Thought of the Month

It’s been around 3 weeks since I last blogged. I am not very busy but getting lazy to update my blog. Many things happened since then and I have being doing some thinking. There are a number of farewells to attend to, including my ex-director and extended team member, Jessie Lim.

Several pregnant ladies around me are going to give birth soon or had already given birth. They shared some of their experience with me, such as their back pain when they try to stretch out when tired, their legs becomes swollen, their babies kicking them in their tummy, food that they cannot eat when they are pregnant, change in their eating habits while pregnant and things to take care of after giving birth. Pregnant can actually be so troublesome. I never think of that at all. The most I could think of is only morning sickness and food to take care of.

On the other hand, I am hearing news on people who passed away due to cancer. Cancer has become so common nowadays. I wonder if my friends or relatives will be leaving me suddenly.

After working, I begin to cherish my school days and the precious moments that I once had with my friends. There are many things that we had always taken for granted and only appreciate it when we lose it. I really miss some of the moments that I had during my university life. Working life can never be the same as university life, no matter how I think of it. I always wish that I could further my studies again so that I can enjoy the life being a student again. However, this doesn’t mean that I will be taking a course that I have no interest in. Perhaps, sometimes, memories are meant to be treasured. That’s what that makes them valuable. We must learn to move forward and enjoy the future, as how we cherish our memories.

I seem to be meeting people who remind me of some other people I know. Not because of their looks, but the way they talk and expressing themselves. It makes me feel warm because I feel like I have known them before that.

There are times that I feel that my “battery” is running low. After recharging, I feel full of energy again and move forward. Even for rechargeable batteries, they will be spoilt one day. But, I hope that all my dreams are fulfilled before it is not rechargeable anymore.

Deeparaya

When Deepavali + Hari Raya, it becomes Deeparaya. Deepavali fell on October 21 whereas Hari Raya fell on October 24 and 25 this year. I wasn’t really celebrating the festival but did visit a friend’s house. Most of my friends who are from other states rushed back to their hometowns. The atmosphere was in the air. I wonder how the celebration is over in Korea. Is there any party? Suddenly I miss the “bah kuh teh”, with a minimum amount of pork and a lot of potatoes. I did not miss the taste, but the fun when cooking the dish. It is like a tradition to have “bah kuh teh” whenever we are celebrating something over in Korea. This tradition seems to remain even after I leave.

The haze here is on and off. The situation is not so terrible in Penang due to the frequent down pour. It does not affect our view sight at least. Some people were still barbecuing despite the hazy weather. Some buses, motorcycles and trucks are emitting black smoke and I wonder why they are still on the streets, polluting the environment. The authority should really take some actions to improve on the current situation. At least, they should educate the public on their responsibilities to keep the environment free from more pollutants.

I watched “The Prestige” on the first day of Hari Raya with my brother in Prangin Mall.

The synopsis from Golden Screen Cinema is:
In 1878 two young stage magicians clash in a darkened saloon during the course of a fraudulent seance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and exposure, secrets and revelations, as they feud to outwit and destroy one another. Their rivalry takes them both to the peak of their careers, but with terrible consequences.

There is a lot of suspense in the movie and a lot of flashbacks. Even though it is a bit confusing mixing flashbacks and current happenings together, we managed to get the whole picture of the storyline. The story is somewhat unique, about the life of 2 magicians, the sacrifices that they made for their careers and the ending is unexpected. This is a non-action movie. I cannot tell for sure if the ending is a good one. But, the morale of the story is, it is better to forgive than to revenge.

Team Building at Traders Hotel

Finally, the annual team building is here. This year, we had seafood buffet in Traders Hotel, which is formerly known as Shangri-La Hotel. This buffet cost more than RM90 per person and was sponsored by the company. There are around 40 people in our department. We occupied a small area in the restaurant so that it will be easier for the games section later. The seats were decided by drawing lots. I was sharing the same table with Lay Leng, Ewe Chong, Ismah, Jacqueline and Chai. There were a few sections, such as the dessert corner with cakes, custard and ice-cream, sushi, fruits, barbeque food, “lok lok”, normal dishes and salad. Everyone was excited on the guessing game. Someone will read out the description of a person and the person with the paper of that person’s name must say out the name. Else, there will be a penalty of eating wasabi. The dinner met its objective to bring everyone together. Here are some of the photos taken during the dinner:

Photos

Quarter 3 Birthday Lunch Photos

Here are some of the photos taken during the Q3 Birthday Lunch at Cherry Blossom Thai Food Restaurant on October 9, 2006 (Monday). There are around 11 dishes, including the dessert. Too lazy to upload all of them. Thus, here are some of the selected yummies of the restaurant. Enjoy!:

Photos

Lantern Fest Photos

Here are some of the photos taken during the lantern fest in Penang:

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/LanternFest/

Pig Mooncake!

Mooncakes can be quite dull with the same old design and shape. However, this little pig mooncake is irresistable! Check out the pictures below, courtesy of Lay Leng sis:

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/PigMooncake/

September Weekends

September 23, Saturday – It was Japanese Film Festival. Kelly managed to get 2 free movie tickets for the film, “Heaven’s Bookstore” at Gurney Plaza. The movie is quite interesting. I like the piano pieces in the movie. It’s wonderful. I feel like as if I am attending a real concert.

September 30, Saturday – I had dinner with Kelly, Hui Shan, Khai and Xiao Chan in the seafood shop at Paya Terubong. Khai likes the barbeque fish there. He even plans to pay a second visit there next week. The steam fish here is not so nice though. Then, we went to the lantern festival in PISA, in the open air. There’s a lot of people and nice lanterns. The fountains were on. It’s a really great view. There’s stage performance was great. We managed to see the “change face” show. It was amazing. We couldn’t even notice when she changed the mask.

My Colleagues’ Birthday

Cheah Chee and Chuen Kar’s birthday is next to each other. We had a joined celebration with the transactional team last week. Chuen Kar is also an ex-MMU student, a telecommunication student in Cyberjaya campus. For Cheah Chee’s birthday, we had lunch at Ichiyo, which is near BJ Complex. As for CK’s birthday which was on a Friday, we had dinner at E-gate’s Sushi King.

Here are some of the photos taken:
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/Colleagues/

Busy Week!

This week is a very busy week as it is month end again. Whenever month end is approaching, all of us will be extremely busy. Our eyes will be glued to the screen and hands on the mouse, continuously clicking. Endless request keep on flowing into our mailbox. OT is not something unusual during this period of the month. I am basically working from day to night for these few days. My highest record now is going back at 11pm. Once in a blue moon, I will receive some lunch box from somebody or food from other team as a token of appreciation for our hard work. Even though the food doesn’t cost much, but at least, they are able to fill our empty stomachs while on OT. Thank you very much!

Today I attended a 2 hours training in the data center. It was my first IT related training. It’s great to see the real product (servers) that I am maintaining (data) for my daily tasks. I love those black racks with doors for servers. It looks cool. There’s a few tables and chairs in the room as well. It must be nice working in this room, with so much space and privacy. But, maybe it will be too quiet as well. I like the glass board in the room. It looks really stylish! Finally weekend is approaching again! Back to the good old days :)

Cameron Highland Photos

Here are some of the photos of my short trip to Cameron Highlands:

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/Cameron/

Enjoy!

Honey and Clover 2 Review

Honey and Clover season 2 has come to an end last week. Contrast to the every crazy comedy for the first season, the second season focuses more on moral, values and philosophies. The ever crazy Morita Shinobu shows his serious part of character. His thoughts for his brother are greater than what we imagine, from the illustrations of the first season. They also give a very good explanation on why Morita is always trying to earn money thru part-time jobs. I would say that it’s a good storyline. Hagumi’s comfortable life faces a dilemma when she was about to graduate, wondering where she will be heading in her life. Her desire to draw comes to a stop. While she is at her crossroads of life, unexpected things unfold. Seeing little Hagu-chan in the hospital makes me feel really upset. Yet, she has a strong spirit to stand up again. During these hardships, she had made a firm decision. She wanted to draw again as she loves drawing more than anything. The story did not end like any other anime, with a lovey-dovey nor a cry-to-tears ending. But, it is a meaningful ending. It shows us that love is not the only thing in our life, we have ambitions and things that we want to achieve. Loving someone and not getting our love returned is not something to be upset about. We learn something in this process. How things turn out to be, depends on how we perceive it.

August/September Updates

1 month had passed by. Many things happened within this short period. I met with a Yan Min a week after my convocation. I haven’t see her since form 5. She was back in Malaysia for her internship. She still likes to talk as usual, which is a good sign. Some people change so much that you cannot recognize them anymore. I do not mean appearance here, but the bond and character.

For weekends, sometimes I hang out with Kelly and sometimes together with Berry, her housemate. This world is so small. Berry is Wei Chung’s girlfriend. I went to Cameron Highlands for a short trip 2 weeks ago. I am so glad to see so many flowers again. 24 stalks of roses for only RM5! You will never get that price elsewhere. I like the night market there. The best place to get cheap vegetables and flowers. There is a new local product which I find it rather tasty – the dry strawberries. It tasted better than fresh strawberries and definitely much cheaper.

During month end, my job becomes rather hectic. Many things have deadlines to be met. But, it is getting rather interesting. My team members are quite helpful. I like the canteen there, looks a bit like restaurant in a 5 star hotel. I like the toilets with endless toilet paper supplies. All in all, I like the environment.

My primary school teacher passed away recently at 44 years old due to cancer. I was shocked and depressed. I even thought of visiting her during this coming Chinese New Year. Life is short. Humans are so fragile. Then, I begin think of the ideal way of dying, dying at where and when.

Yushu is now back in Korea for his Masters. Hoo Mun is there for his Masters as well. Yushu is so bad. He purposely showed me photos my favourite food and snacks and places that I went before in Korea. Staying in Korea with limited budget was a pain at that time but now it has become wonderful memories. The poorly planned Jeju Island trip turned out to be the most memorable one. I do not like soju while I was in Korea. But, I miss it now!

My desire to go backpack is triggered by a talk on trip to Yunnan. Yunnan is located at the far South of China, sharing borders with several other countries. I like the uniqueness of the landscape, weather and culture there. I know I have a bad stamina. Yet, I have this desire to conquer those mountains in Yunnan, just to get a better view of those snow mountains. “I want to get there! I want to see the water vessels. The mist makes the whole place looks so mysterious, so ancient.”

Huwi Yin is here for her training this week. I brought her to Gurney Drive to enjoy some Penang’s popular delicacies at the hawker stalls. Then, we headed to Gurney Plaza for the Japanese Cultural Performance. We were there late and unable to enjoy the event. We spent most of our time in the gift shops, admiring the art of designing. It is so hard to find someone sharing the same birthday as you. I am really glad to meet Huwi Yin who shares so many interests as I. It was a nice night out. Senpai, come to Penang more often next time!

Last but last least, I would like to congratulate my friends for getting a job already; Kelly for getting a place in Tokyo University and Makoto for getting a place in Yokoshima University; Sau Heung, Foo Chuan and Ms Tee for winning in the Malaysia around for Imagine Cup; and thanks to Sau Heung for sharing his wonderful photos in India (and extra photos) with us!

Convocation!

Convocation is not just a ceremony, but an event to meet all your friends again. It is not something cheap. Robe rental, traveling expenses, accommodation fees, flowers etc can actually cost you a huge sum of money. In addition, there are several processes that you need to follow such as smartcard testing, robe collection and return etc.

It was so nice to meet my friends again during the rehearsal. Months is like years. We chatted as if we have not seen each other for years. The feeling is overwhelming. The campus was packed with people and we were like sardines in the tin, squeezing here and there to get our smart cards validate, collect our robes and invitation cards. If you want to see your friends easily during convocation, then you make a plan, telling your friends where to wait after the convocation. There will be a huge crowd, consisting of family members and friends, occupying whatever space there is near the hall.

The ceremony ended 1.5 hours later than the schedule. Everyone was hungry. Many people departed back shortly after the ceremony because they were too hungry. I was hungry too, but taking photos with my friends, perhaps for the last time, is more important.

Special thanks for the following people:
- Travis kor kor: Thanks for the sunflowers and the dog in the mug. The dog is currently sitting in the office already.
- Huwi Yin senpai: Thanks for the daisy and roses. I was about to buy that combination. Luckily I chose the all roses combo in the end.
- Sylvia: Thanks for the mug. Just nice for office use. All the best for the future! You will be fine.
- Jin: Thanks for the head rest. Will use it in the office.
- Bro: Thanks for holding the flowers for me.

Last but not least, I would like to say thanks to Gek Suan, Ee Ling, Ah Wei and many other people who attended my convocation. I am really touch! I miss you all very much now!

Sarawak Trip's Photos

Here are some of the photos taken during my trip to Sarawak:

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/Sarawak/

My Convocation Photos

Below are some of my convocation photos. For the first time, the convocation is held at the new Convocation Hall in MMU Cyberjaya.

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/Convo01/

The 2nd Day of My First Job

The first day of my first job does have much to mention as it is an Orientation Day. We do not play games during this day. Instead, we have many talks and the only interesting activity is the factory visit. Surprisingly, I met a lot of my high school friends there.

On my first day reporting to work, I was welcomed by my team leader, Cheah Chee at new employee entrance. She is very friendly but I still feel a bit nervous. My team is the smallest in the whole department. I am responsible for updating the data about Servers for different countries. My other team members are Cheah Jing (CJ), Lay Leng (LL) and Yean Hong (YH). Normally I have lunch with CJ, LL and Chris. Chris is previously a member of the team. He had just move to another department. All of us are around the same age. I am sharing the same cubicle with LL, who has work in Dell for 5 years. The first few days are rather bored as I am doing nothing. Then, CC teaches me on the system that we are using. I am the only newbie there, so there will not be any formal training sessions.

Trip to Sarawak

Let’s keep things brief. I took an Air Asia flight to Sarawak from LCCT, which is terminal just beside KLIA. However, you need to take a bus and make a small trip before reaching there. The terminal is better than I expected, despite all the bad comments I found online. Unlike KLIA, it is single storey. Shops such as McDonalds, Asian Kitchen and Coffee Bean are available there.

My host for this trip is Pei Jiuan. She was my “tour guide” around Kuching as well. Pei Jiuan has 3 younger siblings and they are cute. They have 2 dogs in their house, Jimmy and Bell Bell.

Kuching is a bigger city than I imagined. There are lots of cars. Some of the imported cars here are not found in West Malaysia. Sarawak car plates starts with Q. Kuching car plates starts with QK or QA. For Sibu, it starts with QS.

The most common dialect there is Hokkien. However, it is somehow different from the Hokkien use in Penang. Many of the local ethics here attended Chinese schools and can speak Mandarin. There are not many tall buildings around the city, but there are a lot of shop lots. There are nice handicrafts here. In fact, there are too many nice things that I was having a tough time deciding what to buy as souvenirs. I especially like the cravings and local patterns. There are many interesting and unique furniture, influence by the local designs. You can find many of those shops near Sarawak Waterfront. Sarawak Waterfront is a place that you must visit at night. It looks very nice when the lights along the Waterfront are lightening up. The clay pots there are very nice, comes in a number of designs and for different functions. Nonetheless, they are cheap!

There are several old buildings here which are built since the Brookes era, such as Astana, the General Post Office, Sarawak Museum, Texttile Museum and the old court. Most of museums are located near to each other. There are a number of old temples in Kuching, more than 100 years old. Sarawak Museum is place that you must go if you want to know more about the local ethics. Entrance is free. The temples are well maintained and you can still see the beautiful cravings on the ceilings and on the roof. Most of the ethics here are Christian. Wild boar is their favorite meat. As for new places, you can visit the new China-Malaysia Friendship Garden. It is a very nice garden with statues, a lake and a tea house just beside the lake.

Kuching is famous for its Kok Lo Mee, which is almost similar to Wanton Mee, without the wanton. There is a stall selling Kok Lo Mee with own made noodle. I like the vege noodle. It is delicious! The laksa there is different from Penang and is more to Curry Mee. In addition, there are many weird cooking materials which cannot found in West Malaysia. It is interesting to see them in the Sunday Market. Sunny Market is held weekly and ethics living in villages far away will come and sell their goods. They will leave only after finish selling them. Of course, the locals will also sell their goods and products. There are many stalls and the whole area is crowded. Getting a parking lot is extremely difficult.

The political structure and culture in Kuching is very different from in West Malaysia. The city is divided into North and South and there are 2 mayors in the city. The Malays normally stay in the North part and the Chinese normally stay in the South part. Thus, normally the North part mayor is a Malay and the South part mayor is a Chinese. The City Hall is another place that you should visit.

There are many illegal immigrants from Indonesia in Kuching and the safety there is not very good. Gas cylinders are being stolen from houses, but there are no serious crimes so far.

There are many caves and national parks in Sarawak, but they cannot be reached easily and normally the trip is expensive. Unlike the caves in Ipoh and Perlis where they have lights over the place, there are no lights around the area and you will need to bring along torchlight.

I will upload the pictures on my trip later. So, stay tune.

July Happenings

I started attending classes on making fake flowers using Japanese clay several weeks ago. The clay is not as sticky as I think. A lot of materials for the class are relatively expensive. A number of tools are needed just to make a type of flower. But, the product is really nice. After the clay is dry, it is not totally hard, which makes it unique.

After sending in my results and graduation letter to Dell, I received news from them a week later. My boarding date is August 7. I need to do an X-ray and body checkup at the company before getting the offer letter and signing the contract. The X-ray must be done in the company’s panel clinic in e-Gate. It is a new and expensive clinic - its waiting hall is like a hotel, with the nice sofa, plasma TV and Astro channels installed. The medical equipments there are advance. I was a bit surprised.

Since I will only start working next month, I bought some flight tickets for my trip to Sarawak. AirAsia is currently offering promotions for several flights. I will be staying in Pei Juan’s home during my 1 week visit there. Sarawak… here I come!

Summary of Events

June 21, Wednesday – I went for my first interview in Dell, for the Database Analyst position. They called me up early in the morning and scheduled the interview to be held in the afternoon. I was not feeling well on that day, having a sore throat, running nose and a slight fever. I was not prepared and did not hold much hope for that reason.

June 22, Thursday – I went to Informatics at around 12pm for my Microsoft 72-228 paper on Microsoft SQL Server 2000. I did not pass on the first attempt. Luckily the second exam is free due to the promotion.

June 23, Friday – I received a call from Dell. I got the position! It was a surprise! I did not expect to hear such news from them so soon. Christine, Kim Sheng, Khim Foong, Wei Yau and I departed to Chia Chia’s birthday party in Alor Setar, Kedah at around 6pm. The party was not held at her house as expected, but in a restaurant called Swiss Garden. It was a buffet dinner with karaoke. She only invited several friends and relatives. The INTI gang were enjoying themselves with the karaoke. We reached Penang at around 1+pm.

June 28, Wednesday – I went for my second exam on Microsoft SQL Server 2000. I passed this time!

June 30, Friday – Hui Shan arrived in Penang in the morning. She will be working in Penang starting next month. She stayed in my place for 2 days before Ah Khai arrive. Jin and Thai Sin came to Penang on the same day. Jin was here for his Microsoft SQL Server 2000 exam. Thai Sin and he departed back on the same day.

July 1, Saturday – Hui Shan and I went to MATTA Fair, a traveling fair held in PISA. There was a huge crowd and there are many booths. Some of the offers are really cheap. I wish that I have more holidays now. Looks like I can just write down several destinations of my interest and aim for those packages next year.

Photos - Homestay in Japan - Batch 2

Here is the last batch of photos taken in Japan:
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/dellachew06/Homestay02/