A Whole Lot Of Frustration!

It’s Monday and I’m so pissed off today. As you all know, today is supposed to be Siti’s wedding day and just because of that the whole office become a topsy-turvy. I personally would love to watch and witness the wedding matrimony but knowing and understanding that today is a WORKING DAY, I tried my very best to resist the temptation. And I just can’t simply understand why the others cannot do the same. I’m pretty sure that there will be a repeated telecast on the occasion. Duh, no wonder people talk about how easy and comfortable it is to be working in the Government sector. You have ample time to do whatever you wish to do and no pressures, responsibilities and burdens are put on your shoulder.

Well, I could agree up to a certain point. As for me, it depends on the individual himself. It also depends on the nawaitu. If in the first place, you’ve set your mind that you’re going to watch Siti’s wedding live telecast on the Idiot Box at 10.30 am, you’re going to do just that. Way before 10.30 am, you’re going to find excuses not to do your actual job. Remember that Your Body Works as Your Mind Tells You So. Therefore, today I’m writing to express my frustration and dissatisfaction after having a terrible mood strike. The failure of the Internet connection here, is ONLY adding salt to the wound. Hopefully, things are going to get better later in the afternoon. I hope so. Well, for now, I’m going to stay inside my cubicle, guarding my personal zone and try to avoid any conversations and connections with the WORLD out the there.

A Ten Cent Story

Yikes! It’s Monday and I’m having my usual Monday blues. As I’m munching my kuih keria and sipping my teh tarik, I suddenly remembered what happened on Friday the 11th. On my way back home on that fateful day, I somehow had a craving for Baker’s Cottage’s bread and cakes. So, off we (Ayue & me) went to the destination. I planned to buy some cakes (fruitcakes & orange-flavored cakes) for my Mum-in-law as buah tangan because my husband and I will be heading to our hometown later. Once I got there, I started to browse for the things that I needed. As a regular customer, I scanned the price of the items that I wanted and started to count the total in my head. Hmm, I guessed this was the skill that I’ve gained while working in Jusco. Y’know, dealing with fussy customers and a huge amount of money everyday somehow trained you to be extra particular about the value of every cents and ringgits. Hmm, as I made my way to the counter, I also noticed that the cashier was using a calculator instead of the cash register. The best thing about cash register is that it will help you to count the amount of goods purchased automatically when you scan or key in the SKU number. Therefore, the chances of you making a mistake are almost ZERO. Unless, of course if you scan the items repeatedly or key in the SKU number wrongly. The cashier did not put up a smile (to the customer in front of me) and focused on pressing the calculator buttons. Preet…another wrongdoing I would say in serving customers. Working in Jusco had taught me to appreciate customers more than anything in the world. The phrase “Customer Is Always Right” is put into practice there. On one occasion, one unfortunate employee was slapped by the customers just because her child was slightly injured in an unfortunate event. It was totally NOT the employee’s fault that the child ran and knocked his head at the signboard “COUNTER IS CLOSED” that the employee was holding. Looking at her child crying out loud somehow caused anger down to the Mother’s spine which lead her to take an instant action, a rather stupid action actually, to slapped the employee. The employee did not fight back at first but after being called names, she shouted and fought back. Immediately affected by the incidents, the manager quickly rushed to the scene and chose to sided the customer. He forced and urged the poor employee to ask for apology from the customer and unwillingly she did just that. Back at the loading bay, the manager explained to the employee that no matter what happened, even if it’s not your faults, as a retailer, you have to put customers as your top priority, because without them you’re NOTHING. Sad story huh?! Okay, as I was saying, I made my way to the counter and handed my items to the cashier to make a purchase. She casually counted using the calculator and showed me the total amount. It was RM15.20. I handed over RM15.50, she gave me the balance (without the receipt) and I moved aside for the next customers. Hmm, what made me curious was the fact that there was no RM1.90 purchase of items that I bought that day, and yet I saw the figure while she counted the total purchase. I went back to the rack and recounted the total amount, thrice. RM15.10. No doubt. I walked out of the shop and informed Ayue that the cashier overcharged me- RM0.10. I asked her whether should I or should I not redeem my 10 cent and she just smiled. I decided to ask for my 10 cent and the cashier wanted to recount the total amount. To my surprise, she did not even know the exact prices; she just kept on hitting the numbers on the calculator. I was the one who had to tell her the prices. And finally, she gave me back my 10 cent. Before I went out, I advised her to count properly next time. Hey! 10 cent is equally worth as ringgits as well. On that day, I rewalked out from the shop feeling contented and proud of myself. You may wonder why. Well, when you look at one narrow aspect, you may think that I’m a stingy person but when you look at a wider and different perspective you will see that it’s all about claiming your rights and doing what you feel is right. Doncha agree with me? 

Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata…I first heard or learned the phrase from a Disney movie- The Lion King which my younger brother was fond of. It simply means No Worries! How I wish that I could just do that in my everyday life…Sigh…Last nite,I realized that it is hard not to worry about little things as it generally affects you as well. I went back home with my loyal passengers when it was about 6.10 o’clock in the evening. We finally reached Bangi around 6.35pm. You see, I’m not a fast driver as I am being careful not to put much pressure to my body as I’m pregnant. After a very slow and steady ride, I’ve decided to pay a visit at my favourite groceries to buy some raw materials (fish and vege) for my dinner. At first I thought of buying some chicken for our dinner but then I remembered that my other half had grown tired of eating chicken for these past few days,so I bought fish instead. Right after that, I paid another stop at Lengkuas and bought the ever tasty Tom Yam Campur. I dunno why but I really find that the Tom Yam somehow tasted exactly like the one at Jack’s Seafood in Desa Pandan. Surprise…surprise!! Later I went straight back home. I was surprised to find that my husband had not yet reached home. I don’t really want to spend time in the house alone as I don’t feel comfortable to do so. But nevertheless, I walked up straight to the house and watched some kind of a programme on the TV while waiting for Maghrib prayer. Deep inside my head, I was calculating that maybe I could performed my Maghrib prayer together with my husband. So I waited for a while…..while waiting, I also managed to scrap the fish and prepared them for cooking. I waited till it was almost 8 o’clock. Afraid that I’d missed my Maghrib prayer, I decidec to performed it alone. I just coudn’t afford to wait anymore. Later one, I went to the kitchen to prepared the vegetables. But still I couldn’t focused to the chores as I was WORRIED. Bad annd nasty thoughts came to my mind. I shooed the thoughts away by praising a silence prayer that everything is going to be Okay! However, my heart ruled my mind. I broke down and cried. With tears running down my face, I fetched my shawl and decided to wait for my husband at the Lobby. That was the least that I can do to gain comfort. After a few minutes, I saw the shadows of his motocycle. I had mixed feelings. I knew that I could burst down to tears any minutes now…and I also knew that I could leap up of joy at that moment. Finally, I went with the former. My husband was clueless and all that he can say was, “Don’t cry….y’know I have a lot of work to do”….I clung tightly to him and can’t stop crying. Actually I was a bit embarassed as I knew that I was acting a bit childish, but still I can’t help it! There’s ain’t no HAKUNA MATATA!!!!!! I apologised later for being such a worri-ER and the nite ended up as it is supposed to be…Me and my husband enjoying our dinner…Hehehehe…

Wake up SleepyHead!

Zzzz…I dunno why but I personally think that Monday sucks! I woke up this morning with a hesitation of not coming to work. However, I somehow managed to combat the feeling. Which I found very amusing. Hmm, by the way, I was supposed to enjoy my cuti-cuti Malaysia today but due to some unavoidable reasons, I’m stucked here in the office today. Luckily, I have found a rather interesting game to keep me awake and alive. This game is called Virtual Villagers. Well, what I could really say here is that once you’re dealing with people lives and what-so-ever, things at an instant become interesting. Eventhough this game is rather tiring in comparison to the ever famous The Sims, I can still find it cool. Basically, the plot started when a group of people find themselves been washed up on a remote island, and they are lost and confused. There are two main objectives to achoeve. The first one is to successfully managing the day-to-day routine of the litte band of castaways so that they are able to thrive in their new home and at the same time try to unlocking the secrets of Isola. The second objective is to solve the puzzles. After few attempts, I somehow managed to buy certain technologies and it did help them to survive…but not for long as they tend to grow old as well. I did try to pursuade them to mate…but unfortunately, 50 something is just to old to conceive. Duh! the least that I can do is to watch my villagers die. Nevertheless, I never give up and try all over again. I do hope that this time around my effort will proved to be fruitful.

Enough about the game, eventhough I spent my lunch hour staring at the computer screen. Okay, last Saturday I went to my regular maternity check up and to my surprise, my Doctor told me that she can actually trace the baby’s gender. I was excited although I don’t really mind whether it’s a girl or a boy. Hehehe….once the Doctor spread the gel and scanned, it was so obvious that I could even guess it on my own. Wee….it’s a baby boy! No wonder he’s kicking here and there inside the womb. My husband was happy and he started to have this vision of him and our baby playing football together. I couldn’t help but laughed.  No matter what it is, I just pray for the best for my baby. May he grows up to be a person who does good to his parents, nation and religion. Insya-allah.

Last night, one of my collegues called me. I was having my dinner at that time so I couldn’t talk for long. I hoped she doesn’t mine. To tell the truth, I’m actually a bit worry about this particular friend of mind. After years of graduation, still she doesn’t secure a permanent job. Not to say that she doesn’t apply jobs or search for one but I guess luck is just not by her side. I tried to do my very best by updating her resume (which I find very-very less appealing to employers), registering her to job agency and so on. I somehow pray that she will eventually realise that if she really pumps in the effort, it will pays. I know that I have no right to judge her but sometimes I can’t help but feel that she needs to revamp and morph herself towards better future. I can only help her but only she can change and mould her future. It’s pathetic when other people care so much about you and your future when all you do is nothing. Ding dong! Wake up Sleephead! Wake up Dreamweaver! Chase you future and never let it slip from your hands…..

I’m glad…

Uwee….I still couldn’t believe that at last I finally have my own blog. Well, after months spending at INTAN Bukit Kiara, I finally manage to find time to create one. Hmm..there’s nothing much to talk about in my first posting but…there are also some news meant to be shared. For the past few days, I’ve been trying to contact all my former collegues at UPM. I succeeded in contacting few of them and pursuaded them to join the yahoogroups that is build as a platform for shout out. But alas, only few of them accepted the invitation. To tell the truth, I am rather disappointed as I do understand that it is not easy for all of us to meet regularly. I guess not everybody has the same thinking as I am. Anyway, I’m not going to easily give up on this. After all, “AUT VIAM INVENIAM AUT FACIAM” – If there’s a will, there’s always a way. A true Georgian to myself, yes I am. Besides that disappointment, I also have another sad news. One of my friend in the Ministry has lost her baby (miscarriages). I still remember those happy days when we both found out that we were both pregnant. I recalled the moment when she rang me up and blurted out the news. I was so shocked and tears were filling my eyes. I did not cry though but I was really sad. i just couldn’t imagine if I was in her shoes. Fortunately, she has a very caring and understanding family members and I’m sure that really help. Nowadays, I dunno who to talk to and share my discoveries ( about pregnancy and babies) and stories with. I try my very best to avoid the topic because I personally think that she’s fragile at the moment. Sometimes, talking just won’t do the tricks. Silence is the golden key, therefore the best way is to keep it hush-hush. No matter what happens, I always pray for her happiness. After all, we should be glad….and as for me,I’m glad that I’m still alive today surrounded by love, faith and compassion. I just couln’t ask for more. Full stop.