. . . rambling thots . . .

Amazing as it sounds, but fortunately for the Muslims of the world, it is an established fact. Have a look at a map of the world and you will find Indonesia on the eastern side of the earth. The major cities of Indonesia are Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Saibil. As soon as dawn breaks on the eastern side of Saibil, at approximately 5:30 am local time, Fajr Azaan begins. Thousands of Muezzins in Indonesia begin reciting the Azaan. The process advances towards West Indonesia. One and a half hours after the Azaan has been completed in Saibil, it echoes in Jakarta. Sumatra then follows suit and before this auspicious process of calling Azaan ends in Indonesia, it has already begun in Malaysia.
Burma is next in line, and within an hour of its beginning in Jakarta, it reaches Dacca, the capital! City of Bangladesh.

After Bangladesh, it has already prevailed in western India, from Calcutta to Srinagar. It then advances towards Bombay and the environment of entire India resounds with this proclamation. Srinagar and Sialkot (a city in north Pakistan) have the same timing for Azaan. The time difference between Sialkot, Quetta, and Karachi is forty minutes, and within this time, Fajr Azaan is heard throughout Pakistan. Before it ends there, it has already begun in Afghanistan and Muscat.

The time difference between Muscat and Baghdad is one hour. Azaan resounds during this one hour in the environments of Hijaaz-e-Muqaddas (Holy cities of Makkah and Medina), Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. The time difference between Baghdad and Alexandria in Egypt is again one hour.

Azaan continues to resound in Syria, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan during this hour. The time difference between eastern and western Turkey is one and a half hours, and during this time it is echoed with the call to prayer. Alexandria and Tripoli (capital of Libya) are located at one hour's difference. The process of calling Azaan thus continues throughout the whole of Africa.

Therefore, the proclamation of the Tawheed and Risaalat that had begun in Indonesia reaches the Eastern Shore of the Atlantic Ocean after nine and half hours.

Prior to the Azaan reaching the shores of the Atlantic, the process of Zohr Azaan has already started in east Indonesia, and before it reaches Dacca, Asr Azaan has started. This has hardly reached Jakarta one and half hours later, the time of Maghrib becomes due, and no sooner has Maghrib time reached Sumatra, the time for calling Isha Azaan has commenced in Saibil!

When the Muezzins of Indonesia are calling out Fajr Azaan, the African Muezzins are calling the Azaan for Isha.

If we were to ponder over this phenomenon thoughtfully, we would conclude the amazing fact that there is not even a single moment when hundreds of thousands of Muezzins around the world are not reciting the Azaan on the surface of this earth.

Even as you read this material right now, you can be sure there are at least thousands of people who are hearing and reciting the Azaan!!!

i've took 'some' pictures of sheila on 7 last night at an event for amacam/celcom celebrity chat. go to my fotopages to view the pictures.

ps: today i've pointed out a mistake done by biker mice from mars, and being her normalself she decided to dig up my mistake as well! blah lah!

NOT!!!
read this real life example, forwarded by a friend of mine today. Reaaly funny!!!

Real Life 'Dilbert-type' Managers

"My boss spent the entire weekend retyping a 25-page proposal that only needed corrections. She claims the disk I gave her was damaged and she couldn't edit it. The disk I gave her was write-protected." (CIO of Dell Computers)

Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say." (Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me." (Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

"We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees." (Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

We recently received a memo from senior management saying: "This is to inform you that a memo will be issued today regarding the memo mentioned above." (Microsoft, Legal Affairs Division)

One day my Boss asked me to submit a status report to him concerning a project I was working on. I asked him if tomorrow would be soon enough. He said, "If I wanted it tomorrow, I would have waited until tomorrow to ask for it!" (New business manager, Hallmark Greeting Cards.)

As director of communications, I was asked to prepare a memo reviewing our company's training programs and materials. In the body of the memo in one of the sentences I mentioned the "pedagogical approach" used by one of the training manuals. The day after I routed the memo to the executive committee, I was called into the HR director's office, and told that the executive vice president wanted me out of the building by lunch. When I asked why, I was told that she wouldn't stand for perverts (pedophiles?) working in her company. Finally, he showed me her copy of the memo, with her demand that I be fired and the word "pedagogical" circled in red. The HR manager was fairly reasonable, and once he looked the word up in his dictionary and made a copy of the definition to send back to her, he told me not to worry. He would take care of it. Two days later, a memo to the entire staff came out directing us that no words which could not be found in the local Sunday newspaper could be used in company memos. A month later, I resigned. In accordance with company policy, I created my resignation memo by pasting words together from the Sunday paper. (Taco Bell Corporation)

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. pictures will be taken next Wednesday and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." (This was the winning quote from Fred Dales at Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, WA.)

"What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter." (Lykes Lines Shipping)

"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business." (Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

"This project is so important, we can't let things that are more important interfere with it." (Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

"Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule." (Plant manager, Delco Corporation)

*I like this the best!!!
"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them." R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

URGGHH!!!

my cat, Lamu (short for Mea Lamu - named after the Fijian Rugby player) has been admitted into the vet hospital since last wednesday because he has abcess on his neck. at first we thought he swallowed something big i.e. rat's head, or pingpong ball.

at the same time, we decided might as well vaccinate and desex him. the doctor estimated that he'd be there until until (last) Saturday and it's gonna cost me around rm500. Paid rm250 as deposit.

However, when I called them - Saturday, they had to detain him until Monday because it seemed that the wound is big and they can't sew it until it is dry. Additional cost - RM450. The same thing happened today. Didn't have the nerve to ask the additional cost. Wouldn't want to sound like a cheapskate.

Looks like I have to dig up some money to pay for his treatment come Wednesday.
this reminds me of that credit card (visa or mastercard) advertisement.
price of sending your cat to the vet : RM250
price of having your cat detained another 3 days : rm450
price for having your cat detain for yet another 3 days : priceless

Somebody please tell me it's worth it. tell me ! TELL ME!!!!

Just in case you're missing me ;P and wondering where I am at that specific moment, refer this entry:



Depart from London 3rd July
Day 1: London to Amsterdam
Day 2: Amsterdam and Volendam
Day 3: To St Goar to Heidelberg
Day 4: Heidelberg to Innsbruck
Day 5: Innsbruck to Venice
Day 6: Venice
Day 7: To Rome
Day 8: Rome
Day 9: Rome to French Riviera region
Day 10: Cannes, Nice and Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Day 11: To Lauterbrunnen
Day 12: Lauterbrunnen & the Swiss Alps
Day 13: To Paris
Day 14: Paris
Day 15: Paris - Euro Disney Option
Day 16: Paris to London

Now that I've looked at it again, I know that it's gonna be a bit of a tight schedule. But that's what you get for GBP398.

from: [lulu's email address]
date: 17/06/2004 08:00 AM
to: [my email address]
subject: diet

hellu.. haritu lulu hantar email kat kak sue
dpt ke tak? senyap je...hmm.. anyways, haritu lulu dah kata nak share diet plan kan.. ni die:

Week 1 - Strict Protein Diet
Day 1 - Eggs and Tofu only (if possible)
Day 2 - Eggs and Tofu only (if possible)
Day 3 - Eggs and Tofu only (if possible)
Day 4/5/6/7 - Eggs, Tofu, Seafood, Beef, Chicken, Cheese, Milk (Full Cream), Butter
No: Fruits, Vegetables, Rice, Bread, Pasta, Dairy products

Week 2 - Add up vegetables (only green leaves, no carrots, tomatoes and fruits!) to the existing protein diet

Should have reduced at least 1-2kgs by now

Week 3 - Add up fruits (no bananas, potatoes) to existing diet

Lots and lots of water!

Then, once a week bole la makan nasi or amik sikit carbohidrate. Lepas dah achieve target weight, then adjust to stabilize balik as normal but by now your desires towards carbo should have reduced.

kak tinie punya email apa ek? anyways, bilakah kak sue nak pegi uk? somewhere next week ke?

had a very busy weekend. go to my fotoblog for the summary of it.

too tired to update too many blogs...

;P

1) when they open their mouth, things that comes out are just blanks but like to think they're not?
2) likes to point their fingers to others when it should actually be pointed at themselves?
3) ruin other people's day by making a big issue out of nothing?
4) laugh as if there's something stuck in their throat and they can't breathe?

I hereby officially declare that I dislike biker mouse from mars!

ps: people say you might eventually become that person you hate. So NOTE TO MY FRIENDS, if ever turn out to be like those i dislike, PLEASE PINCH ME - BUT REMIND ME FIRST BEFORE PINCHING!

received an email from a friend - asking me to do a test 'Are you the office flirt?'. So, here's my result!

The Monkey
Noisy (no i'm not!!! I'm the shy and quiet type) and high-spirited, you are the office joker - a quality you use to your advantage when it comes to entrapping the opposite sex. Everyone likes you and enjoys your sense of humour and ability to be light-hearted, even when things aren't going well. You flirt constantly, even without knowing it, and use your comic approach to wheedle your way into people's affections whilst covering your real intentions. Work is your playground - and that applies sexually as well - you certainly wouldn't shy away from a few naughty games in the office. All in the spirit of fun, naturally. The only problem you may have is when your jokey outlook means you 're flirting isn't taken seriously by the true object of your affections. Maybe it's time you made your feelings known in a more obvious way.

What about you? 'Are you the office flirt?'

...to all those who just or going to celebrate their 26th birthday this year!!!

for those who loves Sex & the City series, you might have known by now that the movie-plan is a no-go as Kim Cattrall, who carried the role sex-siren Samantha, said she would not be involved in the project. Why? Read on...

June 15, 2004 ; source : ET!Online

Fans of HBO's popular comedy "Sex and the City" want more sex in their lives! So last February, when Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda bade farewell to new episodes of the award-winning series they took heart when Parker confirmed there was a feature film in the works.

So you can imagine how distraught the "Sex and the City" contingent was recently to learn that the movie is dead in the water. Rumors have placed the blame on alleged tension between KIM CATTRALL (sexy Samantha) and SARAH JESSICA PARKER (sex columnist Carrie), so when ET caught up with TV's hottest PR lady on the set of her new movie, we had to ask.

Tune in to tonight's ET and find out what Kim says to set the record straight about why she chose to segue from the fiery Samantha and become an 'Ice Princess'.

"Life is really about beginnings and endings, and this was one of the hardest, most difficult decisions in both my personal and professional career," she tells ET. "I've had six amazing years at HBO and with my 'Sex and the City' family. I want to thank all the fans for their support."

Still, walking away from the role that brought her a new-found fame, wasn't easy, but Kim says she was ready to try something new.

"I think I wanted to do something like 'Ice Princess' for Disney because I wanted something for my niece and nephew to see after all these years of doing a show that was not children's fare," she explains.

In 'Ice Princess,' Kim plays a former-figure skating champion who has become a coach and trains girls to follow in her footsteps. She has dreams of gold glory for her daughter, who is at a crossroads and wants to go back to school. Then Kim's character meets a very talented figure skater who has not only the talent and the grace but the desire. Eventually, the two hook up and it is a match made in heaven.

"After six years of having such a fabulous character to portray, it was scary my first day on the ice," she adds. "Now it is smooth skating."

Even though Kim has said no to "Sex and the City," she isn't saying no to sex. Through her production company, Fertile Grounds Productions, she is doing a documentary called "Sexual Intelligence." The 90-minute film will address the questions that everyone asks themselves: "Why do I feel this way?" "Why do I desire this person and not that person?" "What are these feelings of guilt that I have?"

"I am very curious about those things," Kim says. "I think a show like 'Sex and the City' questions how you would do in that circumstance, whether you are one of those characters or not. That opens the door for documentarians like me to ask those questions."

italy draw with denmark 0-0!!!!

where is maldini when you need him! come back! come back!

never mind! i hope italy would manage to go into the final against france...

Received this from my friend. Very imporatnt for you to read it. Click on the picture to read.



One good example is Biker Mouse from Mars. No wonder whenever she opens her mouth, I felt like killing myself!

[14/06/04 - 00:54]
Brake cooling the cause for Montreal upset
No luck once again for Ralf Schumacher....

Brakes are always critical around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and today Ralf Schumacher finished in a fine second position behind Michael Schumacher, but seemingly Schumacher's hard work was for nothing. Both he and team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished in fourth position have been disqualified from the race. Toyota runners Cristiano da Matta who finished in eight and Olivier Panis have also been excluded.

AFP are reporting that both teams featured illegal brake cooling ducts and have therefore been disqualified. The breaking news means that Ferrari secured a Canadian one-two result ahead of Button in his BAR Honda. The rest of the pack shuffles up with Giancarlo Fisichella moving from sixth to fourth in his Sauber Petronas ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in fifth , Coulthard in sixth,. It is double- delight for Jordan Ford as both Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld are now classified in seventh and eight positions respectively.

This is a major upset for Williams and Toyota.

E.A.
Source AFP

Went out with Tini on Saturday. For the past two weeks it seems like we have unintentionally started on a new routine - go out, watch a movie, go to Petaling Street and then go lepak at i.e. bangsar, hartamas or NZ. However, this time, we started with swimming at Bukit Jalil's pool.

it was fun. it had been a long time since i last went for a swim. During my study years, tini, lulu, and myself would wait for each other to finish class and then take a cab to UiTM Induk's pool. There we were only charged 50cents per person. In Bukit Jalil however, it's rm5.

we spent 2 hours in the pool. it was a total bliss. maybe this is how hippos felt when they're bathe in mud.

also, met with CS and sister. it's nice to get to know other fellow bloggers...

after the swim, we went to watch 'The Punisher'. Not bad, but not great also. But the movie were censored in so many places, it looked as if the movie was badly editted. *sigh* OOh! And the guy (Tom Jean) is a total hunk! love the bod, and most importantly - love the deep voice!!!

FYI, the queue for the movie tickets at TGV KLCC has improved. Less people! I think parents discourage their children from going out that weekend as they need to get their stuff ready as school re-opens on Monday (today). Bad for them, great for us!!! LOL!

Next up - Petaling Street.
First time in my entire life - a real scarry experience... *BIGSIGH* When it happened to Tini, which also happens to be on a Saturday (I think?), I thought it was a bit comedic. People say "You won't know until it happens to you". True enough - it did!

It was only 10 o'clock at night. The streets were bustling with cars, busses and people. It was under the pedestrian bridge that I first encountered the dark stalker. I was about to pass a table on the sidewalk, when at the same time this guy turned to look at the same table as if to talk to the person sitting by it. He muttered, "Besarnyer barang". I didn't realize that it was directing it at me - until a few seconds later. I turned and gave him an angry look and said "Diam ah!' and just walk on. Tini was several steps behind me, and I told her of the incident. I thought that was the end of it.

But - NOOOOO....

I didn't know the guy (let's call him S.O.B) was stalking me. We were thisclose when Tini prompted me "Hey, isn't that the guy?" several steps later. I looked and saw his face. Immediately, I felt scared. I didn't even feel a tad bit flattered. However, I was really infuriated. I gave S.O.B my death look and told him off but it wasn't frightening enough to him coz he gave me this let's-go-somewhere look. #$%%^^&#&^&*)$%%!!!

We went into the space in between the stalls, hoping he'd leave us alone. And also, I was thinking, if worse comes to worst, I'd ask the help from the VCD-selling-ahbengs. I was told that they keep a knife under their table. Maybe that would scare the S.O.B off!!!

But - NOOOOO....

He kept pacing in front of the stalls. I was about ready to explode like a volcano. We each kept both eyes on him in case he does anything drastic! And so did he. But as soon as he put his guard down, we slipped out and into the crowd, hoping he missed us. At the same time, I didn't leave my sight out of Tini. We wouldn't want to be separated in a time like this, would we? Successfully, we managed to hide in the shops corridor (behind the stalls). Although there were less people, but it was safer.

Only god knows how relieved I felt... my heart starts to go down to it's normal beating rate. We stayed for a few minutes and decided we might as well walk by the corridor. Alhamdulillah... The S.O.B was no where to be seen afterwards. But we we're not gonna keep our guards down. Everywhere we went, we make sure to keep a look out around. Even after arriving safely in the car with a few purchases in hand.

So, girls. No matter where you are, be sensitive of your surroundings. And better to go out with at least one friend/companion. This world is no longer a safe place...

As for this particular guy, just in case you bump into him - he is an Indian guy with curly short hair. About 5 feet 6 inches tall. Myabe this description is a bit too general. But this is all I can provide you with. Should have assked Tini to take his picture, huh? But we were too nervous to think of anything but escaping.

Why do these things happened when all we want to do is have some fun???

last friday met up with my ex schoolmates from CBN. it was just 3 of us - HuiYee, Yann and I - with HuiYee's beau. we had dinner and update each other about what has been happening in our lives.

i told them that actually at this same moment Rini is also meeting up with the other cbners - jennifer, janice, intan shaz - at klcc too. HuiYee thought it would be fun if we asked them where they are and drop by. But, for myself, i thought it would be anough if we secretly spy them for far. Just to see how they look like now. so, i called up rini and she said they're all at CPK and invited us to drop by. she said - actually she smsed - "they're dying to meet you". yeah, right. perhaps they are dying to see me. literally... my bad...

also, found out excluding rini, there's actually 8 of them. Yet, at that time, rini didn't tell me who they were.

after several yes-no-yes-no later, we decided, whadahey... let's!

huiyee and i strutted into CPK after we tidy up our looks and appearances. yann and huiyee's beau opted out. maybe she's a bit shy with her condition - pregnant - and she said she had a feeling Sher is there.

And indeed she were. Together with farahana, melissa, anusha plus the other 3 i've mentioned before.

personally, i felt a bit awkward. during schooltime, my gand and half of the girls who were sitting there were not on good terms. yes, we do speak to each other. when deemed necessary.

they were in a group called the 'flyers'. maybe because it consisted of girls who are really ambitious and highly intelligent - and most of them were in the student council. but, personally i thought it was because they liked kevin costner in this one movie about a team of cyclists calling themselves 'the flyers'. hmph! who knows...

while my group on the other hand, comprised of your regular students, with so-so level of intelligence. And most importantly girls who dislikes - 'hate' is such a strong word - the 'flyers'.

it took us quite sometime to come up with the name 'genesys'. I can't remember who chose the name. Not me, as I wasn't really into this clique thing. I would rather have us doing our on thing minding our own business. we chose lots of names before 'genesys'. it never sticked as we don't think it suits us well.

but it was worthless still. months passed by and the name was entirely forgotten.

back to present time...

jennifer was like her own self. the same smile and the same friendly personality. only this time her hair is a bit longer and she's a bit thinner. she's now a technical engineer - accidently as she's actually majored in chemical engineering - in one of the firm in klang.

intan shaz is on holiday. she's working with an oil&gas company here in malaysia. but she's based in nigeria. i heard she's getting a lot for that. physically, huiyee said she wished she had shaz's body. but, when we met on friday, shaz look thinner. maybe it's becoz her work is taking a toll (is this how you spell it?) on her body...

then, there's farahana. the last time i saw her was at the bus station. she was lining up to buy ticket back to her college. she was chubbier then. now, farahana is slimmer, longer straight hair. and prettier than ever. she looked so sweet. didn't chat with her but i know she's married, not sure about children though.

the most surprising thing was anusha remembered me. i didn't actually remember her.. hehhehe.. sorry. she took the effort to come up to me and said "hey, suhana. you remember me or not? anusha lah!" she just came back from a ve-ry lo-ng honeymoon trip. 9 months!!!! Around the world!!! it reminded me of becky and luke's honeymoon trip (for those who doesn't know these are the main characters in "shopaholic" series). "that's what you get for marrying a sailor!" she said. wow! but my mind were still stuck at '9 months trip around the world'!!!

huiyee was busy talking with melissa (i didn't recognise her) and farahana.

janice and sher were busy with their own conversation. at times, janice did invite us to join them. but her tone to me was more like ... i can't think what was her tone like. i had played it over and over in my mind what to put in the blog entry. but now, nothing seems to come up! i think it was more like ajak-ajak ayam...

sher was also making herself busy looking at anusha's wedding album. but for a brief moment, we did look at each other but we quickly look away. i know sher is married and is working with IBM Mesiniaga. Mesiniaga have projects with the company i'm working with and because sher is in the sales unit, she did come to the office and i saw her twice. she didn't recognise me coz i'm wearing tudung.

in school, janice and sher were the two persons that i don't actually like. something about them just ticks me off. maybe it was the way they carry themselves around, you know? i'm not sure why i'm still feeling that way towards them. hmmm... i always have this feeling that they don't think i exists. they look pass through me. i'm seldom wrong about someone...

huiyee and i stayed there for a few more minutes before we took our leave.

the whole meet-up was really awkward for me. i told rini that. o btw, rini was in the 'flyers' group before, but now we're lunch partners. maybe as time goes by, all the feelings (bad) would go away and it would just be nothing more than a sweet memory of what we were in high-school.

for Shiela on 7's concert in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. I've tried booking for accomodations in that area but none were available. The ones that are are very expensive for a 2 days stay. So, Tini and I thought we might as well balik hari. But we haven't bought the ticket yet. We don't even know where to get them. Cake told us the tickets are sold at rm25 each. I guess that's not the arena's. Sheila on 7 is coming down to KL on the 19th for their Pejantan Tangguh's album promo. Nope, no miniconcert or showcase here in KL for them. After Melaka,they'll be heading to Serawak (this is how they - in official site - spelled it)...

and most importantly another two weeks and i'll be off to UK to meet up with Cik Li for our tour of Europe!!! heheheh... i'm a bit worried though. I keep thinking whether I have everything I need, will my money be enough, will I have extra budget for emergency? but i do have my credit cards. Perhaps I need to pay some of the credit card charges before I go. And today's forex for GBP has gone further up. Maybank's selling them at a rate of 1GBP=RM7.17. |P Maybe I can ask my friend to get a better rate for me to exchange with... sigh...

Several of my friends had job-hopped, even twice in a year. Sometimes it made me feel left behind in a trend. There were times when I have considered a change of job. However, when I think of the possible risk and the benefits that I am currently receiving from my current employer, I had to reconsider. What more is there are so many people (relatives mostly) that has high expectation of me and this job I have. I remember, the day my parents broke the news (me getting this job) to my late step-grandpa, he was sooo happy to the extent that he clapped his hand. This man had never expressed his emotions, let alone act it.

So, here I am. After several I-want-to-get-a-new-job-No-I-don't-think-i'll-do-it later, still tied up with my old job.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

by Krissi Danielsson, Contributor
Systems and Network Management Edition
June 09, 2004

Everyone faces the dreaded "Monday Blues" once in a while. You may wake up in the morning convinced you'd rather have a root canal than head to the office, especially if you've been working on a tough project lately. You might swear that you're going to finally get that resume updated and sent out in circulation and be off to greener pastures. But then after a few days you're working on an interesting new project, and you're back to thinking life isn't so bad.

It's normal not to be happy with your job 100% of the time. If, however, you find yourself facing those Monday Blues every day of the week, you may have a problem. But how can you know when it's time to make a job change? It's not always an easy decision.

Thinking about leaving
The reasons why IT job seekers look for a new job are numerous. Often, the culprit is an unsupportive supervisor or dysfunctional team. In other cases, workers cite lack of fulfillment or life-draining work schedules and still others are looking to climb the career ladder or land a pay raise. In some cases, IT job seekers are jumping ship from IT altogether.

"There are people who are moving into other careers because the promise of IT isn't really there for them anymore," says Allan Hoffman, Technology Jobs Expert for career super site Monster , based in Maynard, Mass.

While all of these can be valid reasons to look around, it's important to be able to pinpoint exactly why you're unhappy. Career coach Jan Gordon, who runs a Web site at www.qualitycoaching.com, says, "If a person isn't clear about what's motivating them to leave and is not really identifying the problem, there might be things that can be done to address the unmet needs."

If you're considering a move in order to get a pay raise or promotion, be sure your expectations are realistic. While it's a bit harder to move up quickly than it used to be, "people shouldn't expect that they will move up and be promoted every six months or every year," says Hoffman. Unless you're truly stuck in a dead end position where you've been working a long time with no recognition, you probably should be patient in letting your career to develop. You don't want to be labeled a job hopper, he cautions.

What to expect if you do make a job change
There are a lot of good things about making a job change. You'll have a new set of colleagues, a new supervisor and a new environment than what you're used to. You may learn new skills and gain new responsibilities. There's a good chance you'll be seeing fatter paychecks too.

"People often make higher income after a move, even if it's lateral," says Gordon.

Remember, however, that each benefit can also be a drawback. If you've developed friendships at your old office and have a comfortable routine, finding a new job can force you to start over from scratch. You'll have to build new relationships and get used to a new structure for your day. You may find that a pay raise pushes you into a higher tax bracket as well.

Should I stay or should I go?
Although positive thinking can have a powerful impact on attitudes for some people, this isn't always the case. If you have recurrent negative feelings about your job, don't wave away your own feelings.

"When a person is discontent with their job -- whatever the reason -- they should look for a new job while keeping their present job," says career consultant Jim Kell, who works with JobHuntersBible.com. "In general, things usually get worse at work. This is often triggered by the person's view of the work," he points out.

If you're not sure whether or not it's time to look for a new job, you should try to decide whether the negatives of your job outweigh the positives. Kell suggests drawing a line down a sheet of paper, then listing reasons to stay on one side and reasons not to stay on the other, then reflecting on the results over a period of several days. "Then make that decision which brings peace of mind," he concludes.

Another option can be to see a career counselor. While you're likely to talk about your feelings with your friends and family, a career counselor can be an impartial resource to help you stay on track for your personal goals. They can offer you exercises and tips to help narrow down what you're looking for and guide you in developing a plan to achieve your objectives.

State of the IT job market
Whoa, you're probably thinking right now. It would be crazy to even think of changing jobs right now, with the IT job market being as bad as it is. There are thousands of IT workers out of a job right now due to downsizing and outsourcing. Shouldn't you just be thankful to even have a job?

While it is true that the market isn't rosy, "the job figures do show that there are new jobs being created," Hoffman points out. "It's still tough for IT workers, but things are picking up and looking a little brighter."

If you do decide to look for a new position, it's probably wise to keep your current job while you look. According to Kell, research indicates it's actually easier to find a job while you're employed, and that the longer you're unemployed, the more daunting your prospects. IT job seekers "should have a job in hand before they leave their present job, if at all possible," he suggests.

In addition, whatever the current market state, Kell points out that there's always hope. "The truth of the matter is there are always job openings. People retire, get fired, move, change jobs and die," he says. "The key, of course, is to be present at that company at the time the opening occurs."

Krissi Danielsson is a freelance writer and former TechTarget editor. You can reach her at kdd at danielssonarts dot com.

do you remember this cartoon series? not sure whether it's famous or not. it's about a group of mice working together to help rid the universe of villains. an they ride bikes. those of harley and virago. but anyway, that's not the point.



i'm pissed off with my manager. well, not to the point of throwing her out of the building from this height, and believe me, we're higher than the 10th floor.

the whole unit refers to her as 'martian' as that's what her Network Id is. and when i gossip with my lunch-mate, we refer to her as 'mouse rider' as that's what her name is like and how (i'm gonna be a bit cruel here) she looks like. I am sooo bad for doing this. so, put two and two together, that's how it reminded me of the entry title.

however, in my version, this one's a VILLAIN. not the hero.
ANYWAY!

this morning at 10 to 10, she called me and told that she'd like to have a discussion at 11 with me and my colleague (from now on i shall refer my colleague as the 'superwoman', coz she is. with all those workloads she's assigned to... so much respect for her!). mice from mars didn't tell me what it is about. ok lah, fine.

so, when the time came, superwoman hasn't come back from her other meeting. i went ahead. while waiting, we discussed about my training and also about my attendance (i'm way on top in the list of latecomers). mice from mars didn't mention a thing about what we're gonna discuss. even during the 3 minutes (yes, I was counting the minute!) when we were waiting for superwoman and had nothing to say to each other.

in came superwoman and presented on what are the available options to handle the issue. I was like, hold on, what is this all about? can any one please tell me which project are we referring to? instead of mice from mars explaining, she directed my question to superwoman. Typical of her!

And while superwoman explained e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, mice from mars just sat there and listened. And at certain time she asked things that I think as a manager you should already have known!

After 15 minutes of discussion, I was still at a complete loss and nothing that came out from mice from mars are able to clear it up. I had to ask her directly and she told me it's my new task and I'm supposed to follow up from superwoman.

OK lah. That's not what I'm whining about. It's my job and mice from mars has the right to assign me with one as the need arises.

The thing is, it's supposed to be her job to explain to me what her intentions are. What's she's planning to do. Not just call us in for a discussion and expect us to be able to read her mind.

She's really getting on my nerve. Anyone has rat poison in the house?

Just now, as I was editing this entry, she came and asked if I was going out for lunch. I think she was looking for a lunch partner. Unless the menu is roasted mouse, I'm not gonna have lunch!

My bad!!!

source : ET!Online

click here to know who these bride and bridegroom are...

Went to Nokia's new handphone 7610 launching...
On Friday, Meen, Tini and I met up. Meen had received invitation to a party at Volvo's Swedish Marquee at Jln Chan Sow Lin and extended the invitation to me and Tini. Since there's nothing much for me to do that night at home or anywhere else for that matter, I accepted. Might as well, never know when I'll get the chance again, right?

The event was so-so lah, nothing extravagant. Meen told me that the organizer was trying to go with a 3D-magazine concept. No wonder the setup was a bit weird... not to mention their invitation card. hmm...

The new phone is really something (!), but the event itself is a bit of a bore-factor. No offense!

Cut my hair short at Fusion KLCC...
tini slept over and on Saturday morning we went to the 'herk-herk' hairstylist's place but the entire Wisma Central's building was closed in conjunction with the Agung's birthday. Luckily, there was KLCC. We scouted around and ended up in Fusion.

My hair is now short (my head feels lighter) and it's something like an 80's rockchic hairdo. "We are strong! Love is a battlefield!!!" (if you don't know, this is lyrics taken from Madonna's 80's song)

Watched "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"...
"Expacto patronus!!!" Suddenly a beam of strong sightblinding whitelight came out from Harry's magic wand. Ok. So I'm not good in writing stories. But JKK Rowling is!!!

And the movie was wonderful. Just as the review said, it's different from the previous 2 Harry Potter movies. However, once they've exposed the plot, the rest of it is predictable and explained the first half of the storyline.

A good movie for the family, but, it is adviseable (STRONGLY!!!) for you to leave any of your below-6-years-of-age kids at home. Unless they are easily controlled, they can be an annoyance to the other cinema patrons...

Ran down to MPH Bangsar and bought 4th installment of the Shopaholic's series "Shopaholic and Sister"...
Heard from Alma that the book's already out in MPH. So, right after the show, Tini and I dashed straight to MPH Bangsar and bought one for each of us, although it costs RM63 each! Being a true Shopaholics-holics, money is not an issue!


Bought 5 vcds at PS Boutique but all turned out to be cinema instead of DVD transfer (why you lying little rm8-pirated-vcd-selling Amoy b****)...
I bought:
1) Mean Girls (Lindsay is soooo irritating!!!)
2) 13 Going 30 (Jennifer is sooo cute, but she walks like a man. This reminds me of the other famous Jennifer*)
3) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A really sweet story - if only the picture was clearer! - about a guy trying to erase his memory of the girlfriend, because that's what she did, but destiny has it's own way of working.)
4) The LadyKillers
5) You Got Served ( wathced 1/4 way - I fell asleep as I was really tired)
6) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (for my siblings to watch at home)

The Amoy sold me 3 Vcds at RM22 and she told me, in front of Tini, that they are all DVD transfer. But when I got home found but 5 of them are not! I haven't watched the other one. Maybe I can exchange them to her, but don't know when I'll be going to PSB again... urrghh... liar!liar!pants on fire!

* E! reported that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony got married last Sunday in a small event at her home. It was attended by 40 people. This lady is really in a rush in getting herself hitched!!!*bemused*

i've ran out of places to go during today's long Friday lunchtime. Basically all shopping complexes located within 20km radius of the City Centre have been visited before.

So, yesterday when my Lunchtime-partner asked me to think of something new and different-- my thoughts were empty. I couldn't think of any!

Those were some of the criterias. Apart from that, I think the other criterias are:
1) no traffic jams
2) easy parking
3) and places with cinemas i.e. KLCC, MidValley and OneUtama, are a BIG NO-NO
4) less crowd

Perhaps the large crowds in shopping malls are due to the fact that it's a long school holidays. Families are visiting the shopping complexes (I really don't know why. Shopping complexes are not the place to go during holiday.), kids are meeting their friends for movies or just lepaking around.

Anyway, I don't think they'd agree if I suggest those shopping complexes in the Bukit Bintang aka Star Hill area as the streets there are always full of traffic no matter regardless of day or time.

Sunway Pyramid? Too far and always jammed. Not to mention the Cinema-factor.

Subang Parade? There's nothing much we can do there. Unless they sell some unique-but-edible type of food there.

Cheras area? Ooooh never! Traffic jam... always!

where else?
hmmm???

must think before 12noon...

read from etonline that mrs moder is finally pregnant!!!

Julia's Expecting Double Bundles of Joy!
June 2, 2004

JULIA ROBERTS is making her maternal dreams come true -- times two! According to People magazine, 36-year-old Julia is pregnant with twins, and expects the special delivery early next year.

Twins run in Julia's family history -- she has twin cousins and even a great-grandmother with the gene. As for the dad-in-waiting, Julia and cinematographer DANNY MODER first met on the set of 'The Mexican' in 2000 and were married at her New Mexico ranch in July of 2002.

The Oscar winner is keeping busy, heading to Italy this week to work on the sequel, 'Ocean's 12,' with pals GEORGE CLOONEY and BRAD PITT.

The mom-to-be has been thinking about starting a little brood of her own for some time, as she told Oprah in O magazine last year: "Danny and I will definitely have a family. I can't wait to have kids, Oprah. I just can't wait to hold a baby in my arms." Make that babies!

1) woke up to Mariah Carey's tune in my head. Can't remember the title but it goes something like this "Let it all fade away, don't you know our love is gone, it's too late..."
2) heard two girls in the bus chatting - alittlebittooloudly - about their hygene. About one of the girls visit to the dentist to be more specific. Don't blame me for eavesdropping! Now I know that she had scaling done and she had to pay rm50 for that. That reminds me, I need to see the dentist too before I go to UK.
3) as I was crossing the road, I suddenly remembered that when I was a child I dreamt of taking up ballet. LOL!
4) downloaded my birthday gift (from tini and jean!) to my PC. How do I exactly do that? Well, it's actually an album from Norah Jones. I'm listening to her songs right as we speak.
5) my manager is having a discussion near my workplace. I have to turn my Monitor/Screen out of her view so that I could update my blog entry!

>;P

received this from a friend of mine. though it's gender stereotyping, but it's fun to read.

You know how they say a boat is referred to as "She" and classified as female? Well, I believe everything in this world actually does have a gender. And here are some of them:

ZIPLOC BAGS are male, because they hold everything in, but you can always see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS are female, because once turned off, they take a while to warm up.

SHOES are male, because they are usually unpolished, with their tongues hanging out.

SPONGES are female, ! because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

TIRES are male, because they go bald and are often over-inflated.

AN HOURGLASS is female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.

HOT AIR BALLOONS are male, because to get them to go anywhere you have to light a fire under them and, of course, there's the hot air part.

THE SUBWAY is male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.

HAMMERS are male, because they haven't evolved much over the last 5,000 years, but they are handy to have around.

A REMOTE CONTROL is female ... Ha! You thought I'd say "male." But considerthis: it gives men pleasure, they'd be lost without it, and while they don't always know the right buttons to push, they keep on trying.

SPEED LIMIT - LDP
Please note that effective today the LDP highway speed limit will be monitored by the CCTV.
The speed limit is 90 kmh and if you go above that at 91 kmh, the camera will auto record and pass to police. The few identified areas where the CCTV is monitoring are as follows:

1) on the overhead pedestrian bridge in front of Kelana Jaya LRT station, monitoring the straight stretch
2) Somewhere near Western Digital (CCTV might be on Western Digital), monitoring the straight stretch in front of the Kelana Jaya Seafood
3) On IKEA, Monitoring straight stretch in front of IKEA and 1 Utama
4) On the double overhead bridge, monitoring the stretch between the Puchong toll and the Federal Highway turnoff.
5) In the tunnel near SS2 (please note that the speed limit is 60 kmh, not 90 kmh)

Peterpan - Mimpi Yang Sempurna [printing version]
Mungkinkah
Bila ku bertanya
Pada bintang-bintang
Dan bila akupun merasa
Merasa kesunyian

Salahkah aku yang berjalan
Dalam kehampaan
Terdiam, terpana, terbata
Semua dalam kehaluan

Aku dan semua
Yang terluka karena kita

reff:
Aku kan menghilang
Dalam pekat malam
Lepas ku melayang

Biarlah ku bertanya
Pada bintang-bintang
Tentang arti kita
Dalam mimpi yang sempurna

Aku dan semua
Yang terluka karena
Kita

Peterpan - Semua Tentang Kita [printing version]
Waktu terasa semakin berlalu
Tinggalkan cerita tentang kita
Akan tiada lagi kini tawamu
Tuk hapuskan semua sepi di hati
Teringat di saat kita tertawa bersama
Ceritakan semua tentang kita

Ada cerita tentang aku dan dia
Dan kita bersama saat dulu kala
Ada cerita cerita tentang masa yang indah
Saat kita berduka saat kita tertawa

Peterpan - Taman Langit [printing version]
Bila kini ku berada
Dalam taman mimpi, dalam taman langitku
Kini cobalah berpaling
Langit takkan merasa
Semua takkan berubah
Semua takkan berubah
Ini taman mimpiku
Ini taman langitku

Coba coblah berpaling
Ini taman mimpi, ini taman langitku
Tak perlu kau bayangkan
Tak perlu kau renungkan

Peterpan - Tertinggalkan Waktu [printing version]
Kau terbangun dari tidur panjang yang lelahkanmu
Sesali wajahmu merenta kisahmu terlupa
Kau sadari semua yang berjalan tlah tinggalkanmu
Dan tak dapat merangkai semua dekat di khayalmu
Kau harapkan keajaiban datang
Hadir dipundakmu
Kau harapkan keajaiban melengkapi khayalmu

Kau biarkan mimpi tetap mimpi
Yang melengkapi khayalmu
Kau terhenyak dan terbangunkan
Dan harapkan keajaiban datang hadir dipundakmu
Kini waktu meninggalkanmu

Peterpan - Sahabat [printing version]
Bayangkan ku melayang
Seluruh nafasku terbang
Bayanganku menghilang
Semua tanpamu teman

Bila nafasku lepas
Semua langkah yang lelah
Semua waktu yang hilang
Tapi bayangmu tetap

Ingatkan ku semua, wahai sahabat
Kita untuk selamanya, kita percaya
Kita tebarkan arah dan tak pernah lelah
Ingatkan ku semua, wahai sahabat

Ingatkan ku semua, wahai sahabat
Kita untuk selamanya, wahai sahabat
Kita bagai cerita, wahai sahabat
Ingatkan ku semua, wahai sahabat

Peterpan - Aku & Bintang [printing version]
Lihat ke langit luas
Dan semua musim terus berganti
Tetap bermain awan
Merangkai mimpi dengan khayalku
Selalu bermimpi dengan hariku
Pernah kau lihat bintang
Bersinar putih penuh harapan
Tangan halusnya terbuka
Coba temani, dekati aku
Selalu terangi gelap malamku

Dan rasakan semua bintang
Memanggil tawamu terbang ke atas
Tinggalkan semua, hanya kita dan bintang
Yang terindah meski terlupakan dan
Selalu terangi dunia
Mereka-reka, hanya aku dan bintang

Peterpan - Dan Hilang [printing version]
Bisa kau dengarkan aku
Coba pahami aku
Kita tak bisa bertahan
Kita tak bisa menahan
Kau pegang arahku
Coba tunjuk langkahku
Aku tak bisa bertahan
Aku takkan bisa menahan

Dan hilang semua impianku
Hilang semua harapanku
Hilang bersama resahku
Hilang terbawa arah

Perhatikan jejak langkahku
Bersama harga diriku
Serendah-rendahnya namamu
Serendah-rendahnya namamu

Peterpan - Kita Tertawa [printing version]
Kita masih di sini
Lepaskan semua untuk mengerti
Dan bila semua terhenti
Biarkan aku tetap menanti
Dengarkanlah aku bicara untuk sesaat
Dan terus berharap

Kita tertawa kita bicara
Untuk merasakan tentang kita
Kita terlepas kita terdiam
Untuk melupakan

Waktu terus berlalu
Tinggalkan kita masih membisu
Wajahmu tetap begitu
Biarkan semua tetap membeku

Peterpan - Topeng [printing version]
Kudapat melintas bumi,
kudapat merajai hari
Kudapat melukis langit,
kudapat buatmu berseri
Tapi kudapat melangkah pergi
Bila kau tipu aku disini,
kudapat melangkah pergi
Kau dapat cerahkan aku,
kau dapat buatku berseri
Kau dapat buatku mati,
kau dapat hitamkan pelangi
Tapi kudapat melangkah pergi
Bila kau tipu aku disini,
kudapat melangkah pergi

Tapi buka dulu topengmu,
buka dulu topengmu
Biar kulihat warnamu,
kan kulihat warnamu

Peterpan - Yang Terdalam [printing version]
Kulepas semua yang kuinginkan
Tak akan kuulangi
Maafkan jika kau kusayangi
Dan bila kumenanti
Pernahkah engkau coba mengerti
Lihatlah ku disini
Mungkinkah jika aku bermimpi
Salahkah tuk menanti
Takkan lelah aku menanti
Takkan hilang cintaku ini
Hingga saat kau tak kembali
Kan kukenang di hati saja

Kau telah tinggalkan hati yang terdalam
Hingga tiada cinta yang tersisa
Di jiwa

source:iloveblue.com

but i don't feel any special... it's just like any other days in my life. Birthdays don't seem as exciting as it used to be when we were kids. although you still get gifts and perhaps sometimes have parties, it's just not the same.

the last time i had it was last year. actually we combined my cousin's, my sis, and mine since we all are gemini and our birthdays are in the same week. we had the whole families there. it was fun! but not because it was a birthday celebration but the fact that it was sort of our family gathering.

this year we had less gatherings because of the bickerings between the two cousins!

wow! KL look serene from where I'm seating...

last night i had an interesting dream. i thought of putting it into the blog. i had type several lines. but then i thought i am too embarassed to share it. it's not kinky or a dirty dream. However, the dream was concocted as a result of me watching 'Maya Amira' and 'Gilmore Girls' yesterday...

And yesterday, i went to KLCC to take my flight tickets to Manchester. For both ways, I've requested for a window seat. It costs me RM3235. Inclusive of everything. Even the 3% charges for payment using credit card. The actual price the agent quoted to me was rm3240. Yeah, only RM5 difference.

I should have bought the tickets during MAS Travel Fair back in February. It was priced at RM1600 only! But, no use regretting it now. Besides, I didn't have any credit cards then.

Let's calculate how much discounts she gave me, shall we?

ORIGINALLY:
ticket price : RM 2970.00
tax (both airports) : RM 370.00
sub total : RM 3240.00

3% credit card charge : RM 97.20
total : RM 3337.20

amount discounted : RM 102.20

oklah... i had to buy on monday itself because starting June 1st, the carrier will charge rm50 for the fuel charges. to and fro, RM 100.

as soon as i come back from the trip, i'm gonna make my claim of that rm3000 and make payment for the credit card. So meaning I only spent RM235 for the flight tickets. Yeay! although i could have spent less if i have bought a cheaper ticket, but...

it's all about money, baby!

after collecting my tickets i went for a short shopping spree.

i needed to buy birthday presents for my cousin and, yes, my sister too!

my cousin gave me a mug from Memory Lane, put into a lovely grey box with ribbon and a card. So, I thought that could easily costs her around RM45-50.

i thought maybe a shirt would do just fine, and especially if it's MNG's. i bought one long sleeve pink t-shirt for her and one white sleeveless for my sis. the two costs me rm104. but, hey, once a year... no harm in buying!

i tend to use the word 'so' so much!

bought a sandwich at Oliver's and headed home. My head was spinning and I thought my legs couldn't carry me anymore. That was the shortest shopping spree I have ever done in my entire (working) life! After wrapping the gifts and eating half the sandwich (I gave the other half to Mom), I went straight to the sofa and slept until nightime arrived. Minus the trip to KLCC, it was a very unproductive day!

today, gonna meet up with tini (jean? meen?) and go and catch a movie ('The Day After Tomorrow') together in KLCC. See, I told you... normal.

What comes across your mind when it's your birthday? To me, it's another year passed, 26 years filled with good deeds and sins. What does the future holds for me? I don't know... Am I getting more mature each year? Or am I still the same old me as the the day before? *sigh*