Shoes for Sale...

I recently overbought some shoes. A friend of mine got it dirt cheap ....

For the white/black pair (it's called a Dragon .. by adidas) and it costs RM100.00 (USD 28). Size 8.5UK .... only 1 pair available.

This will be the ONLY pair in Malaysia as it is not ranged here. Shoe is named 'Phaidon Structure by adidas) the price tag label was RM 449.90 (USD 118) but I'm selling it for RM 150 (USD 40.00). Size 5.5UK. If you would like to buy them .. contact me ... I'll provide you with my Paypal details.

Going Nuts

I'm so pissed off today. It was my cousin's wedding two weeks ago. Well ... i was one of the 'appointed' camera personnel for the evening. Talk about bad timing, my 4 month old digital camera's flash decided to break down on that day. Tried the Night-Mode feature but despite several attempts to take shots on this mode ... the effects were just too blurry. Thinking that my contributions were not needed then I proceeded to my seat.... How wrong i was as my cousin's friend passed on his donkeywork to me instead while he fixated his attention to his group of friends. Poor me became the Unofficial Camera-Woman for the night.

I had to then send the camera for repair the very next day as the following few days after that was the Deepavali and Hari Raya (Deeparaya) celebrations just 1 day apart. Instead I was told by the Customer Service Officer that it would take me at least 10 days to get it done as most of the Technical Staff were away for the long holidays. Cursing my own luck, I reluctantly agreed (as though they were other choices) and highlighted to her that I need the camera ASAP as I need it in the line of my work.

One week passed and no news .... 2 weeks neared... Deprived of my 'play-thing' for the past last 10 days, I called up the Service/Repair Centre today to enquire about my camera. The Customer Service Officer claimed that I could collect it as they have made the necessary replacements without incurring any charges as it was still under the Warranty period. What bewildered me was why didn't the Service Centre inform me that camera was ready when in actual fact I had mentioned to them I need the camera for my work related assignments.

I then rushed to the Service Centre to collect my camera. I didn't have to wait long there and proceeded to collect my camera. As I check the camera, as expected the flash worked properly but upon closer inspection, I noticed there were a few new FRESH scratches on my camera. I then complained to the Personnel. She answered "Yes Miss ... in this report it was stated there were scratches on the surface of the camera when you handed it over for repair". I then argued back saying, "Yes indeed they are but it was only at the front part of the camera. But now there are FRESH scratches all over the camera including the bottom and beside the LCD screen. Don't you people take care of things when customers pass on their items for repairs?".

She then claimed that the initial report wasn't filed by her and I have to talk to the person I passed the camera (and report) to initially. This means I had to come back the next day as the person will only come in after 1pm for her shift. AaaRrrGGhhhh ... blood was starting to boil all over me looking at my camera who has now been given a 'face-lift' by the Servicing Techinicians. Not one to create a scene ... and understanding this matter is beyond her jurisdiction, I unwillingly agreed to come back the next day. What I'm so upset about is ... Why am i is to suffer the consequences of someone else's job blunder? It's a bloody waste of time for me to weave past traffic and drive 40 minutes to go there the next day to seek clarification. What if they dispute my claim? Talk about hassle ...... Next time whenever u send something for repair/servicing .... just listen to this advice...



TAKE AN ACTUAL DIGITAL SHOT OF YOU ITEM BEFORE HANDING IT OVER TO THEM. SAVES YOU ALOT OF TROUBLE.

AaaRrrGGgHHhhh ... I'm going NUTS!!!

Work Begins

After taking a week off .. it's back to work again. Deadlines will be the norm for me again... So ... what did I do for my holidays? Ahhh ... I've forgotten everything about my week break. What's in my mind now is just the curry mutton I had for Deepavali and Chicken Little. I was in stitches watching Chicken Little. Cartoons never failed me ... even my male buddies who are not into it had a good time. As usual values like trust, honesty, love, friendship comes into play. Taking a spoof from War of The Worlds ... it amazes me that it still manage to bring out the little girl in me ....













Okay back to reality now ... gotta go to bed now .... will be waking up at 7am ... traffic will be at it's peak ... oh dear ... another case of 'Back to Work' Syndrome...

Reality TV Shows

There has been an influx of reality shows in our local TV the last 2 years. Starting the trend was Survivor followed by The Amazing Race, Fear Factor, American Idol, Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice', America's Next Top Model, The Contender and some other forgettable ones which I would rather not list out. It seems that the bug has caught on and we now have our own reality shows on air. A list of reality TV shows that has been around lately were AXN Challenge, Mentor, Akademi Fantasia, Malaysian Idol and Malaysia Fear Factor (premiering in November).

Why the craze you might ask? Perhaps audiences could see and relate themselves to the flaws/good points of the participants. A few notable ones that come into mind are Richard Hatch, Mawi, Jacklyn Victor, Vain Ahmed, Flo, Jon, Victoria (Okay I admit among all I follow the Amazing Race the most). A more reasonable explanation could be however is due to the unpredictability of the shows. This could be the main appeal/reason audiences come back for more every week. What could be this week's flavour could be the first to be eliminated/voted out in the next Episode. What more could be the main reason... as whatever transpires in the latest episode will become next day's hottest discussion at work.

This also brings back to memories of game shows in the 80's. I still remember keeping myself glued to TV whenever Million Dollar Chance of A Lifetime, Wheel Of Fortune, Hollywood Squares and Lingo were broadcasted on TV. These gameshow kept me glued faithfully as I on numerous occassions guessed the answers before the contestents did.

I'm one of the migrators of gameshows to Reality TV as they do not appeal to me now .... I just wonder what will be the next BIG thing on TV. Till then ... gotta catch up with the latest episode of The Amazing Race.

Friends

Last week I went out with my gal pals to celebrate one of my friend's birthday. We spent a good 3 hours catching up with each other. Topics on the latest fashion accessories, Men, relationships, career and plans came into play... It seems that whenever Women group together a boring story could be sensationalised. All sorts of topics were covered and one unfortunate victim after another were the subject of our bitching.

Then it seems to occur to me out of a sudden that I've not made any new trustful friends over the past few years. It seems that my high school friends will always be the closest friends I'll ever have. Colleagues and boyfriends have come and gone but my high school friends have never let me down .... (well perhaps once but part of it was my wrongdoing also). Oh well ... life goes on anyway ... to the group of 6 gals who were out that day ... thanks .... you've made my life colourful over the last 10 years and I look forward to another 10, 20, 30, 40 and more ....

Office Politics

AhhHh ... the essentials of a successful company ..... Office Politics ... It seems to be the norm everywhere I go. 9 out of 10 people I've asked said there'll be office politics whenever there are Women around. Yes it's us again .. the trouble makers .... You see ... I've been working for 5 years in 3 different companies ... and I have seen my fair share of office politics.

Why office politics? I can't give a definite answer but if you ever see one .... my advise is never to get involved. Office politics will be something some of us will never understand. The reason for them to happen could range from power struggle to plain jealousy.

There has been countless catch 22 situations I've been involved in. These Battles I entered were through my direct involvement (my own stupidity) and in-direct involvement. Either way you'll get battle scarred as you will come across new policies (that some of you never learnt in school of business) like "Either you're with them or either you're with us". Office politics brings about many negative aspects. I've seen my fair share of Sob Stories, demoralised colleagues ... Some of them rather spend energy on plotting the fall of their sworn enemy (colleague) rather than their business competitors. They can't see that what they're doing will actually lower their productivity. These cat-fights are psychological wars not many can understand. What seem like best friends in office are actually sworn enemies after office hours. I've listened to an amazing amount of back stabbing, malicious, death-threatening stories that I could never have imagine. Below are some Roles that I've identified for these participants of Office Politics.

Office Politics could be seen as a War

• The General - The initiator. The one who calls the shots .... Loves to fight the war face on (in the Boardroom) ... and will not hesitate to sacrifice it's followers if the situation occurs. The war to this person is PERSONAL!
• Platoon Leader - The Right Hand Man of the General. Will organise back stabbing sessions and meetings to plan the next course of action.
• The Bomb Squad - Made up of a group. Usually under the same Department of Their immediate Supervisor. These are the people who bear a grudge with their immediate supervisor and will provide heavy artillery to the Team.
• The Spy - The hardest to identify. They may be part of the group back-stabbing the Enemy but behind all this he/she is providing the full details of what transpires in the back-stabbing sessions. Usually Fence-Sitters .. but smart ....
• The Sniper - The quiet one. Usually not involved in the first place but very aware of it's surroundings. Knows the full details inside out. When this person is offended .. the offender will have a hard time.
• The Medical Officer - The Boss ... Will wanna patch things up but know there's no hope. Need both parties to survive. Can only save one if the situation arises.

However Office Politics I can tell you is not always negative.
Picture this scenario... everyone in the office knows the Senior Copywriter (SC) is a person who is very detailed and insists on a perfect Report and will not hesitate to create an outburst if the Juniors hands in a story that does not give impact to it's readers. However rumors among the staff are that the SC will be able to identify whether the Juniors have put in extra effort in their work and will guide them provided they are willing to bear the brunt. The Juniors will of course then put in extra effort to ensure that the finished article is newsworthy. This will improve quality of the work of the Juniors in the long run as they know they can't afford to make mistakes or they'll be subjected to a humiliating tongue-bashing by the SC.

You'll need to a high IQ to figure out who's at war with who at times. Invisible missiles will be fired from all angles. Get yourself in the way and you could be sworn enemies of both parties. How do I survive Office politics now? The key to this is to play your cards right. Stay Smart and maybe (just maybe) ... you'll survive if you get ever get involved.

New Age Women

It has been a long way ... Woman fighting for equal rights in terms of career opportunities ... decision making ... equal treatment .... the list goes on. Have we achieved what we set for?

Let's take a look on the development of Women ...
Back in the old days, women were solely responsible for taking care of the household and the welfare of the kids. Men back then were suppose to provide the financial resources for the Family to survive the harsher realities of life.

Over the years there has been a steady increase in Women coming out to work as a direct result of the competiveness of the new world. One sole income could not sustain a family in the long run as inflation rate increase but yet a middle income earner's annual salary increment did not match the percentage increase of the inflation rate. According to a local article published recently, although the working population of Women has increased to 45% only 15% Women holds a higher level of decision making in the corporate World.

Although Laws has been amended to allow Women to have equal opportunities and a new breed of Men and Women believe in Equal Rights, the typical mindset however is that some Women still want Men to pamper them and place full responsibility on Men for the provision of financial support ... family planning . On the other hand Men still believe they have to take charge of everything in life ... Some make decisions without asking their partners as they feel they are the sole decision maker. In public, women are still potrayed as objects of desire on ads ... dressed in skimpy outfits with sexual innuendos. It is hard to draw a fine line on where and how Women will enjoy the Equal rights they seek for...

Will there be a change in future? How do we educate the new generation to practise Equal Gender Rights when our fathers and even ourselves have failed so? Where are we to start? Education will be important for the new generation. Who will be the educators? Parents... brothers ... sisters ... teachers will have an important role to play if we are to realise .. that perhaps Equal Rights are something that we should not even have to teach or fight for in future.

A New Beginning

This blog will look into a life of a 20-something woman who's doing her soul searching in this world of endless possibilities. Topics like career, relationships, fashion, sex, food, health and beauty will be covered. As I come to terms that life is unpredictable ... instead of facing things head on with bare hands, why not equip myself with extra knowledge and experience ... at least we will stand a better chance to make to make things favourable in the long run.