Hold That Thought

Random Crappy Post

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:18 PM 1 comments

Just read the writings of a distant friend. She has such great skill in making up sentences that just feels right. Best of all, she uses simple words. Words that stirs your emotion when put together in a correct situation. Words that made me envy her talent. Words that are probably the reason I blogged lesser and lesser because I just can't write. Sigh... I hardly have a post where I can look back and say, well written, I'm so proud of you while looking at the mirror.

Three more days! That's how long I need to wait before I'll be back to my beautiful little island where I call home. Days are longer, especially during work time because all I could think of is the good food and fabulous company that I'll get to enjoy soon. BONUS! another topic heatedly discussed amongst the colleagues. There's a possibility that I'll get just a fraction of what the seniors are getting because I've not been there for more than a year. Sigh... but a least there is something right? I should be grateful then. All I need now is a little more greens for my CNY clothes. Yup, that's right, I haven't been doing any shopping and I'm thinking of just skipping the idea of buying new clothes as I'll be doing lesser visits this year. Save me all the fuss in getting the right size and design urgghh... that's what you get for being a +size haha... oh well I'm just to lazy to continue on. Will blog again when inspiration taps on me shoulder. Till then, Happy Chinese New Year everyone! ROAR!!!

Culinary Indulgence

Posted by Ivan Lee On 1:17 PM 0 comments

I figured might as well blog about something while I wait for the bleach to remove the curry stains off my white pants. Clumsy me dropped a nibble roti canai on to my pants. Has been ages, or so it seems, since I had my last roti canai. Cravings, urgh... why does it have to be the strongest during late nights. The thought of having freshly tossed dough lightly fried over a dollop of aromatic ghee then topped with piping hot curry made from freshly pounded chillies and grounded spices proved to be impossible to resist (I don't really fancy dhal). I guess that's the downside. I have way too high of an expectation that the real thing ended up tasting like a piece kitchen cloth. That was last night. Today, I succumb to yet another temptation... Bak Kut Teh. I had it for lunch and dinner. I know, the horror. I liked to treat myself to these sinful indulgence especially during my off days and guess what, I got three of them this week. I'll probably feel trice as guilty. I'm skipping supper today cause I've already planned out my menu for tomorrow's dinner. I kid you not...

Appetizers

Meatballs Cooked with Leffe Brune

Saute Mushrooms

Bacon Wrapped Cocktail Sausages

Bacon Strips

Belgium Sausage Platter

Main Courses

Moules Provencales

Brussels Style Pork Knuckle

Grilled Porkloin

Spaghetti Carbonara

*All items listed are subjected to changes without prior notification

I'll probably wolf down all of these with a pint of Hoegaarden. Perfect for a humid night. Of course I'm not having all of these by myself although I secretly wish to, only and if only I have super fast metabolism, sigh... Pictures will be up by tomorrow if I'm not feeling lazy caused by over digestion. Anyway, it's time for breakfast. As Julia Child would say, Bon Appetit!

Car Beautification Project

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:13 PM 0 comments

NOoooOOoooo... My budget for lunch today was RM5 which I didn't manage to keep in range because I overspent by RM1. I was actually quite proud not t0 spend over RM10 cause I've always indulge in junk food after eating er... proper food, but guess what? On the way to the bank, I spent RM80 on this...

TOTAL DAMAGE: RM86!!! WAY............... OVER BUDGET

I've been wanting to give my car an uplift in appearance lately but but... MONEY NO ENOUGH!!! So when this guy came to me to demo his product I wasn't too interested, but got a bit lah... Then he sprayed this substance on my window despite me telling him not to and that's how I got con. Haha... Well, to be fair the products were quite good (I witness him demo okay!) and mum has been bugging me to buy those spray that makes the windscreen water-repellent during heavy rains. So I bought that. Then he came up with another product that claims to wipe off scratch marks. Same thing... was bought over after demo sigh... then another one which makes rubber, leather and etc... looks perfectly new and function like it was new lol... and it worked cause after another demo my windscreen wiper did not give out that annoying screech, that makes me wanna smash ma windscreen, when I turn it on, even without water! The End! Ya right. After paying I thought to myself what a hassle free shopping until I realized that there's this small dent in front of my car that had been there for like FOREVER!!! What's the point of buying these products then. Haiz... now if I wanna beautify my car I have to spend another half thousand fixing that dent and maybe more to coat my car with a new paint job. Geezus... Should I just ignore that dent, live in denial and pretend it is brand new or should I face the devil straight on and offer him some cash to burn in return for beauty :) I'm still talking about my car lah..

2009/2010

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:46 AM 4 comments

Hi all. It's already halfway through the first month of 2010 and I still haven't make any customary post on the summary of the previous year and my new year resolutions so I'm going to do it now! I remember that I wanted to share with you guys some of my new year resolutions last year but I didn't get about to do it because I forgot to do so after postponing my plan haha... Last year, my 2 most important resolutions was somewhat fulfilled. First was to graduate with honors and the second one was, like more than half of the world's population, to lose weight. To be honest, losing weight has been my resolution for umpteen years, so I wasn't too hopeful for it to be achieved but thanks to internship, I lost more than what I'd bargained for. Sadly though, I'm slowly gaining back some pounds yikes. Discipline Ivan! Discipline! As a follow up to 2009, I shall present to you some of my 2010 resolutions.

1. Lose 10 kgs by July. (Approximately 1.5 kgs per month)

Meaning I'll have to slowly cut down on supper, carbonated drinks, carbohydrates and get involve in some physical activities.

2. Start cooking again at least 1 new dish a week. (Starting February)

I'm guilty of abandoning the kitchen for one whole year and I'm missing the pleasure of cooking a wholesome dish. After watching Julie & Julia, I'm inspired once again so here goes 48 weeks and 48 recipes, a guy and a moderate condo kitchen. How far will it go? We can only wait. And wait. And wait... The Ivan/Julia project. Coming soon to a computer terminal near you:) Okay I don't think I'll have enough money to buy Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" so I'll just grab any recipe which I'm interested in cooking aite?

3. Take more photos to capture precious moments of 2010.

Easy peasy. This means more camho session and of course I need to remember to bring along my camera everywhere I go if possible. I'm seriously in need of decent pictures of myself haha... and of course with my besties and family. Which brings me to my next resolution.

4. Strengthen bond with friends and family.

Different goals leads us to different places but I believe when it all comes crashing down on us we need something familiar to hold on to. I hope we all could be rocks to each other in the midst of a mighty river.

5. Settle on with a stable job.

Hopefully I'll be able to make up my mind by February. Get a good paying 5 days a week job with flexible hours and out of the world benefits. WAKE UP IVAN! WAKE UP! *snort back to reality* *falls back asleep*

6. Blog at least once a week.

To keep my dear readers (my friends la) happy and up to date on what's going on in my life and also as a diary for future nostalgic moments.

7. Continue with MBA (maybe)

If I have the $$$ and if by doing so will improve my opportunity to advance higher up in my career, then I'll most probably do it. Just maybe not this year.

I'll end this entry with a some cherished of moments in 2009;

The first half of the year was all about my life as a Hilton... I mean working in Hilton

Graduated in August. One of the proudest moment in my life so far I guess.

Finally a successful road trip. Destination, Malacca. The best part, conversation on our way back.

My 23rd Birthday :) Thank you all for making 2009 such a memorable year.

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.

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