Tsunami Strikes Again

It just seems like yesterday that the country was rocked by the news of the tsunami disaster that stroke the coast of Acheh, Thailand, Sri Lanka and a few others. To be frank, at that time I was in a shopping mall in KL - unaware on what was happening in the neighboring country and even my own state!

And now the disaster again reared its ugly head. I was in my home town this time around. We were busy with preparation for my sister''s wedding, when hubby stumbled upon the news and immediately switched to the news channel. We were glued - could not believe our eyes - looking at the wrath of nature. How terrifying.


It has been more than a week now. More than 8000 lives has been lost with many more still unaccounted for. The tragedy also exposes the risk of having nuclear plants. The old nuclear plants in the area were affected, raising concerns over radiation. Food stuff from Japan is currently on stringent checks for radiation - and indeed some has been found to be of excessive level. I am a wee bit curious, how this news will affect Malaysian diners - will they still patron their favorite Japan restaurant???


The frequent natural disaster lead many to believe that the earth is getting old, very very old. Remind me of the movie 2012.....hmmmm....


May we be given the strength to go through it all.....

Little Things

In most days, we are too occupied in our life, that there is hardly time to stop and smell the roses. We are obsessed over the kids, pressured at work , worried over deadlines, frustrated of personal problems and health issues.....Always distracted by one thing or the other.

In our quest to be a great mom (or dad), a dedicated employee (or employer) coupled with trying to have a superb personal live, we sometimes forget about the small things in life. We always look for the big things - the luxury house, the super cars, the shiny jewelery - that sometimes it derailed us.

We forgot about the little things - to be thankful that we are still given another day to live, to be able to wake up in the morning with our loved ones on our side, to be thankful that we still have a job, that we can still financially takes care of ourselves and our loved ones. 

And in our busy schedule, we sometimes forget about the things that matters the most - our family, friends and loved ones. People who are there though thick and thin, through our ups and downs. 

Let's enjoy life more, strive to give more. Surprise your loved ones with little things - a home made card, a home-made cookie or just buy some ice-cream or chocolates. Nobody can resist chocolates, right? And do the same to your friends. Bake some cake and bring to the office. It's contagious - how your colleague feel - will be reflected back to you.


And the next time you see a stranger or a small kids in a grocery store, pay for his newspaper, or for his/her ice-cream. Their infectious smile will be attached to our face as well.....

Temptations

In our daily life as mere mortals, we are often faced with temptations -  huge ones and itsy bitsy ones. That has proven to provide some of the more colorful characters you see walking on earth. People doing anything to try to  fulfill their temptations.

Working in an engineering company means that I am used to crunching numbers and reviewing nitty gritty details. What with the current trend of miniaturization and cost efficiency - this sometimes translated to hours of discussion on how to reduce 2mm of the height of your product.

Where are you going with this, you ask? Well, this just means that I appreciate the work that engineers do - the (brilliant and tedious) work of innovations that goes behind a function.  Try getting your Magnesium chassis to pass 48 hours salt fog test and pressure cooker test. and you'll know what I mean. So it is normal that I am awed by products that is ATEX and IPX compliant, a product that is so tough - it is nicknamed 'gorilla glass'. 

Which brings me back to the temptation thingy. I see a new gadget with gorilla glass, is water and dust resistant, and flips and back-flips - temptation flocks in. Whether or not I succumbed to the temptation, well that is my lil secret....

The spate of suicides reported in our local dailies is indeed alarming. Not sure whether this is just a recent trend, or it has been around for some time - just without the intense highlights.

There's the case of the high school girl, supposedly posting out her intent online - only to be chided by her friends. This sound all too familiar. Haven't we heard of this tragedy over and over before. 




But the tragedy that really tugs into my heart is when is involves innocent life. The hapless. Children and babies who deserve to a chance in this world. Being a mother myself, I could never imagined throwing my babies off the 4th floor or feeding them rat poison. But then what do I know. They might have something terrible that drove them to this unfortunate act.

Let's just pray that we are spared from whatever misery that could cloud our judgement....and let our children have a glimmer of hope in this world that we are living.....

Worst Driver?

It was in the Sunday Times recently - sms mentioning that Penangites are Malaysian's worst driver. This is followed by similar nod the next week. Hhhmmm....really? But I have to admit that I've heard similar complaints myself - from people who commutes in KL - on the Penangites worst (driving) attitude.

I have witnessed some as well. From Kancil to CLS 320. Instead of queuing like everybody else - especially near traffic light junctions - they will drive all the way to the junction, and then squeeze their way in front of you. In some instances, we had to literally make a sudden stop - to avoid collision with them! What a p****! And this is not confined to the male species...

Whenever there is a small space (say emergency lane), you bet somebody is going to squeeze in - though they are well aware that the lane is only 10m - as they will then incessantly squeeze their way back in (the main lane).

Just the other day, I say a super expensive CLS trying to maneuver others. He refused to queue and instead opted to drive his expensive car on the gravel and when the grave ends, pushed his way back to the main road! Probably it is just me. I mean when you see somebody driving a gleaming car, you have certain expectations -  the person to be of a very good upbringing, is reserved and polished - and when they act like some thugs on the road well, it simply doesn't jive!

I was in my hometown recently. During a stop at a traffic light - I saw a local driver who suddenly maneuvered from the right most lane to the left most lane - way over the yellow line (on a 3 lane road) - 3 seconds before the light turned green. I was shocked. 'wohoo....so they are wrong after all....it's Kuantan and not Penang - who has the worst driver' was my comment to dearest hubby. Then we headed to  a well known nasi lemak restaurant, where we parked near the roadside in front of the place. 

When it was time to leave, guess what we saw? A car conveniently parked beside a van in front of the restaurant. Basically double parking in front of the jammed packed eating place. There was just a small space to squeeze through. And since our ride that day equals a big-sized van - it took a while and  and  sheer patience to slowly trudged through. Hubby reminded me 'Take a look at the car plate'. Sure enough it starts with P**. Guess that re-claims the award which not one hour ago awarded to Kuantan drivers!

Hmmm...but seriously speaking - is that really the case? I have seen fair share of reckless driving in Klang Valley. And about road rage and thugs in KL and Johor and other states. It is all up to the individual - and not from which states he/she comes from....

Amazing Lil Gray Matter

The Lil' Gray Matter is simply amazing.

Case to point - I had the opportunity to use a software that I have not used for years - make that 7 years. Previously I used to work with the software (albeit an older version) - for engineering design.

Anyway, I was forced to reconnect with the software recently.  I was apprehensive at first. Mind you in the last 7 years I have not  used it - not even once!  Hence,  it was a (nice) surprised to discover that within hours it all automatically comes back! All the tricks - the software uses action shortcut commands via left button mouse - were like in the tip of my fingers.


Amazing, doesn't it???? A friend noted that it is possibly because when I used the software, I know all the 'behind the scenes' logic- unlike those who are just pure users. Anyway - it was a a very good feeling, to know that I still 'got it'!


Well, the truth is that  I have this problem with names and at times faces. And matching names to faces or faces to names....Typical scenario : a person comes to my side and greeted me - by my name. I'll smile and start scrambling for a name and recognition - is this person from my primary school, or secondary school (2 schools!) or during my brief stint in SMART or a friend from ITM or from university or from work or acquaintances....I'll end up mumbling something generic - which can be depressingly embarasing.

I can't blame it on age, as I have always been like - for as long as I can remember. I am not the person who will light up a party. Never the one to initiate a small talk - unless cornered. And I just pray that others will not notice how uncomfortable I am. Personal space is important to me - probably part of the mild OCD (yeah, blame that!).


Well, I still got the flair of the software, that's good enough, right? Ha..ha.ha...

Happy New Year 2011

It is now 10.10pm, 31st of Dec 2010. In less than 2 hours, we will usher in 2011 - the start of a new decade.

It is now almost a year, when I started to (seriously) write in here - though most of the times I struggled - what with work, family and what not. 

Anyway, the first thing that pops into everyone's mind every New Year is resolution. I'm not a fan. In fact I have never officially list down what I intend to achieve in a particular year. I strive to do the best that I can - professionally and in personal life. I don't see a point of putting resolution such as losing 5kg, only to be depressed because by the end of the year, you actually gain 2 kg!

Other than resolution for the New Year, another favorite topic is reflections. Yup, reflections on the things that the last year bestowed upon you. It's good if it actually triggers  you to do even better....but to cry over spilled milk? What a waste!

Year 2010 was a good year for me...there was ups and there was also downs. I was admitted a few times, but the good news was, I recovered! I finally gained weight - and for the first time my weight exceeded the 45 - 47kg which normally where it hovered. The bad news is that since now I am now of normal weight (instead of underweight) - I can no longer fit in some of my tight skinny jeans. Which includes the limited edition pencil fit brown Levis I adored. On the other hand, it now gives me a reason to shop for new wardrobe.

Yeah - always take positive things in life.....that's a motto that I find benefits us the best.

Anyway, Happy New Year.....Let's hope that whatever we d, Allah's blessing is always with us.....Aminnnn.....