Anne and Kamal

I knew Anne when I entered Kolej MARA Banting to accomplish the International Baccalaureate, the overseas preparation course. She was the next door girl and also my classmate for two years. We went to Cardiff together and did the same course. In Cardiff, she was living in a private residence, called Riverside, and I was staying in the university accommodation that takes about 45 minutes to go to Anne’s house.

The distance between my house and Anne's

Tapi time tu, takder la rasa jauh..nak makan nasi punya pasal (I have never cooked until I met Ali, in my final year). So Anne’s house adalah pusat makan nasi every weekend, that’s where I spent most of my weekends at during my first year.

I met Kamal the first time when he flew from Malaysia to meet Anne in Cardiff. I thought he was the sweetest guy I’ve known. Sanggup fly dari Malaysia and stayed in Cardiff for almost a month. That was during winter break. So we planned for a trip to Paris and Kamal went along. He came to Cardiff again the next year and since then he never missed any of my birthdays, salam hari raya, exam gud luck wish etc..

31 May 2008 menyaksikan Kamal melafazkan akad dalam satu nafas. Being part of the crowd, made me realize that you don’t need RM 20,000, an LV bag, Jimmy Choo’s pair of shoes and an Omega watch to make your wedding meaningful. Tak payah sewa hotel that charges RM 100 sekepala untuk meriah. Everything was perfect. From the pelamin, the setting of the house, the family, the tok kadi, the khemah, and the food. Anne’s family was very accommodating, and Kamal’s was friendly. The wedding will last for seven days, seven nights (adat orang kampong katanya). Kalah Siti Nurhaliza. What makes it more fascinating, selama perkhawinan tu diadakan, the food was prepared dengan cara gotong royong satu kampong. I only see this on TV, and never realized that these things masih exist. I forgot to take the photo of the tempat memasak though.

Anne, getting ready

Anne, manis menuggu for her prince

Kamal, menunggu waktu keramat diijabkabulkan

Sekilas pandangan sebelum sah diijabkabulkan

Kamal menyarungkan cincin

mas kawin and cincin

Da, me with the bride

The pelamin was sooo beautifully done. And I loved it. It's a shame that I am not able to attend the reception the next day. Anyways, Selamat Pengantin Baru Anne and Kamal, semoga perkahwinan direstui Ilahi dan semoga sampai ke anak cucu cicit.

When work is not everything

This was forwarded to my inbox by a friend:

A must read small touching story ....

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his
5-year old son waiting for him at the door.


SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'


DAD: 'Yeah sure, what is it?' replied the man.


SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'


DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?'
the man said
angrily.


SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an
hour?'


DAD: 'If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour.'


SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.


SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?'


The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you
can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then
you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about
why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this
childish behavior.'


The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.


The man sat down and
started to get even angrier about the little
boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some
money?


After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to
think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that
Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to
the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.


'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.


'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the
man.


'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the
Rs.50 you asked for.'


The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' He
yelled.


Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry
again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up
at his father.


'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father
grumbled.


'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.


'Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?


Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with
you.'


The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he
begged for his forgiveness.


It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We
should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some
time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you
love.


If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily
replace us in a matter of days.


But the
family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the
rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than to our family.

Pork and Beans

They say
I need some Rogaine
To put in my hair
Work it out at the gym
To fit my underwear
Oakley makes the shades
That transform a tool
You'd hate
Ffor the kids to think
That you lost your cool

I'mma do the things
That I wanna do
I ain't got a thing
To prove to you
I'll eat my candy
With the pork and beans
Excuse my manners
If I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear
The clothes that you like
I'm finally dandy
With the me inside
One look in the mirror
And I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot
About what you think

Everyone likes to dance
To a happy song
(Hey, hey)
With a catchy chorus and beat
So they can sing along
(Hey, hey)
Timbaland knows the way
To reach the top of the charts
Maybe if I work with him
I can perfect the art

I'mma do the things
That I wanna do
I ain't got a thing
To prove to you
I'll eat my candy
With the pork and beans
Excuse my manners
If I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear
The clothes that you like
I'm finally dandy
With the me inside
One look in the mirror
And I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot
About what you think

No I don't care
I don't care

I'mma do the things
That I wanna do
I ain't got a thing
To prove to you
I'll eat my candy
With the pork and beans
Excuse my manners
If I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear
The clothes that you like
I'm finally dandy
With the me inside
One look in the mirror
And I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot
About what you think
Totally different?

In my dreams

In my dreams I see myself packing and always packing. I could feel the excitement every time and it was all so real. Sometimes I even dreamt until I actually reached Heathrow airport, boarding the bus from London to Cardiff and see myself settling down in one of the houses in Floral Street (the one that I was supposed to move in with Mai, Aisya and Da during my second year in Cardiff but never did). In my dreams, it looks exactly the same, with the same white painted wall, the similar modern-like kitchen and the indistinguishable patio that I adored so much. I see my ex housemates helping me to unpack and I was all ready for school. I dream of the streets, the friendly locals, the parks, the shops, the Tescos, the butchers, the busses, the trains, the buildings, the high street, the restaurants, the dogs and bitches.

Last night it came into my dream once more. This time, Ali was supposed to send me to the airport and surprisingly, he looked very much ecstatic. Hmmm.. I wonder if it really makes him happy seeing me go. Or is it me that will actually feel delighted about leaving. The truth is, I miss Cardiff and I miss everything about it. I want to go back to those days when I call myself a university student. Back then, I was so free that I couldn’t care less. I didn’t have to bother if my hair is well done, I didn’t have worry about having to dress up, fret about driving around and concern about getting fat. I really didn’t have to. I learned how to cook and clean, I learned about mending my own bank affairs, I gained knowledge on a lot of things that I never thought I would get to know about. My mother followed me to school for all my first-days of registration until I graduated from high school. My mother goes to the bank to open an account for me or even depositing money into my own account. See how spoilt I was? See why I cherish the experiences in Cardiff so much?

And so I kept dreaming, that i kept packing and i kept boarding the bus, and i kept seeing the same house in my dreams.

Here In My Home

This song video gives hope and belief for a Our Home MALAYSIA.

I hope leaders can give as much hope and belief in their own capacity. The Malaysian Artiste could and it would be a big shame if our leaders can't do it.

Something to think about.





SAY NO TO RACISM...
Love your countrymen

Duathlon Series

Click HERE for more details...

Jacob's Walk of Life

Jacob's is organising an event to promote Healthy Lifestyle among Malaysians together with co-sponsors Fitness First, Anlene, Spritzer, Protex Antibacterial Wash, Mizuno and venue sponsor Taman Pertanian Seri Cahaya in Shah Alam. This event is made for the family so bring along everyone you know and together, join in the fun.

Don't miss out on the fun. Book your place now and sample a spread of the goodness of Jacob's wholesome biscuits. We're excited and we can't wait. See you there, Malaysia!

Date : 6 July 2008 (Sunday)
Venue : Taman Pertanian Malaysia, Bukit Cahaya
Seri Alam, Shah Alam




Map to the Event site
















To register and for more info click HERE

Registration is Free and inclusive of T-shirt. So register now and book your places!

However the event clashes with several higher profile endurance and sporting events.
Mizuno Wave Run, Siemens Run and also The Kenyir Lake Triathlon.
So if any of you are not involved in one of the above events you can at least join the walk.

Thirty Fifth

Happy Anniversary IIKA!

24 hours too late

Dear Ali,



Due to the stooopid internet connection, this comes in a day later,



Happy 25th Birthday sayang,


And I would like to wish you all the best in your second year exam. May God bless you.

Love always,
iika
14/05/08

Mother's Day

To our beloved Mummy and Omma,

With Love,

Izrin and Ali

Keluhan seorang kuli auditor

It has been a very long time since I had my beauty weekends without dating my laptop and files. I had been on and off unwell for three weeks now. Even though I was on MC and able to stay at home most of the days, I was not really at peace. My head was like spinning gasing, I puked several times, and my stomach aches. I was supposed to sleep off the pain but instead, I slept while my head was thinking about the untouched piles of files, thinking about the unreasonable deadlines set for us, thinking about documents that have been pending from clients for weeks. Bertambah sakit lah badan. Dan sekarang my face sudah di kunjungi tetamu. Yes! The pimples! I’ve got one at my right eyebrow, one at my left cheek, one at my dagu, and two under my nose. Now I am starting to wonder. Does EY really pay me that much?
When I graduated 2 years ago, I never thought that I would start my career in audit line. In fact, I never really knew what audit is all about. I barely passed my audit paper back then in uni. But I got first class for my taxation paper. So I thought, I can be a tax agent! *wink*. So I started applying audit firms that offers tax services. People say starting your career in audit firms is always the best. People say audit firm is the best training ground. Yeah, people say!
But I thought to myself, graduating in accounting line, is quite tough. You will never be qualified as an accountant, or shall I say, you can never call yourself an accountant, until you completed your professional papers with 3 years experience in accounting line. So clearly, having just a degree won’t bring me anywhere. I don’t want to be stuck in any finance department doing bank reconciliations every month for the rest of my life. I was then influenced to do my professional papers, not ACCA though, as what many people are familiar of. I just thought of doing something different. So I applied for Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, ICAEW. To complete this paper, I have to be attached to any of the authorized organizations, preferably the audit firms. So I got myself offered in EY. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to do AUDIT! They say, audit is the best training ground in order to complete ICAEW successfully. They say audit is the best line to gain experience and to apply those experiences in your studies. Yeah, they say!
So here I am in EY, barely breathing. I failed my taxation papers twice, and believe me, repeating the same paper 3 times is never easy! God, I am glad, I didn’t apply for tax agent position. Now, I hate taxation. I hate UK tax. I hate Gordon Brown.
But I shall not give up. If other people could do it, so could I.
Being attached with EY for almost 2 years now, has not made me any better. What training ground were they talking about? Which part of “the best line to start your career at” doesn’t come real?
Auditors are given deadline, fair deadline I should say. But the deadlines were set without considerations of client’s stupidity. You can have such tight deadlines in UK, US, Hong Kong, where clients know what they are doing. But not in Malaysia. Malaysian companies are generally spoon fed by auditors, which should not be the case. We are supposed to be independent of their day-to-day running activities. We are not there to tell you that your accounting entries are wrong, for God’s sake, you are an accountant, and you should know your double entries! We are not there to prepare your damn cash flow for the year. It is your company, and you should know where your bloody money flows to. We are not there to clear your mess. But yet, you throw all your shit to auditors.
Clients are also given deadlines to prepare documents that auditors request for in order for us to meet our deadline to the top management. But I just don’t know why it is so hard for these lower ranked staff, to co-operate. The scenario is as follows:

Tentatively as per original deadline:
Client to provide auditors their workings: by 5th May 08
Auditors to check and review: from 5th May to 21st May 08 (13 days to complete)
To revert back to client 21st May 08

What’s really happening:
Client to provide auditors their workings: On the 15th May 08 (10 days delay)
Auditors to revert back to client: remains on 21st May 08 (5 days to complete)

This is a norm in the lives of auditors. My senior once said to me “If client is unable to meet their deadline to us that does not give us the reason to extend our deadline. Our deadline is fixed”. Tell me, di mana kah rasa belas kasih manusia di situ? Isn’t that inhuman? So in five days we are expected to complete the audit. That’s when working till 4 am in the morning everyday, working Saturdays and Sundays come into the picture. We have to sacrifice our family and friends, because of client’s inefficiency? Mana aci wei?”
Rushing for deadlines has not really taught me much. “Follow last year audit file” is what we always do blindly. The phrase “You can learn a lot in audit” does not apply in Malaysian audit firms. There is no work satisfaction. Clients don't appreciate you, bosses don't appreciate you. EY doesn't appreciate you. Bersengkang mata malam-malam for nothing. Everytime I hear staff resigning from the firm, I always ask myself.. "WHY????? WHY AM I STILL HERE...???"
Well, people might be wondering why am I complaining so much but not doing anything about it? That is because…… I am bonded for 4 bloody years!!! That’s why.. haih...

Crazy Kick

Here is a video of Daniel Carter the All Blacks and Canterbury Crusaders flyhalf kicking a penalty almost from the touchline.



Talk about banana kick!

Gadget of The Elderly

This is one of the gadgets my grandma had in her handbag whenever she leaves the house. Other gadgets would normally include pens, diaries, a handphone, and reading glasses.




I don't know what this thing is called, but I find it really practical and cool. It would definitely make any grandmother using it looks "trendier and stylish". Since she is not into PDAs, Laptops or expensive handphones, this little gadget here seems to serve its purpose perfect and yet stylish and practical.



You can hook your handbag and reduce the risk of leaving it behind. People may be careless and tend to have their handbags left behind especially if they put them on the floor. I am quite sure this incident have happened to our mom,wife,grandma, girlfriend etc.



HOOK AWAY!!

Rest In Peace

Liam Harker, the 17-year-old Liverpool fan whose battle against cancer captured the imagination of millions of Reds fans last month, tragically lost his fight for life just after 4pm on Monday May 5




This passionate Liverpool supporter was only given weeks to live by doctors last month. He told his father that he would like to spend the last moments of his life in a Liverpool shirt and requested that he be buried in a Liverpool shirt as a symbol that he lived and breathed Liverpool.

He lost his battle for life on Monday after fighting for a month.

Fans all over the world who came across Liam's story showed all kinds of support and some of them made flags and banners during the Champions League semifinal with hope that the TV camera will capture it and Liam could watch it from his home.

Over those 2 legs these flags were caught on TV and it was an incredibly moving moment for Liam, his family and friends and Reds fans everywhere who had taken the 17-year-old to their heart.

After the first leg at Anfield those flags were sent to Liam's home and put on his walls and as a blanket. Our thoughts are with him and his family.

He never walked alone in his dying days.

R.I.P
Liam Harker, Darlington, England.

Its Your Birthday

Happy Birthday Boss

Respect

After Chelsea have won their encounter with Liverpool, one of their players(Joe Cole) made this statement:

"When we lost the first two semi-finals, the Liverpool fans showed us a lot of dignity with the celebrations."

"So we were cautious not to over-celebrate and show respect to Liverpool because it was a good game and a great advert for football.

"They are a top side and this is their competition and when the draw was made I would have preferred to have played anyone else in the world because of their record against us in this competition. But we got the job done.

"We are very pleased and it is a great achievement for the club and every player in our squad. Now we need to go and win it."

Joe Cole has made himself good by showing respect towards Liverpool FC a good character shown in contrast to that 'Big Bird' looking Ferdinand chap of Man Utd by attacking Liverpool and Porto in saying that lately 'small' Clubs had won the Champions League the past few years.

And with that I am in agreement with Jamie Carragher that I would prefer Chelsea to win in Moscow.

It Just Wasn't Meant To Be

Liverpool's luck in this year's UEFA Champions League ended at Stamford Bridge yesterday. After attempting three times, Chelsea finally reached their first ever Champions League final and to be fair either team could have been there to play Man Utd. But it was meant to be Chelsea this time around. The entire Liverpool squad gave everything and I think they can take a lot of positives out of this defeat and can walk away with their heads held high knowing that they had pushed Chelsea to its fullest limit yet.

Overall, yesterday's match was excellent in terms of entertainment and drama. One disallowed goals, penalty kicks given, penalty kicks about to be given but later not given and many other actions.

I am proud of Liverpool despite of the defeat. Mind you it would be hell of a final had it been Liverpool v Manchester United. But it just wasn't meant to be.

To Chelsea and Man Utd...good luck and hopefully it will be an exciting game.



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On a different note, I would like to share this story about mobile phones customer services. We all know that handphones in this country comes with 2 choices of warranty; one is provided by the shop itself and the other provided by the distributor. One would think that it is better to go for the distributor's warranty for peace of mind. But be extra careful whenever you send your phones for service,repair etc at these official outlets.

Today I had my phone sent to nokia centre for some minor repairs since the vibrate mode was not functioning. At first I was asked to leave the phone for an hour or two for them to have a look at it. Upon returning to the centre, I was told that the phone needed to be left at the centre and they will have to send it to the HQ for further checking. He said it could be the motor or motherboard failure. I became suspicious and puzzled when he mentioned motherboard. What does that got to do with anything with the vibrate mode since all other functions are functioning perfectly I asked myself. Having failed to figure it out, I told them that I'll just collect my phone and I'll send it to the HQ myself. I then took my phone and switched it on and to my surprise I felt the sensation of vibrating handphone on my palm. And to make sure I had the number called and yes it vibrated.

If the technician mentions something which is unlikely to relate to the issue at hand, he might have other ideas of probably dismantling your phone and replace them with non-original parts especially if your phone is under distributor's warranty. Handphones has a very big market in terms of sale in this country, therefore people might do the unexpected to gain most profit and sadly to your detriment. Please be extra careful when you deal with these people. They are a cheat and more often than not they get it their way.