Only in an IT organisation would you find people who could put the following in a document and expect other people to read it with a straight face:
THE JCL CREATES THE PDB LIBRARY, AND THEN INVOKES A NUMBER OF
ANAL.... MEMBERS.
At the very least, I suppose we can look on the bright side and say that even IT geeks are not spared from working with anal co-workers. But Dilbert already taught us that...
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Lunch Out
Aah... hot Pan Meen.
I went out for lunch at a food court today, a break from the usual tomato-and-cheese-on-wholemeal sandwitch.
(what - you have not tried one of those before? get outta here man - you dont know what you are missing !! I will post the recipe later!)
I met up with Khyun, hoping to rehash old times and regrind old axes. Unfortunately, he is too professional (a rare trait in a Malaysian - most can only master the anal part of "professional") to speak badly of his employer to an outsider.... so part of the conversation at least, was stillborn.
Oh hum.... 2000 people in the organisation, and I have to befriend one of the professionals.
Anyway, his tongue may be tied, but his powers of observation are not abated. Khyun wondered why the cooks and service people in the food court all wore surgical masks under their chins!! We could think of a few possibilities:
I went out for lunch at a food court today, a break from the usual tomato-and-cheese-on-wholemeal sandwitch.
(what - you have not tried one of those before? get outta here man - you dont know what you are missing !! I will post the recipe later!)
I met up with Khyun, hoping to rehash old times and regrind old axes. Unfortunately, he is too professional (a rare trait in a Malaysian - most can only master the anal part of "professional") to speak badly of his employer to an outsider.... so part of the conversation at least, was stillborn.
Oh hum.... 2000 people in the organisation, and I have to befriend one of the professionals.
Anyway, his tongue may be tied, but his powers of observation are not abated. Khyun wondered why the cooks and service people in the food court all wore surgical masks under their chins!! We could think of a few possibilities:
- the surgical masks on the chin are an innovative way to prevent drool from falling into the food.
- its hot around the stoves and ovens, and sweat (read "perspiration" for the cultured) trickles down your face. The surgical mask will redirect it down your neck and into your shirt, instead of it dripping off the tip of your chin, and into the food.
Monday, 25 June 2007
LCD TV
Overheard in a shopping mall:
"Dear, shall we get one of those?" he says, pointing to a humongous 50-inch LCD TV on Special Discount.
"Yeah, right. And we will have to sit in the Tan's front porch across the road to watch CSI." Said the wife. "Why dont we get this one?" She said, pointing to a 26-incher.
He pouted like an M.P. forced to apologise for making a sexist remark [1] [2] in Parliament: "If we wanted something that size, we might as well buy a regular TV" he said;
"You can't call it conspicuous consumption if it isn't conspicuous enough....."
For those who are interested, I found this LCD TV buying guide, and heres how to buy an LCD TV in 8 easy steps.
"Dear, shall we get one of those?" he says, pointing to a humongous 50-inch LCD TV on Special Discount.
"Yeah, right. And we will have to sit in the Tan's front porch across the road to watch CSI." Said the wife. "Why dont we get this one?" She said, pointing to a 26-incher.
He pouted like an M.P. forced to apologise for making a sexist remark [1] [2] in Parliament: "If we wanted something that size, we might as well buy a regular TV" he said;
"You can't call it conspicuous consumption if it isn't conspicuous enough....."
For those who are interested, I found this LCD TV buying guide, and heres how to buy an LCD TV in 8 easy steps.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
The Heavenly Clocks
An Indian man died and went to heaven. When he arrived at Heaven's Gate, The Lord Siva said, "Come on in. I'll show you around. You'll like it here."
Walking through the gates, the man noticed clocks everywhere!!
There were grandfather clocks, wall clocks, watches, and table clocks in every corner.
It appeared that heaven was nothing more than a giant warehouse of clocks.
Surprised at how heaven looked, the man asked,
"My Lord Siva, what's the deal? Why are all these clocks here in heaven?"
The Lord Siva replied,
"The clocks keep track of things on earth. There is one clock for each person. Every time the person on earth tells a lie, his clock moves one minute. For instance, this clock is for Aru, the used car salesman. If you watch it closely, it will move."
"Click" The minute hand on Aru's clock moved one minute. "Click" It moved another minute.
"Aru must be closing a deal with a customer right now." said The Lord Siva. "The minute hand on his clock moves all day."
The man and The Lord Siva continued walking. Soon, they came to a clock with cobwebs on the minute hand.
"Whose clock is this?" asked the man.
"That clock belongs to the Widow Achi. She is one of the finest, God-fearing, people on earth. Her clock hasn't moved in years." said The Lord Siva.
They continued walking and touring heaven. The man enjoyed watching the clocks of all his friends. When the tour was finished, the man said,
"I've seen everyone's clock but Mr. Samy Vellu's. Where is his clock?"
The Lord Siva smiled, "Just look up. We use his clock as a ceiling fan."
(This is an old joke, and has been used with the names of many politicians in the punch line... I am including it here because it is always amusing - no matter which politician is targeted - and because someone took the trouble to translate it from the Judeo-Christian 'God' or 'Jesus' to the more Malaysian 'Lord Siva'.
The reference to Mr. Samy Vellu is a non-sequitur since everyone of course knows that Mr. Samy Vellu is an honest and upright man who practices transparency in politics and ensures the development and promotion of young and aspiring persons to positions of responsibility in the Government.)
Walking through the gates, the man noticed clocks everywhere!!
There were grandfather clocks, wall clocks, watches, and table clocks in every corner.
It appeared that heaven was nothing more than a giant warehouse of clocks.
Surprised at how heaven looked, the man asked,
"My Lord Siva, what's the deal? Why are all these clocks here in heaven?"
The Lord Siva replied,
"The clocks keep track of things on earth. There is one clock for each person. Every time the person on earth tells a lie, his clock moves one minute. For instance, this clock is for Aru, the used car salesman. If you watch it closely, it will move."
"Click" The minute hand on Aru's clock moved one minute. "Click" It moved another minute.
"Aru must be closing a deal with a customer right now." said The Lord Siva. "The minute hand on his clock moves all day."
The man and The Lord Siva continued walking. Soon, they came to a clock with cobwebs on the minute hand.
"Whose clock is this?" asked the man.
"That clock belongs to the Widow Achi. She is one of the finest, God-fearing, people on earth. Her clock hasn't moved in years." said The Lord Siva.
They continued walking and touring heaven. The man enjoyed watching the clocks of all his friends. When the tour was finished, the man said,
"I've seen everyone's clock but Mr. Samy Vellu's. Where is his clock?"
The Lord Siva smiled, "Just look up. We use his clock as a ceiling fan."
(This is an old joke, and has been used with the names of many politicians in the punch line... I am including it here because it is always amusing - no matter which politician is targeted - and because someone took the trouble to translate it from the Judeo-Christian 'God' or 'Jesus' to the more Malaysian 'Lord Siva'.
The reference to Mr. Samy Vellu is a non-sequitur since everyone of course knows that Mr. Samy Vellu is an honest and upright man who practices transparency in politics and ensures the development and promotion of young and aspiring persons to positions of responsibility in the Government.)
Work Life Balance
The guy sitting next to me has been agonising about whether to skip the weekly 'Project updates' tomorrow, because it's his daughters' birthday. You may know the type of meeting - it involves people in the UK and US, and it starts at 10pm.
He thinks he should not need to, since his project is not even on the agenda. Surprisingly, his wife, who knows he has attended this meeting in the past, thinks he should attend.
You know what they say - "Behind every successful man you will find a pushy woman."
Mercifully, in his 'in-box' today, there was a note from his manager saying all those with no items on the agenda need not attend. So go ahead Tom, take the family out for dinner. IPOH CHICKEN RICE anyone?
He thinks he should not need to, since his project is not even on the agenda. Surprisingly, his wife, who knows he has attended this meeting in the past, thinks he should attend.
You know what they say - "Behind every successful man you will find a pushy woman."
Mercifully, in his 'in-box' today, there was a note from his manager saying all those with no items on the agenda need not attend. So go ahead Tom, take the family out for dinner. IPOH CHICKEN RICE anyone?
Friday, 15 June 2007
Word of the Day
bourgeoisie [(boor-zhwah-zee)]
In general, the middle class. Applied to the Middle Ages, it refers to townspeople, who were neither nobles nor peasants. In Marxism it refers to those who control the means of production and do not live directly by the sale of their labor. Karl Marx distinguished between the “haute” (high) bourgeoisie (industrialists and financiers) and the “petite” (small or “petty”) bourgeoisie (shopkeepers, self-employed artisans, lawyers). Marxism postulates a fundamental conflict between the interests of the bourgeoisie and those of the propertyless workers, the proletariat.
Example:
“Following the serving of her prison sentence, Paris Hilton experienced an epiphany and changed her life, eventually converting the New York Hilton hotel into a convent, establishing her own order of nuns and becoming recognized as the patron saint of the bourgeoisie.”
Monday, 7 May 2007
Lite n’ Easy – Miss Moneybags.
I was listening to Lite n’ Easy in the cab this morning (101.5 FM in Ipoh, 105.7 FM in the Klang Valley) and they were talking about an email from “Miss Moneybags”.
Miss Moneybags is dating a guy who is “fun, sensitive, and interesting”, but who earns less than her. Their dates tend to be in budget locations, to accommodate his budget, but she is fine with this. Her only problem is that she has tried to pay for their meals a few times, but he has refused to let her do so. She asked Simon and Caroline “at what point does it become OK for the woman to start sharing the cost of the dates”.
I did not have a phone to call in then, so I will just blog my response. I had two issues with this question.
The first was not with the woman or her boyfriend, but with the people whom I heard giving advice before I got out of the cab:
People gave advice in a tone that said “You should share the cost, and not expect to get things paid for for you.” The advice totally missed the issue, which is that the guy does not want Miss Moneybags to pay, and prevents her from doing so. The thinking behind the advice seemed to be that Miss Moneybags was in need of advice and ‘correction’. No, Miss Moneybags is perfectly correct. It is the boyfriend that needs correction.
I think in this day and age, a man who thinks that he must provide everything for his woman and that she will expect him to do so needs his head examined for delusional behavior, and living in a twilight zone with values from 15 years ago.
Woman today can be as assertive and independent as any man. She knows her abilities, and how to use them in her environment. What she needs from her man is not a patronizing, paternalistic attitude, but a partnership. Woman is ready to move (in Miss Moneybags’ case, has already moved) out of the shadow of man and contribute her own perspective to the world. Man now needs to be able to move away from the “me and my woman” mentality.
The attitude of “me and my woman” is not only insulting to woman, but diminishes the worth of man too. It insults woman because the attitude implies that the woman is an extension of the man, or part of, the man’s property. It diminishes man because by treating woman as a vassal or as property, man immediately creates a barrier – the ‘owner’ and the ‘owned’ can never communicate as freely as two equals.
So, I would suggest that Miss Moneybags tread carefully, and find out more about her boyfriends’ perspectives;
Does he expect, perhaps, that she should depend on him for her income after marriage?
Or perhaps he believes she will give up her career to take care of home and children in the future?
Or maybe he does not mind her working, as long as the house is kept clean and dinner is on the table when he gets home?
One of the suggestions given by the callers on the show was “get a pre-nuptial agreement”. To me, this is like planning to fail. Unfortunately, and this is definitely a reflection of where our society is heading, failed marriages are becoming entirely too common. So even though it goes against the grain for me, I must admit that might be good advice.
All my best to Miss Moneybags, and I hope things work out well for her.
Miss Moneybags is dating a guy who is “fun, sensitive, and interesting”, but who earns less than her. Their dates tend to be in budget locations, to accommodate his budget, but she is fine with this. Her only problem is that she has tried to pay for their meals a few times, but he has refused to let her do so. She asked Simon and Caroline “at what point does it become OK for the woman to start sharing the cost of the dates”.
I did not have a phone to call in then, so I will just blog my response. I had two issues with this question.
The first was not with the woman or her boyfriend, but with the people whom I heard giving advice before I got out of the cab:
People gave advice in a tone that said “You should share the cost, and not expect to get things paid for for you.” The advice totally missed the issue, which is that the guy does not want Miss Moneybags to pay, and prevents her from doing so. The thinking behind the advice seemed to be that Miss Moneybags was in need of advice and ‘correction’. No, Miss Moneybags is perfectly correct. It is the boyfriend that needs correction.
I think in this day and age, a man who thinks that he must provide everything for his woman and that she will expect him to do so needs his head examined for delusional behavior, and living in a twilight zone with values from 15 years ago.
Woman today can be as assertive and independent as any man. She knows her abilities, and how to use them in her environment. What she needs from her man is not a patronizing, paternalistic attitude, but a partnership. Woman is ready to move (in Miss Moneybags’ case, has already moved) out of the shadow of man and contribute her own perspective to the world. Man now needs to be able to move away from the “me and my woman” mentality.
The attitude of “me and my woman” is not only insulting to woman, but diminishes the worth of man too. It insults woman because the attitude implies that the woman is an extension of the man, or part of, the man’s property. It diminishes man because by treating woman as a vassal or as property, man immediately creates a barrier – the ‘owner’ and the ‘owned’ can never communicate as freely as two equals.
So, I would suggest that Miss Moneybags tread carefully, and find out more about her boyfriends’ perspectives;
Does he expect, perhaps, that she should depend on him for her income after marriage?
Or perhaps he believes she will give up her career to take care of home and children in the future?
Or maybe he does not mind her working, as long as the house is kept clean and dinner is on the table when he gets home?
One of the suggestions given by the callers on the show was “get a pre-nuptial agreement”. To me, this is like planning to fail. Unfortunately, and this is definitely a reflection of where our society is heading, failed marriages are becoming entirely too common. So even though it goes against the grain for me, I must admit that might be good advice.
All my best to Miss Moneybags, and I hope things work out well for her.
Monday, 5 March 2007
Not Leaving a job.
From an old friend, I got the following email:
Cicak-Man
Hi Cicak-Man,
I have just continued reading your 'beloved masterpiece'. ..blah.. ..blah.. ..blah.. Coffee-drinker has also made up his mind to leave ACME to venture into another company/place. I have been working closely with him for the past Y years!
So I refresh my memory by going thro' your 'Leaving A Job'. Wish I have the opportunity to do the same.
For the past XX years, I think I have at least 6 good and close friends who have left this dept and yet I am still here. Something must be very wrong with me, do u agree?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Warmest Regards,
She-Ra
Hello She-Ra,
By no means should you think that there is something wrong with you. In fact, you are possibly closer to the “normal” behavior than the rest of us who have been hopping jobs. There are a lot of issues to be faced by someone moving jobs, and it is not an easy decision. So there is nothing wrong with a person choosing to be certain of their environment, rather than take a risk and venture into the unknown.
Many people will say – and I do too, to a certain extent, that we all have to get out of our ‘comfort zone’ and try something new, or, like in my blog, one should not stay in a place that makes one unhappy - - - but understand this; all these statements are general, sweeping comments, and by their nature can not apply to all people. Every person has to balance his or her own needs and ambitions against those of the family, spouse and children. (In typical unfair fashion, our patriarchal society expects the women to do this, but I believe this applies to men as well, and I do know men who follow this philosophy.) Wanting a better job sometimes needs to take a back seat to bringing up the children, or supporting a spouse who has a better paying, but also high stressed job, or taking care of elderly parents.
Look back, and savor the good things and good experiences you have had; looking out over 2 oceans from
Cicak-Man
Monday, 5 February 2007
How To Shower Like a Man
(No, Sweetie, I didn't write this either. It came in the same mail as the "woman" one.)
Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a pile. Walk naked to the bathroom. If you see wife along the way, shake willy at her making the 'woo-woo' sound.
Look at your manly physique in the mirror.
Admire the size of your willy and scratch your bum.
Get in the shower.
Wash your face. Wash your armpits.
Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off.
Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.
Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. Wash your hair.
Make a Shampoo Mohican with your hair.
Pee.
Rinse off and get out of shower.
Partially dry off.
Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of bath the whole time.
Admire willy size in mirror again.
Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on.
Return to bedroom with towel around waist. If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake willy at her and make the 'woo-woo' sound again.
Throw wet towel on bed.
Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a pile. Walk naked to the bathroom. If you see wife along the way, shake willy at her making the 'woo-woo' sound.
Look at your manly physique in the mirror.
Admire the size of your willy and scratch your bum.
Get in the shower.
Wash your face. Wash your armpits.
Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off.
Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.
Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. Wash your hair.
Make a Shampoo Mohican with your hair.
Pee.
Rinse off and get out of shower.
Partially dry off.
Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of bath the whole time.
Admire willy size in mirror again.
Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on.
Return to bedroom with towel around waist. If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake willy at her and make the 'woo-woo' sound again.
Throw wet towel on bed.
How To Shower Like a Woman
(No sweetie, I didn't write this - it was emailed to me)
Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to lights and darks.
Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more sit-ups / leg-lifts, etc.
Get in the shower.
Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth.
Use long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.
Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.
Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.
Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced.
Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.
Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.
Rinse conditioner off hair.
Shave armpits and legs.
Turn off shower.
Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.
Spray mold spots with Mr Muscle Bathrooms.
Get out of shower.
Dry with towel the size of a small country.
Wrap hair in super absorbent towel.
Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to lights and darks.
Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more sit-ups / leg-lifts, etc.
Get in the shower.
Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth.
Use long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.
Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.
Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.
Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced.
Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.
Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.
Rinse conditioner off hair.
Shave armpits and legs.
Turn off shower.
Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.
Spray mold spots with Mr Muscle Bathrooms.
Get out of shower.
Dry with towel the size of a small country.
Wrap hair in super absorbent towel.
Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
More readers!!!
Well well well..!! It looks like "Vroom" has also started reading my blog. He called and asked about job opportunities, and sent me his resume....
(Yeah sure - like I can make decisions on anything more than which button on the coffee machine I am going to push. Still, one should help one's friends, so I passed his resume over to HR.)
Anyway - he had some good things to say about this blog, so THANK YOU "Vroom", and keep reading. Hope to keep you entertained.
This pushes my official readership number up 50% to a massive total of 3.
Assuming, of course, Kyun and Phillipi still check out these pages....
But wait. I just got a note from Jan saying he will read this too.
OOh la la !! 200% readership increase in the month of Jan 2007. Things are looking good.
Guess this means I have to get off my fat a** and actually start writing on a more regular basis.
Would be nice to get comments posted once in a while...
(Yeah sure - like I can make decisions on anything more than which button on the coffee machine I am going to push. Still, one should help one's friends, so I passed his resume over to HR.)
Anyway - he had some good things to say about this blog, so THANK YOU "Vroom", and keep reading. Hope to keep you entertained.
This pushes my official readership number up 50% to a massive total of 3.
Assuming, of course, Kyun and Phillipi still check out these pages....
But wait. I just got a note from Jan saying he will read this too.
OOh la la !! 200% readership increase in the month of Jan 2007. Things are looking good.
Guess this means I have to get off my fat a** and actually start writing on a more regular basis.
Would be nice to get comments posted once in a while...
Monday, 4 December 2006
Where's my Breakfast?
"P" has gone on this health program, which consists of having muesli and low-fat milk for breakfast. He may have bak-kut-teh with us for lunch, but his breakfast will be a healthy bowl of cereal. I suppose he doesn't care if angles weep in the afternoon, as long as they sang in the morning when they saw him at breakfast.
I thought about it, and decided breakfast time was a good place in the schedule to start my own health program: a.k.a. "Loose some weight before none of my office pants fit around my jelly belly." I have been adding on the padding lately - actually, ever since NOV 2005 when mum passed away. No, I dont want to go into that now - back to the breakfast.
So over the weekend, I shopped for a couple or cartons of FULL CREAM MILK. Why not low fat you ask? Well, there was this health article I read once (sorry - no web references of the original article; it was hardcopy, and some time ago. But this might help.) that said the cream does not actually affect the body negatively, and the calcium is good for you.
Anyway - I got a couple of cartons - 2 litres total. Then I dug in my cupboard and unearthed those boxes of 'healthy cereal' that I bought months ago... (oops - 1 has expired. but only 1 month ago. OK, still edible by my standards.) What! you'd throw it away? check first man... its possible that it could still be good after the expiry date, just as its possible that it could have gone bad BEFORE the expiry date.
Anyway - I got the milk and the cereal, and loaded it into a duffle bag. A bright red one, so I would not miss it Monday morning. I put it at the front door, so that I would not miss it Monday morning.
Today (Monday, 04 Dec), I dressed, brushed my hair, combed my teeth, packed my office bag, and sailed out the door. 45 minutes later, leaving the car park and walking into the office, I remembered the red duffle bag.
I thought about it, and decided breakfast time was a good place in the schedule to start my own health program: a.k.a. "Loose some weight before none of my office pants fit around my jelly belly." I have been adding on the padding lately - actually, ever since NOV 2005 when mum passed away. No, I dont want to go into that now - back to the breakfast.
So over the weekend, I shopped for a couple or cartons of FULL CREAM MILK. Why not low fat you ask? Well, there was this health article I read once (sorry - no web references of the original article; it was hardcopy, and some time ago. But this might help.) that said the cream does not actually affect the body negatively, and the calcium is good for you.
Anyway - I got a couple of cartons - 2 litres total. Then I dug in my cupboard and unearthed those boxes of 'healthy cereal' that I bought months ago... (oops - 1 has expired. but only 1 month ago. OK, still edible by my standards.) What! you'd throw it away? check first man... its possible that it could still be good after the expiry date, just as its possible that it could have gone bad BEFORE the expiry date.
Anyway - I got the milk and the cereal, and loaded it into a duffle bag. A bright red one, so I would not miss it Monday morning. I put it at the front door, so that I would not miss it Monday morning.
Today (Monday, 04 Dec), I dressed, brushed my hair, combed my teeth, packed my office bag, and sailed out the door. 45 minutes later, leaving the car park and walking into the office, I remembered the red duffle bag.
Tuesday, 7 November 2006
Apple Ad's
Why dont they show these ad's in Malaysia?
These Apple ad's are so entertaining while maintaining an element of truth, it makes me wonder why we still use PC's.
Here's just one of the many in YOUTUBE.
These Apple ad's are so entertaining while maintaining an element of truth, it makes me wonder why we still use PC's.
Here's just one of the many in YOUTUBE.
Leaving a job
It is not an easy decision to leave a great company. And yet, people being people, there is no way anything could be perfect: even a great company will have areas that need improvement, or where things are simply not being done right. And so the question is;
“Would you stay in an environment that makes you unhappy, or would you go searching for a new environment in the hope that the future might be better than the past?”
That’s a tough question, and an important question, and like all important questions it has no simple, one-dimensional answer.
But we pick up the pieces, find a resolution or work-around, and things start moving again.
Sometimes, though, there is no resolution, no work-around. People want to do things in a certain way, and no amount of psychology or rationalization or cajoling from your favorite manager can make you forget that in your heart of hearts, this is wrong. Now - to quit for ONE reason seems petty. But things can start to add up, like a mountain of small boulders that finally becomes too tiresome or too stressful to scale day after day.
And so, I found one day that I was exhausted, wanting to go home, but staying in the office till 10pm putting together information that I really thought someone else should have done if they had done their jobs end-to-end and not just piecemeal. That was the day I seriously decided I would accept the next reasonable offer I got (I had already declined one job offer).
Friday, 13 October 2006
Kill the blog!
Hello again.
My last update was 16Aug, and today is 13Oct.. almost 2 whole months, but it seems like 2 whole years. !!
There have been many changes in my life in just 2 months, but the big ones will have to wait till I have more time to formulate a coherent story.
For now, I only wish to mark the passing of a small yet somehow significant event:
I had another blog - "Absolute Rubbish" I called it, and in retrospect, I realise that my entries there were exactly that - absolute rubbish.
So it is now deleted - there are more important things to do than to dwell on absolute rubbish.
My last update was 16Aug, and today is 13Oct.. almost 2 whole months, but it seems like 2 whole years. !!
There have been many changes in my life in just 2 months, but the big ones will have to wait till I have more time to formulate a coherent story.
For now, I only wish to mark the passing of a small yet somehow significant event:
I had another blog - "Absolute Rubbish" I called it, and in retrospect, I realise that my entries there were exactly that - absolute rubbish.
So it is now deleted - there are more important things to do than to dwell on absolute rubbish.
Wednesday, 16 August 2006
Company IDOL
They are doing it again.
The "Company IDOL" competiion.
Last time, I didn't quite crash and burn, but I didn't get through to the finals either. In fact, I was so terrified at the audition, I tough I'd turn blue from not breathing in enough oxygen.
This is a source of embarrasment. In other situations, as a volunteer, I have sung for free in front of audiences of several hundred, without batting an eyelid..... and here in front of 50 of my collegues, I was scared witless. Of course, the fact that I was being evaluated, and that there was a CASH PRIZE up for grabs did put on the preassure.
Well, this time, my friends, I have more realistic targets: I aim to sing my chosen song without getting too nervous. Ridiculous you say? Well, I would agree, except for my remembering my terror the last time. So forget about the finals, or the grand prize of a 32-inch TV. I aim to have fun, and maybe entertain some people while I am at it.
Any suggestions what I should sing?
The "Company IDOL" competiion.
Last time, I didn't quite crash and burn, but I didn't get through to the finals either. In fact, I was so terrified at the audition, I tough I'd turn blue from not breathing in enough oxygen.
This is a source of embarrasment. In other situations, as a volunteer, I have sung for free in front of audiences of several hundred, without batting an eyelid..... and here in front of 50 of my collegues, I was scared witless. Of course, the fact that I was being evaluated, and that there was a CASH PRIZE up for grabs did put on the preassure.
Well, this time, my friends, I have more realistic targets: I aim to sing my chosen song without getting too nervous. Ridiculous you say? Well, I would agree, except for my remembering my terror the last time. So forget about the finals, or the grand prize of a 32-inch TV. I aim to have fun, and maybe entertain some people while I am at it.
Any suggestions what I should sing?
Sunday, 16 July 2006
JULY 11 at JPN
This was a day to be remembered:
July 11th 2006 - the day I went to the National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara) to have my "race" changed from "Chinese" to what I really am.....
How on earth could they make a mistake like that? I brought my birth certificate as proof. What I learned was interesting and horrible.
"Your original record says you are Chinese sir" said the lady. How could that be, since my original (pre-MYKAD) i.c. listed my race correctly?
"Well, I am looking at your original record in the system, and it says you are Chinese. Before MYKAD, changes to your status were sometimes not updated into the system." Now how would a person be able to change his RACE to something else? And can you not see it written CLEARLY on my birth certificate what race I am?
She took my application and my Birth Certificate into a room, and came out a few minutes later - I believe this was to get approval from an officer to waive the RM10.00 charge for making changes to your MYKAD.
After me, 2 sisters were trying to change their religion from Buddhist to Christian. One had a certificate of baptism dating from 1 month after her birth. They said their parents were both Christian, and they both had been baptised within months of birth.
"Your original record says you are Buddhist. We will always follow your parents religion, and since you are Chinese you must be Buddhist." No, the sisters said, our parents were always Christian.
"Your registration was when you were still a baby - how can you know if your parents were Buddhist or someting else?"
I was so shocked at this senseless statement I had to pay attention. As it turned out, the sisters were asked to pay RM10 each for the change in MYKAD information. The JPN staff refused to accept that it was their error. If the sisters insisted, they would have to wait for "the officer". Where was this officer?
"He is attending a tribunal now. You can't expect him to come out to handle your problem. He maybe will be finished at 12 noon (thats in 2.5 hours). Otherwise, you have to pay the RM10."
I only escaped paying a penalty because I had a government document, my birth certificate, as proof. These ladies had a church certificate dating back to 196x and it was not accepted. The JPN has stated in the newspaprers that citizens need not pay the fee if the error is the fault of the JPN. But note well: your birth certificate does not document your religion. For all those with a wrong religion in their MYKAD (a church I know recorded about 30% of its people having MYKAD errors), a penalty will still be extracted, because JPN will not recognise your other documents.
Still worse: the counter staff insisted to both me and the 2 sisters that the MYKAD followed the original record. And yet, our old (pre-MYKAD) I.C. had no errors. This means that the JPN data was wrong from the point where it was converted from paper documents into computer records. Judging from the experience of the church I mentioned earlier, this means that for non Malays, we may have 30% of the population with MYKAD errors.
And another thing: If JPN was going to ignore everything we wrote in the form when we applied for our MYKAD, then why have a form at all? Why should we give the correct information, and still be provided with wrong information in our MYKAD? Was it so that people would believe that they were being given what they had written down?
The JPN office I was in had a machine in the corner that could read the MYKAD. Good, I thought, it helps people check the contents. But when I tried it, it only showed a scanned image of my MYKAD, not the encoded information or religion and race that is not printed on the card. This is not only useless, it borders on criminal negligence - giving citizens the impression that all is well, but hiding the information that might be (and for 30% of us, may well be) wrong.
JPN should change its operations IMMEDIATELY, and accept proof provided by citizens about their race and religion. JPN must establish a process to print ALL details of a MYKAD and provided them to the citizen at the point of collection of their MYKAD.
Our schools must STOP teaching this crap that a person's racr automatically fixes their religion. I have met children who have been told as much: an Indian is a Hindu, a Chinese is a Buddhist, a Malay is a Muslim. I dont know what the 'others' end up as; Christian I suppose. What about Ceylonese Buddhists? Chinese Taoists / Christians / Muslims? Ah - becoming a Muslim is "masuk Melayu". Wrong! And we must get that phrase out of our language. It says nothing that is true.
July 11th 2006 - the day I went to the National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara) to have my "race" changed from "Chinese" to what I really am.....
How on earth could they make a mistake like that? I brought my birth certificate as proof. What I learned was interesting and horrible.
"Your original record says you are Chinese sir" said the lady. How could that be, since my original (pre-MYKAD) i.c. listed my race correctly?
"Well, I am looking at your original record in the system, and it says you are Chinese. Before MYKAD, changes to your status were sometimes not updated into the system." Now how would a person be able to change his RACE to something else? And can you not see it written CLEARLY on my birth certificate what race I am?
She took my application and my Birth Certificate into a room, and came out a few minutes later - I believe this was to get approval from an officer to waive the RM10.00 charge for making changes to your MYKAD.
After me, 2 sisters were trying to change their religion from Buddhist to Christian. One had a certificate of baptism dating from 1 month after her birth. They said their parents were both Christian, and they both had been baptised within months of birth.
"Your original record says you are Buddhist. We will always follow your parents religion, and since you are Chinese you must be Buddhist." No, the sisters said, our parents were always Christian.
"Your registration was when you were still a baby - how can you know if your parents were Buddhist or someting else?"
I was so shocked at this senseless statement I had to pay attention. As it turned out, the sisters were asked to pay RM10 each for the change in MYKAD information. The JPN staff refused to accept that it was their error. If the sisters insisted, they would have to wait for "the officer". Where was this officer?
"He is attending a tribunal now. You can't expect him to come out to handle your problem. He maybe will be finished at 12 noon (thats in 2.5 hours). Otherwise, you have to pay the RM10."
I only escaped paying a penalty because I had a government document, my birth certificate, as proof. These ladies had a church certificate dating back to 196x and it was not accepted. The JPN has stated in the newspaprers that citizens need not pay the fee if the error is the fault of the JPN. But note well: your birth certificate does not document your religion. For all those with a wrong religion in their MYKAD (a church I know recorded about 30% of its people having MYKAD errors), a penalty will still be extracted, because JPN will not recognise your other documents.
Still worse: the counter staff insisted to both me and the 2 sisters that the MYKAD followed the original record. And yet, our old (pre-MYKAD) I.C. had no errors. This means that the JPN data was wrong from the point where it was converted from paper documents into computer records. Judging from the experience of the church I mentioned earlier, this means that for non Malays, we may have 30% of the population with MYKAD errors.
And another thing: If JPN was going to ignore everything we wrote in the form when we applied for our MYKAD, then why have a form at all? Why should we give the correct information, and still be provided with wrong information in our MYKAD? Was it so that people would believe that they were being given what they had written down?
The JPN office I was in had a machine in the corner that could read the MYKAD. Good, I thought, it helps people check the contents. But when I tried it, it only showed a scanned image of my MYKAD, not the encoded information or religion and race that is not printed on the card. This is not only useless, it borders on criminal negligence - giving citizens the impression that all is well, but hiding the information that might be (and for 30% of us, may well be) wrong.
JPN should change its operations IMMEDIATELY, and accept proof provided by citizens about their race and religion. JPN must establish a process to print ALL details of a MYKAD and provided them to the citizen at the point of collection of their MYKAD.
Our schools must STOP teaching this crap that a person's racr automatically fixes their religion. I have met children who have been told as much: an Indian is a Hindu, a Chinese is a Buddhist, a Malay is a Muslim. I dont know what the 'others' end up as; Christian I suppose. What about Ceylonese Buddhists? Chinese Taoists / Christians / Muslims? Ah - becoming a Muslim is "masuk Melayu". Wrong! And we must get that phrase out of our language. It says nothing that is true.
Tuesday, 27 June 2006
IT skills shortage — fact or fiction?
Here's an interesting article.... one of many I saw on digg.com. Thanks K for introducing me to the site.
Basically, Linda Musthaler makes a case - and a good one I think - for blaming the lack of available IT skills on the avarice of corporations. This is something close to my heart too. No, not because I got laid off, but because I believe it IS a cold blooded way to operate when the accountants look at the bottom line, and then tell the KL branch manager "Look, your GP isn't double digit - give 3% of your staff their walking papers."
Of course, the fault (if such a deep, systemic, fundamental can be called a fault) is not purely with the corporation or the accountants. Responsibility also is shared by us shareholders. Why? Because if a stock does not perform, you unload it of course.
"Dear stockholder. Despite a 30% growth in revenue, there are indications that the projected 33% growth in GP may not be achieved in the near term.
This will be corrected in the next reporting period, however, as the corporation is taking prudent steps to improve our control posture in expenses.
Your sister Mavis and uncle Martin are being laid off with 498 other employees next week."
Basically, Linda Musthaler makes a case - and a good one I think - for blaming the lack of available IT skills on the avarice of corporations. This is something close to my heart too. No, not because I got laid off, but because I believe it IS a cold blooded way to operate when the accountants look at the bottom line, and then tell the KL branch manager "Look, your GP isn't double digit - give 3% of your staff their walking papers."
Of course, the fault (if such a deep, systemic, fundamental can be called a fault) is not purely with the corporation or the accountants. Responsibility also is shared by us shareholders. Why? Because if a stock does not perform, you unload it of course.
"Dear stockholder. Despite a 30% growth in revenue, there are indications that the projected 33% growth in GP may not be achieved in the near term.
This will be corrected in the next reporting period, however, as the corporation is taking prudent steps to improve our control posture in expenses.
Your sister Mavis and uncle Martin are being laid off with 498 other employees next week."
iTalk: The New Mobile Phone from Apple?
What if Apple created a mobile phone?
What if it was also an iPOD?
What if it had a camera and PDA function?
UTUBE has an entry that breathes life into these "what-if's" . Let me tell you, it blew my mind! The simulated ad is remarkably Zen, and yet succeeds in delivering a dream of technology convergence that will make you drool from the corners of you mouth, or dribble from the tip of ... well, never mind.
Just remember to read the intro text - this is fiction. At least, until Apple works out the bugs......
What if it was also an iPOD?
What if it had a camera and PDA function?
UTUBE has an entry that breathes life into these "what-if's" . Let me tell you, it blew my mind! The simulated ad is remarkably Zen, and yet succeeds in delivering a dream of technology convergence that will make you drool from the corners of you mouth, or dribble from the tip of ... well, never mind.
Just remember to read the intro text - this is fiction. At least, until Apple works out the bugs......
Monday, 26 June 2006
Procrastination #2, and a job interview.
This is better than the little verse i penned some time ago. But this time, it's not original. Thanks to the G-man for brightening up my day.
(the usual caveats - I do not own the rights to this, and I dont know if this is really public domain - i got it via email. If this infringes on anyone's copyright, please inform me and I will remove this picture immediately)
In other developments, I have (sort of) re-entered the job market - was called for an interview last Friday.
The guy was really friendly, partly because we had previously met (years ago) and he knew me by reputation (some of it good, judging from the way it went).
Anyway, this is a job that will throw me back into a purely technical job. And here I have been slowly learning how to think in terms of process and management.
Well - I will have to wait and see if they make an offer. Meantime, I should really think more deeply if I want to go back into being technical, or moving on into management.
Sweet dreams...
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