As I sit here writing (typing actually) this post, another 1 hour remain for all of us to bid adieu to 2007 and welcome 2008. The year has been rather interesting with many attention grabbing incidences. Most notably in the Malaysian sense, the continued failure of the government to provide proper checks and balances to the general public resulting in a period of heightened awareness. This period saw 2 major events taking place, namely the BERSIH and HINDRAF rallies that managed to ruffle a few feathers in the seat of power. While the former highlighted the need for a fair and just electoral system, the latter brought up the issue of discrimination against the minority Indian community that made the world sit up and notice. What ensued was the customary spin-doctoring of facts and manipulation that tried to restore some face value to the government.
On the international front, chaos continued to grow in the already problematic nation of Pakistan with the recent assassination of former premier and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Apart from that, the weakening US dollar continues to be of concern as it could lead to another worldwide economic recession. No one needs reminding of the last time a major recession hit in 1997. The civil unrest and domestic violence in Myanmar was a major concern with the worldwide community forcing the ruling Junta to enforce a democratic rule but it is yet to be implemented. Other than that, the civil war in Sri Lanka still wages on while South Korea, Australia and Thailand saw new leaders emerge from their respective elections.
On a personal note, I have moved to a foreign land in search of greater experience and knowledge. The awareness towards all lies that had been and continued to be spread has increased as well as the aspect of responsibility. To showcase the changing times, I have renamed this blog and hope to mature as a better writer who is able to speak his mind and make others see and understand what I'm trying to say.
As for my hopes, I want to see a more peaceful year ahead where everyone treats each other with respect regardless of race, religion, colour and status. There should be greater respect of every religion in the world as all religions preach on doing good but a few people with vested intentions try to use religion as a veil to justify some of their actions. I also hope to further develop myself to be marketable by being up-to-date with all the current market trends. On a lighter vein, I hope I can make and find time to spend with loved ones.
To everyone, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous 2008. I hope that the new year brings an abundance of wealth and good health. At the same time I wish for better understanding among people and for love to prevail at the end of the day.
Take care :-)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
2007: The year in review
In another 8 days, 2007 will come to an end and we will be welcoming in 2008. For me on a personal level, 2007 has been unforgettable and filled with many memories. To start off, this was the year that I finally stepped into the realm of working life, no more a carefree student who had all the time in the world to goof around and while away time with buddies. This is a whole new world where time management, work ethics n discipline rule the day. Yeah I can proudly say that I'm a working-class Joe now.
It all started in January when I began employment as a Junior Network Engineer in Viewqwest Pte Ltd. The company was based in Singapore but has business interests in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia. Being a newbie to working life was quite difficult to cope at first but as time went on I began to get the hang of it. I had another 2 guys joining in with me, Mak and Charles. It was difficult at first as I had to leave home in Cheras early (around 6.30am) and take 3 buses to get to Damansara Utama for work that starts at 9am. You can say it was very taxing and the painful part was after work at 6pm when I had to do the same routine again (take 3 buses). The time I reach home would be almost 9pm and I'd be dead tired, having just enough to shower, have dinner and hit the pillows.
Come February I was beginning to get used to the routine and find myself becoming a zombie. As things were going okay, I was floored by Chicken Pox and was unable to work for 2 weeks. Falling sick is really irritating but on the flip side, you get treated well by everyone and become more like a king when all your whims and fancies are taken care of. All in all, life was going quite smooth and it was a new experience to 'makan gaji' as you work and wait for the salary at the end of each month.
In March, there was shock as Mak and Charles decided to quit the job leaving me all alone to man the ship but luckily the load was divided among the NOC team thus not burdening me too much. Come end of March, there was a big surprise in store for me, I was called by my chief and he asked me if I would consider the opportunity to move to Singapore and work full time there. For a moment I thought that I was dreaming because during the interview process, it was mentioned that there would be chances to go to Singapore for work related training but not a total migration. Feeling the urge, I grasped the opportunity to move and experience a new way of live.
The whole of April I was still in Malaysia as I could not find accommodation in Singapore yet but luckily at the last moment I found a savior in my old school mate Jason who told me that I could stay at his place in Singapore. With that settled, I prepared to move as I had to report in Singapore on 2nd May. During that period in April, I came to know that my dear friend Wafi was being treated in HUKM for suspected cancer. I say suspected because doctors hadn't confirmed it yet as they needed to run some tests. I spoke to him before leaving and he sounded his cheerful self as usual.
Come May, I was living in Singapore and it was a new experience. Life here is almost similar to Malaysia but for a few things like there aren't many 24-hour mamak joints or the fact that the public transportation here is so good and punctual as compared to the horrendous public transportation in KL. It was in May that I got news that doctors had confirmed Wafi had lung cancer that was at an advanced stage and he had only 9 months to live. All of our gang were shocked to hear of this. I returned home to visit him and what I saw was really sad, he was a pale shadow of his normal self. You could see it in his eyes that he was suffering.
In June, Wafi was no more. He lost his battle against cancer and has left us. It was really shocking as initially doctors gave him 9 months but this was way to soon. Well as usual fate had other plans for him or God must have loved him so much that He couldn't wait longer for Him to have His son. Everyone who had known or lived with Wafi were really devastated by his loss. Until today I can't believe that he's gone.
July, August and September passed without anything noteworthy but in October there was something. I bought my 1st car, a Perodua Viva 1.0 (M) Premium Edition which I named as Christine (inspired by Stephen King). She was the new love in my life and I adored her and was hell-bent on making sure that it was me who completed the first 1000km in order for her to be sent for the 1st service and inspection. This I managed to do in the long road trip that I went on my way home to KL for Deepavali. The sad thing for me now is that I'm unable to see her as she sits currently at home while I'm here in Singapore.
Now is December and the year ends in 8 days time. The main things that stand out for me are Wafi's passing, my move to Singapore and me buying my 1st car. All in all 2007 has been quite an eventful year for me, I lost a dear friend (God bless your soul Wafi), moved to a foreign land and also began to understand the term purchasing power.
Until my next post on New Year's Eve, take care.
It all started in January when I began employment as a Junior Network Engineer in Viewqwest Pte Ltd. The company was based in Singapore but has business interests in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia. Being a newbie to working life was quite difficult to cope at first but as time went on I began to get the hang of it. I had another 2 guys joining in with me, Mak and Charles. It was difficult at first as I had to leave home in Cheras early (around 6.30am) and take 3 buses to get to Damansara Utama for work that starts at 9am. You can say it was very taxing and the painful part was after work at 6pm when I had to do the same routine again (take 3 buses). The time I reach home would be almost 9pm and I'd be dead tired, having just enough to shower, have dinner and hit the pillows.
Come February I was beginning to get used to the routine and find myself becoming a zombie. As things were going okay, I was floored by Chicken Pox and was unable to work for 2 weeks. Falling sick is really irritating but on the flip side, you get treated well by everyone and become more like a king when all your whims and fancies are taken care of. All in all, life was going quite smooth and it was a new experience to 'makan gaji' as you work and wait for the salary at the end of each month.
In March, there was shock as Mak and Charles decided to quit the job leaving me all alone to man the ship but luckily the load was divided among the NOC team thus not burdening me too much. Come end of March, there was a big surprise in store for me, I was called by my chief and he asked me if I would consider the opportunity to move to Singapore and work full time there. For a moment I thought that I was dreaming because during the interview process, it was mentioned that there would be chances to go to Singapore for work related training but not a total migration. Feeling the urge, I grasped the opportunity to move and experience a new way of live.
The whole of April I was still in Malaysia as I could not find accommodation in Singapore yet but luckily at the last moment I found a savior in my old school mate Jason who told me that I could stay at his place in Singapore. With that settled, I prepared to move as I had to report in Singapore on 2nd May. During that period in April, I came to know that my dear friend Wafi was being treated in HUKM for suspected cancer. I say suspected because doctors hadn't confirmed it yet as they needed to run some tests. I spoke to him before leaving and he sounded his cheerful self as usual.
Come May, I was living in Singapore and it was a new experience. Life here is almost similar to Malaysia but for a few things like there aren't many 24-hour mamak joints or the fact that the public transportation here is so good and punctual as compared to the horrendous public transportation in KL. It was in May that I got news that doctors had confirmed Wafi had lung cancer that was at an advanced stage and he had only 9 months to live. All of our gang were shocked to hear of this. I returned home to visit him and what I saw was really sad, he was a pale shadow of his normal self. You could see it in his eyes that he was suffering.
In June, Wafi was no more. He lost his battle against cancer and has left us. It was really shocking as initially doctors gave him 9 months but this was way to soon. Well as usual fate had other plans for him or God must have loved him so much that He couldn't wait longer for Him to have His son. Everyone who had known or lived with Wafi were really devastated by his loss. Until today I can't believe that he's gone.
July, August and September passed without anything noteworthy but in October there was something. I bought my 1st car, a Perodua Viva 1.0 (M) Premium Edition which I named as Christine (inspired by Stephen King). She was the new love in my life and I adored her and was hell-bent on making sure that it was me who completed the first 1000km in order for her to be sent for the 1st service and inspection. This I managed to do in the long road trip that I went on my way home to KL for Deepavali. The sad thing for me now is that I'm unable to see her as she sits currently at home while I'm here in Singapore.
Now is December and the year ends in 8 days time. The main things that stand out for me are Wafi's passing, my move to Singapore and me buying my 1st car. All in all 2007 has been quite an eventful year for me, I lost a dear friend (God bless your soul Wafi), moved to a foreign land and also began to understand the term purchasing power.
Until my next post on New Year's Eve, take care.
Dilemma...
The recent issue pertaining to the HINDRAF rally and its aftermath seems to have quietened down a bit now after the arrest of the 5 leaders under the ISA. At that moment, in the heat of things, I figured that I also should say something on the issue but that turned out rather disturbing as after being "pointed" in the right direction by some friends, I saw some light and decided to retract my statement.
Now I feel I am in a dilemma because in actual fact, what HINDRAF was trying to do was to make sure that my life and that of my future offspring does not get shoved aside by some biased and discriminative outlook by certain people (you'll know who I'm talking about). Some friends say I don't know how it feels to be discriminated but in actual fact, I have been a victim and being naive at that time, chose to ignore it by putting the blame on me.
My story may not be such a big deal but it did happen and looking back at it, I feel that I've been discriminated outright. Here goes my story...
"It was when I was in Standard 6. I was in the best class of my school (a national school)at that time and was considered as one of the best in the whole school. Teachers normally rated me as the Top 3 guy in the whole school. When I did my UPSR exam that year, the target for the school was to have 30 straight As (4 As at that time) students. My name was in the list of guaranteed as I had aced my trial exams. When the eventual results came out, I only obtained 3As 1B. If you look at it, people would say that it was a good result but to my teachers it was a disappointment and a great shock to me. I was so distraught that I didn't want to go to school feeling that I'd disappointed my teachers who had great trust and hopes on me. At that time, in Seremban (where I grew up) all student's target (excluding those who get offered boarding schools) for Secondary School would be KGV as it was considered the best school but they only took in students with straight As. I was sad that I could not go there and instead was offered another school (which till today, I am proud to have been an alumni). As if obtaining a result of 3As 1B wasn't hurting enough, imagine my shock when I came to know that a Malay friend who got 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D had gained admission to KGV. Being naive, I thought I shouldn't blame anyone else but me for failing to get 4As." Many would think this is petty but to me on a personal level it was a bitter pill to swallow.
There it is my experience at being discriminated and I don't know how many others are out there like me. This is my personal experience and many others out there may have a similar story to share.
Now I feel I am in a dilemma because in actual fact, what HINDRAF was trying to do was to make sure that my life and that of my future offspring does not get shoved aside by some biased and discriminative outlook by certain people (you'll know who I'm talking about). Some friends say I don't know how it feels to be discriminated but in actual fact, I have been a victim and being naive at that time, chose to ignore it by putting the blame on me.
My story may not be such a big deal but it did happen and looking back at it, I feel that I've been discriminated outright. Here goes my story...
"It was when I was in Standard 6. I was in the best class of my school (a national school)at that time and was considered as one of the best in the whole school. Teachers normally rated me as the Top 3 guy in the whole school. When I did my UPSR exam that year, the target for the school was to have 30 straight As (4 As at that time) students. My name was in the list of guaranteed as I had aced my trial exams. When the eventual results came out, I only obtained 3As 1B. If you look at it, people would say that it was a good result but to my teachers it was a disappointment and a great shock to me. I was so distraught that I didn't want to go to school feeling that I'd disappointed my teachers who had great trust and hopes on me. At that time, in Seremban (where I grew up) all student's target (excluding those who get offered boarding schools) for Secondary School would be KGV as it was considered the best school but they only took in students with straight As. I was sad that I could not go there and instead was offered another school (which till today, I am proud to have been an alumni). As if obtaining a result of 3As 1B wasn't hurting enough, imagine my shock when I came to know that a Malay friend who got 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D had gained admission to KGV. Being naive, I thought I shouldn't blame anyone else but me for failing to get 4As." Many would think this is petty but to me on a personal level it was a bitter pill to swallow.
There it is my experience at being discriminated and I don't know how many others are out there like me. This is my personal experience and many others out there may have a similar story to share.
Monday, December 10, 2007
An Apology
Call it a spur of the moment or naivety to downright stupidity but a mistake is a mistake. Here I am today humbled and seeking forgiveness from anyone who had been directly or indirectly hurt by a recent post on HINDRAF(removed from blog). I may have tried to convey a message but probably the delivery wasn't acceptable or the manner of delivery was not proper. To err is human and I stand here in total regret of my actions to criticize without proper thought and understanding the sensitivity of the situation.
All I wish is for my dear brothers and sisters of Indian ethnicity to UNITE so that we can build a better future for our children and the generations that will come after them. There is no more point in trusting sweet words and kind actions as the General Elections are nearing and we know what is the common scenario always. Let's keep the recent incidents as well as all the bullshit that has been happening for the past century in mind.
There will be change if we want it to happen and we can make it happen. We don't need another protest on the streets because facts will be twist and turned to portray us in bad light through the so-called mass media. Freedom of speech is an illusion and democracy does not apply to iron fisted ruling.
So once again I sincerely apologize and lets UNITE for a change. God bless us all.
All I wish is for my dear brothers and sisters of Indian ethnicity to UNITE so that we can build a better future for our children and the generations that will come after them. There is no more point in trusting sweet words and kind actions as the General Elections are nearing and we know what is the common scenario always. Let's keep the recent incidents as well as all the bullshit that has been happening for the past century in mind.
There will be change if we want it to happen and we can make it happen. We don't need another protest on the streets because facts will be twist and turned to portray us in bad light through the so-called mass media. Freedom of speech is an illusion and democracy does not apply to iron fisted ruling.
So once again I sincerely apologize and lets UNITE for a change. God bless us all.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Becoming a weirdo...
Well the weekend's here but wait a minute, what am I doing you ask? Well I'm right now sitting in my office doing a weekend duty of manning the data center. Sitting here I began to think on how things have changed. It's the weekend and people will be looking forward to it and planning on how to spend time but me, well I seem to enjoy working more...
Hmm...pretty weird though as I'm a self-confessed lazy slob who tries to talk his way out of working but things have certainly changed a lot now. I wasn't suppose to work at all this weekend but I don't know why I actually agreed to it. Partly could be due to the fact that my planned outing to JB had to be cancelled due to the worsening flood situation there or the other reason is feeling pity on John who had to work 2 days in a row this weekend. Which ever it is, it made me think.
Before this when I was living in Yishun, I would loathe working on weekends as I had to travel halfway around Singapore to get to Pantech21 but now that I'm in Jurong East which is much closer, I don't mind much. Looking at these facts have given me the answer as to why I have changed, and the answer is change itself.
Yeah in Yishun the place was rather lively and you wouldn't feel bored but here the place is rather dead and not to mention that the place I live in currently does not give me the feeling of solitude that I normally look for. To escape the clutches of uneasiness, I found an escape route in work. People hearing this would seriously think that I'm a sicko but hey you got to do what gives you pleasure and peace of mind.
All this would not be for long as end of this month I'll be moving back to Yishun again. I keep my fingers crossed that it won't turn out equally boring for me again.
Until then, take care and chiao
Hmm...pretty weird though as I'm a self-confessed lazy slob who tries to talk his way out of working but things have certainly changed a lot now. I wasn't suppose to work at all this weekend but I don't know why I actually agreed to it. Partly could be due to the fact that my planned outing to JB had to be cancelled due to the worsening flood situation there or the other reason is feeling pity on John who had to work 2 days in a row this weekend. Which ever it is, it made me think.
Before this when I was living in Yishun, I would loathe working on weekends as I had to travel halfway around Singapore to get to Pantech21 but now that I'm in Jurong East which is much closer, I don't mind much. Looking at these facts have given me the answer as to why I have changed, and the answer is change itself.
Yeah in Yishun the place was rather lively and you wouldn't feel bored but here the place is rather dead and not to mention that the place I live in currently does not give me the feeling of solitude that I normally look for. To escape the clutches of uneasiness, I found an escape route in work. People hearing this would seriously think that I'm a sicko but hey you got to do what gives you pleasure and peace of mind.
All this would not be for long as end of this month I'll be moving back to Yishun again. I keep my fingers crossed that it won't turn out equally boring for me again.
Until then, take care and chiao
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