Dilemma...

I thought that having a bigger role to play in my current company is a good blessing.

Now I have another offer from another company for a consultant or senior engineer role. This other company has a better track record in terms of financial standings, history and general perception.

But I'm afraid to move, because it could mean that I have to start all over again. But at the same time, the current company isn't the best one in the country right now.

What should I do???

I got a new web counter

On the left side of this blog I've subscribed to a free web counter. Now I will know how many busy body people are reading my blog! :P :P

Self-proclaimed team lead

Lately, my manager has been hinting that I should take on more responsibilities in leading and managing. Although he has not officially announced it, I have begun to proactively manage a team of engineers and coordinate inter departmental communication.

Instead of doing more technically inclined work, I am now more involved in organizing meetings to clear expectations, setting and enhancing processes, following through earlier efforts or pending cases, trying my best to show that I am more than a mere engineer. That I have the capability to be a great leader.

I hope that I can shine in this organization!

What a day to remember! 24th March 2006

It was an interesting day for sure. There was no turning back. The engagement ring had been procured, and I had applied for a day off. Also my fellow collaborators have agreed to follow through the game plan. The stage was set for one of the more memorable days in my life.

That morning at 10.30am, armed with 6 roses to symbolize the 6 years relationship we've spent together, and the engagement ring, I boldly stepped into the Mont Kiara grounds. Along came Daniel, who provided much needed moral support and photography/videography services.

Plaza Mont Kiara Block D


Me waiting for Daniel


The flowers


The ring


Meanwhile, MJ and Chee Onn were busy convincing elsf to download the so-called publicity flash file, which took quite a while to complete! Daniel and I were waiting at the lift lobby at level 3A, where I think at least 3 or 4 people have seen what must have been quite a suspicious sight: a tall guy with roses, and a shorter guy with a camera, whispering and acting weird.

Level 3A


In the elevator


The target!


In fact, the wait was so excruciatingly stressful, that I had to personally call elsf to check whether or not she has finished downloading and watching the file.

Stressed!


"Download already or not?"


Once I knew she had completed the download and finished watching the file, I proceeded to muster up my courage and stepped into her office doors. Showing the flowers and a "ssshhh" to the receptionist, she proceeded to show the way to elsf's cubicle.

Walking...


Heart pounding


She saw me!


With a surprise that shocked her to speechlessness, the office colleagues offered their support in form of applause. I had gone on one knee to ask the inevitable question.

"6 roses for 6 wonderful years together"


The inevitable question


Shocked beyond words


"Please say something!"


With barely a whisper from her shocked self, she hastily accepted the ring and I suppose that must have signaled a yes!

She accepted the ring


With a final photograph for the day, we departed her office, leaving her to savour the experience that must have been one of the more exciting ones to remember.

Me and my fiancée


And, happily now, I am engaged to Lee Swee Feng!

dearest swee feng...

Will you be my wife
For the rest of my life
You and me together
In love forever

A difficult project indeed...

The project that I'm working on currently at work is indeed one of the most difficult projects I've ever been involved in.

Sometimes I wonder where is the "management" in the Project Manager. Sometimes I wonder, are we even equipped enough to go to the customer and say "told ya so" or "you're most definitely wrong".

I don't want to get retrenched because of incompetent managers and inefficient internal processes. And since I don't subscribe to the CYA theory, I think the best course of action would be to do my job as well as I can while adding some semblance of order and process into place where there is currently none. In fact our so-called "consultant" is no great expert on the subject matter. Perhaps it's fair to say that I may have more in-depth knowledge than him!

Outrageously disasterous. Perhaps I should start looking for a new job...

I met up with my Primary 6 classmates

It has been ages since I last saw the likes of Ming-Yan, Bernard, Ellisha, Naveen, Andrew, Siti Sarah, Zarina, Ah Nei and Wai Sen. But there we were in Tanjung SS14 to talk about food, weather and look at childhood photographs.

Fun and laughter permeated throughout the night. It was a splendid outing! Thanks to Ming-Yan for a great job in organizing this meet up.

Photos coming soon!

To the fucker driving the Hyundai Matrix...

Motherfucker driver of Hyundai Matrix:

You tried to cut into my lane after I have painstakingly lined up in a stupid traffic jam for 45 minutes. When I refused to let you barge into my lane with your sick and inconsiderate attitude, you tailgated me and tried to intimidate myself, and my relatives with your insensitive and immature behaviour.

Not only do I curse you to hell, but I also wish that you will be at the receiving end of a more serious bully that will show you the true meaning of FUCKING HELL!

The lowdown on Sichuan

8 DAYS FAIRY WORLD
Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou - Huanglong - Mt Emei - Leshan - Dujiangyan
28 October 2005 - 4 November 2005

Firstly, I apologize for the delay in uploading this report!

Photographs at http://photos.yahoo.com/xerxesxerxes, click to China-Sichuan.

Day 1

Our trip started with a major hiccup - our flight had been delayed by 8 hours! Originally scheduled for a 8.40pm departure, our flight was delayed to 2.20pm and thus half the day was wasted loitering in KLIA, reading newspaper/books, eating kit-kats and essentially waiting for the time to pass!

Upon arrival in Sichuan (Chengdu International Airport), we were greeted by a big signboard at the Immigration that said "Welcome to China. Please be quiet!" Well, that says a lot about the hospitality!

Bear in mind that the time was now 6.40pm, and we were tired, unrefreshed and hungry. We were whisked off to a nearby restaurant to sample some Chengdu food, and it was quite interesting! There were many servings of "small dishes" in addition to the main dishes of noodles, vegetables in soup, fried vegetables, chicken, duck and others. Oh, by the way, Sichuan food is salty, oily and spicy. If you can't handle any of the above, I suggest you bring some snacks from home!

Day 2

In the morning, we visited a huge public park that was the site of a historic female poet in Sichuan. It's amazing that there are such large parks in China, coupled with the comfortable temperature, and it is a good place to relax in.

Lunch was at a nearby restaurant on the way to the domestic airport, and we boarded a 45-minute flight from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. Let's just say that I've never before been in a plane where you can literally see the mountains beneath! The view from the window was breathtaking, as you can see in some of the photos. Landing was rough, the plane was tilting from side to side. But we eventually reached Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport. The temperature was a chilly 3 degrees!

We traveled by bus to Huanglong Scenic Spot, where we bought some oxygen tanks to help us in our breathing. The reason? Jiuzhaigou is situated some 3000m above sea level. And Huanglong is some 5000m above sea level! The air was thin, and the roads were winding. We HAD to use the oxygen tanks! The climb up Huanglong was exhausting, but we were rewarded with some of the most amazing views of the natural structures and formations of rock and water.

Descending from Huanglong, it was already nightfall, around 8pm. We traveled by bus (a gruelling 2 hour ride that made many people sick) to our hotel, which had a Tibetan styling for its interior, and "castle/prison" styling for the exterior. We stayed 2 nights in a room where the heater didn't function so well... FREEZING!

Day 3

We went to visit Jiuzhaigou (9 Villages Valley); its name was derived from the valley where 9 Tibetan villages were situated. This spot (along with Huanglong) was named as UNESCO World Heritage some years ago, and its pristine conditions are really a sight to behold.

I can't put into words how amazingly beautiful Jiuzhaigou is. You have to see the photos for yourself! All I can say is that I hope Jiuzhaigou will not make way for development, and that people will truly respect this monument of nature.

I managed to sample some Sichuan satay which was made with mutton. It's thinner than Malaysian satay, and cost 1Yuan per stick. Later on I saw the same satay on sale in Chengdu: 5 sticks for 1Yuan! >:(

We did some shopping at night at nearby shops. Scarves for 18Yuan (RM9), mobile phone keychains for 1Yuan (50sen), and others! There was a cultural show held in a nearby hotel, and we were entertained by well-choreographed dances and songs that depict the Tibetan influences in Jiuzhaigou.

Day 4

It snowed for a brief moment in the morning, but by then we'd already boarded the bus for our journey to the airport, and flight back to Chengdu. On the way we stopped at a crystal jewelry factory, where some of our tour members did some shopping. My mom bought a jade bangle for 600Yuan (RM300). A good deal!

From Chengdu, we proceeded by bus to the foot of Mt. Emei. We stayed in a dodgy hotel, and we spent the night shopping. Other more adventerous tour members proceeded for a special massage session (which resulted in one seriously injured member!)

The shopping was satisfying. Many people bought many things, including dolls, beads, bracelets and bookmarks. The prices were competitive due to the intense competition faced by the traders.

The most amazing thing was that during a sudden and unexpected blackout, the traders instantly setup torchlights and candles in split seconds, drawing in returning customers to complete the transactions! Amazing customer service!

Day 5

We visited 2 Buddhist temples in the vicinity of Mt. Emei - Baoguo Temple and Fuhu Monastery. The architecture, while nowhere near as stunning as those in Bangkok, serves to show the devotion to the Buddhist teachings. The temple grounds were pristine and large, ideal for aspiring monks and nuns to train toward the alleviation of suffering.

The most interesting portion of the locations was the hall of the arahants. We were told that we had to choose an arahant that we felt most connected to, and get an interpretation from the resident nun there.

Mine was a dark looking arahant, and although I couldn't understand the chinese translation of the characters, my cousin later mentioned that my arahant was a close disciple of the Buddha, and would rush to His aid whenever needed! Interesting...

After an afternoon meal that consists purely of beancurd (even the fish was made from beancurd), we boarded a ferry that transported us to see a wonderful man-made monument.

We visited the Giant Leshan Buddha, which was carved into a mountain some 300 years ago. Standing at a respectable 71 meters, it is truly a monument of human devotion and perseverence. My photographs don't do justice to this truly magnificient creation. Just look at the size of the people at the Buddha's foot to have a better perspective of how large it really is.

Later we had a gruelling 2 hour bus ride to the old town of Huanglongxi, where the people still lived simple lives, oblivious to the advancements of their country. There were no cars in that area, toilets were disgusting, shop houses were made of wood (OK maybe some concrete), horses took a dump in the middle of the street, popcorn was still hand made, and dodgy carnival games were setup in the middle of the street. All in all, a well-preserved town that thrives without the need for outside influences. Although, some might comment that consumerism had eroded their own entrepeneurship, and increased their reliance on tourist dollars. Nonetheless, Huanglongxi Old Town is a quirky spot and, I've been told, a famous location to film movies set in the olden eras.

By nightfall, my stomach was ready to explode from all the Sichuan food, and consequently I suffered from Diarrhea pretty much from this day onward.

We went to watch a cultural show that showcased the well-known Sichuan art of "face changing". I took some videos of the performance. You'll have to see it to believe it: the face masks were changed in split seconds! Other performances included a puppet show, tea pouring martial arts, comedy sketch, erhu and dances. A respectable effort from the Chinese indeed. Although I must say that they should probably sign up for better English language classes.

Day 6

I honestly don't remember what happened in the morning, but we visited another "old town" area where we did some shopping! Since the shops accepted VISA here (normally in other areas they don't), we bought some stone carvings and embroidary from a certain shop. In the end, the shopping spree brought around some commotion, as one of our tour members suffered from upset stomach and our tour leader was nowhere to be seen! Quite scary, if you ask me. The shouts and accusations were hurled, and apologies were not accepted!

We had a night walk at one of Chengdu's bridges. Nothing interesting except for a restaurant located atop the bridge. Cute.

Day 7

We proceeded to the Chengdu Panda Research Base to view the cute and loveable giant pandas and red pandas. With the population of the giant panda dwindling to less than 2000 in the world, this base is vital to ensure the continual survival of this creature.

Pandas are lazy by nature, and due to the inefficiency of their digestive system which only absorbs 20% of its food intake, the pandas' lives revolve around eating and sleeping. And the base is the perfect sanctuary for the pandas to do so without external interference.

At night we traveled to Dujiangyan where we stayed for a night. We visited the shopping streets and spent most of our cash buying winter jackets. The prices were downright ridiculous. My dad bought a leather jacket for 300Yuan (RM150!)

Day 8

In the morning, we visited the Dujiangyan water irrigation dam. We were supposed to view it via cable car, but due to the misty weather conditions, we were not able to see anything at all. So we observed the trees around and admired the various colours of their leaves.

Later on we proceeded back to the same "old town" area to have lunch, where I bought a guan yin statue from the same shop for only 200Yuan (RM100). A good deal, and I'll display it soon.

Initially our flight home was scheduled in the afternoon, but was delayed to 10pm. Hence we had the entire day in Chengdu to kill time!

We went to "artistes street" where traders were showcasing their semi-antique items and artwork at a busy intersection of a major highway. No shopping done here, but some interesting photos.

Our last day was spent literally listening to lectures. We visited a silk factory, a pearl factory, medications supplier, and a tea house. All compulsory thanks to the Chinese government. Oh well, I suppose it's all in support of their economy!

Closing Words

Is Sichuan enjoyable? Not really. The food is uninteresting, the place is not foreigner friendly (most don't speak English, VISA and MASTERCARD are not accepted), and the distances to travel are large.

But is it worth the trip? Most definitely if you wish to see the beauty and splendour of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. Just have a look at all the photographs and you'll agree with me. You have never seen anything like it before. And I think that it's a photographer's heaven. I saw many tourists (local and foreign alike) carrying tripods, bulky camera equipment, SLRs to Jiuzhaigou to spend the day taking photographs.

A word of advise to end this report. If you do follow a tour, here's what to expect:
- pay for optional cultural shows
- pay for Panda visit
- sucky food (bring maggi, sambal, ikan bilis, biscuits, chocolates!)
- lack of sun - take more multivitamins
- incompatible foods - prepare diarrhea and indigestion medicine
- just enjoy the culture! Chengdu is VERY laidback compared to, say, Shanghai

Jiuzhaigou - 9 Villages Valley. It's a sanctuary untouched by human destruction. It's a refreshing change away from the modernity of human existence. Go there and be inspired by the colours and clean air and beautiful sceneries. Recharge yourself and have faith that there is still hope left in this world we live in...

Examples of Pink Elephants

Recently, MITI minister Rafidah Aziz had been committing many Pink Elephant slips, evident in her various responses regarding the AP issue.

The latest example from the interview excerpt in New Straits Times:

And, so far, the Prime Minister has said nothing less than full support for what I am doing. For this I am very very happy and (it) has motivated me to even work harder. I say this not to "mengampu" the Prime Minister.

DUHH!!!

How about when she was asked to release the list of AP receipients at the time when it was still clouded in secrecy?

Release! Release all! We have nothing to hide!

DOUBLE DUHH!!!

How many more pink elephants can you spot in your daily observations?