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Saturday, June 24, 2006

On Vacation


Yippeee!!!!!

In 5 hours, will be leaving for the airport.

3 hours later, will be boarding the Cathay flight to Hong Kong.

4 hours later, arrive in Hong Kong.

2 hours after that, board the British Airways flight to London.

13 hours later, arrive in Heathrow.

5 hours then, check in to London Stansted airport.

In 2 hours, board the Ryanair flight to Rome.

3.5 hours later, finally finally arrive in Rome Ciampino airport.

So excited!

Joanna's and KJ's wedding


Weddings are always pretty. This one was also quite a "reunion" of sorts, when most of us only gather when our "gatherer" Jonie groups us together. We took up 1.5 tables, along with a few partners. More photos at my Multiply site : http://fong28.multiply.com/photos/album/2

Friday, June 23, 2006

Last day at work for the next 2 weeks. So much stuff to finish, to hand over, to leave notes. Stressed.

My graduation admission tickets also haven't arrived. And my London accommodation voucher is not ready. Just hope against hope that it'll be ready by tomorrow morning. If not, my roaming phone bill will just have to hit the ceiling. Even more stress.

Also haven't packed. Spent two nights just shuffling my toiletries and cosmetics around, trying to find the pouches that fit them best without taking up half the space in my already-small suitcase. Yah yah, I dawdle. If only I could just twirl my shiny wand and say the magic words "Pack!" or "Unpack!". If only.

Better stop day-dreaming and get back to work - fully utilize the day. One final post tomorrow before I fly :)

Thursday, June 22, 2006

S.t.r.e.s.s.e.d.

2 days and a couple of hours more


I've always wondered why they say Italy is in the shape of a boot. I've looked and looked and I can finally deduce that it looks like a lady's high-heeled knee-length boot. "They" should be more precise, then. Because a lady's boot is a sexier one than just a boot.

Started packing toiletries last night - I think my toiletries bag is gonna weigh 5 kilos! Hahaha. Tonight, if I don't work too late, I'll probably start on my clothes, medicine, cosmetics, shoes, reading materials.

Excited that I'm flying in 57 hours! Never sat in a Cathay flight, nor a British Airways flight before. But not expecting much.

Filled with trepidation because my work desk is still piled high with work. (Yeah I know I should be working on that pile, I will, I will). The boss (and the company atmosphere) ain't motivating me much.

But I shouldn't dwell on unhappy thoughts. Must psyche (did I spell that right?) myself up for the 2-week sojourn! :) Days where I only think of what to eat, where to go, how to get there ... bliss :)

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

3 days to Hong Kong

Haha ... yeah, for about less than 2 hours we'll be in transit at the famous Chek Lap Kok Airport, the one that is purported to be similar to KLIA in design, but apparently the better twin of the two.

A brand new day, so no more temper tantrums :) Just lots of deadlines to concentrate on, and a growing shopping list that I have to complete before locking my luggage (of which I haven't yet found a suitcase for yet).

You know, late last year I was thinking that I would have stopped working by now. That I would have thrown in my letter and would just be enjoying in Europe, knowing that I have all the time in the world to overcome jet lag when I return. Too bad that's not to be. The little rat is spending faster than she can earn.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Morons at work

This is going to be an exhibit of my usually well-kept temper.

My tolerance level is amazing, because I'm a pushover. But when someone starts concocting rubbish stories and lame excuses when there's a deadline to be met, there is only that much postponement I can take.

This guy, from Berjaya Vacation Club no less, had informed me that my hotel voucher for the London stay would be ready last week, in time for me to collect before I fly to Italy this Saturday. Great. So I called him last Thursday (and everyday since then) to ask if I could please get a fax copy of the voucher first.

"I'm sorry I'm in the hospital now with my wife. I can't talk now. I'll be back in the office tomorrow morning and I'll fax it to you."

"I'm not going in to office this morning, but I'll be in in the afternoon. I'll get it done for you then."

"Sorry my wife is very sick. I can't leave her. I'll be back tonight to get things done for you."

"The clerk who issues the vouchers is not around. I'll wait for her to come in, if not it'll be ready tomorrow. Yes, I promise I'll fax to you."

"Don't worry, Ms. Wong. I'll get the voucher ready. I've contacted my colleague, he'll arrange things for me so I can come in to the office and immediately issue you the voucher tomorrow."

"Yes you can meet me at 2pm tomorrow afternoon in the office. I promise."

"No, I can't talk now. I'm in a meeting. I'll call you back."

"I'm still in a meeting. That's why I didn't pick up your calls. I will do it right now."

"Can you please be patient? The clerk is in a discussion and if she's not back today, I'll issue it tomorrow. Don't worry, I will fax it to you by 10.30am tomorrow and you can collect it at 2pm."

Great, just great. Those are snippets of his excuses given to me ever since Thursday, when I've called him every single hour of the day just to hear the same excuses over and over.

I lost my temper today, and I remembered the reason why I try very hard never to lose my temper. It causes this throbbing in my chest and a perpetual frown on my face. My brain cannot concentrate and there's this weird adrenaline rush in me that doesn't feel like the same rush you get when you eat chocolates. My voice changes into this high, shriek-y tone that even I don't like to hear. And if I reach a point where I scream swear words and insults instoppably, I will start tearing in my eyes.

Luckily, it has been very long, maybe about 10 years, since I've reached that stage. Today however, I almost did. But I stopped myself in time, only because I reminded myself that swearing and insulting someone gets nothing done. It merely lessens my good karma. So no way am I going to let that eejit moron benefit from my anger. Anyway, swearing at someone somehow pricks needles into my invisible soul. I'm serious. Not trying to be a goody-two-shoes. I hate conflicts, I hate arguments, I hate quarrels, and I'm a pushover because I avoid all disagreements. No point hurting myself over some eejit morons.

And if tomorrow at 10.30am that fax voucher is not in ... oh boy is there gonna be drama! It's not an empty threat, because I banked in money much earlier to this eejit moron, and I WILL GET WHAT I NEED, even if it means going to corner him at UMCC where his wife is warded and where he appears to be spending most of his time.

No eejit moron is going to ruin my perfectly-planned holiday.

Monday, June 19, 2006

PJ city celebrations

In conjunction with PJ's city status celebrations tomorrow, the entire PJ State area (near MPPJ building) will be closed to traffic from early morning till late afternoon. Re-opening of the roads will be subject to the event schedule tomorrow.

So, when PJ becomes a city, does that mean that normal people like us don't need to work?

Like, aiyo, they must be reasonable mah. When KL closes roads for visiting dignitaries, they close it for 2 hours for a specified period of time, so you can make your way to your required destination at designated hours. But nooo, PJ being a city is a big thing - so all PJ State workers have to be subject to numerous headaches trying to think how to come to work tomorrow morning or afternoon, depending when MPPJ (or should I say MBPJ) decides to re-open the roads for public roads.

However, I heard a rumour that all parking areas under the MPPJ municipality has free parking tomorrow. Rumour only la. To be confirmed in the Chinese papers tonight, or the English papers tomorrow morning.

So, what does the normal person-in-the-street get from PJ becoming a city?

From what my short-sighted eyes can see at the moment - nothing but more inconveniences.

Maxis roaming charges

For calls using *120*number# (not direct-dial):
Calling Malaysia from UK is RM2.50 per/min
Calling Malaysia from Italy / France is RM4.00 per/min

All calls are charged in 1-min blocks

For SMS :
From anywhere, except Singapore, it is RM2.00 per/sms

These rates apply for both post-paid and pre-paid plans.
Countdown : 5 days to go ...

I haven't packed! Muahahaha ... that's how excited I am ...

Friday, June 16, 2006

Rape in Damansara

It makes you wonder what goes on in the minds of these men. Those who rob, AND rape. So many thoughts of disgust and contempt and anger and paranoia running through my mind - no way to put it all down.

Headline in The Sun this morning, and small article in The Star : Robber rapes victim for not giving enough cash - where a 24-year old stewardess (young mother) is robbed in a car park of a shopping complex in Damansara (the place is not named, everyone knows why), and then forced to drive to a nearby park to be raped in the backseat.

What is this world coming to?

What exactly did that man think of when he decided to rape the young mother? What, in the first place, compelled him to wait in the car park for a victim? Why did he think that robbing is the solution to his problems?

And that poor lady, when she returns to her husband. The horrible thoughts running through her ravaged mind, but the biggest question is the one that every woman is scared of - will her husband be there to support her through the ordeal?

It's sickening to see how the action of one criminal can affect the lives of otherwise normal people.

Meanwhile, I'll maintain my high level of paranoia - parking near escalators / lifts at shopping malls (although there's plenty of parking space elsewhere), constantly jerking my handbag tightly whenever I hear a car / motorbike pass me on the street, locking my car doors as soon as I get into it, looking into the rear view mirror at nights to ensure no one's following me home, getting someone to follow me to the toilets in shopping complexes, not getting into lifts at apartments if there's a bunch of men in it (or even, a doubtful-looking man), and always always watching my back.

Men can't blame women for being paranoid. All men have to worry about is car-hijacking and robbery. No, I don't mean for that to sound like that's all men have to worry about. But, imagine (if it's possible) what it's like to be a woman, afraid of every single darn thing that happens out of our control and results in havoc in our daily lives.

It's sad what this world has come to. I dread, really dread to know what the world would be like for our children.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Consent obtained!


Surprise, surprise, the land office is much more efficient than I thought it was! In less than 3 months, we've obtained the consent to our house.

So, now comes the 4-month waiting period for the banks to discharge and charge, and do all the necessary, before the keys are handed to us.

Was just doing up the accounting just now ... haih, there goes the savings. Lawyer fees cost a bomb. Thank goodness for the super-low interest rate on our home loan for the first year (my banker just informed me that this package has been withdrawn already - luckily we signed the offer letter early!)

Am super, super excited that we're nearer to getting our home! But having feelings of trepidation ... not because of depleting savings account la (money can earn back marr), more like, what happens when we get the keys?

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Just 10 more days!

I'm looking forward to Rome ... to Venice ... to the Capri Isles ... to eating gelato ... to just being on a Roman holiday!

And, although London didn't impress me so much the last time I was there, there's just something about the place that makes me excited to be there again. Maybe it's because travelling anywhere is exciting, or maybe it's because London marks the first time I was independently alone overseas (and survived to tell the tale!), or maybe it's just because it's London! And I'm going to be garbed in graduation robes to receive my scroll!

Best of all, I get to share all these with KF :)

I can't wait! :)

Monday, June 12, 2006

Monday heat

I hate Mondays when ...

I have to come back to a desk full of work,
with an armful of weekend files threatening to topple over when I punch in to work.

My cubicle neighbour begins her DAY-long phone calls gossiping ENDLESSLY about anything and everything. It completely drains me of the little inspiration I have left to work. And I hate that I lose what little I have to keep me sane.

It's going to be one heck of a Monday, I just know it.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

At my bedside table



I just picked up this book, after having been on the waiting list to rent this book for months. I love historical fiction, induced particularly after my doses of Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon by Philippa Gregory. And since this book has a recommendation by Ms. Gregory, I was sold on reading it - also because it revolves around the old rich families of the Pope in the Papal States (now known as Rome and the Vatican City) and Naples. Nothing like some historical fiction to get your blood flowing with the feel of the place you're about to visit. Betrayal, cruelty, love, passion, incest, treachery, poison - all recipes for a good bedtime read ;)

I can't review it yet, because I've just started on it. But thus far, I grasp that the protagonist is Sancha of Aragon, who is wed to a weakling son of the Pope, Jofre. The Pope's family, known as the Borgia family, is apparently is with its various secrets, as are most political families. Again, I repeat, this is historical fiction. But, historical fiction is based on some fact. Which makes it more interesting ;)

And because I thoroughly loved "The Pact", I cannot wait to begin "Mercy", also by Jodi Picoult. She appears to have a fascination for the various facets of love - and all the gray area that love revolves around.

According to the synopsis behind the book, "Mercy" is about how James kills his wife and confesses it to his brother, a police chief. Cameron, the police chief, immediately arrests him. However, Cameron's wife, Allie, is not so sure that what James did was wrong - because Allie is seduced by the idea that James loved his wife so much that he'd do anything for her, including fulfill her wish for him to kill her.

To add to that plot, Cameron falls for Allie's new assistant, Mia. And of course, thus begins Jodi Picoult's expert exploration of love - what is right, what is wrong, and how one handles the love handed to him / her.

"You know it's never fifty-fifty in a marriage. It's always seventy-thirty, or sixty-forty. Someone falls in love first. Someone puts someone else up on a pedestal. Someone works very hard to keep things rolling smoothly; someone else sails along for the ride."

I'm planning to finish reading Borgia Bride in the next 2 weeks, but I'll bring Mercy along for the ride to Italy. I'll probably be sniffing while reading on the plane, or on the train, but at least, I'll be suitably engrossed :)

And the lovely Bernice in My Book Place (the place where I rent my books for RM5 per book) has told me that she has 8 books out of the 12 Jodi Picoult has written. It shall be a Jodi Picoult blitz from now possibly till the end of the year ;)

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

The Pact by Jodi Picoult


It's not often that you come across a book that thoroughly immerses you in its characters. I mean, when reading Harry Potter and other chick-lit books, you know you're reading fiction. But Jodi Picoult - whoa!

The story revolves around 2 protagonists - Chris and Emily, a loving teenage couple who has a relationship so amazing and so mature that I truly felt jealous. Emily commits suicide. Chris is accused of first degree murder. Both sets of parents, who were absolute best friends and neighbours, start to face cracks in their relationships. The book then brings you, via flashbacks, to depict how Chris and Emily began as childhood buddies to teenage lovers. Its present day narration describes the various emotions of its various characters via a courtroom and prison drama.

The beauty of the book is not in the storyline, it's in the writing - the emotions depicted in the writing. How Jodi Picoult flawlessly painted a crystal clear image of the heartbreak, confusion, and resigned feeling of Chris, the lover who was left alive. How the author described the conflicting, painful and disturbed thoughts of Emily which eventually caused her to submit to suicide. How Chris, out of total love for Emily, helped to release Emily from her pain. How both sets of parents come to terms with the idea that their children were contemplating suicide.

It's a truly amazing book. So many aspects to explore. Quite a lot of depth and significance. A rather good book to be dissected in an English class. And best of all, the beautiful dialogue of Chris - who gives a whole new perspective on what love is about. Or, should I say, the emotionally-beautiful writing of Jodi Picoult.

"My entire life was all about her. What if hers was not about me?"

I'm a new fan.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Double sigh.

I have to work late every day of the week. And work through the weekend too!

Spoilt-brat-me can't take it. Must complain and whine.

Someone, anyone, plant me a money tree!
Sigh.

Work is a drag.

My butt, thighs and calves ache like anything because of the numerous lunges and reverse lunges that I did over the weekend. (I just found out that lunges are great exercise to reduce those thunder thighs, but boy do I hurt today - so, THEY BETTER WORK!).

I'm dying to rush home to finish reading this great book.

But I can't rush home because I just got into the office and piles of files are staring me in the face - or at least, I'm staring at them.

So much to do, so little time, so little motivation.

The only light at the end of the tunnel - 2 weeks and 5 days away ...