你也不过是个旅客

有“紧张大师”之称的著名导演希区柯克有次在苏格兰山区迷了路。

不知走了多久才在漆黑的夜空见到一盏灯火。

他定睛一看：原来是一户人家，立刻兴奋地奔上前去。

“我家又不是旅店！” 屋主听到他所提出借宿一晚的要求后，立刻板着脸拒绝。

“我只要问你3个问题，就可以证明这屋子就是旅店！” 他笑着说道。

“我不信，倘若你能说服我，我就让你进门。” 屋主也爽快回答。

“在你以前谁住在此处？” “家父！”

“在令尊之前，又是谁当主人？” “我祖父！”

“如果阁下过世，它又是谁的呀？” “我儿子！”

“这不就结了！” 导演笑道，“你不过是暂时居住在这儿，也像我一样是旅客。”

结果，当晚他就在屋里舒舒服服地睡了一觉。

人生如白驹过隙，在历史长河中每个人都如匆匆的过客。

Nescafe

I have always like to compare products from different countries.

Here, you can see Nescafe can drinks from three different countries, namely Malaysia, Hong Kong and Korea.

The Korea Nescafe can drink was bought from Malaysia at a Korean Grocery Store whilst the Hong Kong Nescafe can drink was bought from Hong Kong which (if not mistaken) costs me double the price in Malaysia.

All of them tasted essentially the same, but i find that our Nescafe tasted slightly sweeter as compared to the rest.

Here, you can see Nescafe sachets from South Africa.

These were provided by some of the hotels in South Africa to their hotel guests.

You can see the word "special filtre" on their packaging.

The last two sachets are Nestle creamer, which are known as Cremora creamer in South Africa.

Noisy Wedding Dinner

One of our Indian neighbour downstairs is having a wedding dinner near the entrance of our block.

The tents have been set up one day in advance and the stage is extremely grand.

They have rented 2 BIG speakers and they have been very NOISY for the past 2 hours since 7.30pm.

Those songs played by the sound system is very LOUD and is akin to an EARTHQUAKE.

On top of that, they also play fireworks similar to those we see during countdown party in the town.

Although its of a smaller scale, the noise is ear-piercing as the fireworks were released in close proximity to my unit.

I cannot understand those people... just because they are having fun, the whole block of residents have to suffer.

I felt like i am in a club right now... the noisy bass is disturbing my heartbeat... WTF!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone... Ha Ha Ha!

Thrust or Trust

Every now and then, i would come across some correspondence with spelling errors all over the place.

This is just one of those silly mistakes which brighten up my boring day.

The person who signed this letter is a manager and he must have had a bad English teacher.

Benefits of Drinking Tea

By now you've probably heard that tea is a great mood booster, stress reliever and all-round master of making you feel Zen. Tea can improve some areas of life that mean the most - your job, your skin, your finances and your confidence.

Landing a Job

Tea obviously cannot walk into your job interview and force the Human Resource representatives to hire you on the spot, but it can increase awareness and alertness, without the jitteriness coffee often causes. The morning of your interview, sip on a cup of tea to perk up without suffering an energy crash mid-interview.

A Raise or Promotion

The secret of calmness could land you your own promotion or even a raise. Those who have a tendency to stay calm under pressure and not fly off the handle are often the first ones to be brought up when it comes to time for a promotion.

A Flawless Face

Tea is full of antioxidants that detox your skin and fight against free radicals (basically, the annoying factors that make your skin age). Tea also contains rooibos, which is full of Vitamin C, Zinc and Magnesium. These are three big factors known to improve complexion and promote healthy skin.

A Positive Outlook

Don't sneer at the bubbly girl at the coffee shop everyone is drawn to - become her. To reap the benefits of a mood-stabilizing tea, pick one with a high concentration of L-theanine. This little miracle worker also helps your body strengthen its immune system, which is why you never see the bubbly coffee shop girl with a cold.

P/s: The above Golden Pekoe Tea was bought from South Africa and was told that it's famous among the locals.

New Work, New Life

I have worked in this new company for 3 months now.

For the past 3 months, i am enjoying my work and my life very much.

On my first day at work, i was properly brief by the Customer Service Department on the working and practice of the company. No "first day start work, no briefing no explaining" (which happened to me in my previous company).

On my first day at work, i was properly introduced to all the colleagues. No one "gave me a sour face" nor "turned her face away" during introduction (which happened to me in my previous company that left me with embarrassment after the Boss "begged" the Account Manager to look at me).

All basic stationery were given to me up-front on my table. No "send in request and we will buy for you" (which happened to me in my previous company that left me longed for 1 week when i was merely requesting for 1 blue pen and 1 red pen).

Company driver will drive me to attend any outside appointments. No "you can take a cab and claim it by end of the month" (which happened to me in my previous company that i can only get all my claims once a month).

Company driver will accompany me to attend any outside appointments. No "there's nothing to worry about" (which happened to me in my previous company that include meeting clients in industrial area or rural area ALONE).

Cleaner will clean the office and clear the rubbish everyday. No "3 times a week is more than enough" (which happened in my previous company that left the office with bits and pieces of papers on the floor and stench of rubbish from all four corners of the office).

Cleaner will wash the toilet everyday. No "our toilet is clean enough, no need to wash with water, just mop will do" (which happened in my previous company that left the office toilet with weird urine odor every time you walked into the toilet).

All the staffs will discuss about their problems in a peaceful way. No "shouting and cursing" (which happened in my previous company that make the office sound like a wet market and one can hardly hear the voice from the other end of the phone).

Now, that's why you know why I THANK GOD THAT I RESIGNED from my previous company!

When I Feel Sleepy At Work

When i feel sleepy at work...

I'll just look out of the window and expose myself to bright light to try tricking my body to remain awake. I used to work in an office where the lights are extremely dim. At the end of the day, i feel very tired and my eyes goes blur. Now that the office that i am currently working at have brighter lights and lamps, the environment are definitely much better.

When i feel sleepy at work...

I'll try to keep myself uncomfortable by standing up as much as possible. Another way is to stay cold and chilly in the office. I used to work in an office where the ventilation system is terribly bad. The company is trying to save electricity by installing just a small air-conditioner for a large area of 8 staffs. The warm environment often make me feel sleepy.

Now that my current office is bright and chilly, i seldom feel sleepy at work and hopefully this will allow me to be more productive at work.

At 31, Hong Kong

Last year, i went to Hong Kong. Just like the slogan goes: LOVE IT! Loved the culture, food and architecture. I was there for 4 days and 3 nights, with a super hectic schedule.

We chose one of the Airasia Holiday Package on-line as well. With last year's "hotel horror" experience in Singapore, i called the hotel in Hong Kong 2 days in advance to confirm our booking. This time, the accomodation is confirmed.

It was winter in Hong Kong and i have never been to four seasons country. It was when i felt my face so DRY and was about to CRACK that i actually realized i need to apply moisturizer! Luckily i did applied lip balm. Otherwise, the condition would be worse!

I went to buy moisturizer at a Body Shop outlet which costs double the price in Malaysia. But look on the bright side, the moisturizer that i bought locally during that particular season might be more suitable than the one i bought in Malaysia... or maybe i'm just fooling myself...

Travel Pointers: Remember to bring along moisturizer when you go to places with four seasons. Never under-estimate the cold weather in those countries.

Weng Wah Lou Poh Beng and Lou Gong Beng. Just so-so.

Kee Wah Egg Roll. Very nice and soft. It literally melt-in-your-mouth.

Kee Wah Lou Poh Beng. Very nice. Soft and moist.

Kee Wah Assorted Biscuits. Loved all the biscuits except the Ginger Biscuits, but my mother loved it very much.

Kee Wah Lap Cheong. Err... it's a bit hard. Not to my liking.

A Hong Kong Post Office Box Coin Box. I've always fascinated by Post Office Box. I bought this at Temple Street night market in Yau Ma Tei. Oh ya! There is a terror story to be told about this visit.

Apparently two bottles of acid were dropped from buildings in a pedestrian zone at the Temple Street night market in Yau Ma Tei. Nine tourists and a child were among 30 people injured in the said acid attack.

We saw the news on television upon arriving our hotel room. We were shocked as the incident happened just half an hour after we left Temple Street. We just count ourselves lucky for not being one of the faces showed on the television.

Cute souvenirs. It was supposed to be souvenirs for my friends but at the end i decided to keep it for myself. Too cute to give them away!

Influencing People

These are five ways to win over others:-

1. Be empathetic. Having the perception to ascertain people's true feelings is at the heart of most successful relationships.

2. Listen. Listening is just as important - if not more - as talking in communication. To truly listen, you must derive meaning from what is said. Don't interrupt or finish other people's sentences - you may pull them in a direction that's detrimental to your cause.

3. Look approachable. Crossed arms and legs can make you appear closed.

4. Control your manner. The volume, tone and speed of your speech are all important. Use volume and inflection to your advantage - appear soft when appropriate but firm when establishing control.

5. Remember names. A name is the most important piece of information you can know about an individual. Make sure you attach a name to a face and engrain it into your mind.

Don't Work Too Hard

Gain Back Time

These are tenets we seldom follow (but really should) to liberate ourselves and gain back the gift of time:-

1. Get in early and go home on time.

2. Assumptions kill.

3. Trust your gut.

4. Know what's being asked of you.

5. You can't please everyone.

6. Every conversation should have a purpose.

7. Recognize when it's all been said.

8. Don't be afraid to hire people your're going to lose.

9. Don't confuse activity with accomplishment.

10. Take back the weekend.

Dressing At Work

As modern as we all are, the workplace still calls for some sense of conventional and conservative dressing. If you demand respect at the workplace, dress respectfully.

Although i truly believe in flaunting it if you've got it, in the office, we should do so in a more subtle way. I used to work with a sexy lady boss, Ms. L, who thinks that dressing super sexy is a fundamental requirement of her work. Tight shirt, short skirt, bare midriff or transparent dress is her code of dressing, which never fails to make us blush.

Maybe these more salacious girls are bad representation of the modern woman. There was once a client told me that Ms. L dressed like a GRO and on another occasion, a client told me that Ms. L looked like a Club Dancer. I felt truly embarrassed by such remarks. Would i pretend her sexuality doesn't affect the man she do business with? No, because it does.

It is said that a sexy woman in the office is as a symbol of power or an agent of seduction. I remember my ex-boss (who is a male) from another company once told me: "If you want to be successful in your career, wear short skirt." Initially, this sounded extremely sarcastic but after i worked with Ms. L, his remarks have unfortunately started to make sense.

Be it as it may, i always believe that there are definite dress expectations and a mandatory strict adherence to office clothing customs. More so if you are a professional, your clothing represents credibility. Unbuttoning your blouse to reveal bare skin will not only compromise your credibility, but also send a message that you are incapable and incompetent.

So when can you wear your new top with a plunging neckline? When you're not at work.

Old Post Office @ Kuala Lumpur

If one were to look for a building with the most distinguishing feature at Jalan Panggong (which joins the end of Jalan Petaling), it would have been this old post office. Sadly, it had been left idle for many years and seemed to be unable to withstand the devastate condition any longer.

The double storey building which combines Malay and Tudor style architecture was build in 1911. Squarish body with slanting door, the ground floor comprises of cement wall, whilst the first floor comprises of wooden enclosing rail. You can see the distinctive black and white wooden strip decor below the red tile roof at the front.

It is said that in the old days, when transportation is not convenient, each time when the steamship which carry mails arrives at Klang port, the authority will transmit telegrams to Kuala Lumpur. Thereafter, this old post office will raise a red flag signifying and informing the public that mails will be arriving soon.

It is also said that there were traders out there who proposed to the authorities to repair this old post office and transform it into a museum and antique store. However, nothing had been done on the site so far.

At 30, Singapore

At 30, the line of demarcation, i told myself that i must travel to oversea once a year. Be it for leisure holiday or enlightenment journey, i am willing to part with my money just to fly to another country.

My first destination was Singapore. I just thought that it was a wise choice as it is geographically nearer to Malaysia and culturally similar to Malaysia, albeit with a big difference in currency rate.

We chose one of the Airasia Holiday Package on-line, which is inclusive of air fare and accommodation. It's rather cheap for a 5 days and 4 night trip.

However, our nightmare began when we arrived at the hotel and ready for check-in.

We were told that the hotel do not have any record of our booking in their system even though we showed them our confirmation slip from Airasia on-line.

It was after the hotel manager (who came much much later) called someone at a company possibly related to Airasia for confirmation and we got our problem solved.

Travel Pointers: Always call the hotel in advance and confirm the booking before departure, especially if you place your booking on-line.

I bought this Samsui Woman Chopsticks & Spice Holder at Chinatown Heritage Centre, Singapore. It was not very expensive and not exquisitively made at all...

But the fact that my grandmother is also a Samsui Woman who hail from Kwang-Tung province of China gave me a "sense of belonging" reason to buy it as a souvenir.

Whenever i go outstation, i would normally buy local products (especially food) so that i can munch at home. But not for this Singapore trip. I found that a lot of their local food are very similar to Malaysia, but the price is double due to currency exchange.

To Have? To Be?

Many people spend their lives trying to

HAVE money and things so that they can

DO what they want, so they can

BE happy...

when it should be the other way round:

BE, then you can

DO, so you can

HAVE whatever you want.

Be who you need to be to fulfill your ambitions.

Go within, find your purpose, know your strengths and use your gifts to the full.

Then you will have.

Mad World

Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in a bus hijack in Manila, Philippines, two days ago. My condolences to their families, and may the victims rest in peace.

This is a mad world. Most, if not all, hijackers are lunatics. It just saddens me that bloodshed cannot be prevented in this isolated incident which rarely happens.

Snappy Snapshot: Riverview

The condominium is called Riverview.

I'm just curious... what kind of river view are they referring to?

Snappy Snapshot: Vuvuzela

My friend bought me a Vuvuzela keychain as souvenir during a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. Being the city which hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, i guessed buying something related to the said event would be something everyone would have thought of.

Although the major media networks tried to ban these brightly coloured horns for their unbelievable din, it was decided that the horns are an integral part of South African football culture and FIFA agreed to permit their use in stadiums during the said event.

Mesmerizing Concrete

This is a picture of apartment complex in Tokyo, Japan. This building seemed to extend forever. Creepy!

On the other hand, this photo was taken during my previous Hong Kong trip. Hong Kong was one of the most densely populated place, and judging from this apartment complex, i can believe it.

T-Shirt Connection

Last Sunday i had dinner with my friend at a Chinese restaurant that we used to patronize some time ago.

The waiter at the restaurant kept looking at me. After we placed our order, the waiter finally asked me, using his simple English: "You... that (pulling his shirt and pointing at my shirt)... from Myanmar?"

I was wearing a T-shirt with the wordings "Beautiful Myanmar" printed on it.

Then my friend told him that the T-shirt that i'm wearing was indeed bought from Myanmar from the previous Myanmar trip.

The waiter was very excited and told us that all the waiters working at the restaurant were from Myanmar.

I guessed for those who have been forced to leave their homeland to earn a living at a foreign soil, seeing things related to their own country really means a lot to them.

Later when we were returning home, the little Indian boy stays on the ground floor unit pointed at my friend's T-shirt and said: "Saya pun ada satu baju yang sama. Siva (I guessed it's one of his siblings or relatives) pun ada satu."

My friend was wearing a T-shirt with the wordings "Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur" printed on it.

That T-shirt was bought at Kota Raya, RM5.00 per piece, free size. The price would suggest that one bound to see a lot of people wearing the same T-shirt as you on the street.

Of course, this would include our little Indian boy.

It's amazing how a simple T-shirt can relate and connect one with another...

生命是个橘子

“生命是个橘子”，自己决定了生命，就像你选择买了这个橘子，酸甜就要自己负责了。橘子买了，酸甜自负，何须怨尤？

“生命是个橘子”，失去健康就像变味的橘子，可能发生在自己身上，也可能发生在朋友身上。“时间”一到，早晚要变味的，唯一的“生命”是在变味之前。

“生命是个橘子”，一瓣跟着一瓣，有时一瓣瓣都是甜的，也有时是酸的，但也都要亲自尝了才酸甜自知。

“生命是个橘子”，太酸了不好吃，太甜了也腻，酸酸甜甜都尝才是真人生！

“生命是个橘子”，人生一路走下来，是否只有等到人生将近，才真正能体会橘子是酸多于甜？还是甜多于酸？

“生命是个橘子”，事件总是一瓣接一瓣的发生，滋味酸或甜只由自己决定。

“生命是个橘子”，好像人生也不必有一定的游戏规则，人生哪里有答案？如果，人生只是个橘子而已，那橘子放久了会坏。为什么不趁新鲜时多尝尝？真的是这样吗？

其实生活原本就是片片段段，但加在一起就是人生。就像一个橘子，不正都是由一瓣一瓣的橘片组合而成？

Zainal Abidin Meet & Greet @ The Summit Shopping Complex, Subang

Stumbled upon our veteran local artiste, Zainal Abidin, at The Summit Shopping Complex, Subang last Sunday. There was a "Zainal Abidin - Meet & Greet" session in conjunction with "Raya Raya Kat Summit" Balik Kampung Fair at the said shopping complex.

Zainal Abidin was presence for only about 15 minutes and i count myself lucky for being able to see him in person at a very close range, watching him singing a few songs, including "Hijau". I still remembered watching Zainal Abidin's music video being aired on RTM when i was a kid.

"Hijau" is sung back in 1989, which has already highlighted the issue of saving Mother Nature. Part of this song (if not mistaken) is sung in Kelantanese dialect. This song has successfully blend the unique dialect into the plight of environmentalist. It was a hit back then.

Zainal Abidin, in my opinion, is one of Malaysia’s most successful singer. To be frank, i only knew a handful of local artistes and Zainal Abidin is definitely in the list!

Talked about how time has passed... Zainal Abidin's look has changed so much in 20 years...

Life Is Not Fair

Recently two friends of mine rambling about their "psychological imbalance" towards money matters.

One of them, C, an ex-classmate of mine and currently in education field, told me about how she felt that life is unfair as one of her colleague charged double the fees that my dear C charged in her tuition lessons. C is of the opinion that her colleague has over-charged in tuition fees and that her colleague does not "qualify" to charge that high (as C thought that her colleague is not that up-to-standard after all).

Another one, S, also an ex-classmate of mine and currently in construction field, told me how she felt that life is unfair as one of her ex-classmate in University earned double the salary that S is earning now. S is of the opinion that she has been ill-treated by her company by underpaid salary. Hence, C and S are now consider themselves on the same boat and embrace each other on their "ill-fate".

This is my two cents worth. C and S's case are totally two different matters and cannot be placed on a par. The two cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

Tuition fees and salary are two different matters. Tuition fees is offered by the teacher (C) and regardless of what is the price, it is all depends on whether the parents think it is worthy or not. In other word, say a price and the parents will consider whether it is worthy of the services rendered/price paid.

I used to provide tuition lessons many years ago. It was a one-to-one tuition class, RM25 per session, 2 hours per session, twice a week. My brother also provide tuition lessons when he studied his A-Level. It was also a one-to-one tuition class, but he charged double my fees with the same duration of time. If you asked me, i never considered my tuition fees under-charged. In fact, i think it was reasonable considering the mother of my tuition student often provides me with meals at the end of tuition lessons (which is a cost in itself).

I just thought that C can always revise her tuition fees if she really thinks that she has under-charged but at the same time, she is wary of the fact that she might lose some of her students due to price-hike.

On the other hand, salary is often offered by the employer to the employee (S). It is the employer who consider whether S is worthy of the salary paid. S may ask for an expected salary that she thinks she worth but it is up to the employer to determine the salary amount.

When i just joined my previous company, i was offered an X amount of salary. I took the offer as i thought that the salary is reasonable and not very far from my expectation. More than a year later, my previous company employed another one for the same position with the same working experience, but with a salary of RM200 more than what i got when i first joined.

A colleague of mine from the same batch felt that it is very unfair for someone to receive a higher pay when the position and working experience is all the same. However, this is not an issue for me. I always think that everyone has a price that he or she worth in the working arena, be it academically or capability.

If i were to look for a reason for a RM200 more in salary, i would say that the new staff excelled academically than i am and the new staff used to work in the company on a part-time basis and from there, my boss got to know what kind of employee he is looking at. As opposed to someone like me whom he never met, of course there would be lots of doubts arising.

S can try to voice out her concerns to her boss and see what are the reactions. If the company thinks that this is what S worth and S thinks that she has been under-paid, S can always opt for a better job elsewhere. However, S must first prove her worth and strive to place herself in the same salary range as her ex-coursemate. After all, there is no free lunch in this world. Everything comes with a price.

Like Bill Gates said “Life is not fair - get used to it". You must accept that life is unfair. You must learn to adapt to your life, then change it.

机会

一个有非凡成就的大企业家受邀对一群即将进入社会职场的大学生演讲。

他拿了一张中央有一个黑点的白纸展示给在座的人看。

他问：“ 你们看到了什么？”

大家都说：“ 一个黑点。”

“对。” 他说：“ 很多人都只注意到这个黑点，而忘了旁边这一大部分的空白，今天我要讲的题目“机会”，重点也就在这里。我们在日常生活中，往往只注意到自己或别人犯的错误而耿耿于怀，甚至自暴自弃，却忘记了其他可能做好的机会。”

这个故事提供我们从另一个角度来看待人生的错误。

人难免犯错，就像一张白纸上的黑点一样，然而只注意到这个黑点却不修正，甚至因此而限定了将来可能的成就，那么这个人就真的被这个小黑点所影响了。

Learn To Be Extreme

I once read an article in the newspaper saying that great leaders are a peculiar group, almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to their leadership actions. Great leaders know the right time when to alternate between contrasting leadership traits.

Here are the Extreme Leadership Traits:-

A B

Humility Assertiveness

Visionary/Big Picture Detail Oriented

Using Influence Using Authority

Street Smart Academic Knowledge

Time For Self Time For Community

Discipline Creativity

Task Oriented People Oriented

Leveraging Strengths Developing Weaknesses

Showing Love Using Fear

Using Intuition Data-Based Decisions

Extrovert Introvert

Personal Reflection Social Interactions

Ensuring Perfection Ensuring Speed/Execution

Telling Stories Using Data

Listening Talking

Quitting Pursuing Excellence

Teaching Others Learning From Others

Doing It Yourself Delegating To Others

Learning From Mistakes Doing Things Successfully the First Time

Experimenting Adhering To Policy

Hence, you have to learn to be extreme if you want to be a leader!

The End, At Last

Spain won the FIFA World Cup for the first time after securing a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands. With Spain's World Cup squad receive heroes welcome home and Paul the Octopus shocking retirement, this marked the end of FIFA World Cup 2010.

Sharing some of the promotional event photos by Adidas at the Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall taken on the first week of FIFA World Cup 2010.

And now, let's seal it (FIFA World Cup 2010) with a kiss...

Iker Casillas is the Spanish captain and Sara Carbonero is the TV presenter girlfriend who interview the emotion-filled boyfriend.

Awwwwww My God!

HonKee Porridge Restaurant @ Taipan USJ, Subang Jaya

I had porridge for dinner last night at HonKee Porridge Restaurant. This is the 5th branch of the famous congee stall in Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur which spans three generations since 1949. Fresh Sliced Fish Porridge has been their specialty over the past 60 years. It is located just a few doors away from Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Taipan USJ, Subang Jaya.

Even though HonKee is just opened a week ago, people just seems to know of its existence since the day they started their business as you can see the shop is constantly packed! My friend and i were there around 7.30pm and there were only 3 tables available. By 8pm, people have started queuing outside the shop waiting for vacant table.

Not long after we have ourselves seated, we heard a young lady screaming from behind. It turned out that a waiter had accidentally spilled a glass of drinks on her. She should count herself lucky because it's not the super HOT porridge that spilled on her. The shop is in a chaotic state due to overwhelming customers and (maybe) inexperienced waiters.

From then onwards, i dare not take out my camera to take pictures of the shop and food. Even my blackberry was kept intact in my handbag. It's just that i'm scared the same thing will happen to me. That's why there is no picture posted about food in this post. Honestly, i would not want to be part of the training object for those waiters.

My friend ordered Cooked Fish Porridge (RM5.00) whilst i ordered Minced Pork and Bitter Gourd Porridge (RM6.50). Both of us ordered fresh Soya Bean Milk (RM2.30 per glass) and You Tiao (fried dough stick) (RM1.00).

In conclusion:-

Cooked Fish Porridge - Quite a lot of fish bones, must eat with extra care.

Minced Pork and Bitter Gourd Porridge - The minced pork is extremely salty.

Fresh Soya Bean Milk - Very diluted, no "home-made" taste.

You Tiau - It's not freshly-made and hence not crunchy. The portion is extremely little.

With HonKee started to expand their business by opening branches like this, one cannot help but comparing them to I Love Yoo (老友鬼鬼) which sells similar food. If you asked me, here are my two cents worth:-

Porridge - Both have great quality porridge. But HonKee's portion is bigger than I Love Yoo.

Soya Bean Milk - I Love Yoo's soya bean milk is very "home-made". This is lacking in Hon Kee.

You Tiau - I Love Yoo's You Tiau is freshly-made. Hence, it's very crunchy and you'll not get those "greasy" smell. Did i mentioned to you that the You Tiau at HonKee have this "greasy" smell that i think it spoiled my delicious porridge?

Anyway, i'll still patronize HonKee Restaurant, just for their delicious porridge but nothing else.

Meanwhile, you can visit their website at www.honkeeporridge.com for more information. I presumed the website is still under construction as the person who claimed to have a BSc. (Hons) IT (UK) can do far much better than this.

List of Outlets:-

Petaling Street: (5am - 1.30pm)

No. 93, Jalan Hang Lekir, 50000 Kuala Lumpur.

Lot 10 Hutong: (10am - 10pm)

Lower Ground Floor, Lot 10, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Damansara Uptown: (7am - 10pm)

No. 71, Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Bandar Puteri: (7am - 10pm)

No. 52, Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.

Taipan USJ: (7am - 10pm)

No. 59, Jalan USJ 10/1A, UEP Subang Jaya, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 012-238 0362 (Mr. Wong)

[Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here are based entirely on personal taste buds, view and preference and may vary from others.]

What A Pleasant Surprise!

I paid a visit to my ex-coursemate, Yau last weekend. We are not particularly close. It's just that she is one of those friends whom we'll meet up for a cup of coffee or tea annually since the day we left college.

I went to her house at Salak Selatan, KL in which she had just bought early this year. It's a 30-years-old Single Storey Terrace House but it's very spacious due to the extension renovation made on the backyard.

She served me Ginger Tea which she bought from Taiwan. She went to Taiwan on April this year and bought a lot of food-stuff and drink-stuff which cannot be found in Malaysia. That goes to explain why she need to buy another luggage to carry all these tit-bits.

Despite the fact that i only see her once a year, this year would be a very special one.

Reason being...

1. Yau has just set-up her own company and is now THE BOSS.

2. Yau is one month PREGNANT.

This really sounds like 双喜临门 to me. She is now marching to another level of her career and becoming a mother in eight months time will surely mark another level of her life!

I am so happy for her.

Her husband, Siong is very supportive and understanding. He treated me (as Yau's not-so-close-friend) very well. For me, this is definitely a good sign of a loving and caring husband!

I am doubly happy for her.

Yau is expecting her baby by the end of February 2011. I do hope to see her new-born baby next year after Chinese New Year!

The Origin of... Olympic Rings

Designed in 1913 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the five rings represent the five regions of the world that participated in the Olympics: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

While the individual rings do not symbolize any single continent, the five colors - red, blue, green, yellow, and black - were chosen because at least one of them is found on the flag of every nation.

The plain white background is symbolic of peace.

The Origin of... Dollar Sign

When the U.S. government begin issuing its own money in 1794, it used the common world currency - the peso - also called the Spanish dollar.

The first American silver dollars were identical to Spanish pesos in weight and value, so they took the same written abbreviations: Ps.

That evolved into a P with an s written right on top of it, and when people began to omit the circular part of the p, the sign simply became an S with a vertical line through it.

The Origin of... Ampersand

This symbol is stylized et, Latin for "and".

Although it was invented by the Roman scribe Marcus Tullius Tiro in the first century B.C., it didn’t get its strange name until centuries later.

In the early 1800s, schoolchildren learned this symbol as the 27th letter of the alphabet: X, Y, Z, &.

But the symbol had no name. So, they ended their ABCs with "and, per se, and" meaning "&, which means ‘and’".

This phrase was slurred into one garbled word that eventually caught on with everyone: ampersand.

The Origin of... Equal Sign

Invented by English mathematician Robert Recorde in 1557, with this rationale: "I will settle as I doe often in woorke use, a paire of paralleles, or Gmowe [i.e., twin] lines of one length, thus : , bicause noe 2 thynges, can be more equalle."

His equal signs were about five times as long as the current ones, and it took more than a century for his sign to be accepted over its rival: a strange curly symbol invented by Descartes.

The Origin of... Exclamation Point

Like the question mark, the exclamation point was invented by stacking letters.

The mark comes from the Latin word io, meaning "exclamation of joy."

Written vertically, with the i above the o, it forms the exclamation point we use today.

The Origin of... Question Mark

When early scholars wrote in Latin, they would place the word questio - meaning "question" - at the end of a sentence to indicate a query.

To conserve valuable space, writing it was soon shortened to qo, which caused another problem - readers might mistake it for the ending of a word.

So they squashed the letters into a symbol: a lowercased q on top of an o. Over time the o shrank to a dot and the q to a squiggle, giving us our current question mark.

十句话

第一句
如果我们之间
有1000步的距离
你只要跨出第1步
我就会朝你的方向
走其余的999步


第二句
通常愿意留下来跟你争吵的人
才是真正爱你的人


第三句
付出真心　
才会得到真心
却也可能伤得彻底
保持距离　
就能保护自己
却也注定永远寂寞


第四句
有时候　
不是对方不在乎你
而是你把对方看得太重


第五句
朋友
就是把你看透了　
还能喜欢你的人


第六句
就算是believe　
中间也藏了一个lie


第七句
真正的好朋友
并不是在一起
就有聊不完的话题
而是在一起　
就算不说话也不会感到尴尬


第八句
没有一百分的另一半
只有五十分的两个人


第九句
为你的难过而快乐的　
是敌人
为你的快乐而快乐的　
是朋友
为你的难过而难过的
就是那些　
该放进心里的人


第十句
冷漠　
有时候并不是无情
只是一种
避免被伤害的工具



这十句话很有深度，很有意思。认真去思考，你会得到意想不到的收获。

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy belated Chinese New Year everyone!

These cute pair of tigers have been put on my office table one month before Chinese New Year, contantly reminding me that Chinese New Year is just around the corner.

Just to keep myself happy all the time.

My assistant has been absent for the past one week, without informing me or my boss of her whereabout.

The aftermath: files were piling up and work became almost stagnant.

Upon returning to office after my Chinese New Year leave, this is what i get: completing most of the unfinished files in the absence of my assistant.

I was fully recharged after Chinese New Year leave but were exhausted after one week of dog's life.

I am indeed physically and mentally exhausted.

My colleague asked me why don't i give my assistant a call.

I told her that i will not do that.

In fact, my assistant should be the one to call me and inform me and not vice versa.

These are basic office etiquette that need not be taught.

I just do not seem to understand why people can be so irreponsible.

Anyway, life still goes on and happpy belated Chinese New Year 2010.

Updates:-

3 months + thereafter, i have resigned from this company.

I loved my job and there is no second thought about it.

Maybe my boss thought that i can handle all the files alone so there's no need for me to have an assistant.

Or maybe my boss is trying to cut the overhead as business is not that good and need to get more business in (as opposed to staff).

However, as far as i can remember, there is file to be opened everyday for the whole year.

Obviously, my boss's motto is "bite off more than you can chew"!

Personally, i felt i had performed and proved that i was an exemplary employee.

When things do not turn out right, i leave them for better and wider horizons.

At the end of the day, hard working employees with good working attitude are being overlooked or taken advantage of.

Maximizing profit is an employer's sole objective - even if it means exploiting the employees for it.

No wonder more and more employees are losing faith...