About a whole lot of nothing

Really.. this entry is a just a whole lot of rambling... gler rajin update blog so fast kn... but no, this is just ada keje - tp malas buat keje - malas nk buat pape syndrome (let's put that in acronym - AKTMBKMNBPS!!! haha... no, I'm not on cofee =P).

Went to book fair today... thanks to my dear for putting up with me and made sure we went to every hall, every row and corners of the fair. To me, it was a disappointment... I even texted Kevin and Rafiq not to go haha! It depends on what you're looking for actually... if you want to get mari belajar membaca books, or buku rujukan SPM or books on motivasi and agama, then there're deinitely a lot. I found a book I was interested in... History of Islam... but it was sold at RM150 (I can get it for RM90 at MPH) ...which shows fairs aren't necessarily cheap. In the end, at least I got A Thousand Splendid Suns novel.

My spaghetti don't turn out right today, forgot to buy tomatoes and turns out it was the wrong pasta (I read somewhere there are 600 pasta shapes in Italy?! cool right!), so I forced my brothers to finish it up. hehe.

Anyway, I watched re-run of American Idol on tv while having dinner (how come sometimes eventhough Astro has more than 50 channels but there's nothing good on?!?!)... it's really disappointing that Alex Lambert didn't even make it to the top 12. I mean seriously?! His voice is so effortlessly great... compared to some others that can't really sing (sorry Alin, I'm not a fan of Casey James huhu). Hmm... is this year's Idol still worth watching? To me, the best and most memorable performance in Idol ever would be David Cook's version of Always Be My Baby (followed by his version of Hello, and third is Kris Allen's version of Heartless).

Mak, abah and ubi are coming back tomorrow... can't wait for my souvenirs!!! huhu.. if only you really can bring back a piece of the actual pyramid or the mummy back. =P Ooh.. my aunt called to inform that someone broke into her car while she went to pasar malam. So everyone, especially ladies, pls be careful~!

Lastly... Met, I know you just had the best time of your life getting to be so close to Suju... upload pics pls! And Alin, enjoy your time as much as possible while you're here ;) hehe... have a safe journey back to Miri korang~!

Am I a researcher?

Haha... the question that's been playing in my head for the past few months. Truth be told, my dream job would be working in a process plant... to see columns and reactors every day. But instead, I've been in R&D field since July... from TNBR to PRSB.

"...and it may be you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know." (Surah Al-Baqarah: 216)

I still like to remind myself of that verse above... it has proven true before - turned out I'm more suited for engineering rather than medical field. Zaid said this job suited me... and Alin commented I sounded passionate about what I'm doing. I never even noticed that, thanks for pointing it out =) ... who knows maybe this research field really is suited for me... or maybe it's a stepping stone for other things... for now I'm still figuring it out ... should I pursue Master? and PhD? or pursue Professional Engineer status? or all?! huhu.

Although I'm still all confused bout that, but today I realized how much I like being around the people of PRSB. Most of the people are friendly, with interesting personality and have all sorts of knowledge to share and talk about. It's the interesting conversations that keep me happy and excited to work there.

For example this morning during breakfast we had a discussion on an article in National Geographic magazine on one of the sects in Christianity. Later during the day, Doc Azman borak and talked about membranes and the difference of drinking water, RO and mineral water... which then had the topic moved on to millionaires and celebrities! There have been all sorts of topics for the past 3 months I'm there: Golden Ratio, King Tut, places to visit in Europe, world news, untouchables, GPS, Harry Potter... There were even times when the discussion would be reminiscing the school days or UTP or even the past telenovelas and dramas (Mis Tres Hermanas, Betty La Fia, Winter Sonata =P) . I even had a crash course on all the different types of coffee and the advantages of investing in ASB over a meal! huhu...

Yea... sounds a bit nerdy with all those facts, but that really excites me. I guess that's one of the reasons why I love my dear (there're many more reasons of course - maybe even more than the Avogadro's number~! =P) ... we would debate and make up all sort of theories and I often learn something new. And Rumet and Afiq are fun to talk about all the weird facts too...

Anyway... so, am I suited to be a researcher? Only Allah knows... for now might as well make the best of it...

P.S.: I'm sure you would have seen this water tank beside MRR2. Been wondering how it is supported, anyone knows???

Dilbert

I've only started to read Dilbert recently, it's quite amusing actually (although I have to admit I enjoy Garfield much more). The best part about Dilbert comic is that you could relate it back to office work :P haha... here are some nice ones (go to www.dilbert.com for more):

I did???


Kesian the intern... true, no one takes them seriously

Reminds me of back in UTP when one lecturer spent 20min just on one slide!!!

I can totally relate to this...~!

P.S.: Enjoy your weekend ;)

So much going on~!

I haven't update my blog for so long... maybe I'm just not into blogging anymore... hmm, we'll see. Anyway, so much have happened lately. Let's limit to only 10 (these are in no particular order) :

1. I'm now working for PRSB... starting to love it there. Yes, I still have to drive one hour to work and one hour back - but the positive side: (i) food is cheap~! I can get a complete lunch with just RM3!!! Huhu (try look for that at KLCC :P)... (ii) the ppl at PRSB are great to work with, and there's so much extra activities to be involved in; (iii) my work is still somewhat related to what I studied in UTP; (iv) I get to meet my dear everyday after work =)

2. I've gone for Kursus Kahwin... when I'm getting married? Only Allah knows.. ;) but personally, I was kinda disappointed by the kursus... I was hoping to learn more, or maybe some better input, especially on pengurusan kewangan, komunikasi and stress management. Some of the speakers weren't really prepared to give out lecture for the session. Ironically the part I learned most was bab penceraian :P

3. Kinda disappointed I won't get to go along on family holiday to Jordan-Egypt-Dubai this March, since I can't get 5 days leave... hmm, takde rezeki... maybe some other time.

4. Went for picnic at Sg. Sendat with few of PIPE52 ppl...

5. Celebrated Datin's birthday at Chili's, along with Aimi, Rafiq and Farid... can still remember the look on Datin's face when we asked the waiters to sing for her... she almost cried~! hahaha.

6. Had lunch with Illy at Ikea... thanks for the invite Illy =) next food adventure mana pulak?! Ooo... that was my first time going to The Curve~! Thanks my dear for the tour ;)

7. Volunteered for Mercy Fundraising for Haiti Earthquake campaign at Sungei Wang Plaza... that was my second time volunteering for the organisation, but it's nice to see some familiar faces again...Fatin, Jieha, Firdaus, En. Radzi... even Hali and Elie decided to join in. To be honest, fundraising is not fun... imagine standing for 4 hours at the lobby trying to get ppl donate money to charity - most ppl wld just say no, walk off or even pretend they don't see you! haha. But it was a great experience and we managed to collect a lot by the end of the day :)

Anyone wish to donate can go to www.mercy.org.my for more info.

8. My mom was warded in hospital for about a week last month. I stayed to accompany her every night since Afiq took care of her during the day. I'm glad she's feeling much better now. Thank you everyone for your concern... Gta, Alin, Na (for your tips on curing batuk) , Kak Zai, Yuz, Harith, Kak Faeeza, and my dear (for visiting and air yassin).

9. Had the pleasure to lunch with Suzi, Hanim, Yanti, Salwa, Ain, Harith and Maaruf. At another time, Suzi and Harith took me to Kenny Rogers for lunch... which end up getting a free coupon worth rm50... which I ended up using yesterday for lunch with my dear ;)

10. Lastly... sadly by mid of February, I only managed to finish 2 books. Since office work requires me to read papers, patents, manuals, news, etc... I got somewhat lazy to read books by end of the day. Hmmm... the last of the last updates... my jaw is stuck! hehe... sounds funny rite...=P I can't eat burgers, sushi, go dentist or anything that requires me to open my mouth big enough until this gets better (only God knows when).

P.S: Congratulation to Kak Faeeza on the birth of the baby boy :) InsyAllah nanti nak dtg melawat. And congratz to Shikin too on your pregnancy~ take care k! :D

I love online banking~!

Whoever was it that first thought of creating online banking system... THANK YOU~! you're a genius! It it so easy not having to go through the trouble of queuing up at pejabat pos to pay bills, trying to find phone top-up, or going to bank to transfer money. And the existence of debit card? Also a genius!!! Now I don't have to carry tons of money to go shopping or even to get the car serviced.

I love using maybank2u... you are such a convenience! Thank you =D I know not everyone trust the online system, my mom for example would never pay her bills online, but so far I have not yet faced any problem.

Just a short entry... happy that my broadband bill is paid... huhu. Ok, have to get back to my reading now.


P.S.: Ooohh... saw a blue-silver Smart car this morning on the way to work! Made today feel special :P haha.

2009

Note: The following entry is just things going on in my head... so it's full of nonsense and ramblings :P you have been warned... the author shall not be responsible for anything that may happen due to reading this.

2009 has been one of the most interesting time of my life... interesting in the sense I was continuously challenged and thrown out of my comfort zone, and I get to experience new things. There are so many good and bad memories. Although I may not enjoy everything that had happened (certain things that I do NOT wish to re-live again!) , but I'm thankful since every bits and pieces that had taken place has helped me to grow and develop.

I know I do NOT wish to re-live final sem again~!!! hahaha... that was nightmare. The amount of workload and reading to be done, the lack of sleep, the dependency on caffeine... aww, good old times :P hehe. Oooh... also don't forget the most horrifying presentation I had to go through! haha. But then again final sem was also filled with so many great memories... going to Cameron, procrestinating and watching series, the good times with housemates and rumet terchenta, my 1st encounter with Suju and WonderGirls ;)

Other times that I also do not wish to re-live: rumah kene renovate (sgt menyusahkn~! I smell like paint for a month), the little car accident (that cost me RM400), all the misunderstandings I had with loved ones. There were times when my relationship with my parents, my family and my dear are tested... but at the end we emerge closer =)

Graduation was a memorable time... I can still remember the proud look my parents had on their faces =) love you mak abah~!

I got my 1st job in July 2009 at TNBR. My boss had great expectation (possibly due to the fact that I'm UTPian). I gave my best effort... partly coz I love the job anyway, and partly to jaga nama baik uni (ala2 patriotik gitu :P hehe). The experience and exposure gained from working there, eventhough for only 5 months, is priceless.

At TNBR, I was thrown out of comfort zone a few times... masuk hutan paya bakau, naik sampan (which they say ada buaya dlm sungai tu!), presenting proposal to MD, had to drive to meetings around KL on my own (got lost a thousand times... En. Azizan, lack of ferum in the brain ye ;p). I had the chance to get to know and work with great ppl, and I was touched by their friendliness and the amount of trust they had on me and my capability.

Then I got into PIPE. Surprisingly PIPE taught me a lot... my 1st thought was to only go there, spend time with rumet and eat up the food haha. But turns out apart from the ROTI BALDEP, LOGMOC, vision, mission, shared values, etc... I learn to look at ppl differently. So many of the ppl there suprise me, most of the 1st impression made were all wrong haha. I'm blessed to get the chance to know everyone from PIPE52, some of whom I wld like to consider as good friends now.

I was also happy to spend time with Gta, Na and most of all to be sharing a room with Alin. It was our last chance together before we each go off in separate ways. Alin if u're reading this, I'm happy I got to know you bter... u're now my BFF... huhu. I'm sorry for 5 years in UTP I never made the effort to do so.

My parents were away for hajj for about 40 days... that was a big responsibility. Eventhough there wasn't much to be done, I did feel the weight on my shoulder... nak jaga rumah, jaga adik, make sure they take their meals, having to cook at times, manage the money, make decisions when krete and gate breakdown...hmm. I'm happy mak abah are back now.... the house feels like a home again =)

Oooh... I'm particularly proud of myself for volunteering for the Mercy conference. Been wanting to join Mercy since I was in school, so one goal achieved =D huhu. Thanks again to my mom and my dear for their encouragement.

Any regrets? I only manage to read about 16 books this year... so an average of about 1.33 books per month. I hope next year to actually manage to read 2 books per month. Plus, there's no progress in learning aikido or mandarin or french or arabic... I hope to master those by the age of 30, so better hurry up. I also have to be more rajin mengaji.

In terms of career, I know I'm not a fan of doing research, tp dah rezeki kat sini... Allah knows what's best, so let's make the best of it =D Looking forward to year 2010 ~!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

P.S.: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right? hehe...

Just sharing - 90/10 Principle

I came across this article (while pretending to be busy at work =P hehe) ... it's call the 90/10 Principle by Stephen Covey (the guy who wrote 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Just want to share it and hope it inspires us all to be a better person:

What is this principle?
10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.

You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is "D". You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

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Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off. Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It CAN change your life!!! Enjoy...