EC Trip - Day 2

This was the best day! We left early in the morning (well not enough sleep for me again!) and headed to Cendering to have the famous Nasi Dagang at a restaurant called "Mak Ngah." After the slight heavy breakfast, we headed off to the Marang Jetty which wasn't too far off to catch the boat to head off to Gem Island woohoo!!!!

Boat ride was around 15 minutes. Busy enjoying the sea breeze hence didn't take any pictures. After checking in, we toured the resort and decided to check into the spa. Since the earlier slot was already taken up, I checked in for the 3:30pm one and had my lunch first. Massage was really good! The masseur was from Myanmar. Much much better than the one in Bali or Bangkok I must say.

Walked around to check out the main beach. There's a good looking caucasian who we were trying to figure out if he was there on his own or with well a partner! Beautiful, clear, tranquil sea with crystal clear view of the many different types of fishes. Took some pictures then. After that, went to kayak for a short while before dipping into the "sea water" swimming pool.


Day ended with a sumptuous dinner prepared. Chef was excellent! Overate, sigh so much for the program that I was on. Good thing that we did a bit of dancing before we slept! :)

EC Trip - Day 1

Yipeee......I only slept er 2 hours coz was all excited about going to the trip plus also had to pack and check numerous times to ensure that nothing has been left out. Left the house a bit late because couldn't find the black pants for a moment. Reached MK to pick up Darcy and another friend at 6:40am.

Started journey to Kemaman. Stopped for breakfast and met up with the rest at one of the R&R along the way. Made a few wrong turns and reached meeting point about slightly past 11am. Honestly, I hadn't a clue on the itinerary. After meeting with the organizer, we headed to Awana Kijal to check in but we were early so ended up having lunch at the nearby restaurant. Food was blend!

Checked in after lunch, got changed and went to the designated place for the workshop. We were slightly late and man, the people there was different. They really queued in line and greeted you like you're some VIPs! I was quite tired so did doze off halfway during workshop. Workshop started past 2:30pm and ended slightly past 5pm. Everyone rushed back to the hotel ASAP to get ready for the night's performance.

Performance wasn't the best, some flop! Worst of all, it came from me, the one who scolded to ensure that everyone gets the right timing. Speak about embarrassment.... Oh well, the rest of the night went ok I supposed in their (the EC people) standard. This year the students have really improved. So different from our 1st visit to this part last year. The whole party and dinner ended about close to 11pm and we left to the hotel.

Business Review Presentation

Title says it all - BUSY BUSY! This week was actually the FHA 2008 in Singapore and I have initially planned to go with mum on Wed and Thurs but well oh well, my leave WASN'T approve thanks to the above!!! Freddy Krueger was coming so it wasn't much of a choice!! Sorry mum if you ever read this. Lets try to make it to BKK since it's the bigger one at world level.

Every day was spent working on the business review preparation. I still managed to go for my KB on Mon and Wed nights, else sure heartsick to pay and not attend. Busy till the real last minute. Worst day was Thurs because I've applied for leave for Friday to head to East Coast.

Sunday - D Major Burfday Day at Bijou!!

The team met up at Damai's badminton hall to practice again. It's my 2nd session and of course I did better this time round. We were supposed to practice for an hour but ended up till about 1+pm and went to Damas for sandwich lunch. Rushed back for home after that to get ready for the big dinner that night.

Best part is that dinner again was at Damai area and it was held in Bijou. Got home, wrapped present and got ready to go. Reached about 6+pm and help setup whatever that was left undone. It was a surprise birthday party meant for Nad's sister coz she's turning 30 this year and it was meant to be special!!

Setup was really classy, the staff took quite a bit of pictures. Guests started pouring from 7pm onwards. Everyone waited till Nad's sister showed up and surprise!!!! Well she wasn't exactly surprised (sigh, after all the effort hehe!) coz she saw a familiar car just round the corner. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the whole session. At least, we tried really hard to keep it all under wraps as long as me and Nad's could. Had to come up with so many excuses hehehe :D

Great session!!

Saturday Practise

Man! It was the most tiring Saturday (19th Apr) so far. I guess it's also been a while since I kind of dance a lot. It started with practise of the team performance for the following week in the East Coast. After ending, shot off to Midvalley to do a bit of trade visit.

Went back home to practise as much as I could remember. Had my shower and rested only or a short bit and packed before leaving to Midvalley again. I insisted on spending the money to get my face nicely made up as grandma has never attended any of my competitions before as it takes up the whole day and since she was going to attend this dinner organized by grand aunt, I decided to make the best out of it and had my costume on as well for that night.

I then head off to KL to get ready for my performance. Was too tired coz having mensus too, just the 2nd day and kinda got out of breath after doing a Waltz followed by a Cha Cha number. Wanted to do Funky but energy was drained out. Dance for a while more before heading off to meet this Italian guy whom my friend was dying to introduce. It was ok, well not the best of all nights but I can't blame the situation coz he wasn't feeling too well and I had to meet him that night despite feeling tired as he was leaving back to Australia the following day. We met for late supper at Pyramid.

Oh oh, I finally bought a pair of BLOCH dance sneakers haahahahahahahah yea yea!!!

Busy Week

This was another eventful week coz of the usual Logistics and NPD meeting on a monthly basis. That fell on both Wednesday and Thursday respectively so lots of preparation was expected for it. I kinda dread that when it happens coz the daily operational stuff tends to pile up. Can't complain, such is life! I wished I can have something new to say about work. Perhaps I need something or project that differs to keep the excitement going on!

Yummy Belated CNY Lunch

Hm...I know it's a bit too late but it's just a free lunch that I supposed that everyone expects from our agency since we have given so much business to her. It was cancelled the last time due to non-availability of the majority. Where else can we get good Chinese food plus close proximity?? Ming Room!!!!! Had this on Monday, a less productive day haha....

Car has expensive taste!!

I dont know if it's an irony or what but aiyo, my car break down again!!! And of all places, Bangsar!! So happened a colleague who seldom reaches late called to see where I was and I told her that I was late too. Traffic was bad everywhere. I stopped opposite Berry's to quickly grab bread on the way to work. Then, panic strike when I try starting my car and it just won't start!

I of course called my colleague for a favor and off we went to Tom's (closest workshop) to get mechanics and jump start cable to resurrect my car. After it started, drove it there to check and of course battery was one of the main issue and I decided to just service as well. The car already broke down once at the traffic light to turn to McD's in Bangsar last year.

My colleague had to pull my leg by saying that my car knows my taste! I honestly freaked out as I couldn't think of where to go but Tom's since it's the closest. Celaka haha as if by going to Tom's shows that I have expensive taste. The bill was rather expensive when there are things required to change. I chose prime importance and left out the rest. It almost came to 1K!!! Almost unacceptable just coz I didn't have time to bring my car which was due for service on Saturday, sigh!

Time to change, time to change.

Celine really wowed KL!

Monday April 14, 2008

Dion wows KL
By MELODY GOH and JO TEH

KUALA LUMPUR: Canadian singing sensation Celine Dion lived up to her top billing right here last night with a power-packed performance in the open.

The petite 39-year-old Dion performed 22 songs, almost non-stop, as over 10,000 fans at Stadium Merdeka followed her every move, and tune.

The show kicked off at 8.50pm with vignettes of Dion’s many music videos shown on two large screen placed at the sides of the stage.

The singer got things going with the fast-paced I Drove All Night, followed by one of her smash hits, Power of Love.

Thrilling concert: Dion performing in front of more than 10,000 fans at Stadium Merdeka last night.

Dion then extended her apologies to Malaysians for postponing the show, which had initially been scheduled for April 8, saying that she had fallen ill while performing in Australia.

“Thank you for being understanding and for giving me another chance to perform here tonight,” said Dion, as the audience cheered her on.

She also said that the rain began to worry her when she arrived here earlier yesterday.

“But I was told that it usually rained in the afternoons here, so that was all right,” she quipped.

Backed by an ensemble that included four guitarists, a drummer and a pianist, Dion also belted out her other chart-topping hits like Because You Loved Me, All By Myself, Alone and a French number, Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore.

Also on stage with her were three backing vocalists and eight dancers, who entertained the audience during short intervals.

Dion reserved the best for last, when she sang her monster hit My Heart Will Go On, which was the theme song for the movie Titanic.

The concert, part of her “Taking Chances World Tour” with Kuala Lumpur being the only South-East Asian venue, ended at 10.30pm.

Celine Dion "Taking Chances" Concert

Yup, I got ready for this concert yesterday. Tapau Burger King and headed towards town, my most feared place to visit.


I enjoyed the concert! Bumped into several old friends too. Only stupid thing is that we HAD to wait for the ROYALTIES only can the concert begin, celaka!!! Waited for a good 1 hour. What the heck! The part that was funny and enjoyable by the crowd is the start of the Mexican Wave, the crowd was really sporting!! ;D

The best part, Mexican Wave haha

I Drove All Night was Celine's opening song which blended perfectly to the next power ballad, Power of Love. It was followed by Taking Chances, It's All Coming Back To Me (one of my fav!!), Because U Loved Me , To Love U More, dance performance by 4 couples, Eyes On Me, All By Myself, I'm Alive, Shadow Of Love, I'm Your Angel, French Song, Think Twice, My Love, We'll Rock You (tribute to Queen), The Show Must Go On, It's a Men's World, Working on ...., and ended with all time hit, My Heart Will Go On. In between there were several dance performances which was very enjoyable!

No More Dilemma

Got an intuition to check this store that I previously got my things from and luckily, just luckily that I found out that they had the color edition that I wanted and my dilemma ended haha!!! Somemore waste money go to Midvalley 3 days in a row.

Kick Boxing & Food Tasting

Ahhhh....I restarted my kickboxing again on Sat and paid for 8 classes. Fingers crossed that I can complete everything by the end of the month. Oh and they increased the fees by RM10!!!! Headed to the studio for a bit after kickboxing class and then later went to Ddt's house to chill.

Got changed and left for Midvalley to check out the SE phones on promotion. Hmmm....dilemma, buy or not to buy. So ngam that I wanted to change my phone coz the camera just takes forever to load plus the N Series punya Symbian OS can die one, lagging and slow. Today's the day I decide sigh if I want to part ways with my money because of the promotion that they are having. It's RM200 cheaper for the model that I saw compared to the last weekend when I was in OU.

Since I have not decided and we need to go for food tasting, we left and headed off to Mont Kiara. We were well 5-10 mins late but our friends came an hour later T_T...so hungry until we ordered bread first to eat whilst waiting.

Seared Tuna on Pickles

Caviar on Toast

Caesar Salad

Seared Cod with Ratatouille of Veg, Sauteed Rosemary Potato

Roasted Chicken Leg with Herbs Potato, Classic Cream Spinach

Aged Ribeye with Garlic Chips, Roasted Onion, Wild Rocket

Choc Chip Cookies with Hot Fudge & Espresso

Started my Program

Wow, I can't believe that I have officially started my program. Well having had a late night and having to wake up early for a function, my head's spinning a little. Woke up, got ready and headed off to Pyramid for an event. Well, no harm earning extra money :) Some pictures from event after my session's over. It was actually an awareness organized by Nestle on nutrition combining several brands from Milo to new brand like Yuco which is a new cultured milk drink.

A little unproductive week, I must admit

Wow, after having not danced like a mad person, it really was like "padan muka" kind of slap in the face for not having warm up the body. Ache lasted till Wednesday. I was having bad sinus on Monday, feeling all sickly. Tuesday was better, attended a school program in the morning before clocking into work. Went to see the doctor to see if I can obtain an MC, bugger queue damn long!

Taught my class "Soiree" in the evening. Wednesday was so so, supposed meeting a friend for dinner, tak jadi and went out with another friend at MV and had drinks in Chilli's instead. It was first time parking in Garden's, not bad. Today was a slow day. Just don't seem to be able to concentrate.

Lastly, just dislike the fact of being pushed around here and there. Enough of unnecessary stress and to top up with other BS, it's just bad, arghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways, TGIF tomorrow! yes yes yes!!!

Sunday - Party Time!!!

I woke up early for the jamming and workshop for this year's competition songs. It was held at the Community Hall in Taman Tun, a now common spot for most of the instructors. It was workshop from 9am-2pm, followed by the party from 2:30pm-8:30pm.

Wasn't feeling too good, not sure why. Surprisingly to me, food was kind of rejected by my system. Oh well, ended up having dinner at Cake Sense opposite Pizza Hut in TTDI after that, hungry la!

Where did my Sat go??

Started the day by doing my laundry and then headed off to the studio after not having been there for a while. It was a waste of time for me because I ended up sitting there for a bit doing nothing and just watching. Headed off to 1U to check on the dress's alteration. Somehow they still didn't get it right so got to leave it there once again.

Went to tapau lunch for grandma and took a shower before heading off for Kickboxing. Unfortunately thanks to the heavy traffic, I know I won't be able to make it on time so I detoured back and slept for a bit because was feeling very sleepy. Not sure why. Then DDT called and off I got ready to leave and met her at her place before left to do what we were going to do. Ended up at Bijou for drinks then.

Pool View from bijou

Met up with DL for dinner at Hartamas later and bought 3 DVDs! I got the Atonement, We Own The Night & Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

A week's training

Ahh...it was finally over. The management has organized a 5 day offsite training for all the marketers at a hotel. It was a very expensive course.

Day 1 (Mon, 31st March)
Course started from 4pm and ended at 6pm. We started had some finger food before the start of it. It was basically an introduction by our facilitator of what to expect throughout the week. Had dinner at the Manhattan Fish Market restaurant in Subang Parade with a colleague.

Day 2 (Tues, 1st April)
Actual course started. Though I live the nearest, traffic can be bad. Facilitator has mentioned specifically to reach 5 minutes to 9am. Course starts at 9am and I reached on the dot thanks to traffic *phew* It was a lot to absorb on the first full day training. It's a lot of theory but at the end of it, there's a game that we have to play. All marketeers inclusive of the TM team were divided into 4 groups aka companies. I was in Company 4.

The game is to see how each company devise their strategies to manage the brands given to them. I was in the only group that didn't have a Mktg Mgr. We also had our TM colleague from Singapore and she's the only representative. Had Japanese lunch for the first time at Miyako. Never knew the hotel has this Jap restaurant.

Day 3 (Wed, 2nd April)
The training continued and got more intense by the day. As competition heats up between the companies, it got really competitive and we don't share our work at all. Good thing is also that we got to know our colleagues better because of the mix of how each company was grouped. Lunch was at the Coffee House.

Day 4 (Thurs, 3rd April)
As usual, more things given by the facilitator to confuse our mind! He has told us right from the start that this training will and is served to mess up the already existing jigsaw puzzle in our brains so it's normal to start wondering and thinking and not feeling comfortable thinking that things that you have known all along suddenly didn't seem quite right. In other words, you feel stupid.

Lunch was at the Coffe House. Dinner was at Miyako, Japanese restaurant. Put up a night in the hotel as we had to work late within the companies because of the presentation due the following day.

Day 5 (Fri, 4th April)
Presentation and wrap up day. Happy to know that we were the 2nd company with the biggest revenue and the biggest growth in share which is ultimately what Shareholders of any MNC sees. We just lost out by 1% to the first company. Oh well, fantastic learning for everyone!

Last lunch was at the Coffee House before everyone split ways. Because of our intense training, our HR director actually allowed us the rest of the day off. Most of us went back because work obviously would have piled up over the week. I did go back and prior to that, headed to the LHDN to collect my E-Pin for E-filing of the income tax submission form.

PM to quit?

Wednesday April 2, 2008

PM denies rumours that he will quit

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has brushed aside speculation that he would step down as Prime Minister.

Bernama reported that the Prime Minister reiterated that he would not run away from his responsibilities.

"I am here. I am here. I am here. They make all the speculations that I want to run away, I've resigned. Why should I resign?"

"My Government has got a strong majority (although) not the twothirds (majority), but very strong...that is the stand of support."

"Why I must run away from my entrusted responsibility," he was quoted by Bernama as saying, after meeting Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said at his office here Wednesday.

Speculation on the matter had been rife in the wake of calls by his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, that Abdullah should step down for the Barisan Nasional's poor showing in the March 8 general election.

The BN lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, winning only 140 of the 222 parliamentary while the Opposition captured 82 seats.

BN also lost control of Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kedah and the majority of seats in the Federal territory besides failing to wrest Kelantan from PAS.

And you wonder why I don't buy Proton....

Monday March 31, 2008

Proton issues recall on its Savvy
Proton is recalling its Savvy over a possible problem with regards to the car’s rear-wheel bearings.

The company said a recent inspection has brought to its attention that water could get into the bearings, which could lead to a malfunction.

The recall has a bearing, for sure ....
“The safety and satisfaction of our customers is a primary concern. As a precautionary measure, we are recalling all Savvys for inspection and repair,” Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed said in a press statement.

The recall will affect a total of 34,000 cars. All Savvy owners are advised to take their cars to the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an inspection.

Proton said it would conduct the necessary checks and replacements at no cost to the customer. They can also call Proton i-Care at 1-300-880-888 for further info.

11 years and still into the case

Tuesday April 1, 2008

Judge says Diana's butler "did not tell the truth"
By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell did not tell the truth at the inquest into her death, the presiding judge told a jury in London on Tuesday.


A photograph of the Princess of Wales left by a mourner is adorned with a rose August 31, 2002 on the gates of Kensington Palace on the fifth anniversary of her death. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Files)
"All in all, you may think Burrell's behaviour has been pretty shabby," Lord Justice Scott Baker told the jury as he concluded the official inquiry into the death of Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed in a Paris car crash in 1997.

Burrell, the butler who called himself "Diana's Rock", faced a three-day grilling from lawyers when he appeared at the inquest in January. He was repeatedly asked how much he really knew about secrets he was supposed to have held for Diana.

In February, Scott Baker asked Burrell to return to court to explain discrepancies between his evidence and comments attributed to him in a tabloid newspaper, but he refused.

"It was blindingly obvious wasn't it, that the evidence that he gave in this courtroom was not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Scott Baker said on Tuesday.

In a scathing reference to Burrell's emotionally charged testimony, he told the jury: "I advise you to proceed with caution especially when and if you are left with the impression that he only told you what he wanted you to hear."

The coroner was summing up to the jury after they had heard from more than 250 witnesses over the past six months in an inquest into Diana's death.

Harrods' owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi's father, fought a long legal battle to have the inquest heard by a judge and jury. Under British law, an inquest is needed to determine the cause of death when someone dies unnaturally.

The inquest was delayed for 10 years because Britain had to wait for the French legal process and then a British police investigation to run their course before it could begin.

Both police inquiries decided it was a tragic accident because chauffeur Henri Paul was drunk and driving too fast.

"PROBLEM SOLVED"

Tuesday's proceedings were held up for two hours after the court received a last-minute e-mail from France referring to a possible sample from Paul, who died at the wheel of the speeding Mercedes which was being pursued by paparazzi.

But the judge resumed after an extensive break, telling the jury without going into any detail "The problem has been solved. There is nothing to be concerned about."

On Monday, the opening day of his presentation to the jury, the judge dismissed conspiracy theories held by Mohamed al-Fayed, father of Dodi.

Al-Fayed had claimed Diana and his son were killed by British security services on the orders of Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, because the royal family did not want the mother of the future king to have a child with Dodi al-Fayed.

The 11-member jury is due to be sent out on Wednesday to consider their decision after the judge finishes his summing up. They have five verdicts to choose from.

They can opt for unlawful killing through gross negligence by the chauffeur, by "following vehicles" or by both.

The other two alternatives are accidental death or an open verdict if the jury felt there was not enough evidence to support any substantive verdict.

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

April Fool's Day

Honestly, I almost forgot what the above means. Quite busy with training and minds were all focused there. Lunch was at Miyako, Jap food in Sheraton Subang. I never knew they had it to be honest. Placement was interesting as it was far away from the rooms that we were working in.

My all time favorite soft shell crab sux! The Gindara and Beef was good! yum yum! I feel like a pig to be honest as it's just eating and sitting down. I must control my diet. Yea yea people told me that I lost a bit but that doesn't mean that I can just let go and overeat.

Ahh back to this day losing its touch. My colleague actually told me that she wanted to pull a prank on me and another colleague today. Can ah like that? You tell me haha...no longer syiok d!

Baskin Robbin's Discount

Well, I obviously wanted to try to catch one of the bi-monthly discount that is offered on the 31st of any month. Well places like Subang Parade also can be pack. Imagine Mont Kiara, etc...where yuppies populate! I was there for dinner at the Manhattan Fish Market. Since the Sea Platter for two or three was obviously too much to bear, I skipped the ice cream bit else I think I will probably throw up. Oh well, next time!