Shanghai Trip

I went to Shanghai with a female I knew through my advertisement for travelling partner. She is the exact version of room mate from hell. She is the most annoying person. She is married. Just make me wonder which idiot/fool marries this woman. Must be living a life in hell with such a person.

My trip to Shanghai is fine except for her. Shanghai is a nice place but the shopping is so so. I still feel London or Paris is the best place to shop. The clothes is not my cup of tea. The fashion is just not to my taste. Most of the clothing on sale is winter clothing. Not suitable for Malaysia hot weather. Buy some winter clothing.

The weather is cold. If it rains, it is shivering cold. I did shiver once or twice. Nice experience. As in Malaysia, one can never encounter such cold weather.

Went to Hangzhou. There is the west lake. I find the scenery nice but not spectacular. As compared to Guilin, the boat ride along the lake in Guilin was spectacular with beautiful mountains of all size.

In Wuxi, I was facinated by the gigiantic buddha statute and gigiantic buddha hand. I prayed for a better future and maybe able to meet my true love in year 2006.

Suzhou, nothing much to see. Visited the silk factory. Bought some silk quilt and pillow.

I visit the Dr Sun Yat Sen memorial park in Nanjing and saw the bridge. Supposed to be second longest bridge in China. It takes a lot of stamina on my part to climb the steps to see the tomb stone of Dr Sun Yat Sen. But I managed to reach the top and pay my respect.

Bought some sovenir from my trip to China. It is one exhausting trip. I fell sick when I return. Probably from lack of sleep. I am one of those who can sleep well only on my own bed.

The next trip to China will be to Beijing etc. Maybe in one or two years time.

Long Holiday break

At last the long holiday for me, the Deepavali and Hari Raya festival are on. Have been tired and still feeling tired after the shopping, trip to butterfly park and staying at home. Did not really get to enjoy much and two days of the holidays have passed. The third day of the holiday is today. So what am I doing now.

Watching over the part time maid who is now ironning the clothes. She looks tired too as she has been to Malacca, a state in Malaysia for two days for holidays. The weather today also makes one sleepy as it is hot with breeze.

Everyone seems to go somewhere for holidays. I will be having a long holiday too. On the 19 November, 2005, I will be in Shanghai, China. I will be there for seven days and six nights. Will post my adventure in Shanghai soon. Shanghai, here I come ..............

death anniversary

Last Friday was my dad's death anniversary. He is sadly missed by everyone who loved him. He has passed away suddenly last year. I miss his cooking and his presence. A man of few words. That's my dad.

If I can turn back the clock, I wish he is still alive. I really miss him. Wherever he is now, I hope he is fine and happy.

a new car

I and my brother have bought a new car. It is quite big. My brother is presently driving the car. I am still learning. I have been driving car manually for the last twenty years. This new car is an auto. So that is why I am still learning.

My brother has been sitting by my side while I am driving the car. He comment this and comment that. When I was driving my previous car, he has said my parking is lousy. Now with the auto, it is still the same.

He seems more worried and tense than me everytime I drive the car. I have drove the car thrice already since we bought it two weeks ago. He said I am a careless driver. I stop the car too far away from the front car. I deem it as careful. He deems it as asking to be knocked by another car. He already said that too far away from the front car may cause the car at the back to knock into our car.

I also do not know why. I like to park my car slant to one side. I guess I do not have a sense of direction. Oh, I am still learning, after twenty years of driving a car the manual way. Hope to become an expert soon, he he he ...........

travelling partner

I loves travelling but I have problem looking for travelling partner. So I decided to advertise for a female travelling partner in one of the local website. I receive all kinds of responses. When I advertised, I specifically state that I was looking for a female to travel with. But 50% of the respondents are male and one lesbian. The lesbian scares me off with her strong tactics which include mushy emails and calls.

The males are from all races, really malaysian. There are malay, indian, chinese etc. There are some married men and some looking for short term relationship. Some can't even spell properly. Which makes me wonder are these teenagers or grown men. Married man who is looking for a short fling. That's disgusting.

There is one whom I have written several emails to her. We got along fine until she starts lying about herself. She proclaimed she is a finance manager who is working in a public listed company in Kulim. The truth is she can't even spell the word, "friend" which makes me doubted her. So I stopped writing to her as I do not need liar as friend.

I managed to find one to go travelling to Shanghai with. She is married with two kids. She seems ok to me. We have met and have booked a trip to Shanghai. So here I go with my new found friend to Shanghai in November 2005. Hope it is not too cold in Shanghai.

Passport renewal

My passport has expired long ago. Did not renew it because have stopped travelling for a few years. Decided to continue travelling for the coming years so went to renew the passport.

The application for renewal was a breeze. Waited for only one hour. The collection of passport was terrible. The queue was long and waited for more than two hours to collect the passport. There are so many people that there are not enough seats for every one. By the time I collected the passport, there are still more than one hundred people waiting for their turn. Guess the immigration department will have to work overtime to distribute the passport.

Glad it is over. Managed to get my passport. Dread to think of the renewal in 5 years time. Hopefully the system will be improved. The wait is no longer that long. Or it becomes worse, have to wait for hours to collect passport. Just keep for my fingers crossed.

Job Interview

Everyone has been to a job interview before. It is a most nerve wrecking experience for a lot of people. But for some people, it can be fun. To me, an interview is process whereby the interviewer assesses the potential candidate. The job seeker assessing the Company and the interviewer who most likely will be the superior.

For some interviewer, the way they conduct the interview leaves much to desire. They treat the job seeker like beggars. Beggars who beg for a job. There are some so called human resource managers who are supposed to be well trained in this matter act like an ass hole. She behaves as if she is interviewing a beggar. She creates a bad impression of her company. For who will like to join such company. An interview is supposed to be when the interviewer introduces her company and create a good impression of her company. I have came across such interviewer. The first thing that comes to my mind is walk out of the interview. But manners pervail.

There is one time I waited three hours to be interviewed. The reason is the human resource manager had the time of the interview wrong. Oh god, what kind of manager is this. Pity us who took leave for the interview. Then there is once, the interview was conducted by three persons, the human resource manager, the finance manager and the legal manager. DO they really need three persons to interview the candidate? The finance manager keeps on and on to talk bad about the job. Is this an interview or what? Do they want the people to accept the job? I do not know what to call it. I just smile like an idiot throughout the interview. Yeah, that's should be the way. As the interview was on, I was thinking, "oh my god, do i have to work with these bunch of idiots." Yeap, I did not get the job for they see me smiling like an idiot.

Interviews, I love to attend them provided they are conducted professionally. To me it is fun. You get to meet all kinds of people. Seeing the behavior of some of them makes me smile. How many know how to conduct an interview the right way. A lot. But I have yet to come across one.

Old love

It has been a while since i last fell in love. What is love? I do not know what it is. Love is when one care for somebody and miss that special someone if he or she is not around. Like I miss my dad. I guess that is love.

My first love, I have totally forgotten him until now. If one asks me what I see in him. I can say this, I do not know what I see in him at that time as I feel I will not like someone like him now. Guess the taste in men also change. He is a selfish and stingy man.

I do not remember much of the time he and I spend together. The only memorable one is the time he had a quarrel with me and left me alone at the car park. He just left me there and drove off. At that time it is nine at night. I walked home from the shopping centre as I lived nearby. I cried when I reached home. I cried and cried. Come to think of it, that is real stupid. Should have dumped him there and then. But no, I forgave him. We broke off later on but not because of that incident. The feelings he had for me and the feelings I had for him has faded.

There are times that I bumped into him. I no longer recognise him but my brother told me that it is him. I have totally delete this person from my mind. I am rather surprised at my ability to forget a person.

A few years back I was in love with this person. He gets the crown for being a nasty one. He hurt my feelings, my career and my health. As usual I have forgotten how he looks. My special ability. I am disappointed in the way he handled the relationship. I guess he did not love me much as one would not hurt the person one is in love with. It is good that I realise what kind of person he is than to know later.

I hope the next time I fall in love, it will be someone who really loves me for who I am. The one who care for me and be with me whenever I need him. The special someone who will place me first in his life.

Annoying matter

This whole week is one annoying week. Being the pressed by An, the monster. Asking me to do things which I am not trained to do. An, the monster is my boss. He as usual think of the money and not the staff. He does not know this but the staff really hates him for the way he takes advantage of them. Asking them to do things which they do not know. It is not even in my letter of employment to do these kinds of duties. He is the worst boss I ever work for. I have been working for more than 15 years and never once I said the boss is the worst boss I ever work for. He takes the crown.

Have been looking for a job for the past one year and cannot get. So I am working at a place I hate. Doing a job I hate. Pissed off by the monster. And according to the horoscope, this is supposed to be the good year for those born under my sign. What crap.

I also discover that I can't deal much with the tension since I was sick years ago. Let me strike a lottery and I will not work again. This illness has hampered a great career. If not for the illness, I can go far in my career for I am very good in my work. It is fate. What can one do. To fight the illness is tough. It is annoying to deal with this illness throughout my late twenties until my late thirties. It just will not go away. I guess it will remain with me until the day I go to heaven.

Sometimes I feel having a loved one will do me good. Maybe cure my illness faster as there is someone to love me, care for me and be there for me. Which makes me wonder which is more difficult, to have someone to love or finding a new job.

working life

How many people can say they enjoy their work? People work for money, power or to pass their time. I work for money. I no longer enjoy working. I work to earn a living, to have money to buy food, clothes and things I like. I used to like my work a lot but as I grow older, i no longer have the passion for it. Something in me, like a fire slowly fade to nothing. Not burning brightly but just a small flame struggling to survive. That's how i feel about my work. If I have enough money, I will not work anymore. I will start doing things that will bring me pleasure. I am like a burnt out case.

I notice some people really like to work. They enjoy going to work. How nice that must feel. They work late. Stay in the office. For me the earlier I leave, the better. I do not know. Maybe I do not like my present company. The boss is too stingy. He calculate every single thing. Working hard for him does not seem right for me. Isn't that majority of the bosses are? Stingy and taking advantage of the staff.

I have yet to meet an understanding boss. Who is willing to share the profits with the staff. When times is good, they give high bonus. These are the bosses that most people is willing to work hard for. Even go through the hard time with them.

Anyway, life goes on for me. I go to work. Meet deadline. Handle my not so easy boss. Manage my sometimes difficult staff. Work in a not so good area (which is famous for prostitution). But I like the location. It is in the golden triangle. I can shop around during lunch. Eat at this shop and that shop. I just love it. It is the only thing I look forward to daily.

My Dad

Father's day is coming. It makes me remember my dad. He was no hero. He was just a simple old man. I miss my dad who passed away on 8 November 2004. He was 68 years old when he passed away. His death was rather sudden as both my brother and I have not expected it. We were very sad when he died. It is still painful for me everytime I remember him. I do not know when the pain will lessen.

My dad always help people. He viewed everything in a simple manner. Never make a fuss over anything. In the later years of his life, he walked with a limp. He was a stubborn man. He hardly talk much. He liked to eat guava and eat dessert like sweet chinese dessert and cakes. His patience and tolerance, I admire very much. I have none of his good traits.

I do not consider myself a filial daugther to my dad. We do not see eye to eye on things. I have said some harsh and mean words to him which I regretted very much when he passed away. Words which I never said to him, like sorry or how much I love him.

I hope he has lived a happy life when he was living with me. We may quarrel at times but he is a good father. I miss him very much. It hurts me to think of him. I wish I could turn back the clock so I can treat him better. My brother who is reading this, will definitely say, "I told you so". For those who are reading this, please treat your parent with all your love and respect.

Everything goes up

All prices go up. Price of things that provides our basic needs like petrol, the bus fare, the taxi fare, the food for lunch, etc. Today I eat a bowl of mee and to my surprise, it has gone up by 50 sen. The reason because the price of noodles has gone up RM2 for 1 kilogram. So the seller has increase the price to cover the cost. My reasoning is 50 sen more for a bowl seems a bit too much to cover the cost. Why the price of noodles increase? Blame it on the increase in transport cost. Why the transport cost increase, blame it on the increase in petrol. All this increases form a chain of reaction from one thing to another. Is there anything that has not increased?

Yes, there is one thing that has not increased, that is my miserable pay. It is still the same. Yeap, everything goes up but not my salary. So my spending increases and my savings decrease.

If the price of clothing goes up, I will not buy. But food is essential to living. So when the price of noodles in all shops in my working area goes up at the same time, I have no choice because there is nothing to choose from. I cannot go to a cheaper one.

There is one thing that goes down. The shares prices of majority of the companies listed at the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. It is just a tumble from the top of the hill to the bottom. Has it reach its bottom? I doubted. For the days to come, it will just be another drop. Any sign of going up. I don't think so, not in the near future. Any regret? Yes, should have load off some shares early of the year.

Being Single

Being single for me is being in control of my own life. I mean, I do not need to discuss with anyone on any decision I made. I do not need anyone's approval or disapproval, in some case for anything I do. I enjoy every minute of singlehood though there will times I wish I have someone with me, especially in moment of sadness.

Being single has its disadvantages such as a majority of friends are married or busy working, too busy to entertain me. The only time I feel I need someone is when I am travelling. Travelling alone is okay for me except the surcharge I have to pay for the hotel room etc. That is when I have to scout around for friends who are free. And it is tough when a majority of friends are married. I will certainly prefer to travel alone if I do not have to pay any surcharge.

I always live my life with a belief that one do not depend on others to make one happy. Ah, Come to think of it. What really makes me happy? I feel happy whenever I see my savings increases. I feel happy when I see a cute baby.

For a lot of people, being able to share happiness or sorrow with someone special is important. Being single means there is no one to share the joy or sorrow. Of course, one can still share it with their parent, friends, or relative. For me, it does not matter as long as I am happy. When I have problem, I think of ways to solve it. Why bother friends with all the problems. I think everyone have their own problems to solve without people coming to them with their problems. Then, one will have to handle one problem and other people problem. That will be a lot of problems.

Another problem with being single at my age is dealing with married men. Some of them seems to think that I am available just because I am still single at my age. Being single at my age does not mean I am available to married men. Dealing with married men is tough especially if they are your bosses. I have learnt over the past is a man scorned is the worst enemy one can have.

a world of differences

what will make a world of differences in my life now is a change of new job. A change of environment, a change of people I deal with, a change of job, a change of behaviour and more importantly, a change of way of life. As life passes everyday, life becomes monotonous. The same old people, the same old room, the same old boss and everything seems to be the same. Nothing new, nothing interesting and nothing challenging. Which is why I feel a change of job will bring about a change in the daily happenings. Maybe a new exciting begining and a lovely new boyfriend.

Still living with my brother. Another boring individual whose day in day out is surfing on the net, writing his blog. His life seems to revolve around the computer and the wife. It is him who introduce me to write my own blog. It will make a world of differences to see him doing other things instead of playing with his computer.

My boss is a nice quy at times and at times a moody individual. Working with him requires a lot of patience. What will make a world of differences if he will be more generous. Which explains for the poor bonus and increment as according to him, the Company is not making much. A fat lie or lame excuse. Only he and god knows. Poor us who slot in day out day in but in the end getting peanuts.

Loaded with an illness that requires daily intake of pills. Is it doing good? Yes but at the expense of my figure as the side effects of the pills is putting on weight. The horror of seeing the pounds piling up weekly is worse than the illness itself. The feelings of seeing myself growing from a certain size to another big size is an anguish. The sadness, nobody will understand. What will make a world of differences is the pills will not have these effects. Instead of putting on weight, it is making one thinner. Then, I will be a very happy person. Instead now dealing with the weight problem. Parking far and walking up stairs to reduce the weight.

Is a monotonous life better or worse than an interesting life? Will too much excitement not good? Monotonous is to live life peacefully. Without the usual new happenings but expecting things to work out in the same way daily. Too long of the same old things is boring. So the dilema is facing new things which we are not familiar or doing the same old things with the same endings. Which is better? I for one do not know as sometimes new things are not good. But right now, i will like to try new things so as to experience different things and then to have different feelings.

Writing this piece of thought is interesting. It is my first try. Will be better in my next thought.