Archive for the 'About me' Category

We are having a rainy season again with rain mostly in the late afternoon and evenings. This is a good time for thieves. Because the heavy rain muffles out sounds and people are more likely to be in their houses instead of outside.

A friend told me that his opposite neighbour had a break-in case during a heavy rain. The thieves came and took away his tv and other big and heavy electronic equipment while he was out during the rain and none of the neighbours were any the wiser because they didn’t hear due to the heavy rain and they were all inside their homes so no one knew.

Well, thieves struck like lighting in the rain in my area during the weekend. They came and took the iron and steel drain covers outside the houses during the rain leaving big wide gaping holes in front of our houses and lots of inconvenience to home owners. (The gaps are dangerous to young children and vehicles not to mention the inconvenience and expense of getting it fixed).  About 10 houses in my row were hit and another 16 houses in another street. They did this at around 5pm in broad daylight. Imagine how bold and brazen they are to just walk up to the fronts of houses and take something that does not belong to them.

My drain cover had been stolen before and I fixed those that had screws on so mine was not stolen. But my left and right neigbours and their neighbours and neighbours all had theirs stolen. They took those that had no screws because time is off the essence. I think they were off before you can say lightning. No one saw them. Not even the guards who were supposed to be doing their rounds because during the heavy rain, they would  most likely have been trying to find shelter instead of going ronda ronda.

Sigh. I just hate it. How the crime rate has risen in recent years. Now, I don’t feel safe anymore, not even in my home which is supposed to be a safe haven. Not everyone can afford to live in gated and guarded communities but even if you were, don’t be too happy. There are inside jobs too. One condominium manager told me that they had to have guards making rounds every hour on every floor even though the tenants disliked it but they had no choice since the thefts come from inside jobs ie from people who rent out the units for several months to do their dirty job. It is hard for them to control that because the so called “tenants” dress smartly and look just like any other tenant, not thieves.

Thefts, snatch thefts etc are so common these days that I am sure you have probably witnessed one or has had someone close to you experienced it before. Care to share? We have no choice but to be more aware and alert of our surroundings from the moment we step out of our houses.

Tadadum. Friend pops out on MSN. Chat chat chat chat.

Ring ring. 2nd sis calls up. Chat chat chat chat. Still chatting on MSN.

Ring Ring. Big sis calls up. Chat chat chat chat. Still chatting on MSN.

Ding. Blogger kawan pops up on Gmail informing about opportunity. Sob sob. No time to do. Still chatting on MSN.

Tada. Receives email from blogger kawan asking for advise on opportunity. Writes reply. Still chatting on MSN.

Light Bulb. Search online for good e-cards to send to good buddy. Still chatting on MSN.

Ring. Ring. Big sis calls up again. Chat chat chat chat. Still chatting on MSN.

Link. Link. Friend on MSN sends some links over to read. Read read read read.

Light bulb. Writes email to hubby informing him about plans made with sisters. Still chatting on MSN.

Light bulb. Sends e-card to friend. Muaks dearie.

Light bulb. Decides to write this post.

Grumble. Grumble. “Mommy, not yet even start the day. Not yet even start the day.” Kids looking for me because every morning since the start of the school holidays, I spend time with them teaching and playing with them but this morning, I got distracted BIG TIME! Hehe. I’ve exhausted all avenues of communication. MSN, Gmail, Email, Phone, Internet, In person. Phew!

Aiyoyo. OMG. Half the morning is gone! Better run. Bye bye friend. Bye bye sisters, bye bye blog. Still got to teach and play with the kids and cook. Luckily now got maid. Hehe. And in reply to Sasha. Yah, Yah, I eksyen now, can anot?

I’m happy that I was able to make pancakes and french toast for the kids for tea the past two days. Its a small thing to be happy about but I’m still happy. Usually the kids just eat biscuits and bread cos’ I’m lazy. Haha. Well, actually, I don’t cook using open fire when I’m alone so it does help that I have someone around, not just for cleaning up.

The kids enjoyed the pancakes and the french toast which they helped to make. My girl would have cooking class in school which she enjoys. Oh no, the kids at kindy don’t really cook but they help to count the number of spoons of sugar etc that is required in the ingredients when they watch their teachers cook. Its a great way to learn.

Every week she would bring back agar-agar (jellies), sandwiches, sweet potato balls, and other local treats that they made in school. She really enjoys these ”cooking” lessons so I try to let them help out in the kitchen whenever I can as it is a good way for them to learn.

I wish I could bake or at least have an oven to try baking. Can anyone recommend a good little oven? :) 

We celebrated our maid’s birthday recently by buying her a cake and singing a birthday song for her. No gift since she’s just with us for slightly over a month. Perhaps next year if she’s still with us, hopefully.

Life with a maid is certainly better despite its slight downside of loss of privacy, extra expense (not just in her salaries but we are now feeding an extra mouth and taking care of an extra person. Our groceries bills has shot up) etc.

On the upside, we now have a cleaner house and daily home cooked meals (I cook, she cleans up) and I have more time for the kids and the spouse.

Its the school holidays now and we have lots of activities planned. Learning Chinese together, reading online together, doing arts and crafts, practising school concert speeches, doing scrap book projects. Our entire day is filled with these. In addition I have to cook (but I don’t need to clean up now. Hooray!). I need to do my exercises and of course theres the man to take care of when he gets home from work.

Previously I would have done all those too but the house would have suffered and our food as well. Now, I can do all of those and still get good food and a clean house. Its been good so far. Lets hope it stays this way.

Recently my piano teacher informed me that she may ask me and my daughter to play something during their school concert.

“OMG! Pengsan. Pengsan.” I told her. ”No, not pengsan at all” she replied. After she told me that, I was so nervous, I played lousily during my lesson just thinking about it. Hahaha.

I had always dreamed of playing the piano and finally had a chance to learn a little over a year ago. My daughter has been learning for about a month.

 I think this will be good exposure for my girl. And so, though I’m shivering right to my very bones, especially the finger bones, I shall do it if given the chance. All for the sake of my girl. Oh, the things we parents do for our little ones.

I shall have to practise and practise and annoy the neighbours and practise and practise some more till I can play with my eyes closed, otherwise, I shall be so nervous, my fingers will freeze and tangle up!

The only other time I’ve “performed” a musical instrument was playing the organ in a shopping mall when I was young. Oh yes, and there was this other time when I had to sing in front of some judges during a test at the end of my Singing Classes. Boy oh boy, how my voice shivered and shook made worse by the fact that my teacher had asked me to sing “On my Own” from “Les Miserables.” (Video below as sung by Lea Salonga so beautiful). I have always been in a school choir and I enjoy singing in a choir but singing alone is a different ball game altogether. Playing the piano with my girl playing the accompaniment is just as scary but I shall have to put up a brave front for my girl. Ooooh shiver shiver.

Ever since the maid arrived, I’ve lost 3 pounds. No, no, not from worries.

The reason is because we eat out less. When eating out, I just can’t help pigging out. Somehow food always tastes nicer when you’re not the one cooking it. Food presentation also matters to me. Food thats nicely presented like in a restaurant, appeals more to me causing me to wallop up the food. Yum! Gulp! *guilty afterwards*

However since the maid arrived, we’ve started eating out less. Its more economical and healthier that way. Thats one of the reasons we have a maid anyway. So we can eat more healthy home cooked food.

At home, I cook and the maid cleans up. Like I said, food always tastes better when someone else cooks it. Thats one step towards my diet plan. Second, when I do the cooking, I usually choose to cook my family and my favourite foods. In addition, I’ll cook up a big wok of vegetables so that I can do my Double It Half It Diet.

Thats my own diet regime by the way. What I do is I Double the servings of vegetables and Half the serving of rice. It works everytime. Thats how I lost 20 pounds last time but then I stagnated after a while. Also, I’m trying to make sure that the maid gets enough food so I put more food on her plate than mine. lol!

I’m happy that I have managed to lose 3 pounds so far. Thanks to homecooking! And thanks to my very own Double It Half It Diet plan. Yeah! (Perhaps I should patent this diet plan!)

Ok. Ok. I’m beggining to sound like a broken record that keeps harping on the same subject but I just cannot make up my mind!

Anyway, I’m not going to write about this anymore. I hope to hear from you instead.

For those of you with kids entering Primary School and you HAVE MADE UP YOUR MIND about which school to send them. (Unlike me). Why did you choose Chinese School/Kebangsaan School?

For those of you whose kids are currently attending Chinese School/Kebangsaan School, Why did you choose Chinese School/Kebangsaan School? Do you have any regrets or are you happy with your choice?

Hope to hear your views. Don’t be shy to leave long comments. Me and probably many others too want to hear from you. Thanks.

Since this topic is rather important to me, I am duplicating this post on my other blogs as some who read my other blogs don’t read this one vice versa.

Updated: After much contemplation, Its Chinese School for my girl.

I didn’t know what to call this post because I’ve been busy and has no time to blog and as a result a host of blog posts has accumulated in my head and I’m going to put them all together now in this one post. Maybe I should call it Rojak Post but I think I did that once. Haha.

So, what have I been up to this week? Well, I’ve been to the Income Tax Dept to enquire why I hadn’t received any forms this year (yeah I know its late to enquire but I simply did not have the time). When I called up earlier, I was informed that my address on the system shows my old address.  Well, when I filed my returns last year, I had put in my new address but it did not show up. Sigh. Eventually when I turned up at the office, they said my address has been changed because they have received my last year’s returns but not my husbands. Hmmm…. We had gone to deliver it by hand last year dropping our individual forms into the box one after the other. Strange that they received one and not the other. So I got the address sorted out and they photocopied hubby’s last year’s return forms.  *grumble grumble grumble*

Next, I went to collect my new chequebook (the new sized ones) BUT although they could find my name printed on their forms they said that the system had not caught my application which was done online. Some system! So I had to make another application and it’ll be hard to arrange for another day to collect. *grumble grumble grumble* 

I saw my doctor for a follow up appointment. Told him I was still having headaches almost daily when waking up from sleep and naps. Since we had done the scans on my previous visit and found nothing, those headaches are just for the record. We had mostly small talk, chatted and laughed which is really a good thing. Another 6 months till another visit. Hopefully, I won’t have to see him before then. Now, though he is a very nice person, he is one man I hope not to see or meet up with too often. Haha. Well, hopefully, not in his clinic anyway.

We met up with at least 3 heads of schools in our ernest search for a good school for our kids since time is running out to make a decision. Its interesting to meet the heads. One of them was young and enthusiastic, another was older but still full of ideas for his school whereas a third (which we met last year) looked very much like the old school sort of head, serious, stern and erm not friendly and open like the other two. I think its important to meet the heads of the schools you are  considering for your children because they are very important persons in the schools.

It is important to see the person who is running the school to see what are his missions and visions for the school. It is also a good idea to go to the school and look around during school hours to check out the facilities, the toilets, the traffic the recess time etc.

Every ship needs a good captain and every school needs a good head. Without one the school will sink unless they have a good system that is running and similarly a lousy school can turnaround with a good new head of school. “I hate the head of my son’s school!” my sister tells me pationately. “He won’t allow any parent in the school, not even when our kids are sick. He has other agenda and business and never takes on any suggestions for improvements during PTAs” she sighs.

And I mustn’t forget dad must I. Dad had a good day a few weeks ago. He was like his old self. He came over and chatted with the kids. He looked at my girl as if for the first time and said “Wow, she’s so grown already”. He went through her Chinese homework with her. He chatted with me about his unhappiness over his banking stuff, his watch that was being repaired and everything else. And then the next day he went back to his after stroke self, quiet and lost then yesterday I heard from sister that he had walked around her house garden in just his shirt without his underpants. He must have forgotten how to put it on. Sigh. Poor dad.

Oh then there are the kids whose all down with cough and cold and naturally I would have it too since they love to hug and kiss me. Haha. Well, anyway, when they are sick, I will cuddle them more because they need more tender loving care then so whats a little cough and cold to a mum right. Yeah sure…. *cough cough cough*

And the maid? How is she doing. So far so good. She is still hardworking and seem on the standby for work most of the time. My house is so much cleaner now and so far I’ve been able to give my family better food with her help to clean up after I cook. At the same time she also has a lot of free time because we don’t have that much of work for her. So she can nap in the afternoons when we nap and she can go to bed early. Thats not a problem to us but I have to think of how to keep her occupied (not with work) when she is free?

I’ve been giving her magazines to read in her free time. I’ve bought one or two Malay mags for her and the rest are my English ones. So I really need some sort of hobby to occupy her during her free time. Any suggestions anyone? TV is not so suitable for us since we hardly watch it ourselves.

At the moment she goes everywhere with us since she is still very new and we don’t know her enough to leave her at home with the keys. The only slight problem with that is our household expenses and cost of meals indoor and outside has shot up. Afterall we’re feeding another mouth now. Since she goes everywhere with us we also have to tune down eating out at very expensive places now which is actually a good thing for us. She eats whatever we eat so we have to be realistic and not splurge on meals for everyone.

And lastly, with rising costs, our chap fun (economy rice) and hawker food prices have gone up, cost of costume for my girl’s year end concert has gone up and the kids favourite doughnuts have risen in price from RM9.50 to RM11.50 for half a dozen. What has gone up in price for you personally?

OMG. I’ve written such a long post! Its a week long post in one. This is the result of not having time to blog. Blog constipation has been translated to Blog Diarhhea.

Happy Weekend.

Apart from the usual “What to cook today?”, I also have the following on my mind….

1. What to ask my doctor on my upcoming doc visit
2. Chinese School…National School….Chinese School….National School (since we have just one more month to decide)
3. How to tell my maid that I have epilepsy and teach her what to do in case of a seizure without frightening her and make her think that I am bad, possessed or that its contagious. Now thats a tough one. I’ve got some reading materials in Malay etc but I still won’t know her reaction.
4. This one I need some help with. We’re thinking of taking the kids to Genting for the first time but we haven’t been there ourselves for ages so we don’t know where to stay or what’s nice for kids aged 4 and 6. Any suggestions anyone?

Hmm… I thought I had more thoughts than this. Anyway, writing things down always help. This way my thoughts can be more structured. Otherwise, my mind will be in a blur jumping from one unresolved issue to another.

My second job which lasted 7 years was as a Conference Organiser. 

Organising a Conference from start to finish takes about 3-4 months. First, you have to come up with an idea. Doesn’t everything start with an idea? Once you have an idea of what you think is current and will bring in the participants (participants translates to profits), you give your idea a title. Then you go out there and speak to your target audience to see what they think of your idea and you build upon it. The target audience is the best person to talk to about your idea.

So, how do you go and see your target audience? Well, you can do so by cold calling (like an annoying telemarketer) or you can see past participants or even potential speakers. Then you ask them what topics or subjects they would like to learn in a Seminar. Well, at first you have to come up with the topic yourself (looking at a competitor’s brochure would be one good way. haha). Then you modify those topics as you see and talk to more people.

I love this part of organising a Conference. Most of the time people will say, “Ok, but I’ve only got 5 minutes” but some end up talking to you for an hour sometimes, complaining about their job grouses. Hahaha. Sometimes they just want to “ponteng kerja” (skip work) for a little while I guess. And talking to a visitor allows you to do that. Lol!. I’ve had many memorable experiences doing research for my Conferences. Some of them include…

• being scolded or reprimanded by a CEO for being late. Oops!
• being wolf wistled at by factory staff when visiting Factory Managers or Store Managers
• stopping to admire the scenery at a luxury condo when visiting a Condominum manager
• having to don plastic caps, gloves, and plastic over my shoes when visiting an electronics factory
• being asked to buy an expensive lunch at some exclusive makan place
• and many more

We saw people in HR, finance, accounts, people who are managing buildings and car parks, merchant bankers and lawyers and CEOs etc. It was really interesting and an eye opener to talk to so many people of so many levels in so many industries.

After, we have completed our research and come up with a final program, we start to invite the Speakers for each topic. Sometimes the speakers are repeat speakers, people we know, sometimes, they’re recommended while we are doing research, sometimes we err… look at competitor’s brochures. Hahaha. Sometimes we invite a Minister to officiate or open the Conference. Sometimes we invite sponsors (Secretaries’ Seminars usually have sponsors). We’d invite as many as possible to make it more exciting and we’d forecast a bigger number of participants so that our staff could get some extra goodies. Hahaha.

After that, we book a hotel and we start writing the copy for the brochure. Then we give our copy to the artist to design a nice looking brochure and proofread or check it many times before we send it to the printers.

We separate the functions in our office. The admin people in the office would deal with the admin part ie sending out the letters to the hotels, sending out the printed brochures and getting the tickets to the participants and handling the participants on Conference Day. It was also their job to update the database of participants. This is very important because you need participants in a business like this.

The Conference Organiser will do the running around and liase with the Speakers for their notes and remind them about the timing etc as well as liase and write out the Minister’s Speech if one is attending.  You have to coordinate with many people, the Speakers, the artists, the printers, the hotel sales staff, the Sponsors, the delegates (although this is more of the administrator’s job).

And basically thats it. Putting together the program takes about a month to complete then you sit back and wait for your participants to register (the more the merrier) and you get busy again about 3 weeks before the Conference Day, reminding your Speakers to submit their notes, the hotel to do the setup that you want them to do, confirming the numbers etc. And then you do a countdown, 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week. All the time running around to make sure that everything will run smoothly on the DAY. We would sometimes organise several Conferences back to back and continue to move on to the next and the next and the next.

One funny thing was, we would sometimes be offered jobs by the Speakers who decide that they want to go into Speaking full time but didn’t have the experience of how to put together a program and getting people to attend it. Sometimes we even got job offers from competitors when we bump into them at a hotel. Haha.

After a while my job was more of managing the other organisers rather than running around. I plan out the training calander for the whole year making sure we had programs nicely spaced out. I dish out the ideas to the Conference Organisers and made sure that they handle as many programs as they can in order to be profitable. I check their copywriting for the brochure and I drop in at the Conferences if they need help, usually they don’t. Its a very fast moving job and very satisfying because you get to see results in a few months when your Conference is running.

Oh Gosh. It was nice to take a trip down memory lane. Anyone wants to organise a Conference? You can follow my tips. Hey. Its free. I don’t charge.

In my old office I was in charge of writing out the procedures to achieve our ISO certification. Later on, I did work on a contract basis for a Speaker where I wrote out the entire procedure step by step for him including sample letters etc. Another consultant who was attached with him commented that the procedure was so detailed it looked like an entire Conference Paper or Seminar Package on its own. Later on, I heard from the staff that he had left and he stole those when he left! My own brother borrowed my original copy of my work and never returned them to me. *stomps foot* Now, I don’t have it anymore. Sob. Sob. I wrote every single darned procedure myself together with every sample letter to hotelier, artist, printer, sponsor, etc. To come up with the written procedures, I used what I knew and researched several books too but now they’re gone….. accept whatever little thats left in my head. Sob. Sob.