Month: August 2006

On Monday, The Star highlighted Tun Dr M’s advice to us young working generation:

“Don’t be too calculative about salaries and the number of hours you put in at work.
When you step out into the working environment, you must work hard. Don’t be too calculative about the number of hours you work and the salary.
Dr Mahathir said sooner or later, those who worked hard would reap their just reward.”

Won’t we be taken for granted and used and abused and never see the “reward” for it? How many years are we to wait and reap the reward?
Food for thought
1. Some benefits are minimal – some don’t have insurance or medical cover. Is that OK?
2. According to the Employment Act 1955 if we are employees of less than 2 years, we have a pitiful entitlement of 8 days annual leave. Is that OK? What if we work hard and we’re not entitled to overtime pay? So I slog for 365 – 8 = 357 days a year. Oh wait, I forget. I make use of the 14 days worth of medical leave. Hmmmmm
3. The cost of living has increased – petrol, electricity, telephone bills, parking, mamak food, food, etc; but our salaries are still pitifully low. How can we not be calculative? Mileage claim has not even been adjusted by some companies since the price of petrol went up! Wait, today’s NST reports that toll charges will be going up soon, too!
I think only the low paying companies and companies who enjoy promising their employees nothing (you heard “oh, one day you will make it to the top.” for the past 3 years!) would appreciate his comment.
If we shouldn’t be calculative about the hours and our salaries, then employers should please increase the benefits. You want us to look smart at work but our salaries are unable to cover our shopping bills for necessities. I brush my teeth only once a day, to save on toothpaste. ;P

From an email on behalf of her friend:

“The girl never dated before my friend, he was her first boyfriend. She took him for granted – for example, should she go out on her own with her friends, she refused to inform him about her plans and leaves her mobile phone off, not wanting him to call her while she’s out. She claimed that even her parents do not call her.
But if he is out with his friends and she calls to chat, he will entertain her calls.
She never wanted to hang out with him and his friends for yumcha sessions but insisted on going with her friends, who are usually guys.
She has a bad temper and never failed to yell at him, testing his patience to the max. No reason was ever given for her outbursts. And it happened frequently.
She never wanted to be seen eating with him, she claimed that she didn’t want the relationship to be made known to others. However, she can eat out with other guys!
When they go out at night, she insisted to be sent home by 10pm. But when she’s out with her friends, there’s no curfew! Yet when he asked her about it, she claimed that he was being controlling!
On his birthday, she asked him to take the day off work so they could celebrate together. She did so, too. But at the last minute, she cancelled her leave to eat with her boss.”

It pisses me off that she came up with a million excuses and took the boyfriend for granted. Is/Was that mature? Or is/was she just a bitch? Anyway, they’ve broken up and i hope he’ll find someone better.
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bimbobum: #&*$^@*(#@)#(@#!!!!!!!

(Eye-catching title, don’t you think? But no, we’re not talking about sex today. ;P)
I was checking out a potential target the other day, but I was unable to muster up the courage to approach target and be cool. Say it! I know you want to…
… laugh and call me a coward. ;P
Let me explain! Target was surrounded by friends of the opposite sex. How am I supposed to saunter over and penetrate into the group? (Aah.. now you know the reason for the title.)
So intimidating.
Usually I’d take the indirect route of befriending target’s friends, and then put my claws on target. Hehe. My friends tell me I’m a coward, should take the direct approach – zoom in on target and get on with it!
Direct – Head towards target direct and make my small talk, under the scrutiny of target‘s friends; or
Indirect – Approach target‘s friends and be friends with them first, and then squirm my way through to glue myself to target later? <--- this may take some time. *Yawns* If target was alone just for once, I’d be direct. But hardly. The posse’s always around. ;(
Posse’s are intimidating. Let’s say you take the direct approach, the posse will start judging you and will know right from the start that you’ve got your sight set on their friend. Stress!
I asked 2 friends recently and both said they’d take the direct approach, and don’t give a shit about the posse of friends. Such brave men. ;P
Help!

One evening, I had dinner with my family at a prominent Chinese restaurant in KL. We’ve always had our dinner there occasionally because we believe in the quality of the food.
Obviously things change after a while. The combination of roast cuts of duck, barbecued pork (char siew) and piglet (skin) actually came last, after the vegetable and bean curd dishes. Very strange, don’t you think?
At the end of dinner, my dad called for the bill, and a waitress went to bring it over. Along with it, she brought a plastic sign to put on the table, signalling that the bill has been paid. The sign read “Thank you” and “Terima Kasih”. She came back with the change after a while.
Instead of leaving the tab (in that black folder) on the table for my dad to collect his change and leave a tip, she stood beside him, holding the folder open.
My dad stared at her. She stared back. I stared at both of them.
Reluctantly, he picked up his change and left a tip. The waitress left with the tab without uttering a single word.
First, the quality of food decreased – it was oily as hell. What’s the point of ordering vegetable dishes if the oil is enough to give you a heart attack on the spot? Even the roast cuts weren’t crispy, the char siew kept sticking to my teeth because of the carbon/burnt ‘outsides’ and the piglet skin oozed oil/grease.
Secondly, the lack of personal touch and manners from the waitress:
(a) she never smiled;
(b) she never said “Thank you”; and
(c) she tried to be polite by holding the folder open for my dad to pick up his change.
VERY BAD!
Even if she is a foreigner, surely the management must train or educate their staff in basic courtesy? Why eye a customer’s wallet to insist on a tip when you’ve hardly spoken a word?
My dad shouldn’t have left a tip! I wouldn’t have left a tip if it were me. I’d probably have told her off if I had been in a bitchy mood: “Leave the damn thing here! I want to take my own sweet time picking up the 10 sen coins you left me as change !”
Waitressing requires a certain etiquette. I think there are do’s and don’t’s to follow. One thing I hate is when the waiter or waitress is standing beside you refilling everyone’s cup of tea, instead of moving and standing beside the person sitting 2 or 3 seats away from you, their arm reaches out across your face to pour tea into his or her cup, that your nose is almost buried deep into his/her armpit. F*cking rude, ain’t it? One day when I’m in a bitchy mood, I’m going to hold my nose and remark, “HMMMFH. DATANG DEKAT SIKIT, SAYA MAU CIUM BAU TU!” (translation: “HMMFH. COME NEARER, I WANT TO SMELL THAT!”)