Hold That Thought: 2009

Migrate

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:28 PM 0 comments

It's been exactly a month since I posted my last entry. Frankly, I don't feel like posting up anything but I'm sensing a bit of guilt for abandoning this blog for far too long. Any longer I would have given up on blogging again hah... So a lot has happened during the last month. Celebrated my 23rd birthday, getting a confirmation on my job and earning myself a battle scar on my left hand haha... that's what one of the psycho chef in my working place calls it. I accidentally slit my hand if you're wondering and no it's not on the wrist. Christmas is on the way but sadly I'll not be home to celebrate. Work, work, work... I'm really getting tired of the idea on working while everyone's enjoying quality time with their friends and family. I guess it's expected of those working in the service industry. Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it. I miss my freedom and I also miss breakfast. Sigh... another year passing by so what have I accomplish? I'll leave that for my next post.

On another note, you know how some birds migrate to warmer places during winter.. well, in my case, December is like a migratory period for me. Unlike the birds which have a certain place to migrate to, I have to find a new one every year since the last 2 years. It's like a ritual and this ritual can be a stick in the ass. First, I need to find a way to move my ever expanding collection of junk and second I need to actually get a place so that I can move all those junk in, me included. Seems like a simple two step ritual right? Wrong! If you get this two steps screwed up you're heading straight to the bottomless fiery pit of hell... or the roadside. I'll leave you guys here while I continue to drown in my list of countless things to worry about before the year ends. TTYL.

Yearning

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:41 PM 0 comments

Life has been gloomy this past week. I guess I can blame it on the weather but I actually find the equally gloomy weather comforting. I can't say the same for the part about my life though because it felt as if there is lack of something that completes me. I don't think being single is the cause of it either if that's what you're thinking hah! Sometimes I think about the future and the things that I want to own, the goals that I set and then I pause and ask myself so what if I've got'em all? Will it really fulfill this little void that I'm feeling inside? I remember when I was younger, owning a Playstation was the best thing that could happen to me. Once in a while I would spend time after school in a little shop in KOMTAR renting Playstation by the hour with a couple of friends until one fine day when I saved enough for my very own machine. It was the happiest moment of my life, back then, but guess what, the feeling lasted only a few days and then life goes on. You may think that a Playstation is just a small object but for a teenager that has no other goals than to play King of Fighters every hour of the day, it's a dream come true. Of course I've grown and so has my dreams and goals but the fact is, at the end, the satisfaction that you get out of achieving your current goals is just the same or maybe less because we'll eventually grow out of it and then the next obsession comes along. So how do I fill this emptiness inside? Have you ever asked yourself what's your purpose? I do, but I hope I won't have to soon.

Style or Substance

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:04 AM 3 comments

Have you ever been in a situation where you think that you are the most capable amongst the crowd for a position yet you are bound by "social etiquette" from voicing it out in fear that you'll be deemed as a snob or that you are full of yourself? The situation is worse when you live in a society that value style over substance. When a person in charge decides to go for someone with style over someone with substance for a specific task, what should the person with substance do? To make things relevant, I'll equate style with looks and substance with knowledge. I'll further define looks as a person who possess the perfect character and fits into the typical stereotype of how a person of a certain profession should look like eg. IT engineers should be serious and their looks should more on the nerdy side. Then there is the knowledgeable one who happens to possess the skills and proficiency to fully execute the task. I know there are those who happened to be blessed with both, lucky them, but I'll draw a line just so we don't make things complicated. What I'm trying to say is that people with style gets it easy with life. Others tend to trust them more and thinks that they are a much suitable candidate simply because most people judge a book by it's cover. Of course it's not their fault that they happen to have style but people with substance should be given a chance to compete therefore they should not be afraid or feel guilty to speak out or volunteer to lead the pack. Be warned though, your confidence will come with a price because as I said, people tend to judge you by the skin therefore even with sufficient knowledge you'll have to walk the extra mile to prove your capabilities and to shut down the naysayers.

I'm back to blogging again albeit a couple of days late because of work. I was supposed to be off yesterday but someone changed the schedule and forgotten to inform me. How convenient. I ended up being late for an hour but lucky for me, it was not a busy day and they could've been able to carry on without my presence lol... Anyway, just wanna post something up for the sake of posting something hence I shall end here as I'm suppose to be working double shifts tomorrow. Sigh.. BTW I'm currently following a series that I think you would find interesting...

GLEE... drama, comedy, dance, musical. It puts High School Musical to shame.

The cast of GLEE

My favorite line from this series thus far... It' not easy to break out from your comfort zone. People will tear you down and tell you that you shouldn't have bothered in the first place but let me tell you something, there's not much of a difference between a stadium full of cheering fans and an angry crowd screaming abuse at you. They are both just making a lot of noise. How you take it, is up to you. Convince yourself they are cheering for you. You do that and someday, they will.

PS. Play featured video for the trailer of GLEE

Preparations For The Future

Posted by Ivan Lee On 1:19 PM 0 comments

Hello world! I've just got back my mood for blogging. Nothing much worth mentioning happened to me for the past few weeks except for some minor drama at work. Typical sore losers who try to make people's life miserable because they can't bare to see other's success. Anyway, it's already October, meaning that the year is coming to an end soon. Really freaky how time went by so fast. I remember it wasn't the case when we were in highschool. Back then, every class seems like a century and a year seems like forever or maybe because maths and science subjects have the ability to slow down my perception on time lol... I know its a bit too early for new year resolutions but I want 2010 to be a fruitful year not just because it the year of the tiger (Tigers rule!!!), but because 2009 is like a year of "preparations" for me. Sort of like getting myself into shape literally and figuratively to achieve something. Therefore, next year I would like to see myself putting more effort into making things happen. So before the curtains close on 2009, I must forge ahead with the "preparations" as I anticipate the start of a new year.

On another note, two of my housemates had confirmed that they will be moving out by the end of this year because they will no longer be studying in the same institution. This means that I'll be bidding farewell to another familiar element in my life soon. Time to scout for a new crib! I already have several potential hotspot at sight and I sure hope that at least some of my amigos are gonna live together this time *insert hopeful look*. Anyway, the following pictures are taken from a website which features a unit for rent with a good location and a fair price. I can almost hear it say my name haha...

Speaking of me amigos, I'm excited that TSP is finally back to Malaysian shores. Hope to see you soon! The sooner the better. I'll keep this entry a short one because I'll be signing in for work extra early tomorrow. Preparing for a minor pre-function evening cocktail. Will probably post another entry by tomorrow or the day after.

Creepy Crawler

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:04 PM 14 comments

Hey all. I've been pretty reluctant to blog these few days. Had been taken on a bumpy ride during work. One day you feel like you belong then it could be the opposite the next day. A lot had happened since my last post which leads to the always frustrating question of where should I start? Okay, since I've started on the topic of work, I shall share with you a good news or rather a bad news... Well, it depends on how you see it. I received my first unofficial paycheck from my current job! Great news right? Here comes the bad part, I'm not entitled for service points this month as I worked less than 12 days. To make things worst, I'm getting paid till the 25th of Aug only because that's their 'pay period' or what ever they call it which means I'm only getting 6 days worth of salary without service points! Ah well, at least its still a 3 figure lol... Guess I'll have to wait till the 25th of September for my first official paycheck. If you are wondering about the date, I think the cheque was issued on the 31st but I just got them 3 days ago and I still can't seem to find the time to cash them

So now that I've got some greens with me, I was thinking of getting myself something useful. Something that I was more determined to get after the last couple of days. Okay, why don't I tell you what happened the last couple of days. So here's how the story goes, it was during a night when I went for my bath leaving my room door wide opened which I seldom do, I don't know why. When I got out from shower, I could sense something was not quite right but I was too tired to bother. That night when I was lying on my bed about to drift off to la la land, I heard it. It was a faint squeaking sound. I thought for a moment and decided that it was impossible as I'm living on the 5th floor and with that logic, I fell into slumber. During the second night when I was busy surfing through the net, I heard it again. This time I went on a "witch hunt" leaving no shells unturned but yet I could not find 'the thing' I was looking for. I gave up after spending quite sometime, also because I had to answer nature's call. It was then when I opened my door I saw 'the thing' making a dash for the exit. It was so fast that I only managed to catch a shadowy glimpse of it heading towards the darkness of my unlit kitchen. I had to rudely decline mother nature's invitation for supper to continue my "witch hunt" in the kitchen. I equipped myself with a broom, ironically since I was suppose to be on a witch hunt not a witch run. Anyway, I started sweeping the entire surface area beneath every cupboards and tiny spaces that 'the thing' could have called a safe haven but to no avail. By then I thought to myself that it could have been hiding in a hole on the wall that I didn't know existed and there could be more of them. It was then that I spotted that one place that I didn't bother to move, simply because it was disgusting (that I blame it on an individual who failed every ISO cleanliness test ever to exist in the world). It was the maggot infested rubbish bin. I thought to myself that 'the thing' wouldn't dare mock me would it? I mean here I am basically trying to sweep it's guts out with my broom and all it could think of is getting some snacks? Well I shook the pathetic bin anyways just to be sure that I've covered the last known spot to me and behold, 'the thing' was finally spotted. It was squeaking while crawling very fast with it's head tilted upwards. I was too shocked to even find my voice let alone shattering glasses with a high pitch scream simply because it was the biggest frigging HOUSE LIZARD that I've ever saw in my life! It was even a wonder that I managed to gather thoughts such as, what the fuck is wrong with this world? I thought mice squeaks but a squeaking lizard? Since when did this evolution took place? Has too much American Idol turned this hopeful house lizards into some sort of reptilian sopranos? Nevertheless, I was glad it was not what I thought it was though it has caused a development of cleanliness paranoia to a certain degree hence the requirement to buy something as useful as a vacuum cleaner to suck up every speckle of dust in my room. Ah... what a great excuse for wanting to be lazy haha... I'm planning to use my RM 150 voucher that I obtained from PC Fair to buy this vacuum but I'm still in a dilemma as I initially wanted to purchase a spare battery for my camera.

Shall I be practical and go with the purchase of the vacuum?

Or should I purchase backups for camho session?

I can't help but to feel that working life is slowly domesticating me.

Life Goes On

Posted by Ivan Lee On 3:30 AM 13 comments

I do not dare to sleep even when it's 3 am already because I fear that I'll be drowsy later in my shift tomorrow (which is later today). So today (as in yesterday lol) was my off day and not wanting to waste the day away, I decided to go somewhere different for dinner. TTDI was where I ended up and lo, I found a Ramadan Bazaar. Banana leave was why I headed to TTDI but since I initially intended to go for these bazaars with some friends, I went ahead alone lol... Was quite a waste though as I didn't take my cam along. The first aroma that reaches my nostrils were Ayam Goreng Berempah and Murtabak which was at an insane price of RM10 but still selling. Wanted to buy the Briyani Johor but the queue was so long and I was already getting hungrier by the moment so I bought some piping hot chicken samosas instead. As I went along, I told myself not to spend too much like I always did in SS2 Pasar Malam. With that in mind, I went hunting for "finger foods" which was obviously cheaper but it was soon proven to be a failed strategy. The smaller the food, the more I need to fill in a big cosmic gap in my stomach and the tendency to go for varieties ended up burning another hole in my pocket. Not wanting to go home yet, I declare my own buka puasa in my own car which now smells like fish cake because of some Otak Muar grrr...

Went to the 'Pentagon of Entertainment' aka Ikea-Curve-Ikano-Cineleisure-Tesco combo for some walk kononya to burn some calories but ended up eating ice creams, tea eggs and an unidentified ex-flying object (Okay fine it's chicken but it has been mutilated so badly that it's unrecognizable. To prove my point, they called it dogs, hotdogs!!!). Wanted to watch Up but decided not to after the total damage received in the Ramadan Bazaar so I went scouting for The Library just to have a look at the interior. For those who don't know, this is no place for academia unless you are here to execute some "research" for your F&B project *winks*. When I got to the front I was quite astonished by the posh entrance (At this moment, while typing, I just realized I could have used my mobile to capture all the pictures). Slightly dismayed with the display of fake books which has the same cover printed over and over again but at least they made it looked like real books protruding from a REAL shelf instead to some fake posters of book shelfs *cough*official photographer of graduation*cough* I didn't go in because there was a host in front and I obviously didn't look like I was there for a drink with my Tesco plastic bags with me. Nevertheless, I still managed to get a glimpse or two of the interior and boy it was plush. I know if I have a house, I want it to have that kind of ambience or at least part of the house. I imagine it's the perfect hangout place. I'll put it in my to go list lol...

As for my work, the ever permanent 5 to 2 shift is as sucky as it can get. Working in F&B line is already a tough thing. It demands a lot but when you work at a constant 5 to 2 shift, it means total destruction of your social life which makes it double as hard since you are practically working when other people are free and trust me when I say that the odd hours of freedom you have is basically... uhmm... unpractical? Then again, I'm getting use to it which is scary cause I don't want to arghh... Sometimes when I see those seniors who comes back to the working place even when it's their off days, you get the idea... I'm like go get a life! As much as one has to be devoted to their work, I really believe you need to have a balance of social life. It's easier when one gets to go back to their family or friends but unfortunately I'm not that fortunate haha... I started my work with all my housemates on holiday, except for one which I occasionally spew some words to like okay, thanks, never mind and other words that does not need the usage of my brain neurons. To make things worse, I'm not exactly a morning person (meaning to say I rarely do social activities in the morning) so when I wake up at 2 or 3pm I check the news and proceed with some miscellaneous stuffs before getting ready for work. It's becoming a routine. Oh well, seems like I need plan B. Do I have one? We'll just have to wait and see.

The End

Posted by Ivan Lee On 9:24 AM 10 comments

It is finally over. I don't know how to summarize the whole feeling. Maybe it's a bit of sadness, happiness, anxiousness and dunno what other shit mixed together in one melting pot and KABOOM... that's my graduation. The rehearsal bored the hell out of me that's for sure but other than that, I felt that everything went on too fast. The time we get to say our goodbyes and to savour the moment was insufficient. At some point, it almost felt like the whole ceremony was to mark the end of my life. Ironically, in some places, graduation is also known as the commencement ceremony. The name itself should give you an idea that it is to mark the beginning of something, likely the start of a new life. I guess in my case, it should be a bit of both. Even though moving on can sometimes be a pain in the ass, I'm glad that I'm able to end this chapter of my life with a happy note. I'm thankful to achieve what I had achieved but I know in weeks to come, everything will soon be forgotten hence I shall not rest on my laurels. It's time to focus on my future.

My baby. I shall try not to sleep with it.

Speaking of the future, I have to admit that I was quite worried about being able to achieve my goals and to secure my desired career until recently. I remember those days in primary school I would fantasize about being an engineer. Well I kinda asked my mum what I should be if I like to build houses and she could have told me to be a construction worker but, like any other mums who wanted the best for their child, she mentioned 'engineer'. Fast forward to now, after changing gazillions of "cita cita saya ialah menjadi seorang" thingamajig, I finally realized that life has something else installed for me. My point is, we have no reason to be anxious of the future, provided that we consistently keep an eye out for opportunities because in a period of 10 years we may not know what will happen. It's good to have goals but hey, it's okay to "fine tune" your goals as you go along with life because you might never discover your true potential if you don't open yourself to different possibilities. One thing is for sure, success is never a solitary feat therefore I would like to thank my amazing friends for their support during times when I was at my lowest and to my beloved family. Though I may not always tell people how much I appreciate them face to face (because I'll feel awkward), rest assured I have never forgotten their contributions. So that's about it for today. As for tomorrow, a new life beckons. Let's call that chapter, the start of my career.

No, you are not going to see a clear picture of me in that hideous suit! Sobs.. now I know I look so ugly in those robes, I'll never attend Hogwarts let alone graduating in it *crying a river*.

Jobs of the Jobless

Posted by Ivan Lee On 1:53 AM 0 comments

Damn Blogger! I rechecked and I only have 48 post, 49 including this. Sigh... looks like there won't be any 50th celebration for me until the next post haha... sad case.

So today I was suppose to be on my journey back to Penang but the weather... the freaking weather was so so... perfect! Perfect for sleeping that is. So yeah, I kind of overslept and the last bus from 1 Utama to Penang was at 3.30 pm which I'm certain, with 45 minutes left, I'll not be able to catch in time. This means I'll have to go all the way to Puduraya if I still insist to go home which I'm too lazy to do. Imagine going out in the rain waiting at the shelterless bus stop and then having to endure an hour journey to Kota Raya after which I'll have to walk for another 10 minutes in the rain to reach the bus station with no guarantee of a bus ticket. With that in mind, I fell back to sleep for another hour without guilt because I got to blame Mother Nature *insert evil grin*.

Fast forward a couple of hours, I'm now wide awake since I just took an icy cold bath. Managed to get myself a dinner date and while I'm waiting for the moment to fulfill my hunger, I was wondering the kind of things that jobless people do. I mean since I'm one of them right now might as well be a good sport right? So I came up with the idea of singing the song 'Diva' by Beyonce with a twist, I'm suppose to only sing the part that goes

I'm a, a diva,

I'm a, I'm a, a diva (x forever)

Oh my, that part was played throughout the song with an occasional 2 second pause. It wasn't easy as I almost choke at one part but towards the end I was already a pro. I'm sure with a bit more practice and diligence, I'll successfully transform into a diva. Well, that's what all the self help books are teaching us no? Say it out loud and be persistent, you'll make it! Oh, on another unrelated matter, I noticed that Taylor Swift is a bit of a slut as well. All her songs are mostly about love and she sings about Drew, Stephen, Tim McGraw... Romeo? (delusional slut) and... Mary? (Katy Perry wannabe) and that girl is just 19, don't you think she should reserve some pheromones for the big four zero? Anyway, her songs are addictive. With this I shall end today's episode of Jobs of the Jobless. Signing off, yours truly.

Fifty (False Alarm)

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:19 PM 4 comments

While everyone else celebrates the 10000000th post of their blog entry, I have to be content with celebrating 50th. Nevertheless, I'm surprise I'm still hitting the publish button every now and then, more so at present. At the moment, I feel liberated. In fact, too free that I'm feeling a bit worried at the same time. Hah! That's probably the first time you've heard that coming out from me. Contrary, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Mostly on relationships, with friends lah... Somehow, we've change. For better or worse I can't tell. One thing for sure is that we no longer enjoy the privileges of meeting that often. With everyone having their own agendas and not to forget the distance for some, we somehow miss a lot of each other's personal development. That comes to the question of how well do we know each other right now? I can't help but to associate ourselves to the residents of Wisteria Lane. Our current knowledge on each other is probably skin-deep. I'm not talking about the physical aspect but rather our emotional thoughts, the things that best friends share with each other. I'll admit that I've been guilty of not trying harder but it takes two to tango. In this case, it' not just two. In fact, it's more like line dancing.

I miss those times when we share everything under the sun. Somehow along the way, we started collecting little secrets and keep it in our own treasure box. It's contagious, it became a habit. It's probably one huge pile right now and that's likely how much we don't know each other.

PS: Happy 23rd B'day Tan Jee Mee.

My Resolution

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:12 AM 0 comments

I chose a path. I stuck to my decision even when there was a last minute offer which was tempting enough to get me thinking for another few hours. Things could've been different if the offer was presented earlier but time has given me a chance to reflect thoroughly on my choices. No doubt I'm grateful for the opportunity given and I wish I'll be able to go back someday when the time is right. For now, it's about time I start anew.

Come this 18th of August, I will be officially graduating from college and therefore, a new chapter of my life begins. It's always exciting at the same time disheartening when something comes to an end. Exciting obviously because of what lies ahead but disheartening because we have to leave behind some of the things that we have grow to be fond of. Moving on is the word. As much as we want to cling to the comfort of the past, we have to make some space for the future and that includes letting go of some things we hold dearly. For those whose life has always revolve around college, the word graduation may even sound like a maudlin ballad.

Well, the second half of the year seemed to have started off on a negative note. Death was often the headlines be it on international, national or a personal level. For those who have lost love ones, may you find comfort in the presence of your family and friends. As for now, starting a new means I'll have to clean up some mess which includes a weeks worth of dirty laundry.

Self Medication

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:51 PM 0 comments

My mind was and still is clouded by the burden of having to choose my career path. One day left for decision making. Perhaps I've already made a decision but I'm still creating doubt for myself because I'm afraid of stepping out from my comfort zone. Money or Brand? Why can't I have both? It really seems unfair that one have to choose between these two extremely important factors. I'm shameless in saying that I'm now, or at least I think I am, leaning towards money going against the advice of some people because the fact is I'm not born with a silver spoon. Having effectively cut off from financial support by this end of the month, the luxury of working for well known company is nearly not viable unless the job comes with a fair pay. In the mean time I'm hoping that I'll have the courage, wisdom and strength to do the right thing. The right thing, as cliche as it may sound, is always (okay, most of the time) to "follow your heart".

Well I'm probably done with asking for advice, temporarily. The thing about asking for advice is that, you'll end up more confused at times. The truth is most of us probably already know what we want but "asking for advice" was more like a way of us subconsciously seeking approval on our choices. When the advice given is supportive of our choices we would then think that the path was meant for us, that our choices are justified because there are people who think so too. However, if it's the other way round it might cause a massive lost in confidence, we may start to think about how our future seems so bleak because nobody seems to share the same sentiments therefore psychologically blinding us from all the opportunities that may have been installed. So in the end, it's best if we make our choices based on what we feel strongly for in the first place unless the advice given is substantial enough to prove that the decision we are about to take will lead us to a dead end.

Advice to self:

1# Stop the what ifs.

2# There's no point in comparing because it's your life, your battle, your only nemesis is yourself.

3# There's more than one way to achieve your goal.

4# It's your career, there's no such thing as guilt! Reject in the name of professionalism.

5# When in doubt, surround yourself with people that will support you no matter what choices you make.

6# Start to live your life to the fullest.

Okay, I'm feeling much better.

Move Over, It's A Makeover

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:36 AM 0 comments

Finally! I did it! The agony of going through html codes sigh... I'm so IT illiterate. This isn't the finish product though. Notice some blank links and picture? Well, I ran out of patience. I'm not even sure if this is the template I want because there's too many extra features but it does looks cool right? In the mean time, I shall continue on my quest of searching for the perfect permanent template.

Life has been monotonous this few days with an exception of a few excursions. Sometimes I wish I can just live for the day itself without having to worry about what lies ahead. It sickens me to wake up everyday not knowing what's my next step to the future. I need people who have been through this phase to share their views with me. Why am I feeling like my life is a mismatched? Am I facing an extremely early mid-life crisis lol... I'm gonna end this now since it's suppose to be a short entry announcing the "new face" of my blog. Enjoy while I fix some small glitches.

Life After Study

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:26 AM 3 comments

Yesterday evening, I woke up to the sound of raindrops and the sight of bluish hue with my ultra powerful fan blowing directly at me. I felt as if I was on some mountain top. The smell of rain, oh yes did I ever tell you that I love the smell of rain? The smell of rain always sets me in the mood for waxing nostalgic. It's extremely therapeutic, especially to me when coupled with the sound of raindrops, because it calms me down. It's like an invisible curtain separating you from the helter-skelter of the world. Strangely, it makes me feel safe. I reached for my comforter and snuggled, wishing that time would freeze at that very moment forever.

The past few weeks has been very taxing. I can't exactly pinpoint the cause as it is a combination or various events, mostly work related. As most of you (my close friends) know, I completed my internship more than a week ago. I thought now should be the time of my life. Time to enjoy freedom but I guess my conscience is not letting me go the easy way which should be a good thing but the irony is that the thought of getting things right is sucking the happiness out of my life. The more I think of my future, the more messed up I realized my life is. Sometimes I wish I have someone that can sit me down and tell me what's right and what's wrong. Someone to give me a piece of his mind or even a much more possessive parents? Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to have parents that gives me the freedom to do whatever I want but there are just times when you really need a guide in life and that's when the freedom starts to feel more like loneliness.

So I've been offered a job, sort of. Nothing is confirmed until I've been interviewed by the human resource. In the meantime I've found another position in the same place but different department which I might be more interested in and I've submitted my resume to the person in charge. Now the question is that am I right to hand in my resume to another person after accepting an offer by someone when nothing is confirmed yet? My initial thought was that it was my future and I need to think about myself first but then I thought it was also wrong of me to change my mind so fast. For me, both of the departments are of my interest is just that one might offer a better benefit than the other. It's now up to them to decide but I think I should give a call to check on the situation.

Putting that behind, I've tons of unfinished business before I can officially declare the start of my one month holiday. First I need to re-edit my dissertation before I send it for printing to be compiled into a book, then I need to completely reorganize my room to give me a fresh start and last but not least to draw a financial plan for my future. Money not enough mah...

The Lasallian Legacy

Posted by Ivan Lee On 11:39 PM 2 comments

Us Xaverians are a bunch of loyal, unique, crazy in a good way, brilliant in someway type of people. All thanks to the beautiful heritage of our school. Being called a Xaverian is a pride that I'll carry throughout my life and I believe the same goes for my fellow brothers and sisters as well. Even the name we identified ourselves with is uber cool. So cool I could almost hear myself saying, I'm Xaverian, I'm here to conquer the world! As I spent my teenage years within the walls of St. Xavier, I've discovered the many hidden treasures that this school possess waiting to be unearth by every little mischievous student. One of the most precious ones that I've found would be sincere friendship. There's so much to say but I believe a single entry in this blog can't justify the immense feeling that I have for my school. Therefore, this entry would be dedicated solely to the people who have made proper education possible in this side of the world, the ones that have been selflessly offering themselves for a purpose much bigger than their personal glory and to one of the last of Lasallian's living heritage, Brother Paul Ho...

I giggled like a little schoolgirl watching Bro. Paul being interviewed in the first two videos lol... The last video however carries an important message which is for us to continue safeguarding whatever that's left to preserve our school's rich heritage. For that, a big thank you to St Francis Xavier and the Lasallian brothers especially you Brother Paul. Farewell.

The Happiest Day Of The Year

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:20 AM 0 comments

Well, that's according to what I heard from FLY.FM. A mathematician supposedly came up with an equation which indicated that today was the most blissful day of 2009. Personally, I would say that today was full of joy, better than yesterday but hopefully not as good as tomorrow :) We celebrated "family day" today. It was an annual function that Hilton organized to foster tighter relations amongst the team member or whatever lah... The point is, I had fun! I managed to skip work because of this event. One thing though, it wasn't really as happening as I thought it would be. After a while, the event headed towards a monotonous mood. There wasn't many people attending when compared the ratio of the workers in the hotel. So where the heck did the fun came from you asked? After participating in a few activities, me and some of the other trainees decided to have our very own little excursions. Oh shoot! I forgot to mentioned the venue. It's held in the Lake Garden at KL. I would highly recommend this place for urbanites who are looking for some peacefully time away from the city, although technically it's situated in the city which means that you are fooling yourself if you are there to get away from the city. Get it? You do? I don't.

The entrance...

Jogger's path...

Some waterfall landscape...

Okay... continue on. First I suggested that we visit the deer farm since it was just a stone throw away from the place of the event hence our journey began...

They somehow looked like dogs to me lol, just that their ears are much more pointy

Such a dreamy gaze...

Whoops.. camho alert! So cute can? Pouting it's non-existent lips

After our obsessions with deer was over, we walked around , had some ice cream then walked back to our event site. That's when we saw the tram. It only cost us RM 0.50 cents for a short ride. So cheap, we went for a second round lol... There was still some time to kill after our second ride so we decided to be more adventurous and try something new... we rented a 'sampan'. However, before we could even get into it, we were "advised" by the caretaker to use the peddle boat instead. Oh well, at least I got to peddle away some unwanted thigh fats.

Started off with greetings from Mr & Mrs. Swan

Passed by Mr. Hobbit's humble abode

Alas, the fortress of desolate

All in all, I must say that the lake garden is very well maintained. Kudos to those who are in charged. It does not only provides a place to retreat for the public, it also generates economic benefits from renting it's facilities. N0w that's sustainability. At least I got to chill out after a traumatizing day before where I spent over nine hundred ringgit to service my car and buy a new adaptor.

Noticed that I managed to get online several times when my adaptor was faulty? Well, I pushed the limit and that's what happened.

Power Failure

Posted by Ivan Lee On 7:51 AM 0 comments

No, the world is not getting dark. It's my laptop adaptor. Stupid faulty wires! I got slightly more than half an hour before my life support gets cut off. So I'll just update you guys briefly on my life since the last entry. Time is passing real fast. So damn fast that I just realized that I have only 3 more weeks to go before I officially complete my internship. I still haven't type a single word for my report and I've yet to give out most of the evaluation forms to the respective managers in the various departments that I've trained at. Come to think of it, I've yet to do a lot of necessary things such as tidying my room, wash my dirty laundries, scout for jobs a.k.a. future plans but most importantly, I've yet to come out with a plan for my self-proclaimed 1 month holiday! Anyway, NCH managed to drop by KL during the weekend and we caught up with Alan as well. This time around, we did something spontaneous after a few rounds of crazy suggestions on what to do because we have kind of, or at least I've, gotten bored at shopping malls at the moment. Initially we met at Mid Valley, ate at Manhattan and then had some "light snacks". To cut the story short, we then proceeded to Food Garden and that's where we decided to pay a visit to the "royal chamber" in Serdang, after my plan on going to Cameron, Genting and Malacca was deemed "siao" by the friends. Oh God, 16 minutes left. Continue on, nothing is ever complete without food (knowing me, knowing you uh huh...) so we went scouting for hawker food. The meal was decent but made great with even greater company. Then we drop the "royal highness" before proceeding on our journey back without a proper road guide. I guess luck was by my side, again. That's about it. Goodbye my friends. Goodbye world.

I Scream For Ice Cream

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:36 PM 2 comments

Dad came down to KL on Saturday after a long break. As usual, he'll tend to his own business while I go to work. Then at night we'll probably have some short "pillow talk" before I advance to dreamland. So on the night of his arrival, he hinted that we should go try out "the japanese restaurant that I mentioned earlier when I was back in Penang", which is Tenji. without much delay, I whipped out my lappie and proceed to click on the Google Earth icon. What? I don't have a GPS okay... So this would be the more economical solution for someone who has no sense of direction. For those of you who are trying to use Google Earth to navigate your way around town, be warned! If you are a person with no sense of direction then you should at least have a high sense of intuition or you'll end up some where in Jinjang. I have none of the above, I just got lucky. What you see on the screen could differ tremendously when it comes to the real thing especially with those pesky clouds that appears at random spots in the map causing some "blind spots".

We decided to make a move on Monday despite me telling my dad that we could potentially end up in Ipoh haha.. Nevertheless, I conquered Mont Kiara! or rather just Solaris Mont Kiara.

The food was okay I guess, I was more impressed with their selection of beverages which included free flow Sweet Thai imported coconuts (I had 6 or 7 of them), juices, sodas, various assortment of tea and coffee. The dessert counter was oh la la... but I was already filled to the brim. Didn't bother to take a lot of pictures as my hands were busy transporting food to my mouth hehe...

One of the "highlights" was the fresh oysters which has a sign besides it that says 'beware of food poisoning'. Oh what a convenient. So if a customer really got food poisoning and report it to the authority, are they gonna use the classic 'I told you so' as a defense. Duh! Besides that, they have cod fish, crab, lamb, beef.... basically, it's like a farm. Period. I think I'm game for another visit like real soon. *hint hint* Reason is because they are having a promotion for weekdays lunch session where they only charge RM 39.90++ !!! Promotion last until end of June ONLY ya... Adding to that, they also serve free flow Haagen Dazs which I didn't get to eat much because there was only a little left as I was reluctant to get some earlier due to the fact that I already had a pint of BR on the 31st...

My favorite combo of sinful indulgence, C n' PB with Old Fashion Butter Pecan.

Goodness, I'm becoming a slut for ice cream...

Where To Go? How Do I Get There?

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:54 AM 0 comments

Today is one of those days where my subconsciousness takes the lead in decision making. I'm doing things so spontaneously only to question myself later on how the heck did I came to that reaction. Anyway, after nearly 5 months into my internship, I only found out that one of the team members in my working place is living right across my condo. Blur right? Upon finding out, I spontaneously offered him a ride home. During the journey, I queried him on his career and what he thinks about his future developments. He seems to know where he's heading to and more importantly how to get there. When it comes to my turn to answer those questions, I couldn't really give a clear cut answer. I guessed that kind of freaked me out a little since time is slowly trickling away. I'm afraid I'll not be able to figure it out before the sand fills up the bottom part of the hourglass. To be fair to myself, I pretty much know what I really want when it comes too following my heart. Perhaps I should to take the leap. Perhaps it's about time for me to sit down and draw a masterplan that will connect all the missing dots to my dreams. Perhaps I need to have a little more faith in myself. Perhaps i should do all of the above... Time to put my focus on planning my journey ahead if I do not wanna get lost along the way.

That aside, at present, I'm working at Senses. Senses is a semi fine dining restaurant in Hilton, a brainchild of master chef Cheong Liew. Today was my first day so naturally time passes really fast although I'm working on a split shift. One thing that I like about this work place is the people. They are definitely not stingy when it comes to imparting knowledge to the trainees. Too bad I'll only be in this department for a week... shucks! Without further a due, let me introduce to you Senses in a thousand words...

The interior...

Feast to the eye....

Interesting usage of coconut shavings, cookie crumbs and chocolate shavings to portray an earthy element.

A masterpiece in the making... This dish will be completed by a piece of molten chocolate cake placed in the middle... and yes... those flowers are edible as I'm still alive hehe..

That's about it from me. Catch up with ya as soon as I can. Till then, I'll officially be on diet for as long as I need to lose the 2 kgs I gained while I was in Penang. Ciao.

5 Star Bus

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:30 AM 0 comments

I'm back in KL. Have been sleeping the whole afternoon as I didn't get much snooze time in the bus. The journey was bumpier than usual, which explains why I kept waking up every few minutes. Other than that, it took the bus 3 and a half hours to reach it's destination. Now for those who travel from KL to Penang by bus regularly, you would notice that the travel period is insanely short. Reason being the bus driver was under the delusion that he was transporting a busload of pregnant ladies about to due towards Sg. Buloh Hospital. However, he overshot and decided to drop "the pregnant ladies" in One Utama in hopes that the bliss of shopping would make them forget about giving birth. Enough of lame sarcasm, I requested dad to purchase my return tickets from a bus company called "5 Star" because I found out that the busses from that particular company does drop-offs at 1U aside from Puduraya. This is convenient to me as my condo is just another 5 minutes bus ride away from the mall. Having said that, I think I got ripoff for about RM 5 from that bus company. A regular ticket cost RM 35 for a single journey from PG to KL vice versa but my dad paid RM 40 for that ticket! According to to the person selling the tickets, the extra cost was for those who are getting off at 1U. Okay, that's a little pricey for the difference in distance between 1U and Puduraya but I'm willing to overlook that handicap since they are not forcing us to buy the tickets from them right? NO! Not when I found out that they are actually required to stop at 1U anyway so it's not really an extra service and the most ridiculous thing has to be that the stop at 1U is actually before the stop at Puduraya meaning we are paying extra for a shorter distance? Might as well purchase a ticket to Puduraya and walk off the bus when it reaches 1U without getting charged extra. What are they gonna do? Tie me to my seat until I reach Puduraya? Those dumb fucks must have been looking forward to earning some extra cash using cheap tactics like this. Anyway, thank god for the safe journey!

Gosh... 3 days of holidays seems a little short eh? My lovely island is still the same as ever with the exception of some new structures here and there. Somehow, I don't wish for some rapid development to take place in Penang anytime soon. I don't think we are ready for it, yet. Will discuss about it some other time, if I'm hardworking :P I managed to catch up with my good pals over delicious food and also celebrate me mum's 25th birthday hehe... Guess this short break should be enough to get me through my last month of internship. In the mean time, I got to kick my lazy ass and start to clean up my jungle of a room. Gotta go, just spotted a spide.. giant tarantula.

Decisions

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:44 AM 6 comments

I'm scared. Not because I might not be able to handle whatever the future holds, but rather at the uncertainty. I have so many things I want to do yet they seemed improbable. In less than 2 more months I'm officially on my own. I'm still deciding whether to continue being in the hotel industry or go for something else related to my qualifications. I'm trying to keep my options open. I'm trying to figure out what I should do, the perfect job that will give me the experience that I need to achieve my dreams. If I were to work in a hotel, I wish there is a special position that allows me to move around different departments doing everything there is, exactly like what I'm doing now but with more empowerment. Sigh... which way now?

Emoness aside, I'm currently performing my internship at Caffe Cino, an outlet that specializes in coffee making! I was posted there for 3 weeks but just when I completed my first week, which is today, I was asked to be transferred back to my previous restaurant for one more week. Just my luck. Well, at least I managed to cram all my training on coffee making into the first week. Wheee.... now I'm a "separuh masak" barista... *berangan*. Latte anyone? Anyhow... since I'm going back to Sudu, my previous restaurant, might as well entice you guys with some pictures that I shamelessly rip off from some stranger's website muahahaha...

The entrance...

...foyer's ceiling, "horoscopic" motive..

Main dinning area...

...somewhere near the entrance la

Bread and CHEESE.... forever tempting me....

...fresh seafood and more!

On another note, I know I've been talking for ages on my new blog outlook but I've been having second thoughts since I set the new template in another different add (due to some reasons that I'm lazy to type out). This means that I'll have to say goodbye to hold-that-thought... I remain indecisive.

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