PAIN BALL

You got that right. Instead of paintball, it was indeed pain ball. You would be in so much pain when you are hit.

The organizers ought to prepare protection vest, pants and gloves for all participants. As for us, there were about 72 of us, and of course, there weren’t enough vests or protective pants to be passed around. Of course, a mask is a must as you don’t want to be blinded or hit in the mouth or ears.

Paintball is a dangerous game if rules are not being adhered to. We were briefed shortly before the game begins. Rule no. #1 – having a mask on every time you are in the battle field. Rule No. #2 – Listen to the marshal’s instructions before firing way. Rule No. #3 – Knowing how to handle your guns properly – safety first. There is no room for foolishness.

Apart from pain, since it was raining heavily the day before, we were all covered with mud. The place was infested with mosquitoes too.

I guess Xtion Paintball Park needs to do something to clean up the area of mosquitoes’ nesting area to minimize mosquitoes and also, increasing the numbers of protective gears so everyone would be able to get protection while playing. I think it is kind of dangerous to be walking in the battle zone without protective pants, especially the men, as their family jewels are at stake. No doubt the impact of the gun shot is not that great to have caused grievous bodily harm, it is better to be safe than sorry.

I got shot in the neck less than 20 seconds to the game. Too bad they did not give a prize for those who got hit first. Since this is my first time in the battle field, it was indeed hard to gauge where I was running as our faces were covered by mask and it fogged up when you are breathing hard. The muddy patches and uneven terrain worsen the situation. It was the longest 2 minutes of my life.


Now I realize what it is like to be in a battle field. It is definitely more terrifying with real bullets and grenades flying in the air.

Nevertheless, it was a high action and adrenalin pumping game. The game usually last only 1 to 3 minutes but it was enough to get us all going. This game is suitable to forge team building and effective communication skills. It was funny to think; it took us about 20 minutes to assemble, reload our guns, to don our masks, get our guns, and only played for one minute. Hahaha!

They do provide training for people who are interested in competitive paintball games. While we were sitting around to wait for our turn at the game, we saw some hot gorgeous hunks and pretty ladies. Most of them have their own paintball guns; which costs about RM1,000 + each. Gaya habis!

Before you think we would be shooting everyone and running all over the place like mad people, there are some strategy to the game – even if most of my colleagues would like to get even with colleagues that made their lives hell in the office. Heh!

Firstly, both parties need to shoot down two designated bottles stationed on a barrel. Once the bottles are toppled, the members have to secure 2 flags and bring the flags back to the base. Either team members, who had been hit, need to surrender to the base to “recharge” their lives. Everyone has unlimited lives – as long as you are hit, you need to report back to base to get “recharged”.

Points would be deducted based on number of bullets hitting the team members. If you are being hit 2x, then your 2x would be added to other colleagues. Teams with the highest hit would lose.

3 points would be awarded to the team which secured the 2 flags first.

It might look complicated but it took only 1-2 minutes per game. So, you have to be quite quick on your feet.

Being sluggish and my stamina sort of went hay wired after absence from gym for a year – during the first round, I had to run back to base 3x to get recharged and it was all over in 2 minutes. It doesn’t help either when you have a large surface area – more place for target – that’s what my brother said. I was hit in the neck, the shoulder blade and at the side of the stomach.

I managed to learn from my mistakes and didn’t get hit the second time round and the last round, I just hid behind some barrels and started shooting like a mad woman because, since we are gonna lose anyway, we might as well finish all the bullets. Heh!

It’s a dread to be walking around the office with a mark on my neck; which uncannily looked like a love bite.

QUESTIONS OF FAITH

A friend complained to me, having to adhere to certain strict rules in religion of his wife, in order to have their marriage solemnized by a priest. He is a devout Buddhist while his wife is a staunch Catholic. (Yes – I am well aware that Buddhism is not a religion, but an education or way of life).

And to top it up, we have the Da Vinci Code to keep people from all over the world questioning their faith.

As a free thinker, I do not want to take anyone’s side. I believe all religions are good in their own way. It is always some deviations which have created so much problems in any religion. It is quite sad that some people have different interpretation and arguments over the same faith or abuses their religion to make monetary gains, or to fulfill their greed and lusts.

He is not the only friend who has got this problem. I have seen a few cases where a boyfriend or a girlfriend is still with their respective spouses; despite having different beliefs.

A close friend from Seremban and her boyfriend of 7 years were from different religious backgrounds. She is a Buddhist and her husband to be is a Catholic. I went to their wedding ceremony in Seremban and this is the first time I had a vegetarian wedding dinner. It was quite hilarious as, most of the dishes were made from tau foo; we could not finish the dinner past the third meal because the dishes were way too filling.

Okay.. I am deviating from what I am trying to say here…

When my girlfriend offered joss sticks to her ancestors and bowing down to the Buddha statues and her parents, her husband was nice enough to pay respects as well, even if without holding joss sticks. This is what I called compromising. At least, he did not stand far away or scowl as the prayer ceremony was being carried out.

Today, my girlfriend is still happily married and going to church and her daughter has been baptized in full Catholic tradition.

There is another case where a dear friend who is an agnostic. It took love to make this man; who made a joke of Jesus (Asking why Jesus cannot take M&Ms – because he has holes in his hand) – to turn into a Christian. He cut his long mane, quit smoking and took out his ear rings, all in the name of love. Sometimes I wonder whether he is doing this for the sake of love or his true beliefs for Christ itself. I believe it is a bit of both as he is now happily married and living an honest Christian life.

A few cases ended up in ugly divorces. My friend is a Protestant while his wife is a Roman Catholic. As the eldest son, his mother wanted him to get married in their church badly, as his family is quite prominent in the small town of Ipoh. But his wife insisted to get married in her Roman Catholic church, so much so that it displeased the future mother in law greatly.

After 4 years of over-compromising – she "hi-jacked" the husband to her church instead of attending her mother-in-law’s church, restraint her two children from going to their grandmother’s church altogehter; they split up (of course due to other problems as well). It’s way ridiculous as that both are also Christians.

Another ridiculous case was; a friend and his wife, planned to have a registration ceremony in Thean Hou temple – as it is easier and less cumbersome compared to registering in government offices. He had checked beforehand whether the in-laws are okay with it as they are staunch Catholics and they gave their blessings. After all, it was merely a registration ceremony and there will be no rituals of any kind being conducted.

Much to his dismay, when the day arrived, the brother-in-law came to check out the registration counter and went berserk to see a Buddha figurine on the table where the couples would be sitting to sign their marriage registration forms. He made a fuss by saying that they should remove the Buddha figurine before the mother in law comes.

They created quite a scene and it was quite an embarrassing sight. They ended up signing papers outside the waiting counter without the Buddha figurine. It was quite good that the Registrar tried their best to accommodate these people.

I felt it was kind of absurd to have agreed at the first place and then made a scene on the big day itself. To prove that you are a staunch good Catholics doesn’t mean you have to be so petty over things such as this. If you believe your God is the greatest, you shouldn’t be overly concerned about a Buddha figurine on the table, and you should be teaching your own daughter not to have pre-marital sex (she was 6 months pregnant when they tie the knot).

I guess it is not the matter of principles when it comes to conflict of religions in a relationship. It is more towards compromising and having compassion for your partner. I believe, if you love him or her, you would do anything to please your partner. It doesn’t mean you have to fake it or to give it all to make your partner happy. You also have to understand what you are getting into when you are dating a person from a different religion.

When it comes to marriage, everything will be compromised.

I believe the question to be asked here, is not where are your principles? It is a question of how much you are willing to sacrifice for love.

It doesn’t serve any purpose also if you were being forced to do something for the sake of pleasing your partner. Whatever it is that you do, you have to do it sincerely and whole heartedly.

It takes two to tango. One needs to be ready to bend certain rules and regulations in order to make each other happy. You cannot be having your way all the time.

I didn’t say you have to sacrifice your religion all for the sake of love. You need to prioritize which is more important to you. I guess a couple needs to have a serious discussion on what makes both of them comfortable and try to reach an amicable solution, rather than having put through something that either one of them would totally loathed.

I believe, in this life, our work is to discover our world and then with all our hearts give ourselves to it. If you have found your world in your partner, you ought to strive hard to give your heart to him/her.

There is no tailored made solution for this kind of conflict. But those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. I wish this friend all the best in whatever decisions he is going to make and take, and hope that understanding and compromises will prevail.

10 SIMPLE PLEASURES

Kinda brain dead after playing paint ball in Xtion Paintball Park, at Bukit Jalil today. Good thing I got tagged!

1. Sleeping throughout the entire Sunday afternoon without pounding headache.

2. Cuddling Sasha right after she get up from bed.

3. No hang over after a booze party.

4. Manicure and pedicure; once in a blue moon. (Check out my new nail paint!)

5. Thai massage.

6. Watching marathon movies on HBO, uninterupted.

7. Going over to friend's place; for simple cooking, chatting and marathon DVD session.

8. Finding I could fit in a blouse or pants, one size smaller.

9. Gossiping over a cup of hot chocolate (Grande!) in Starbucks.

10. Photographs that I took, turned out to be not as bad as I thought.

I am tagging:

(1) Marine Boy
(2) James
(3) Kat

HOT AS HELL

A few weeks ago, a friend complained to me she has no dates. I told her to join some activities or maybe, sign up at those internet services for matchmaking. She refused to do so and she insisted on having a fairy tale romance – you know, the type where you met a guy in the Al-Fresco café; then the two of you looked at each other, then sparks of chemistry flying in the air – CRASH BOOM BANG – and then, both of you fall madly in love. What load of crap! Jesus!

If you remember, I wrote about me being dateless, a couple of guys actually wrote to me to ask me out. Hahah!!! Oh well, I have to turn them down as we didn’t have much to talk about even online, what more if we meet – when we do meet in flesh and blood. I look quite intimidating to some people.

Since I have been dateless for awhile now (hanging out with a boy younger than me by 5 years, or with a hot Takeshi-Kaneshiro-look-alike do not count – it’s too good to be true), I did something really silly which I couldn’t stop laughing about it. I signed up at internet dating service (address withheld to stop you people from looking out for me! Haha!) and put up a profile there together with a picture.

Guess what? In less than 24 hours, I have been approached by 20++ males.

Hahahahahaah!!!!! I’m hot as hell!

Ahem. In actual fact, there is nothing to shout about, especially when the men who contacted me are already attached (have the cheek to admit it – I appreciate their honesty) and they still want to make friends with other females online. I am not saying that they are wrong, but geez.. the things they write about themselves somehow reflect themselves as sleaze balls. *Cringe*

I guess there is nothing wrong to sign up at these websites to get to know people and expand your social circles. Some friends sign up for Speed Dating, Lunch Actually or MCA Cupid’s Club. Someone told me there is something called, Table for 6 – where the organizer would help to organize a dinner for 6 people – 3 guys and 3 girls for them to get to know each other. The last option seemed viable and not so intimidating.

Match making services; second to slimming services are making big money now!

I can’t get over the fact that some of them just do not bother to make an effort to write a proper introduction. All of them have these standard generated first liners.

You seem interesting, will you send me an email and tell me more about yourself?

It takes more than two lines to impress me.

P.S. If you were wondering what picture did I put - it was REALLY a pic of me, minus 10 kgs! Haha!

ANGER MANAGEMENT

I had a rough week. It wasn’t a very big issue – but you know how petty a woman can get.

Those who personally know me is aware that I am a hot tempered person and not easy to be taken for a ride. I would be easily provoked at the slightest things.

Working here proved to be quite an uphill task especially you need to deal with people of yesteryears mentality. Some of them do not take initiative to make things right, some of them never want to take responsibility for anything, some of them just do whatever that is in their job scope and nothing more, or worse, some of them can’t even do their own thing properly, some cannot mind their own business, etc.

As an assistant to one of the most powerful man in this organization, I thought I would be treated with utmost respect. I guess I was wrong.

Respect is earned, not made.

It is not that I do not treat other people with respect, as I believe, respect begets respect. The mentality of the people here are very demoralizing – if they can take advantage of you, they think you are easily taken for a ride. If you are nice to them, they think you are easily bullied. They do not know who they are dealing with. I was very pissed off whenever people treat me as if I am a child or worse, some of them think they could undermine my authority. I sympathize with those who have been working half their lives as clerks or assistants, yet still wonder why they are not promoted after all these years.

Somehow I have mellowed down over the years and did not get angry easily over small things. But I do get upset. Party Girl’s words of comfort tend to be very soothing and real.

One person I admire most is my boss. He is very calm even when it comes to dealing with barbarians (plain rude and uncivilized). Just a few minutes ago as I wrote this, he was being screamed at by a creditor over the phone who hung up on him. Mind you, this creditor is a pain in the ass. I was scolded by him before but I did not take it to heart as I know it is not point talking sense to an angry man. To make the story short, we are right in withholding payment as the things done by him is not up to mark and need some minor adjustments before final payment.

Anyway, my boss reverted to him saying that cheque was ready for collection and gave him a penny for thought for being downright rude by screaming at him without finding reasons of delay and hung up on him. After all, my boss is one of the most important man in my company. He should be treated with utmost respect.

After calming the creditor, he tried to reason with him and instead of letting things turned awry the way it started, he ended the phone call with an apology from the creditor and even laughed over the creditor’s rudeness and foolishness.

The bible is right. A calm answer quiets anger and a harsh one stirs it up.

Thinking my job here is not worth my time or commensurate with my experience and qualification, I was dead wrong.

To learn how to deal with people from all levels, behavior and mentality is very challenging. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn before I could say, I've made it.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Well, a week ago, Ann told me of her colleague who died in a freak accident while on her way back to KL from Muar, after attending a friend’s wedding. The four friends who went together died on the spot, when their car was hit by a truck from the opposite side of the road after one of its tyres punctured and the truck went out of control.

Just like that, Ann has lost a friend.

I could still remember the late Endok as we used to park in the same parking lot. Every other morning, I would see her getting out of her Kancil and we would nod at each other and smiled.

We will not know what is waiting for us tomorrow. We always think, such things will not happen to us. Accidents happened all the time, they don’t pick their victims. It always happen when you least expected it.

As a precautionary measure, I would like to advise my friends and also fellow readers that, it is important to leave a will. It is no longer a taboo subject. Leaving a will would ease a family’s burden on trying to manage the estate of the deceased once we passed away.

I took this matter seriously. I even drawn up a few wills when my aunts and mom left for Bangkok the other day, fearing that it would be the last I see them. Maybe I am a bit over paranoid and thank goodness my aunts and mom were sporting enough to sign the dotted lines; but I guess, it is better to be paranoid now than to suffer later.

Friends whose parents or relatives or loved ones died unexpectedly without a will had faced numerous problems after the sudden deaths.

Hence, I am here to urge you to at least write something which would assist the living once we kick the bucket unexpectedly. Append below is a sample of will. It is highly advisable to leave this to a professional, you may seek advice of Trustee Companies such as BHLB Trustee Berhad , Amanah Raya Berhad and OSK Trustee.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

THIS IS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of me, [name] (NRIC NO. ) of [residential address] domicile in Malaysia made this Xth day of X in the year of 200X.

I HEREBY REVOKE all my former Wills and Testamentary dispositions made by me at anytime heretofore AND DECLARE this to be my Last Will and Testament.

I HEREBY APPOINT [executor – can be anyone you trust or better, leave them to the professional such as trustee companies] (NRIC No./Company No. ) of [address] to be my sole EXECUTOR and TRUSTEE (hereinafter referred to as “the Trustee”) of this my Last Will.

I DIRECT MY TRUSTEE to pay all my just debts, funeral and testamentary expenses as soon as conveniently may be after my decease.

I GIVE AND BEQUEATH my Y% share of the following; registered in my name to my [next-of-kin], [name of next-of-kin] (NRIC NO. ).

Examples:-

Asset
Immovable Property

Land

I GIVE AND BEQUEATH my half share of property held under Title No. H.S.(D) No. 168, Lot No. PT 1234, Mukim Sungai Mas, Daerah Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Wilayah Persekutuan to my wife, XXXXXXXXXXXXX (NRIC No.:XXXXXXXXX) absolutely.

Land and building

I GIVE AND BEQUEATH my half share of property held under Title No. H.S.(D) No. 168, Lot No. PT 1234, Mukim Sungai Mas, Daerah Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Wilayah Persekutuan together with a double storey link house erected thereon known as No. 88, Jalan 8/18, Desa Jaya, 57000 Kuala Lumpur to my wife, XXXXXXXXXXXXX (NRIC No.:XXXXXXXXX) absolutely.

I give, devise and bequeath to my son, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (NRIC No.: XXXXXXXXXX) absolutely my one third (1/3) undivided share in the house known as 88-8, Jalan 8-88, Taman Happy, 56100 Kuala Lumpur held under Certificate of Title No. 123456, Lot No. 666, Section 88, in the Town and District of Kuala Lumpur.

Movable Property

I GIVE AND BEQUEATH my movable properties as stated below to my wife, XXXXXXXXXXXXX (NRIC No.:XXXXXXXXX) absolutely.

BANK ACCOUNTS

i. RHB BANK BERHAD
Savings Account: A/c No.:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

STOCK AND SHARES
i. The Central Depository (Pte) Ltd

Securities Account No. XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

ii. Philip Securities Pte Ltd

Trading Account No.: XXXXXXXXXXX

INSURANCE POLICIES

i. Maybank Assurance Berhad Kuala Lumpur

Personal Accident Policy No.: XXXXXXXXXXX

SAFE DEPOSIT BOX

Box No. XXX
Name of Bank:
Branch:

VEHICLE

Type:

Regn. No.:

I GIVE, DEVISE AND BEQUEATH the rest and residue of my property both real and personal of whatsoever nature and wheresoever situated unto my beneficiaries mentioned above in equally.

In WITNESS WHEREOF, I the said [name] have hereunto set my hand this Xth day of X [month] 200X.

Signed by the said abovenamed testator ]

[name] ]
in the presence of us both present at the ]
same time who at his request and in ]
the presence of each other have hereunto ]
subscribed our names as witnesses:- ]

Witness #1
Signature:
Name :
NRIC No:
Address:

Witness #2

Signature:
Name :
NRIC No:
Address:

* Applicable for non Muslims only. Distribution of estate of Muslims is subject to Syariah Law.

KIN KIN'S RIVAL

I didn’t know about this chilli pan mein in Selayang till a colleague of mine took me there during the home alone week when my mother aka cook went to Bangkok.

It was indeed a surprise finding. Now, Selayang has another goodie to boast about.

As much as I like Kin Kin’s chilli pan mein in Chow Kit, this one is equally good. Kin Kin’s pan mein has stickier and more moisture surface and slightly thicker. This one is smoother and more refined.

It comes with generous portion of fried anchovies, minced pork and unlike Kin Kin’s, which serves only soup with leaves, this shop serves soup with pork balls and fishballs. I find the chilli is not as oily as Kin Kin’s. To top it up, it costs only RM4 (for one DAMN big bowl with egg), which is RM1 cheaper compare to Kin Kin’s pan mein. Worth every penny. There is no problem finding parking space. This chilli pan mein is situated in the middle of the second aisle of the Medan Selera Selayang in the Selayang Jaya market, opposite a stall which claimed to be Ulu Yam Loh Mee.

If you go to Kin Kin’s, they usually serve only herbal tea of either Loh Hon Kuo or Pat Chi Chou. This one also serves herbal tea as well as other tong sui such as red beans, honey sea coconut, bubur char char, black sesame, etc.

Customer service is indeed better here despite being busy. We went when it wasn’t that busy, so it was relatively comfortable. We don’t have to wait half an hour to be served and do not have to subject ourselves to the moronic waiters in Kin Kin’s who always mixed up orders.

Other than chilli pan mein, they also sell Loh Pan Mein, Pan Mein soup, Mushroom Pan mein, and any other style of Chinese fast food using purely pan mein.

I would definitely go there again to try other styles of pan mein. You may join me if you want to.

# Open for lunch only.

AMOK

Today at work….

Me: Hey, today we go home later ok? I have so much shit to do.

Sis: You want to wait for your good friend is it?

Me: Who?

Sis: The Mad Man.

Yesterday, I was rushing to send my sister home before I go to my Japanese class. It was a good thing that I left early (as always).

Just after we left, a mentally disturbed man was lurking at the compound of our office. He was said to be lying on the staircase, walking about, talking to himself and looking quite upset.

He tried to come into the office but, he would need access cards to enter the building, he could not. I wonder where the heck are all the guards? Someone is gonna get fired over this.

As one of the executive directors was walking out of the building, the Mad Man pushed the door and rushed inside. He bumped into the director and he (director) almost fell.

Angered, the executive director yelled at him and asked him to go away. Then, another colleague came out and tried to talk the Mad Man to get out from the lobby. He managed to, after some persuasion.

Unhappy, the Mad Man kept banging violently on the glass door while the people inside the office building stared at him in disbelief. Much to their horror, he somehow managed to open the door and came running inside. Everyone lari bertempiaran.

He was seen playing with the phone at the reception area and talking angrily to himself. While he was doing that, a fellow colleague, Mr L was on his way out from the office. He knew something was amiss when he saw a large crowd gathering outside the office, and all of them seemed to be looking inside.

It was then, the Mad Man, who was still playing with the phone, looked up at him. The Mad Man extended his hand for a handshake. Mr L was worried shitless but did not dare to provoke the Mad Man, he touched the Mad Man’s hand briefly. He dared not hold the Mad Man’s hand as he worried the Mad Man might have weapons and hold him hostage. His heart was beating fast and he couldn’t think of what to do next.

The Mad Man looked calm and asked for some water. It was then, Mr L took this as an opportunity to go upstairs again and locked all doors, secured them with umbrellas and warned other colleagues not to go down first. The colleagues on third floor, also warned of the Mad Man, secured all doors by pushing heavy cabinets against the doors. This is a bit over reacting lah. Must be watching too much zombie movies. Fear does weird things to you.

Another colleague, who was oblivious of what was happening, (he must be deaf) went to the lobby’s loo only to find the door locked. He tried to open it and heard someone was inside the toilet. It was the driver who hid there for the fear of the Mad Man’s attack.

The Mad Man went frantic and broke the antenna from the radio on the desk and started swinging it, trying to hit anyone who was trying to take him away. He kicked the table fan which was on the floor and it broke into pieces.

Three brave colleagues came to the rescue and managed to overpower the Mad Man.

Police arrived while they were still struggling to capture the Mad Man. The police just stood there and did nothing. They just stared at the ball of people scuffling about like idiots. So much for paying them with our hard earned money (tax) huh?

This morning, we heard so many versions of the same high drama story. In incident such as this, we would know who were acting cowardly, who were the brave ones, who would withstand unpredictable moments and took action to remedy it, who would just stared at the situation, not doing anything. Thank goodness no one was hurt. I pray that the Mad Man would be in good hands now and be safe.

Oh well. There is never a dull moment working here.

THE FAB FOUR

It was merely a coincidence that my siblings and cousins decided to treat our mothers to a holiday in Bangkok in the month of May to celebrate Mother’s Day. Well, thanks to AirAsia, our tight budget was made possible to send 4 super grandmothers together with my sister and cousin as chaperons for a holiday.

The Fab Four

They were back yesterday. My days living on instant noodle and fast food; and slog like a maid, had come to an end. Phew!

Mom: Have you seen the penis?

Me: What penis?

Mom: Ah Heok! Find the penis and let her see!

Third Aunt was rummaging all over the luggage to look for the toy penis. (No! It’s not a dildo!) She couldn’t seem to find it.

Third Aunt: Oh no! The penis is gone!!

Me: No need to see lah. Not that I have not seen a penis before!

Cousin sis: As if you have seen a real penis before.

Me: Of course!

Cousin sis: Eyeh!! Is there something we don’t know about you?!

Me: *Lok Lok’s penis is not real meh?

Everyone: Hahahahahhahahah!!!!

They were talking about the plasticky toy penis which you throw to the floor and it would be smashed, then it would return to normal size. Hmmph. They are easily amused.

*One of the kids my mother baby sits.

Bangkok is still the same old place. Retro, flamboyant, colorful and lively. My sister bought me some cool t-shirts. I know she loves me very much…. but bitch in training? *Scratch head*

Bangkok is also caught in the Da Vinci’s craze. This was taken in Cha-tuk-Chak.

It was an enjoyable holiday. (Well, just look at their happy faces and dahsyat poses! Wackiness runs in the family.) We made it a point to have a family gathering at least once a year. Early this year, we went to Port Dickson. Just before they go to Bangkok, my nomadic cousin brother took them to Redang Island for holidays. We are planning for a Shanghai trip next year.

We tried our best to repay what they have done for us, even if our efforts are considered miniscule compare to their Herculean sacrifices to make our lives worth more. These are the fantastic four ladies whom have been, and always will be the gems of our lives. Without them, we would not exist. What would we do without them?

The Gems of Our Lives

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there!

Other posts on family and friends, click here!

BUSINESS TACTICS

Last weekend, when I was queuing up to buy 4D at Da Ma Cai, I spotted a man in his late 40s, selling yummy looking curry puffs and siew pao. He was calling out to everyone walking past him to make a purchase. I decided to buy the curry puffs after buying 4D.

When I walked towards him, he called out to me, “Aunty! Come buy my curry puffs!”

I looked at him, pissed off.

He then, changed his words, “Si Tao Poh, come buy my curry puffs!”

I shook my head and walked off.

How could you address me as “aunty” when you are well in your late 40s? There goes his chance of earning some money from me.

When I was younger, I had the same problem as well. Probably due to my size, I looked much older for my age, or even worse, I looked like a boy.

I remembered once, I was walking with my pretty cousin sister to pasar malam hand-in-hand when a stall owner who knew my cousin sister called out to her, “Wah!!! New boyfriend ah??”

Both of us stared at him and gave him the middle finger.

“This is my cousin sister lah!!!” My cousin sis yelled back at the trader.

The trader smiled sheepishly as I glared at him.

When I went browsing through some stuffs, another trader tried to start a conversation with me, “Leng Chai! This t-shirt is only RM10!”

Without a word, I walked off as well.

When I was in Taiping, I was sitting in the living room, dozing off on the couch while my uncle was lying on the floor, watching tv.

Then, two elderly couple came to our house to ask for money for the temple.

They said to me – “Ah Soh! Tay ean!” (*Hokkien: Aunty! Donation for temple!)

Wah lao yeh. Ah Soh at age 10?? Jesus!

In TAR College, while I was waiting for my friends to join me for dinner, a waitress walked from my behind and asked me, “Leng Chai! Would you like to order a drink?”

I looked at her and smiled. She was shocked and apologized, “Sorry! From the back, you look like a man!”

Bear in mind, at that point of time, I had shoulder length hair. No wonder some friends thought I am James’ brother – the more handsome one, that is. Hahaha!!

Nowadays, it is harder to do business as it is getting competitive. In order to remain competitive, these petty things matter.

If you are not sure how to address the other person – you could just call them Boss – Si Tao Poh (Lady boss) or Si Tao or Lou Sai (man boss). Try not to use too much leng chai or leng loi as I couldn’t really stand it when people call me leng loi, in order to try to get my business; for apparent reasons.

And if you are really sure that the person is older than you, and then only you address the person as “Aunty” or “Uncle”. And if you are already well in your 40s or 50s – I guess it is not so appropriate to address anyone “Aunty” or “Uncle”, unless the person has a head full of white hair and face full of wrinkles. On the safe side, just address everyone as BOSS.

I think, the machas at the car wash centre where I used to send my car are the best. They always address me as Ah Moi or Boss!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out.

FOUR MAIDS AND A HUGE PILE OF CLOTHES

For a week, I would be home alone since my sister, cousin sister, and 4 aunts had left for Bangkok to berjoli.. Ah well, not really alone, considering my dad is at home but he sleeps downstairs. I will have upstairs all to myself.

My cousin sister – the 16 year old tarot reader is having a ball of time. She went off for her badminton training on Friday and conveniently text me and said she won’t be home till later today. When the cat is not around, the mouse comes out to play.

Some friends ask – eh? How come no orgy party one? No booze party kah? What were they thinking, man? Am I darn promiscuous and a bloody alcoholic? The latter is true.. how I wish the former is true as well. If you must know, I still have 7 bottles of unopened whiskey, gin and vodka at home, safely tucked away in my store room.

I have been forewarned to keep the house spick and span by the time the family comes back.

I once told my colleagues over lunch that I have 4 maids at home when they were bitching to me about their maids. They were impressed and asked me how do I control my maids? I said, my maids are all damn good and capable that they don’t need my supervision. They are my mother, my sister and my two cousin sisters. Hahaha! And ah.. I forgot I have a security guard and a gardener too – my dad. Hahahhaha!!! They knocked me on my head with a bowl.

The house is quiet now, with the absence of the terrible two. I had blissful sleep for the past 2 days without interruption in the morning – mom washing clothes in the bathroom adjacent to my room, the two kids running around inside my room and making faces at me, cousin sister sweeping and moping the floor – while I am still sleeping INSIDE the room. Really lah. Hmmph… totally inconsiderate or maybe I am the one should be blamed for sleeping till noon. Ah.. the joys and perils of staying with so many family members under one roof.

Yesterday and today, I had been working my ass off like a maid – taking out the clothes to dry only to be greeted with dark skies, then brought them in again only to be pissed off at the sudden sunshine… washing dishes, taking out the garbage, washing clothes – and the washing machine just broke down for no apparent reason, ah shit.. have to manually wash now, moping and sweeping the floor, etc. I think I have lost some weight just doing these.

And I have to remember to buy 4D and then, remember to light joss sticks for Goddess of Mercy, pour oil into the burner, washing the filter for drinking water, etc. Geez. Living alone is not easy after all.

That didn’t stop me from going to Bangsar to meet friends for a cup of coffee and cheese cake yesterday night, morning breakfast of teh si and bun bulat with Jeffrey and Whirlwind Wendy (It’s nice meeting ya, WW!), and ass-burning pan mein in Chow Kit for lunch.

Ah.. now you have to excuse me. I have to stop here this time as I have a whole pile of clothes waiting for me upstairs now. Shucks.

And.. no pictures this week – my camera is now in Bangkok.

A SMALL 1.02:03 04.05.06 MIRACLE

As my family will be leaving for Bangkok this Friday for holidays, I helped to change the security code in their luggage bags (As my luggage bag was ransacked when I went to Bali earlier this year, it is better to be safe than sorry).

First Aunt: Why not put our home phone number? Easier to remember mah?

Me: What phone number? The security code only 3 digit lah. How to put 4 digits inside?

Third Aunt: Standardize lah. Easier to remember.

Me: Standardize? Later they know these bags belong to the same travel group! Then one standard number – open all 6 luggage bags! Cannot cannot!!

Sis: You are so damn paranoid!

Me: Try getting your luggage bags ransacked when you were on international flight! Then you know what I am talking about.

As I was busy trying to adjust the code, while watching tv, I lost my concentration and couldn’t remember the code. Shit lor….

We tried numerous combination and yet, couldn’t get the bag opened.

So much to bear for being helpful eh??

I tried till my fingers go numb. Then it was my sister’s turn to try opening the bag.

Later, after almost an hour of trying, we gave up.

Sis: Maybe just let those kids play with it. I guess it would open by itself. We need a miracle to open this. This happened to me when I was in Vietnam. I have no choice but to try opening it coz I would have no clothes to wear. So much for security huh??

We gave up while my third aunt tried to get it open.

As we were playing with the combination, we were talking about miracles happening on 1.02:03 on 04.05.06, which would only happened once in every 100 years.

As we pondered about it, out of a sudden, the bag just flipped opened. We were amazed. Then checked the time on our mobile phones – it was indeed 1.02:03 on 04.05.06.

We were befuddled.

Well, being compulsive 4D buyers – my sis, my third aunt and myself, decided to chip in and hope to strike it big this weekend on the mysterious combination number!!

Hehe! I am not telling what number I am going to buy!

REFUND OF RM10

As announced in the Star on 23 April 2006, for those who had bought AirAsia tickets before 23 March 2006 and traveled from LCCT to international destinations from 23 March 2006 onwards would get RM10 refund from the airport tax they paid.

Not many people are aware of this. Not many people would bother to go through the hassle of getting back RM10. Not many people know how to go about it to get the refund.

“Ah?? Must go to LCCT to collect the money ah?”

“Ah?? How to make phone calls? They never picked up the phone?”

“Ah? Have to write letters one ah?”

Not to worry, Ms Gina is here to help.

It was WY’s sis, Viv who told me about this. After gone through so much hassle, she had come up with the appropriate numbers to call; as even AirAsia staffs themselves were not fully aware of such refund. Viv was being passed like a ball from one person to another (Well, this is a common practice within the Malaysian’s customer service) till the line went dead. Determined not to let all these goons do this to her, she finally got hold of a person who knew something about this (phew!) and advise her on how to go about it.

First of all, please get the booking numbers at hand, the flight details and which credit card you use to make the purchase.

Then call this number 03-7651 2222. (Macam nombor talipon polis je??)

You will be put on hold like… forever. You have to be patient to do this. I did this on weekend when I was free and cukup tidur, so I wouldn’t end up pissed.

Then, when someone finally answered the phone, please ask for En. Razak (he is going to kill me for this!! But he is one nice man!! Super nice!) or any other person in charge to refund tax RM10. Give your details to him/her – if you don’t have the booking numbers, then you will need to give him/her your credit card number. Booking numbers would ease their tracking and this would help to expedite the refund.

I was advised that the refund would either be credited back to my respective credit cards or maybe, if I would like to, I could use the refund to offset future tickets prices… I opted for the former.

Wah.. I could be getting RM200 back!

We have to be patient though. They estimated a timeframe of 1 – 2 months before they could credit back the amount to the credit cards.

I wrote to them after the conversation to cactempstaff@airasia.com and listed down my booking numbers, duration of travels, name of guests, etc. Kiasu mah!

So, good luck!

Thanks to Viv!

Please note that this refund is only applicable for international flights.