Business game for the young

I think this is probably my first time representing my college to compete in an inter-college championship. I was pretty much nervous for the fact that I'm not at all prepared & would probably make a fool out of myself. I did planned to quit the last min but after some serious consideration...I decided not to as it would be so mean to ditch my friend & leave her alone. It's a 3-day challenge held at Jalan Ampang, KL next to Holiday Villa. The teams that successfully enter the following rounds will spend the night at the hotel, accomodations all paid for.

Two teams were sent to take on the challenege, with me & Jen being in one team with another two from Finance. Here's a little info about the competition. Each team represents a company & it's required to manage a business through making decisions. This involves determining how much to produce, how much of raw materials, is the capacity enough to accomodate increase in production, the marketing costs, product development yadi yada. After submitting the decision form, the computer software will generate your financial results based on the pre-programmed simulated economy.

Honestly, my team of four had no idea how to play the game even with the stack of manual & the game master guiding all the teams throughout the challenge. Boy, we struggled a lot on the first day & panicked when we began to see negative figures in our P&L accounts. Miraculously, we made it into the semi-finals after making huge losses at the last part of the game. I left early as I had to attend a wedding so I wouldn't say that I was contributing much to getting the team to the next round. The credits definitely goes to my team members. In fact, I would like to thank them for qualifying the next round. I mean, I wouldn't be returning to the venue the next day to resume the game if it weren't thanks to them.

On the 2nd day, we played well. REALLY WELL, I have to stress on that. Mainly cuz we knew how to tackle the game this time. You can see that we made decisions pretty fast compared to the first day. Unfortunately, we still lost. Perhaps our sales progressed a little too slow at the beginning of the game. We were a risk aversed, taking on the safe route. Nevertheless, we were quite delighted knowing that we almost made into the finals as the points were pretty close. Good game, it was. Glad that I didn't chicken out last min or else I would've missed out a lot. We made new friends, learnt new stuff not written in the books & most importantly, teamwork. At least, it's better feeling drained out at the competition than being in college. :D

The two teams representing Inti College Subang Jaya

Me & my teammates ^^

The lift

Random incident, I tell ya. Jen & I were waiting patiently for the lift in the campus building after pressing the "down" button. One of the lifts were descending from the upper floors & by the time it reached the 4th floor, the door opened in front of us.

Guess what we saw?

PITCH BLACK DARKNESS. In other words, no lights.

In a matter of seconds, the lights lighted up as if knowing that there'll be people entering the lift. For some reason, we dared not enter cuz it all seemed too weird. I might sound paranoid but I wouldn't wanna risk getting myself trapped inside the lift IF it decides to malfunction. I'm claustrophobic, I think. *shrugs*

This strikes me as another spooky scene in those cliched Japanese/Korean horror movies.

Weekend getaway

I'm back! For the first time, I felt so good to be out of town; thousands of miles away from home without any civilisation - Internet. I had mixed feelings while packing up to leave for home in a few hours. Part of me was relieved that I'm heading back to my sacred sanctuary - my bedroom. However, I had a strong urge to stay on cuz I was drawn to the peaceful and quiet surrounding at my uncle's place. It helped me put my past behind; all those awful feelings that I don't wish to recall anymore. People that I don't wanna lay eyes on are out of sight. At least the trip did good, momentarily.

I love the fact that I had a room for myself to spend the night. It's just so darn comfy to snuggle under the sheets while having my lappie to keep me company. I'm doing work, not playing okay? XD Being the only one still awake while others sound asleep, I can't help feeling lonely & depressed again. And to blame myself for things that happened makes matters worse. I still cannot let go, to some extent. Tough times ahead, it seems. *sighs*

Anyways, my uncle & his wife moved to a new house late last year but I was too occupied with studies & working that I missed the opportunity to visit him again. This time, paying him a visit was a perfect excuse for a weekend getaway XD. I'd have to say...their new house look fabulous. Spacious. Modern yet homey too ^^. It's no wonder I didn't wanna go home.

The room that I slept in.

The living room taken from different angles.

The dining hall.

Alas, on my way home...I had to take a snapshot of this manufacturing plant in case I forget. In fact, I saw it on the day I arrived. Here it is.

Seeing a newly built Seagate manufacturing plant all the way in Skudai, JB caught me by surprise.

P.S. I'm sporting a new hairdo with a slight reddish hue. You can say that I'm damn proud of my revamped look. Definitely a boost in my confidence.

I'm going off!

On hiatus. Going out of town, I am. Please don't miss me, okay? Be good while I'm gone.

Cheers!

Step-by-step to cooking Mei's favourite instant noodle

Follow my instructions closely & you'll get to enjoy a sumptious Korean instant noodle meal. ^^

1. Read the instructions on the packaging carefully before cooking.

2. Open the packaging & place the content in a bowl while waiting for water to boil.

3. Pour in the noodle & the seasoning, leaving it to simmer for approx 4 mins. Add egg or veggie to taste.

4. Voila! There you have it, a spicy & soupy Korean noodle for you to savour. Who said it was hard to cook? It's still instant noodle. XD

Just another Mother's Day

Mother's Day celebration was just like any other previous years. There's nothing much to hoo-hah about as all of us do the same thing each year. That is...going out as a whole family for dinner at a nice restaurant. We decided to dine at Summer Palace as usual so I shall not elaborate much on the dishes we had. The menu is the same...ALL THE TIME.

Apart from the non-stop, loud horrendous renditions of oldies by a group of ladies at the room next to us; we were having a peaceful time among ourselves. My cousin sis came back from Singapore for a couple of days so that made 12 of us in the room. I was too lazy to take pics cuz I wasn't in the mood lately. The only thing that captured my attention was the fish we had for dinner. It tasted pretty okay - not that it was bad but just not to my liking. I prefer steamed fish, especially white pomfret served fresh from the kitchen. Anyways, I had to take a pic of the fish cuz the way it was positioned on the plate was rather....interesting XD. Here you go!

Figure skates

My 3rd trip to the skating rink was an awesome experience. The more often I visited the rink, I felt that I was more familiar with the ice & had better control of my balance. Apart from that, I was wearing a good pair of skates, not those stiff rental skates that countless people have put their feet in. Speaking of figure skates, I managed to borrow my cousin bro's old pair which has been kept in the store room for years. Decided to try it on since he has no use of it anymore cuz his feet has grown so much.

Miraculously, the skates fit me perfectly. Or should I say a little too perfect that it is now too tight when worn with socks. I had to resort to wearing silk stockings. Even then, my left foot is rather tight compared to the right one cuz basically - my feet size are imbalance. It's good thing that my foot hadn't any blisters.

The skates are black in colour, sadly. What more can I expect when it belonged to cousin bro anyways? None of the ladies in my family bought a white pair back then. So I had to put up with a black now. It's a pity that cousin bro didn't take good care of it & neglected it in the store room for many years. The external condition is pretty bad that the outer layer of the leather boot has melted probably due to exposure to intense heat. The blades rusted so bad that I had perfect grip the minute I stepped into the ice with it. For a start, I couldn't even push my leg & glide forward.

Thankfully, the lady on duty at the rental skates counter was nice enough to manually scrape off the rust off the blades with her bare hands at no charges. This was the only way since the machine used for sharpening wasn't functioning. And she couldn't tell me when a new machine would arrive. *sighs* How unfortunate! All I need now is to get a pair of skate guards to protect the blades which is virtually impossible now that the pro shop has been closed down. Ordering online, it is then~

Can you spot the melted surface on the leather boot?

At least, most of the rusts were removed. It still gets rusty due to condensation. -_-"

Shopping alone, or should I say window shopping by myself is a rather torturous moment to endure. With insufficient cash in hand, all I could do was stare at the glass windows with starry eyes. Searching for the right pair of stilettos to match my prom dress proved to be a difficult task especially when the mall only houses branded merchandises. It's just so happened that I have to meet up a friend there. Boy, we chatted for almost an hr just about Dong Bang in Kinokuniya while standing & browsing through magazines at the Japanese section. XD

Anyways, walking aimlessly in one of the most exclusive shopping malls such as KLCC ain't that bad after all. It's a haven for all things new - fashion, electronics, you name it. Be the first to witness them while you're there. Especially when concept stores like Sony showcasing its ubersome huge LCD TV for your ultimate viewing pleasure. (shown as below)

The least I expect to see is a whopping 103" plasma TV by Panasonic, the world's largest plasma TV in the world recently exhibited at CES 2008. It's so enormous that it no longer looks like a TV. When viewed from a near distance, it's not even HD -_-". I think you need to stand really far to enjoy the crisp clear images. Makes me wonder who would fork out RM220,000 just for a gigantic idiot box to fit into his house.

On my way home, a man in his 30s or 40s carrying a backpack approached me to ask for directions. Being an oh-so-nice citizen, I explained to him on how to get to the railway station - KL Sentral. Then he began sharing his tale regarding how he his passport & wallet, leaving him penniless. He must be trying to garner sympathy & hopefully choke out some money from ppl like me who are too kind, I thought. He even followed me to the train though thankfully he wasn't trying anything bad. We chatted up a little & got to know him more.

Apparently, this man arrived from Singapore at Puduraya to take a bus to Jerantut en route to National Park for err...meditation, I think. He went to the Singapore High Commission to seek help but unfortunately that place is closed on weekends. The only solution is to get his bro to bring the documentation. Which is why he's meeting the bro at the railway station. I trusted him & gathered all the courage to accompany him to KL Sentral. After all, there's no need for me to leave the station with him. I understand how dangerous this is even if I'm only guiding him out & I was thinking...I just got myself into trouble.

Part of me calmed a little cuz I believe I could quickly run away if things go wrong. When we arrived at KL Sentral, I waited while he inserted his ticket to the machine. The barrier lifted up & let him pass. I could see his sullen face gleamed delightfully; I supposed he sure is glad that he went to the correct station. He thanked me many times, expressing how grateful he was that I helped him. We shook hands, exchanged names & he quickly asked if I could spare him a few coings to make a phone call to his bro. Errr...why on earth he doesn't carry a cellphone? Okay, okay ditch that. I actually thought of lending him my cellphone to make a quick call. But on second thoughts, I'd rather not. What if he flees away with my precious baby? NO WAY.

Coins worth RM2 was all I could give as I'm no philantropher. Should he turn out to be a conman, losing that RM2 wouldn't hurt, don't you think so? And so happened I brought very little cash...that makes me pretty broke that day after all spending on sushis from Isetan & a packetful of Korean noodles. I bidded him farewell, wishing him "good luck" & "take care". Curious about the man? He goes by the name Kern (dunno how to spell...) - lives in Bedok, East Singapore & works at Somerset near Orchard Road. I didn't manage to get his contact; preferably not as it's unnecessary anyway. Assuming that Mr. Kern told the truth, he'd probably remember me for the rest of his life cuz I saved his life XD.

As I was returning to the train platform, I couldn't help but smiled. My mood lifted up a lot. Didn't expect that doing small favour is capable of cheering someone. This is what I really need in the next few months since my emotions are really in a mess. Basically this post sums up all that happened yesterday. I've learnt something in this state of loneliness. Going to places give you the liberty but...is it comparable to going with a friend or companion? Judging from my current state, obviously I yearn for anyone to accompany me to ease that emptiness. I need someone to talk to. Usually I prefer to be alone; when I'm feeling perfectly normal.

I went for another round of skating today. I did pretty good, actually. No more landing on the ass nor kissing the ice again ^^. Ah, I feel so proud of myself. I wasn't skating as fast as last Tuesday reason being there were too many ppl who decided to hit the ice since it's a "holiday". There wasn't much space for me to speed up a little. And my pathetic rental skates made things worse, leaving a bruise on left ankle -_-".

Speaking of over-crowded, probably a fraction of the public skaters are capable of skating properly. Which means a large percentage of them will no doubt skate incorrectly, bending their feet inwards & dragging them along the ice thus inflicting serious damage on the skates. That explains why rental skates never turn out right. Oh yeah, which nutter would loosen up their skates laces & walk about outside the rink; nearly tripping over his own wobbly, crooked skates?? Believe it, there is. Geez...I have no respect for ppl who just don't know how to care for public amenities.

During the first hour of skating, a group of ladies (probably my Mum's age or older) came with little luggages housing their skates. They were fully prepared, I thought. They turned out to be awesome skaters! And these ladies were busy practising a dance choreography, mimicking Michael Jackson's Thriller dance. How cool is that?! Skating Mums...*envy* I feel so inferior now. Why did I stop taking lessons back then? *sighs*

In the 2nd hour, the ice got wetter but the crowd seems to be flowing in. It's no longer fun to continue so me & sis left instead. We stopped by at the skating academy to enquire about the price of figure skates as I am tempted to purchase a pair online just for comfortable, recreational skating. Checking how much that academy sells won't do any harm, would it? I was utterly shocked when the lady told me the minimum is RM700. ZOMG. My cousin bought his skates 10 yrs ago at the exact same place for RM500+ & I thought it was already over-priced. Oh well, inflation must've been set in motion during the course of 10 yrs but I'm sure it wouldn't have made such a huge difference. C'mon, how much can a beginner's skates cost? Merely RM100-RM200 based on online US retailers. It's no wonder lots of rich kids from wealthy families only can afford such an expensive sport in Malaysia.