times:-

1. Mines Shopping center - 1 of the unknown electrical shop.
2. Puchong - 1 Japan-sounding company.
3. LRT - Taman Jaya.
4. HSBC - Puchong, outside the bank but they have been very active there for past 1 or 2 months.


Modus Operandi
Step 1 - Approach you and mention either of these:-

1. Congrats you are our lucky draw participant.
2. You have been selected for a survey.
3. We are doing a market research for a company.


Step 2 - Lucky draw ticket, 1 of these:-

1. Scrap and win ticket.
2. Perforatted letter like those you get for your PIN number from the bank.
3. Lucky draw ticket from a box or something.


Step 3 - The setup, 1 of these:-

1. 2 or more accomplice will do the "Anugerah Pelakon Terbaik" attempt to look surprise when you "get" a lucky draw price. Let's see what have I got before - fridge, home theatre systems, microwave, house, TV, Perdana and air-con.....
2. The 1st guy will look puzzled at your ticket and pretend to ask a "senior" or " manager" and they will tell you, this is the 1st time such grand prize has been picked by people.


Step 4 - The big bait, 1 of these:-

1. You have to buy up to a few thousand RM to be in the running for the grand price.
2. You have to purchase a few thousand RM to "claim" the lucky draw.
3. You have to follow them back to their office in order to do some paper work. (LRT & HSBC)

That's when I scoot off.....the moment they mention RM or need to pay.....my chinaman instinct kicks in and my kiasuism goes into overdrive. There was once where they threathen me that I have to pay for something because I have scratched the card or something and I say I will check with the police and Kementerian Hal Ehwal Pengguna and they just let me off.

So now I always ask wifey, wanna see some actor wannabe at work whenever we come across such scams.

cheers - chips

Hermit in the making??

Pretty soon I shall be turning into self-imposed hermit.....mit....mit....mit.

Some of u probably remember my 1 sen incident, well this time round to my horror even my 50 sen coins are rejected.......both my 2 gloriously shining 2005 edition of Bank Negara issued legal tender, so I thought until I was told by a sales person by the name of Jerry (think I got that right?? who works around the 8pm shift in BTS - GSC), according to him and also his colleagues who were working at the same time, it is management's direction that no coins are to be collected.

If my 1 sen resolution stays.....I will have to blacklist GSC from my visit.....thus you see....voting with my legs and taking my business somewhere else is really all a small time consumer like me has against such great practices of large corporations??!! What more from the last 1 sen episode I did call Bank Negara's customer service / hotline and was told there is nothing they could do in that sense (wonder if this is the "official" stand or response from Bank Negara - our custodian of financial industry and 1 of the most powerful institutions??)...imagine the response....."we can't do anything lah with the pau shop....may be you can call the Hal Ehwal Pengguna or Consumer Association to complain or just take your business to another shop."

Well I always wonder am I just making a mountain out of a molehill or am I just nuts to get angry over these stuff??

Sigh then again......what can a small kuchi rat do??.....fatchipmunk....is still a chipmunk huh??!! better go burrow more holes in the ground........cheers Friday round the corner........