Me and my new love

Welcome to the world of buying accessories, accessories and more accessories.. .

Let's start with a screen protector - Has to be fingerprintless type and has security features.

Then a casing to protect the sides from scratches
Then a pouch or sleeve to ensure total protection when you put in your pockets or bags (in case your car keys scratches the smooth exterior)
Then another pouch to suit another occassion (you cannot wear the same shirt everyday right?)
...Then an extra charger for home, the other for office (too cumbersome to bring adapter here and there...)
Then an extra sync cable for times when you are mobile
Then a car charger just in case you run out of battery
Then a aux cable to connect to your car audio system to play music from your iphone in your car
Then a mobile charger (extra juice) to ensure you have enough battery on the go.

The above are only the absolute necessary...the other luxuries can go on like a docking system for your house audio video system, a wifi sync system for downloading songs, changing your car audio system to enable fittings of iphone into the car if your current system is not "iphone ready" etc... and the list goes on until you finally need to buy a new BMW to match your iphone.. :)

Better get started soon... I am already ahead of you a few steps towards getting my BMW... ahahhaha

Blogging from IPhone!

OMG! How cool is technology? Wayyyyyy cool! I am very impressed with this small powerful piece of gadget called iPhone! It's simply AMAZING! I can truly call myself a mobile user now. I am writing this from my iPhone. And the best part is, the response time is pretty fast! So, moving forward, I can write down my ideas immediately in blogspot instead of scribbling notes everywhere.

I guess this really is a worthwhile investment. It can bring a lot of joy to online addicts hahaha

Alright, keeping it short and simple as I can't wait to post my first blog with my iPhone !

•guess I mentioned the word iPhone many times in this article. Can't help it.... Think I am in love....

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin

Got this message in a forwarded email which a certain JackDS forwarded to a yahoogroup. I don't know him, and also don't know the original writer for this poem, thus I don't know who the credit should goes to. However, I think it's very appropriate for this Hari Raya. Just want to take the opportunity to wish all my friends a Happy Hari Raya and Maaf, Zahir dan Batin.

Ampun dan maaf andainya saya ini...

Terkasar bahasa dalam bicara

Tersilap bicara semasa bersama

Termarah yang tak kena tempatnya

Tertanya tak tentu hala ..

Tersasul yang tak sengaja

Terpukul kat mana-mana

Terpekik kuat di telinga

Terhantuk terketuk di kepala

Terpinjam terambil harta & benda

Termoody tak semena-mena

Terumpat bila ada cerita,

Teremail benda yang tak sepatutnya awak terima

Termacam-macam yang kena-mengena..,,

Di hari yang mulia sepuluh jari ku hulurkan semua,

Memohon kemaafan atas segala dosa yang ada

Kerana saya masih bernama manusia

Pastinya tak lepas membuat dosa

Semoga dimaafkan,

Salam Aidil Fitri Maaf Zahir & Batin

The Power of English

English is a wonderful language... you can upset people unknowingly or scold some people but yet they feel happy about it ... it all boils down to the puns, or idioms that you use to express yourself...

No brainer by definition, means...."Something so simple or easy as to require no thought" .... When I said that a report is a no brainer (meaning to say it's a good report that does not require further thought to decipher), a colleague from another department went crying thinking that I scolded her that she has no brains... Hahaha.. A compliment to the report turned sour...

And then, when I scolded someone Smart Alec, that person was HAPPY, thinking that I complimented him for being SMART... hahaha...

Such are the oxy morons of English... And just to be clear, I am not implying that anyone is a "moron"... An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines normally-contradictory terms (2 words with opposite meanings forming a meaningful word), such as pretty ugly, or deafening silence.

So, you can see, it is useful that you master English... it can be a very powerful communication tool indeed.

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If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? ~Sydney J. Harris

Managing people

Managing People.... as people comes in all shapes and sizes (meaning all different kinds of characters, behaviours, attitude and office cultural background) it is one of the most difficult but most crucial aspect in an organisation. An organisation is made up of its people, thus managing people is unavoidable.

Nobody can see in the eyes of management until they have sat in the hot seat of "management". All my previous theory in management has not equiped me with all the experience required in managing people. Well, this is good as it means I still have much to learn and much more room to grow... :) And being young means I am allowed to make some mistakes here and there as long as the lesson came with it.. :)

Isn't life full of surprises and challenges which makes it sooo much more colourful... ?

Having said that, I find it easier to work with male conterparts as they, (irregardless of ranks), tend to be more logical, systematical, fast, direct and less petty in their daily dealings. They tend to be less emotional and make their judgements and decisions base on facts and logic rather than depending on feelings and gut feel. Yes, being a female, I admit to generally making the same gender prone, hormone induced mistakes. However, I try hard to think like a man....

Ok...ok..... Not wanting to risk being labelled as gender biased, let's have the following pictures do the talking... :)

pictures sourced from Zits comic archive http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20040101&name=Zits

Management 101: Self Motivation

How do you motivate people to take responsibility for their work and also things that are not even in their job scope and to make them do it willingly and whole heartedly .... taking the lead and taking all responsibilities and accountability from head to toe, from documentation, reporting and updates while ensuring quality on spec on time... ?

A big question mark. Tough but still not impossible.... I have seen many self motivated people out there working way beyond their call of duty and while occasionally grumble and grunt but still get the job done with pure heart and soul.

Self motivation is very important as you go up as your bosses no longer have the time to spoon feed you with motivation. I mean, look at all the top management. You think the CEO have time to sit down and motivate them slowly? At their level, motivation is easy as most of the top management already have their self agenda and targets and are motivated by actualising their personal targets which usually they will try to align to the CEO's target to get where they are...

At our lower level, well, we just need to find the motivation factor that can give us the passion to do our work and that very passion will spur us to walk that extra mile, take the extra weight and push extra harder....

And then you will need to try to identify what motivates your staff.... now that's the challenge because not everyone is at the maturity level to be self motivated. They are motivated by various factors such as money, good working environment, career path etc etc... So it's our job to help them identify their goals and motivate or guide them accordingly.

A big task... easier said than done... I am still learning this skill too.... Care to give a pointer or two?

More management lessons - Looking Up, Down, Left, Right, Centre

All my life I have been taught to LOOK UP...

1) Look up, reach for the stars, so that you wont end up with a handful of sand...
2) Look up to people and respect them....,
3) Look up to role models, follow their footsteps to success...
4) Look up, heads up, look ahead and think ahead...
5) even in IT, we have to lookup tables...

However, I now realise, it's equally important to look down as well. Yes, look down and see your people. Look down to see where you came from and learn from both your success and your mistakes. I am in middle management now... so it's equally necessary to look both Up and Down. I have to look up to follow the footsteps of senior management and I have to look down upon my staff to ensure that they are taken care of. I have to ensure that they are comfortable and happy with their environment and with "woman on top". :)

*Note: it's not looking down ON them but looking down TO SEE them....y'know, the "I see you" ala Avatar style...

For example, the working environment have to be kept clean and healthy and functional to ensure staff grousing are kept to the minimal. Staff welfare is utmost important for management because that's their essential job scope, which is to be responsible for your staff. Yes, the responsibility spreads wider than just the daily operational work but also include office ergonomics to ensure everyone has good fit in the working environment which will make work safer, healthier and more productive and eventually lead to happier and more productive staff...

So I learnt that I need to check on whether their cubicles are ergonimical, or if they have enough office supplies, whether the lights are bright enough, whether there's clean water supply, provide a comfortable and convenient pantry (**) , and most of all, ensure a fully functional, hygienic washroom.

** You may be surprised by this research findings but pantry is one of the most important office areas (next to corridors and elevators) as it provides a relaxed avenue for creative ideas exchange and team building. Thus you see Google and Microsoft spending on building nice, comfortable pantries for their staff.

So there...the take home note is ...remember to look up and look down.... and of course, don't forget the age-old lesson which you teach every child....to look left, right and left again... you must look-to, look-for and look-out for your peers as well.. ;) *wink*

Self Reflect

A lot of things happened within these 3 months. A lot of things are positive and contribute a lot to my personal growth. However, nothing is always as rosy as we want it to be. We carved a comfortable path for all to thread on. The path is clear and beautiful but along the way, people may steal some flowers from your lawn... But that's life... there's bound to be some set backs and hiccups... which makes the experience more challenging, more colourful, more complete which helps build our character and gives us an opportunity to create legends and stories we can tell to touch our kids and grand kids....who will in turn be proud to tell their kids and grand kids and generation to come.

I take responsibilities for things that happen... and I tend to analyse it a lot especially when it concerns me, to see what I could've done better to make the outcome more positive. I'd like to learn from the situation and better myself in the process. So now it's time for self reflect.. and see how I can do things better... Will update more when I find myself...

Practical Management 101: Maturity level

To groom someone to become a manager, you must first identify their maturity level. This maturity level here doesn't direct correspond with age. It doesnt mean older is wiser in management. It's the amount of exposure and experience a certain mind has gone through before the mind has mature to the management level to understand why certain management decisions are made.

When my friends and I first started work, fresh out of school and all naive, we used to play more than we worked. Of course, there was the usual gossip/grousing against "management" and the boss. We used to hate our bosses coming into the room during our gossip sessions... until one young girl (who also gossiped with us), maybe 18, told us off, by reprimanding "Of course the boss have to be strict with us. Don't expect the boss to come gossip with us to encourage us not to work. The company will "chup lup" (fold) lor..."

She was way matured for her age to be able to think for the bosses. True enough, with her maturity level, it was quick for her to rise the corporate ladder, being a manager after 1.5 years.

Sometimes you see some people become "pets" of bosses.... mostly because these "pets" have matured to a level where they know what the management likes and is able to act before the management tells them what to do ... (actually it applies outside the office as well... Try pre-empting what your spouse wants to eat and prepare that for dinner, or give your partner a massage before he/she ask for it on a day when he/she is tired..... I am sure you will become the apple of your partner's eye and guarantee to reap very positive results *wink* *wink*)

So if you can think like your bosses, then you have somewhat reach a certain management maturity level. If you can think FOR your bosses, you have reached an even higher management maturity level. If you can think of SOLUTIONS FOR your bosses... then... you know.. you are close to taking over your boss ahhahaah...

Moral is... to groom someone to fill certain shoes (positions)...select your candidate carefully, first you need to see his appetite to the task (appetite will determine the drive and motivation) and check his maturity level. The last thing you want is to promote someone who will bite you on the hands just when you need him the most... Ensure your staff's maturity level is there where you want it, and develop it accordingly to ensure high standard level of the delieverables.

If the staff has no heart or no appetite and haven't mature to the management level, then just forget it. Dont waste time on grooming him, as you can never teach an old dog new tricks.

BW

Was being bogged with a terribly hard puzzle last week. Something that made me wonder hard and long… and made several of my colleagues thought hard and long too. Almost cannot eat and sleep thinking about it.. ahhaha Exaggerated a little…

You see, there’s a floor in our building that is labeled as BW in our elevators. I am new to the building and I was intrigued by the BW on the lift. Several inquiries fell onto deaf ears as nobody knows what “BW” stands for. I asked my best friend Mr Google and he too drew blanks. I was told that BW stands for Barang Wilayah, Black and White, in BetWeen, BaWah and other such nonsense. And the funny thing was, I was told that it was a “ghost floor”. Every building comes with its ghost stories but this one takes the cake. She told me wide eyed with all honesty, “Really geh…. There’s one floor nobody dares to go to. And it is not accessible also. Go ask Gavin and the operators and see… and they will tell you all kinds of stories… “

Just so happen, I called a dear friend from MBA classes the other day to catch up... Coincidentally, he worked in the same building before 10 years back... and told me that.... BW .... stands for..... Breeze Way...

Why Breeze way? Well, it's because that part of the building is open air and the corridor serves like an airwell which welcomes a flow of breeze to ventilate that floor... thus, Breeze way lor...

Hahaha...

Another mystery is history….

Relativity Concept

Everything is relative... I watched 3 movies today, Jennifer's Body, Bounty Hunter and New Moon... And even though New Moon wasn't like drop dead good with lots of loose ends, somehow, after 2 bad movies, New Moon seems like "Wow, this is great romantic stuff... I like..." .... So if you wanna look good, try the relative concept.. Stand next to losers :P

Thank God for the internet...

Probably have internet withdrawal symptoms.. havent been well since yesterday...

And so coincidentally my streamyx was down...

Luckily I have recently converted my mobile phone line to an unlimited data plan.... so I am able to connect to the internet via my mobile phone..

Incidentally, once I got my connection back via mobile phone, I don't feel so sick anymore....In fact, the doctor also couldn't find anything wrong with me....

Thank God for technology... now, everyone can stay connected with everyone through the www. Cool...

(btw, just in case you are wondering, today is a public holiday and thus, no.. I didn't go to a doctor just to get MC)

life is all about learning - another first today...

Had my first taste of interviewing and picking staff today. And guess what? My first candidate is a gwai lo ... lucky me... hahaha...

Well, he was from Iran.. big, tall and handsome... but ... didn't have enough technical skills to carry him through... I do look for brains over brawns.. .hahaha... No offense... We didn't make it a difficult interview but we just want to ensure the people who come in can start work immediately.

Anyway, the second candidate, a sweet honest lady was much better and we decided to give her a try...

Well, I learnt how to gauge people from their first looks and how they answer questions ... pleasant... and I guess I still have to do a lot more of these.. There's also the price negotiations skills which I have yet to learn... One step at a time....

Reach for the stars

Just my 3rd week and I feel that I have undergone more training than 3 years if I were to stay in previous company.

I am attending Java training now,... a programming tool just to equip ourselves with the basic Java knowledge since the fundamental language used to write the core system prorgams here is Java.

There's so much to learn here... and I am given the opportunity to learn from the best players of the industry.... imagine, the CEO meets with us to touch base with us and plays an active role in giving input and feedbacks on most projects. Awesome.. I get to see how management works, how they brainstorm. Yes, I know I have to learn fast, so that I can spread my wings to fly on my own... but I know that the correct guidance and appropriate training is available for me to tap on.

And I also get a taste on how other functional areas works as we all work closely together. I even get to see how the sales do their work and also have a taste of the work of a PA... These job functions are usually not available for my viewing due to the back room nature of my work. Now, I get to see what they do and how they operate (or how they entertain ... hahaha).. .

There's so much to learn... let us all reach for the stars...... When you reach for the stars, even if you don't always end up getting a star, at least you will not end up with a hand full of dirt. - (adapted from Leo Burnett)

Lego

Lego... They are such wonderful inventions...

So creative and so educational ... and so meaningful...

Each piece is a building block to the entire complete structure. No piece is too small ... all are important...

Bryan finished building his T-rex today (Allosaur which he promptly corrected me as it has 3 fingers), and he proudly paraded it to us... When we finally goes to bed, he bid litte Allosaurus good night... :) Such a cute gesture... He must be really proud to be able to conquer the T-rex ...with little help ..

Anyway, I am slowly putting the pieces of my new career together.... sort of like building up my own lego as well... Let's hope I can tame my T-rex just as easy as Bryan.. :)

Happy Birthday Bryan... :)

The on-boarding experience was great.. :)

The experience today was superb....

Was anxious initailly like all first timers would be...

But with the help of some caring friends, super efficient IT and a diligent HR... the on-boarding experience was a very very pleasant one.

For one, the traffic had been kind... reached there in record time at 7:45am. 40 minutes from home at peak hour... that's a feat that was thought to be impossible in the past... Well, guess it's just the right omen to encourage me to do what initially is thought to be the impossible.

Then parking was a breeze. And all the arrangements that was to be done, was done within minutes... as HR has done the necessary arrangements prior to my arrival. HR and IT was very efficient whereby my "ghastly" morning-face photo was prompty taken and a temporary pass was immediately issued to enable immediate access to the company. I was made to feel that I am part of the company immediately. My email access, login ID, telephone extension, and even business card was all ready for me on my first day!

Breakfast was a bit of a let down though, without half boiled eggs and toast... Well, nothing can be that perfect.. :) hahaha

And then I have to comment that the lift service was superb. You must understand why this impressed me .... Many employees in my previous company was in fear of being trap in a lift with 20 others. We had to live with this fear for more than a year because of the maintenance works done on those ancient elevators in the old building. The maintenance works is still on-going until the end of the year.

Another thing I liked about the building/company is the 'ladies'... which is situated within the office, i.e. one must have access through the security door before having access to the ladies. This company does put the safety of ladies first.


Then just when I thought lunch was going to be lonely (MC was on MC, (an ex-colleague whom I thought could be my regular lunch) while the rest had business lunch arrangements), my immediate boss treated the team to a nice cozy lunch.

And to top all these great happenings (sugarry sweet with cherry on top), I found a bouquet of flowers on my chair as I returned to my seat... It was such nice sweet gesture which really made my day... (Wei Keyman.. Never expect to claim my bet today... it was great timing.. Thank you sooo much... you are indeed a man who honour his words.. err.. .bets... ahahaha)

Of course I do understand that the road ahead is not all rosy and there's a lot to shoulder and to bear... but more friends make light work... As keyman once told me, didn't realise 10 years flew by, because I was too busy enjoying working with the team...

So here's to brighter, rosier days ahead.. :) Cheers...

Excited...

Yes... excited is the word I have been looking for...

Have been excited quite some time.. and tomorrow is the start of a brand new day... brand new breathe of fresh air... brand new me... at a brand new place... (pun intended as they just did a rebranding this year ahahha... so its 'brand' is new... hahaha)

Yes, I know the road ahead is not all rosy... but I am looking forward to taking that new step on that new road and face all the new faces and new things along the way.... I will try my best to enjoy the new journey.... And leave the rest to God...

Maybe I really am a workaholic.... hahaha

Wish me luck... :)

"May we all find the serenity to accept things we cannot change and the courage to change the things we can and have the wisdom to know the difference... "

~ adapted from the Serenity Prayer, Alcoholic Anonymous...

Picture source from William Warren @ GetLiberty.org archives

Smile, where have you gone?

This is the story of the girl,
Who cried a river and drown the whole world
Why she looked so sad, in photographs
I absolutely loved her... when she smiles....

... Absolutely (Story of a girl), sung by Nine Days... (2000, The Madding Crowd Album)

Pawn-der

I am just a pawn... The Kings tells me that I am special... but in actual fact, all are just selfish in their intentions... and just feeding me with just a decent meal... without fancy trimmings... while others non-deserving minions get to eat meals fit for Kings...

Busted leg, wasted night

That's it...!!!

I am keeping it dry! High and dry!!!

It's been more than 2 weeks since the Manchester United vs Liverpool game (21st March 2010) and my wound still hasn't healed. No, I am not bleeding for Liverpool due to their 1-2 loss, (I am a MU fan by the way.. :P)

I am talking about my wounded feet... Yea, I hurt my leg again... This time it's the right leg. What happened was a little stupid but I guess everyone can learn something from my silliness, so here's the story...

T'was a dark, cold and rainy night, but we brave the winds, chills and wetness to get to the game. It was the match of the year, or so they tell me. It was held in Sunway Amphitheatre... a nice stage hidden in the secluded areas of the Sunway woods, unknown to yours truly. I cannot imagine living in PJ for umpteen years and not knowing that there's an amphitheatre in Sunway.

Anyway, it was raining and the path to the amphitheatre is long, wet and winding. As I quickened my footsteps, I stepped on the slippery road bump and slided. "Wheee....!!!", I went, and not in the pleasant way... And next thing I know, I was doing a split on the slimmy tar road. As there were throngs of people trying to make their way to the amphitheater, yours truly got up promptly and gracefully, quickly gathered her composure and went forward on her way...pretending nothing has happened when in fact, blood was flowing profusely from her knees and feet. All these was thanks to the decision of wearing crocs slippers instead of sports shoes....

What happened next was like a numb travel through the passage of time where I couldn't enjoy the rest of the game..... worrying how my legs are going to heal... And that's not the worse thing. Walking back miles and miles (that's what it felt like with a wounded limb) to the car park in the rain and getting stuck for 30 minutes (no joke!) in the car park as there were too many cars exiting at the same time. Busted leg, wasted night...

Umm important lesson learnt was: don't wear crocs slippers on a wet slippery day... and don't make haste on a wet day, else you will make more waste...

Hmm come to think of it, I have been having bouts of pains lately, especially after I tendered my "splitting" intention. Suffering from a severe wisdom toothache recently, with swollen throat and gums and splitting headache pains... And then leg infection after that "graceful split"... Hmmm, wondering who is cursing me ahahha.... stop cursing me please... your blessing is important to me... :)