MEETING

What's the point of meeting if it only wastes time demoralizes people ?

Too much of meetings, like, 8 times a month is actually counter productive!

あけましておめでとうございます ２０１５ は たのしかった！

2015 have concluded its run. I am pretty much still alive and kicking! Amen to that! Yeah! 

To be honest, I have never done any new year resolutions all my life! So, at least by listing the things I would like to accomplish, it will definitely tune my mind on what to focus.

side note:
Q: OMG? no new year resolutions for all the previous years??! Are you kidding me?
A: Yeah. I kinda just move along with the flow of what life is throwing at me.

Q: No real commitments?
A: Yeah... no heavy duty stuff in my mind... too carefree, I guess...

Q: Aren't you....
A: Okay okay, I get it!!

So here goes. Goals for 2016:

1. Learn Chinese. I am pretty much at primary 1 level >.<!!!

2. Clock at least 4 hours of guitar practice per week.

If  I have reached a bottleneck, hook up with a tutor for RM100-120 per month. Just to spice things up.

3. Get 6 packs!!! Get fit, basically...

4. An artwork per month! 

5. Plant the damn MUSKMELON already!!! Seek out the seeds, dagnabit!!

6. GO TO ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA 2016 SINGAPORE! (or anywhere...Comic Fiesta perhaps)

7. Chitose Shirasawa getto! ok..that's a bit... you know...

Oyasuminasai

nemurenai no toki wa....

Words are mightier than sword

If u have nothing good to say to someone, I would appreciate it if u just shut that hole on ur face.

I do not like the condescending tone when u address me. I know that you are from HQ but somehow the veteran HQ bosses are much more warm when addressing us.

Your high and mighty act jz bcz u r related to one of the directors makes me wanna puke the morning cheese I had had today. U r not even been on the field. Remember that, without us the "grassroot ppl", there will be no production for u to sell, ergo ur income as well.

Your overseas education? I, for one, did not even bat an eyelid. I worked my ass off to get into public university while you take the scenic route, wherever the money takes you. Please lah. Degree is not everything.

And one more thing. Please don't get chummy with me if you don't mean it. It feels as fake as a handgloved handshake. A bad lip service is just, urgh. Either you be a sincere gentleman or be a good mute.

Never forget your journey

I still remembered when my classmate seated beside me was singing this song beside me. I have never heard of this song with such easy lyrics before! We were only 12 or 13 years old then. On the first semester of my Secondary school Form 1.

I was only 13. The lyrics did not bring much impact then. I was only glad that I finished primary school and finally entered secondary school!

Who knows that this song played again on the radio 15 years later. A Deja Vu moment?

15 years later. Time sure flies.

15 years later, my friend already got married.

What am I going to tell to the 13-year-old me? You have done a good job?

I wanted to hug "him" tightly.... there is so much that I wanted to tell "him".....

So much had happened beyond "his" wildest dream... Both bitter and sweet...

Is there anything I wanted "him" to change? Play other sports? Take art lessons?

NO.

Because of "him", I become who I am today.

Because of "him", I met the friend who sung this heartwarming song.

Hew Hew Hew

I hate dislike working with incompetent people.

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Staying in this ship?

When everyone else is leaving one by one?

An Admin officer had resigned. And 3 months later, an executive had also resigned. 2 months later, the new Admin Officer had also resigned. With news that another executive will also resign soon.

While on staff level, there are quite a number of them had already left the company for good.

Does high turnover spells trouble?

As one of the lieutenants of this "army", I need to focus on reviving the spirits of my teammates, however how dim the light is.

Come forth the March audit.

Our biggest fight ever.

We will take you on.

I refuse to die without giving a fight.

tick tock tick tock

Endless and ever increasing audits.

Endless and ever increasing assessments.

Endless and ever increasing paperwork.

This is a recipe of growing pressure.

Sooner or later, these will bound to cause leakages in valves or pipes which lead to the final output, if you know what I mean.

There is only so much pressure a machine can take. Just like the hydraulic hoses or pumps. You press it too much or subject it to a workload which it cannot handle and you will be looking for a replacement next.

THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY
Can I ask the taxi driver to wipe my shoes after we arrived at my destination ? 
Will he demand more payment for doing that extra job?
Can I scold him if he rejects? Well, just because customers are always right? 
Or I can just refuse to pay him my fare since he is in a position of loss.
What will happen then?

疲れました

’Nuff said...

To myself

To myself...

After around a thousand years.
I can finally break away from these lonely feelings.
Even if not forever.
Even... if not... forever.

This weak heart.
I can finally tear off its heavy shell.
There is not even a grave inside.
Not even... a grave.

Living amongst mankind, and still feeling sorrowful.
I hear there is always a cure.
There is a cure.
Greeting each new day with feelings of happiness.

Love is the meeting.
The separation.
It is a transparent piece of cloth.

おそれざん Revoir

おそれざん　Revoir

さよなら。いつか、また会いにしましょう

おれにうそついてか？

Nor that I mind.

気持ちの問題ですか？

I am already numb and callous

もしかして、お金？

Ah~ I dun wanna count the chickens before they are hatched.

とにかく、私は支払っていた。

It is a risk that I am taking.

I am glad it will finally be over.....?

Lil Bunny and Lil Pony

First moon
Knock knock. Who's there? Little Pony is here.

And that's how the Little Bunny has a new friend in the jungle.

Second moon
Lil Pony broke news about a union with a Stallion on the next day.
Lil Bunny was shocked.
But Lil Pony was kidding though.

Third moon
Both Lil Pony and Bunny enjoyed themselves together in the woods.
With no worries, just going through the days. Such innocence.

But the thought of the Stallion bugs the Bunny...

Fourth moon
Lil Pony is upset... Lil Bunny is concerned...
Lil Pony not happy with Stallion... Lil Bunny consoles Lil Pony
Lil Bunny hopes the Stallion and Lil Pony were alright...

Fifth moon
The Red string has broken? Stallion?
Oh, Lil Pony... Don't be upset... Lil Bunny will always cheer u up...

Suddenly, Lil Bunny has 6 new friends.
Their names are What and Why and When.
And also Where and How and Who.

Time is ticking and the 6th moon will arrive. Soon, the magic spell will soon expire.

Poor Lil Bunny. What should the Lil Bunny do?

My Sipitang journey

I have travelled far and wide and now currently staying for work in Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu.

But this post has been very long overdue and I need to get this posted quick or else I will never get this off my chest.

Prior before my transfer to my new workplace, I have enjoyed a long holiday and have taken a road trip along the northwest of Sabah. 

Car rentals in Kota Kinabalu can range from Rm60-Rm100 per day for Perodua Viva depending on the operator that u seek. In my case, I have gotten the special price of RM60 since I have my friend who is running the car rental service. How can I forget that he put me in charge of his cars when he was away on holiday? 

Ahem, that story aside, one of the main reason that I wanted to visit Sipitang is due to the requests of my old hometown friends to survey the small town. I am also interested to tap into the unknown market of the Sipitang.

So, here are my hands-on experience from exploring my target destination. I took the liberty to interview as much people as I can from different backgrounds. There is nothing more insightful from learning it first hand if compared to internet readings.

Distance from KK to Sipitang : 

around 3 hour drive which includes a rest stop at Beufort.

Population 

Totalling around 30k residents, they consists of:

Majority Kedayan residents followed by Murut and Brunei Malays.

Food and small stalls are operated by Bugis

Labourers are mostly Filipinos migrants

whereas Chinese operates medicine shops, hardwares and one Mamak restaurant by Indian Muslim.

Town size

I covered the whole town in around 15 minutes on foot while taking photos and  notes. I found that Sipitang is kinda like a rest stop for express buses and lorry freighters crossing the border between Sarawak-Brunei-Sabah. However, very few of them actually stop by for resting or unloading. This is mainly due to the single lane which forms the backbone of the town. Very reminiscent of Tatau in Sarawak, only that Sipitang is slightly, I repeat, slightly bigger than Tatau. The only fast food restaurant is KFC and one supermarket in the town. That is all. 

Economic Potential:

Trading will be challenging if we are talking about 30k population. But there is opportunity for hardware related supply to Petronas project site. Even then, local hardwares have already sliced the pie among themselves. Hopefully there is still some portions left. Crumbs even? With the monthly rental ranging from Rm2k-RM4k per shoplot, surely a hardware shop need to generate more than RM5k to break even.

As accurate as of February 2014, I have yet to see any major housing or shoplot construction even on the outskirts of the town.

My opinion

Where other people sees obstacle, I demand solution. For me, setting up a hardware shop blindly is too risky if we do not secure a client. We need more experience in this and I am glad that my current job also exposes me to contractors and hardware suppliers. They are sharing their knowledge whenever I get the chance.

Where does coffee come from?

I am an agriculturist and therefore I love to get to the basics of all things. 

I've studied about coffee during my uni days but this infographic makes it easier to understand for everyone :D

Brought to you by:BizBrain.org | Open in a New Window

The good way... or the bad way

I had received news from my junior. From the sound of it, he did not sound happy at all. In fact, he is dissatisfied; angry even. I reaffirmed this news with two more people. Both of them had also expressed disapprovals and disappointment over that matter. The third person I asked has no reaction to the news. What is actually happening, you might ask?

There is a promotion/reward at hand. Everybody has a fair chance of getting it. I am not participating in it, so it is natural that I am not aware of the result. There is one of them using dishonest means to get the reward, and she got it. However, the others were competing fair and square and got the reward. Everybody else were working hard for months and submitting quality reports and presentation. However, she did not even did her work properly and wrote fake reports. Always absent and did not join meeting often with her supervisor/boss. And now she is cleared for the promotion/reward due to her superior cheating abilities. I am not close with her but I have had received several stories about her.

This is a common situation which I am sure we are bound to face. Does the end result justify the means? Is this attitude "I don't care what method I use as long as I get the reward" healthy? Most people will approve if the efforts are honest and fair. But if the attitude results in dishonest and unethical methods, then this attitude has already lost its essence. Confucius surely did not teach us to use bad ways although he did advises us to try hard to achieve our goal!!

Nevertheless, when we really look around us, the really rich people in business are usually connected to use bribery, political clout, backstabbing and betrayals to succeed. In fact, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg were found guilty to steal two of his seniors' idea of opening a social network. Even worse, he stole his room mate's programming algorithm (coding etc) for friends finder. The US Court found him guilty and he settled out of court with the three person for few hundred millions USD. But he is already a Billionaire. Stealing and betraying here and there. Just, WOW!

At the end of the day, we only have ourselves to answer for what we have done. Life is unfair because of people like this. 

But we are strong enough not to fall into that vicious temptation aren't we? 

LIAR

What is the definition of a liar? It is simple. A person who tells lies is called a liar. This person has lied or has told lies repeatedly until such label was given.

Apparently, there are many types of lies depending on the severity of the lie. The Oxford Dictionary even has categories for different liars! It is true! I am not lying to you!

1.     Fib. 

Sounds so simple that the person who fibs it is called a fibber. A fibber sounds even better when called as a fibster! This is a form of lying that is usually forgiven because it is not intended to deceive. Quite an insignificant or childish lie.

Example:

“Please lah… eat this carrot oh.. Later you will become clever like Bugs Bunny”

2.     The second category is a white lie.

This is usually told as a sort of innocent lie. It is so minor that it is almost undetectable! I am sure we all have told a white lie. White lies are sometimes used in the interests of tact or politeness.

Example:

“ Does this skirt makes my legs look fat?” asked Jennifer.

“Umm.. No.. uh.. I don’t think so dear” answered her boyfriend.

In this case, both Jennifer and her boyfriend benefits from that white lie.

3.  Bluffing

This is a strategy lie. It is necessary in sports and playing pokers or mahjong. What is great about this lie is that the bluffer does not even need to open his/her mouth to lie! In fact, I don’t think this can harm people’s feelings also.

What? Need example? Okay okay…
a) Basketball fake shoot, fake passing, fake dribble, ankle breaker…

"Whoops..."

Source:erstarnews.com

b) same goes for pokers and mahjong… only not using fake cards!!

"pick a card. Any card..."

4.  Exaggeration

This type of lie is add-on something fake to something true in order to make it sound very happening or serious. It is like McD add-on large size (sorry, bad example ;p). 

Examples are:

a) OMG! Jennifer! I saw him dating with 10..no..no.. actually is 20 girls just now!

b) His pimple is very big oh! Like a golf ball, you know!

5.  Cheating/Misleading – deceiver, slickster, prevaricator

This is sort of a moderate to serious lie, depending on the situation. Making people believe in another thing. Experienced liars are very good at this technique. Please be careful. They are harmful in a group working together.

Example:

a) Scoring 62 cp for pure.. then changed to another Lead Daemon to avoid detection…

b) Tmori told Mitty that she wanted to go to toilet for a while.
Sitcon appeared and asked “Where is Tmori. I don’t see her around”
Mitty replied “I saw her going away…duno how long o Sitcon… maybe one hour, one day, one week…..”
“WHATTTTT!!!!!??” Sitcon [Enraged]

6. Noble lie

Noble? Lie? How come this big lie is noble? This is a special and exclusive type of lie that common people cannot use (eg. Farmers, plumbers, students, mechanics…)

      So who can use this? BIG Politicians of course! They use noble lies to control the population so that they are docile and [calm]. Where do they learn from to upgrade to this level? Category 5 of course! If they are trained from young, they will become even more expert liars when become adults who enter into politics. This type of liars is too big until no need example.

Que sera sera~

With the new year of the Gregorian Calendar entering its fourth day,  it is astonishing that time has passed so quickly without me realizing. What is my resolution for the new year? To be honest, I have not yet made up my mind on a specific note. Just a general and kinda generic template of "To be in the pink of health and happy always" is quite good enough, no? I know, I know. I may have taken it lightly this time around. I am thinking of a really really long break for now. Some people like to start the NEW YEAR with a bang and some.... not so flashy as posting on FB or on other social media.

Important decisions have been made LAST YEAR and it is only natural that I shall see through them in this year. Nothing major again for this year, I guess. 

Have we ever thought of what will happen in the future? To us? To our loved ones? 

Will we be able to act through it? What if we screw up? Is there even a hint for what may happen or a safety net to fall back on?

Before all this head aching questions start to bug me, I wanted to share that being worried too much will not bring any benefit but stress. In economic terms, worry is a debt paid in advance. What for to pay interest on something we have not buy yet?

A song from my St Anthony school days

p/s: I did not really understand what the song really means when I was a little boy... but now... 

Happy New Year

wll edit later...

what a lame post...

may this year of 2014 bring better outcomes than last year ^^

Sayonara 2013

So much had happened during this certainly eventful year of the snake. It is even more intense than last year since major events occur in my life in 2013. 

Career

There are numerous job openings in the private sector that I’ve decided to try my luck with another place after being in Sandakan for two years. It was around June when I had a job interview with the public listed company, S*me D**by. Their new intake will be on January. The interview went well but I have a gut feeling that I'm not going to enjoy working there. 

The second interview was in November with another plantation company. I learnt that it is the largest private oil palm plantation in Malaysia. The interview committee is even more thorough than S*me D**by which consists of plantation director, HR manager and OP manager. THE MOST ENJOYABLE interview also. In short, I'm expected to start work in mid Feb in Kinabatangan region. I really do not mind where they will be posting me, though. 

Economy

So far so good. Besides basic needs, no major spending.

Health 

My two major illnesses were caused by food (not my cooking). 

1. Food poisoning (2 days vomitting)

2. Tonsillitis which leads to severe coughs (2 weeks duration)

Minus the two mishaps, I'm pretty ok.

Social

More fulfilling than last year's. being a ひっきこもり(hikkikomori) sucks!
.... and I get to know more friends from AGG! You know who you are.

Hahaha

I'm such an idiot. Hurt again. Haiz. What a waste of time and a good number of grey hairs.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tZPmSv6DTs

Better focus on career first.