Alan Tam & Hacken Lee Live in Malaysia 2009

When I saw this poster of Alan Tam & Hacken Lee promoting their concert in Malaysia (for what seemed like their 2nd or 3rd time in our homeland), it never crossed my mind that I would attend it. For free!

I've got nothing much to blog about them as I'm not a fan of their music. As veterans, it's no doubt that their voices shine throughout the concert. It could be the choice of songs & the fact I'm no fan do affect how much I enjoyed the concert. Definitely wasn't as exciting as the Dong Bang days but what more can I expect, right? Furthermore, it was FOC & I attended it with dearly beloved WL =) I guess that's all that matters...

Piccies, piccies!

RIP good ol' lappie

Here I am blogging from my aunt's company laptop, sadly announce that my personal lappie has finally come to an end after 2 years 8 months of usage. LED lights were on but it refused to boot up nor show any signs of life display. I bought it at RM3,600 & despite some minor bumps & scratches due to wear & tear; the lappie looks as good a few months old. Isn't it a waste to have it disposed?

Many of you may think that the spoilt lappie is strong reason for me to get a brand new one. However, to get another one would probably cost me another 3k... T.T That is if I'm getting a considerably good one with specifications that accommodate my sis' designing needs. To be honest, I don't even need one that's superbly good in graphics or has high RAM. As a matter of fact, I'll be spending most of my quiet time blogging, performing some word processing & working on presentations/worksheets & FB-ing. Only occasionally I would be watching some videos online or download some dramas to whet my drama-holic appetite.

*sighs* I'm so in a dilemma right now~ Which one should buy?? :S

One year & counting...

Yesterday marked my first anniversary working in this company. For the past few months, there were many moments to be cherished. Be it for good & bad times with colleagues or great lessons learnt from people of all walks of life. Along the way, I've met many new people that became good friends while some just came & left...just like the wind.

It's not easy surviving in this tough environment reason being the culture is very much different here. Lots of methods are still pretty conventional & the redtape policy becomes a hindrance to complete certain task in a quicker manner. Imho, there are many procedures that can be omitted to increase work efficiency. However, there's no way we can change them to suit our preference. It's a management decision, after all. =(

I'm indeed surprised myself that I'm able to struggle & survive working here considering the tough environment. Especially when our department is seriously lacking manpower. It's really stressed out working in this office but it did trained me to be so much tougher than before. I remember that I used to cry a lot over little things. Now, I tend to keep sorrows inside or brush them away. Or perhaps I'm too tired to even feel upset about anything. Haha!

Tough job aside, I still love my job as marketeer. In addition, I met many great people too that are willing to help along the way & I'm certainly grateful for their endless support & guidance. After all, it's only the beginning so no harm suffering a little. Wish me luck as I hope to stay on for another year or two before I embark on a new journey in another organisation that could provide better remuneration package. ;)

Mei was at East Coast Part 1

On a cloudy Friday morning, I embarked on my furthest trip from home. I was on my way to Kuantan! Our Marketing team travelled there with the purpose of presenting a brief to the East Coast sales team & also to attend the final round of annual dinner. We set off at about 9am in our company's Volvo - our group consisting two from my department, one from Sales & Procurement respectively.

It was a long & somewhat tiring journey for me. Perhaps this is due the very fact that I travel less than anyone of them in the car. It was my first time being away from my humble "kernel" & I wondered if I'm able to survive or take care of myself without my parents' supervision. Much to my surprise, I adapted in no time & hardly demanded anything nor anyone to pamper to my needs. Though no doubt my face was showing signs of fatique throughout the entire trip. And so I napped throughout the entire trip. Zzz...

Upon arriving Kuantan, the trees & swampy areas flashed by as our Volvo passed by. Development is relatively slower in this part of the foreign land. The bizarre thing is...dark red soil can be seen everywhere, unlike the yellowish & orange muddy soil that we're so accustomed back at home.

Along the coastal line, wooden Malay houses were seen occupying the flat lands while thick forest trees were replaced with tall coconut trees.

Just a few kilometres away, the resort finally came into view...

I was supposed to share room with two ladies but due to last minute change of plans, I was left with no choice to sleep alone. But this room is just too roomy for a single soul like me.

The sales team was in a meeting & it wasn't necessary for the Marketing people to join in. Hence, we decided to hit the beach & snap some photos. Kuantan beach is not that scenic, as expected.

Nevertheless, the sea breeze & cloudy weather was indeed a good environment for a quiet, soothing relaxation.

Soon the sun sets & the dark skies cast shadows over the coastal line. The hotel was immediately lit up; its soft, amber lights are warm & inviting that it felt like the building is welcoming the guests with open arms. It set the mood for the night of our annual dinner - everyone getting ready to experience an enjoyable night.

Dinner was served in buffet style, as usual. Nothing tasted out of the extraordinary but generally acceptable. I supposed it's the ambience that made the event somewhat special in some ways. What's more, this is the only annual dinner that serves alcoholic beverages - a plus point for our male colleagues who are hoping to have a jolly good night. While the men stayed on for extra pints, the ladies retreated to their own rooms for bedtime.

To be continued...

Forever Michael...This Was It

I've been harbouring the desire to watch This Is It but didn't wanna voice it out knowing that WL doesn't fancy movies like such. I may not be a hardcore fan of MJ but as a child who has been watching him on TV & having interest for his musical & extraordinary dancing talents, the film that showcases MJ during his final hours of rehearsals before his shocking death.

Mum was eager to watch & both of us watched the earliest show of the day. No doubt the video materials were very raw & not filmed professionally reason being it was meant for MJ's personal viewing. Nevertheless, Kenny Ortega did a fantastic job in piecing up the bits & pieces of clips recorded in different periods into a 2 hour length film. First, it was the audition to select the best dancers around the world for the upcoming tour which didn't make it to the stage. Next, intensive practices were held to perfect the dance routines. Meanwhile, short clips were shot in the studio with the purpose of giving it a modern twist to MJ's old videos. Generally, the film is the full dress rehearsal of the concert with him singing each song live.

For a 50 year old man, his singing & dancing abilities still never lose its appeal despite his frail figure. Seeing him on stage in the film felt as if he's still around, live & kicking. His songs are good but the only tracks that made me tear in the film is I'll Be There & Heal The World. MJ's angelic voice adds life to the beautiful song which makes u feel that God has sent angels down from heaven to make the world a better place.

When the credits rolled, all of us in the cinema hall refused to leave as the film was absolutely fantastical. That the concert would the most awaited spectacular show of the year. It was such a waste that this concert didn't make it to the stage. We wouldn't have the opportunity to watch it if it did, right? RIP Michael, you'll always be in our heart until the end of time.

Travelling

My first time travelling up north without the presence of my family members nor WL turned out to be exhausting but nevertheless, pretty okay. And it wasn't for a holiday trip with buddies or close-knitted colleagues but in fact for the sake of working. The thought of long-distance travel during weekends due to work seemed so hard to bear.

Well, I supposed this is part & parcel of a job as a marketeer - to travel once in a while to other regions in order to have a better understanding of the actual market. I would like to stress again that this is was my first time presenting to the sales team. Not that I'm really green in doing presentation but c'mon, it can be quite nerve-wrecking to be a newbie giving sales brief to the team who are more experienced than you are. Train of thoughts started running through my mind the night before I'm bound to travel. I'm thinking...what if I made a blunder of everything? What if I didn't know how to elaborate my slides? So many what-ifs...

Thankfully, things turned out smoothly. No doubt I was a little nervous & my voice croaked a little throughout the presentation but I felt my confidence level grew slowly & steadily. It was hard to keep the team's attention; after all they've already been briefed previously by their sales leaders. Tell me who would wanna listen to the same thing twice. Neither do I. Haha.

I think the best part about this trip is the opportunity to experience the annual dinner organised by the regional office. Something that other staff in the HQ won't have the privilege to do so unless they're from the management level. It was interesting to see that the employees at the region put a lot of effort - right from the performance to the decorations eventhough it was of a lower scale, less lavish celebration. Food was okay, or at least that's what I thought so as compared to the ones served at HQ's annual dinner. Never knew that pasembo (Indian rojak) tasted so good~ ^^

Travelling back to KL right after the dinner ended was quite a bad decision. Should've left earlier but you know...we can't simply do that when the boss is around. I was in a deep slumber the whole night despite the bumpy ride & uncomfortable 90 degrees angle backseats. I arrived home at 1.20am, a record breaking time~ Haha. Seriously. Never in my life I come home that late even though after a night out with WL cuz we conform to my family's strict curfew. But who cares about curfew when you're already in a rush to travel back home when there's a need to work the next day? It's pretty insane exciting & adventurous working in this company. =P