New Cheese

Today is officially my last day being involved with the building I'm very familiar with since September 2005. The irony of the entire situation is that my signature was the final action (signing as a witness) for the handover of the building to another property manager.

Yea, yea, like little kid's handwriting.

How do I feel then, at 5:30pm when I signed?? Concerned actually, coz' I have another meeting to rush to (which I did at 7:00pm) and also on the staff we left to the building that was rejected by the new company. These 6 staffs are now considered on a one month termination as they have no place in my HQ, being security, maintenance and admin staff.

How do I feel now, at 11:30pm same day? Rather sad, but thankful. I was fortunate to be able to step on the rooftop of a 30++ storey building and enjoy the city view without being escorted by security. I was fortunate to observe how a lift motor room looks like on Level 34, how the cable works carrying the lifts from Ground Floor to upper floors. I was fortunate to be able to view and explore huge generator set room and huge MDF room. I was fortunate to be walking about the building always being waved by or waved at tenants who knows me by name. I was fortunate to easily be invited into tenant offices to view renovations which tenants are proud of. I was fortunate to be a part of a building's management team, a close-knit family that has now grown apart.

Now, a new cheese. Under another Director. It's like starting in a new company again. I'm ready for the challenge. Wish me luck.

We'll Meet Again

Darren was watching a girl across the street, very pretty, very alluring. He'd like to make friends with her if possible, but he's afraid. Since he have seen her a few times, he knew he'll see her again. She must be working somewhere nearby his place.

Today he's would be walking past her once the pedestrian lights turns green where he'll get a closer look at the girl he admires. However, today is a different turn. A lorry refused to stop at he finds himself lunged to push the girl out of the way. Besides a few bruises on the legs and arms, everyone was ok. "What's your name?", she asked him, thankful that he saved her life.

No, this is not a natural action that he initiated. This invitation to friendship was due to a "must do" and not a "need to do" situation. So he answered "I'm sorry. If fate makes us meet again, I'll introduce myself properly. I'd really love to see you again." and he walked off. To him, the friendship need to happen from his own doing, not fate that brings an introduction. She saw him walk off, rather disheartened that he was not willing to befriend her there and then. She'll seek him out again.

Days went by. At 1:00pm, he entered a restaurant. At 1:15pm, she entered the same restaurant, but she did not see him. He has just left 5 minutes ago after receiving an urgent phonecall from his boss to return to the office.

Weeks went by. She's walking towards the pedestrian crossing on one side of the road, and he on another. They will see each other while waiting for the light to turn green. Only tens of steps left before she reaches the crossing. Then a gust of wind blew the papers she's holding. Scattered on the pavement, she proceeded to pick them up, helped by strangers. A minute later, he has crossed the street and heading to the direction not from where she was coming from.

Months went by. She wonders why she has not met him, and he wonders the same. Luck called the both of them to attend the same seminar on a hotel nearby. On the morning, after she registered and head to the toilet, her white pants was smeared red. A leak! She left to go home. He registered while she was in the toilet, and went out for a smoke. They did not meet, he was busy looking at a billboard being painted while she raced passed behind him, head bowed to get to her car.

"Are you Fate?", a bird, perched high above a tree near the pedestrian crossing asked to its left. "Yes, yes I am", said the 'being'. "I think they really want to meet each other. Is it just bad luck, or you have something to do with it?", the bird queried.

"I did that", said Fate. "They are too perfect for each other. Should they meet, they will get married. Grow up with three kids, both soars in their careers, live happily for many many years." The bird was confused, "Then why did you not let them meet?"

"They will be divorced in their 15th year marriage, when the economy goes bad and they get retrenched. It will start from a fight about money, then about career, then they will start bringing up what they're unhappy about each other, and it will just grow until they divorce."

"How can you know this?", surprised, the bird asked.

"Because for 15 years they will not face any life challenges. I have to split them apart for their own good. We live our life to face challenges, to grow up, to get matured and to be able to face further difficult challenges. Having a smooth journey for 15 years, you will get too used to it, and once a bump appears, you will ram into it and find yourself getting tossed out of the car. It's exactly like how a kid grows up on their parent's riches until he or she reaches 22 and the parents goes bankrupt. He or she will not able to cope."

"I'm doing the best for them. I give them a reason to live. I make sure they have challenges to grow old properly and to appreciate life."

God Lends To Us

This is the first time Azman have gotten the courage to break into a house. It was dinnertime. When he smashed the door down and brandished his parang to the shocked family, he never expected what he saw.

Yes, he expected the woman to scream, only to force herself to be quiet to save her 12 years old daughter and 9 years old son. She moved them away from the dinner table, to huddle in the corner crying softly looking at Azman. What Azman don't understand is why the man, after being shocked by the sound, looked at him, continued eating his dinner as if he's not there.

"Why aren't you scared?"

"Why should I be?"

"I'm going to rob you, and most probably threaten your life and that of your family until you give me every cent you have."

"Everything that I have, my money, my car, my house, my television, even my wife and my children, they are lent to me during my lifetime. Everything I own and love, even myself, belongs to God. Certainly you have come, ordered by God to take back His possessions. If it is so, take what you were asked to take back."

With that, Azman took what he was asked to take, without knowing it... the advice that began to change his life for the better, and he left the house.

BELIEVE In Yourself!

I've actually blogged about the fact that most people carries along with them words of courage or idioms, to bring them through their daily life as a guide or confidence booster when faced with situations unfamiliar to them, or situations that challenges the current peaceful state of their calmed minds.

Just to recap, two of them to me are "If you think you can't, you've already lost without even trying." and Nike's "Just Do It!".

Most of us also carry stories as a guide and confidence booster that we have accepted and practically and absorbed that story into our subconscious. I wish to share a story that has just surfaced just few hours ago, which I knew was in me all along. I can't recall where I read it, but I know it's a story I read quite some time back. You will at first notice the evil in the character in the story, but it will knock some sense into our head to who we really are. Sorry if the story is not well narrated. Hmm... I'll check the internet for it first, and if I can't locate it, I'll narrate on my own. .... darn, can't find it.... anyway, it's either a dance, or a singing, but I'll take a dance.

A woman, Dawn, in her 40's watched as her daughter performed her dance on stage. After the dance, the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Dawn was very proud of her daughter, having failed herself to be able to dance as graceful and beautifully than her. Her daughter will make it big, unlike her mother.

After hugging her daughter, she went up and approach the dance teacher. Abruptly she turned away and pulled her daughter away with her. The dance teacher is familiar, in fact, Dawn knows her. They used to take dance class together at a prestigious dance class twenty years ago, and she is the worst in the class. And Dawn, the second worst in the class.

Twenty years ago, on a heaty evening her dance teacher called the both of them, and told them to leave the class. She said, "You will never be able to dance well, I suggest you stop your lessons with us." Dawn retaliated "But I want to dance well!", to which she received the reply "Don't waste your time. You'll never amount to anything big."

How is it then that her friend could even now be a dance teacher?! Dawn went home, rummaged through her old files and found the address to her old dance school. She wanted an explanation. It took her two weeks to track down her old dance teacher, who she decided to give a visit. Her anger non-wavering since two weeks back.

"Do you know that you wrecked my dream when you told me I cannot dance?! Do you even remember what you told me!?"
"Dear, you're not the only one. I've shot down many dreams, you're just but one of hundreds, even thousands."
"Why do you do that? You're evil! You're a dance teacher, a dance expert, you're suppose to guide your students, to make the best of them."
"Call me what you wish. Everyone of my students who I train to the end just ends up as someone who can dance, nothing more. There are some whom I wish they soar further, and these are the ones I told them they cannot make it."
"What do you mean?!"
"I may be an expert, but what gives me the right to dictate your ability? What gives me the right to tell you what you can and cannot do? It is just a simple challenge, but you chosed to heed another individual's advice than to believe in your own ability!"
"But don't you get it? You're the expert! Of course I listen to you! You mean to tell me I did not make it big because I believed in what you said? If I didn't believe you, I'd soar to great heights?"
"You may or may not soar, but at least you'd challenge yourself. Heeding my words, you totally placed your future in another person's hand. Too many people prefers to let others dictate the their life, and destroys whatever in-born ability they have within them.

Only one person truly knows your capability, and that person is yourself. You know your skills, you know your ability, you know your own body and mind and what they can do. No one has the rights to tell what to do with your skills, ability and body and mind's capacity and capability."

Apartment vs House: Bringing Up A Child/Children

On a generalised debate, a house appreciates better than apartment and you don't have to pay for maintenance fee, while you need to pay a maintenance fee even if you don't stay in an apartment but improves in security compared to a house.

When we place another variable in, that is to bring up a child/children, a new debate comes up. Let's check the pros between a house and an apartment according to my opinion.

Pros for bringing up a kid in a house.
1. Private garden for the kids to do whatever he/she wants, ie cycling, digging up grass, playing ball, burning grass, etc.
2. Jumping up and down or wailing in the house does not usually disturb the neighbour.
3. A generally larger space in a house allows for guest sleepovers especially relatives' kids.

Pros for bringing up a kid in an apartment.
1. Facilities! Enough said. There's swimming pool, sometimes a gym, sometimes a daytime retail store, large compound to run around (albeit shared compound), etc.
2. Secured. With only one door (or two) to leave the apartment, can easily be watched, and no climbing out the roof to sneak out.
3. Closer neighbours. It's easier to find kids the same age to play with within a vicinity of 100 metres radius (or circumference since there's up and down involved) for them to play together. Better social linkage.

Just a short opinion above itself tend to show stronger emphasis towards bringing up kids in an apartment environment. Hmm... is it really? Next time I need to give an opinion on "Apartment vs House: For a Gardening Parent".

Careful What You Wish For

I have come to believe that babies, as they're growing up, tend to want to have environments where they can enjoy different feelings. One of them is a feeling of fear. I noticed that my kid have started to create a fear environment by re-enacting what scared him in the first place, a crow that was perched on an awning under a roof when it was raining. One look at the crow scared him that ever since then, he always pointed up our wardrobe and says "Bird, Bird!" and then hide away.

That above, is just a theory, but then what if kids can really 'see' things? One night when he was again going "Bird, Bird!" and pointing to the top of the wardrobe and hiding under the blanket, I looked up so again see nothing. So I said to myself, "Please let me see what my son sees." It was half-hearted and very doubtful, but when I looked up again, I saw it. Just a dark shadow perched at the spot where my son pointed at.

Then it really occured to me that yes, kids DO see things! Though panicked, I was in control enough to carry my son out to the living room where my wife was. I never mentioned any of these to anyone, but that shadow is not always on the wardrobe all the time. It was only some times that it appears, and whenever it does, my son does notice it and shies away. As for myself, it does appear at very awkward hours, usually at night, and sometimes when I accidentally wake up from sleep say 3:00am or 4:00am. Twice of thrice it appears at the foot of the bed, standing, but still it's just a shadow.

Unable to accept such things, I wished to have my ability to see it go away. It didn't happen until three days later. It's been a while now since I last saw it, but I do have to pity my son a lot whenever he points upwards again and goes into hiding, heart beating so fast. Now I'm just waiting for when he will eventually lose that 'gift' as I believe they do when they grow up.

The above story never happened, but it can.

Problem with Blogging

I do read other people's blog and for those who writes a lot on reviews or observations, it falls to two types of bloggers. One who writes exactly what they observe and give an honest, non-biased opinion, totally clinical and rather professional,... and another who injects their own opinion that ends up somewhat injecting a boost in their ego as well.

Noticing this I reviewed my previous blogs on my own reviews and observations and sadly, I fall into the latter category. While I understand it's totally my opinion on what I observe, putting down... or placing a negative opinion on any specific subject tends to show "I'm superior, what I observe is inferior."

Therefore, from my next blog onwards, I will try my best to put in a very clinical view on what I review and observe. I may give an opinion, but will not try to place it as if I'm a Mr-Know-It-All. I am back, hopefully a better person and a better blogger.

Song-Attachment

Crap, for someone who hardly listens to malay songs, I find myself emotionally attached to the lyrics, tune and voice of Izwan Pilus's Indah Lelapku.

It gives me this story.

An accident happened. Gibran, on his motorcycle riding along the main road near his place, crashed into a Kenari whose driver didn't take a proper lookout when she came out of a corner. Shocked, Lissa, the driver of the car got out of her car to check on him. Lucky he hit the left passenger side of the car. Gibran was ok, though in pain, was able to get up. They left the motorbike there, front tyre gone and all, and proceeded to the nearest hospital. She found him troublesome due to her carelessness, but he wass mesmerised by her beauty to push the fault of the accident on her.

She paid for the damages and hospital bills. Only scratches and lumps on his thighs and body, otherwise everything is ok. Friendship ensued,... which turned romantic as days go by. By the third month, they found comfort in each other. They have their special restaurant, their special song and their romantic spot to spend time together, the beach. The beach, just to enjoy the sounds of the wave and the wind, to just sit near each other, no need for conversation, just the joy of feeling the warmth and companion of each other.

Just happens that one day it started to rain, they ran back to his bike. Might as well spend time indoors, to their special restaurant. On the way there, along a long road, a car swerved out of a corner without looking. Gibran only manage to see a flash of light as he hits the car.

He wakes up in the hospital. Asked for Lissa. Doctor was baffled. "You got into a bad accident, a bad blow to the head. Physically, everything is ok. You've been in a coma for three months!" As soon as he could, he went to the beach; the special place with Lissa. No one there, but wait, someone about 30 feet away walking towards the edge of the water. Lissa! Before he could even call her, she turned around as if answering someone's shout. A man came out, ran to her, hugged her, and a little girl comes running and hugged both of them at their legs.

Nyatalah dia hanya dalam mimpiku
Tak bisa aku memilik cinta hati
Nyatalah dia hanya kekasih pelukku
Sampai di sini kisah aku dengannya

Dalam lelapku ini...
Terbayang wajah seakan puteri
Dan hilang...
Segala rupa yang telahku bayang
Dan hilang....
Segala rasa yang telahku rasa
Dan hilang....
Segala semua harapanku
Dan hilang...
Cerita indah dalam tidurku
Dan hilang....
Segala rupa yang telahku bayang

Inferior

Day 1
It's not that I don't have the looks. I think I look presentable enough, but I just don't earn enough to really keep my girlfriend happy. I know a lot of people asked me to find another suitable girl, but I love her and I really do think she loves me. I don't blame her for her expensive taste. It is just her lifestyle, not her attitude. I should be very happy that she eventually chosed to accept me into her life after two years of friendship.

Two weeks back, she told me that at times when I'm busy at night with my second job, she just had to find some social friends. Now she have been going out with one guy in particular quite often. Him, I have no worries about. He has exactly what I don't have... money and time, but he don't have the looks. Still, she is happy to go out with him, nothing romantic, it's purely a mutual social friendship. He buys her a lot of stuff, and though she forcefully told him not to, she still keeps them. She told me not to worry, I'm in her heart. She only takes whatever he gives sincerely, and she does not flirt with him at all. I still have her. I'm happy.

Day 2
I'm not happy, and this is not funny! How the hell can she fall for him? Why did she do this, calling me up late last night just to tell me that she may be falling for him?! And now she's cancelling our dinner tonight, saying that she wants to go out with a girlfriend who just dropped into town just for a day. When I asked her if she's lying and going out with him instead, she told me 'No!'... but I know better.

Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you so much for doing this to me. Why didn't you just tell me from the start that my lack of money can cause all this?! Anyway, it's dinner time now. I've sent a nice bouquet of flowers and a nice heart shaped chocolate cake I baked myself in the afternoon. Hope you enjoy them. Hope you enjoy him and be happy with him. I'm not for you. Happy Valentine's Day.

....Shatter of glass. A thud. People screaming.....

Day 3
It's murder! Someone pushed my boyfriend out his apartment! Police is saying it might be suicide but I know him well enough. He loves me, and I love him so so much. God I miss him! I should have just invited him along to see Maggie, but she was too inconsolable, having just divorced her husband, stopping by KL on the way back to her hometown. Peter called me this morning saying that he feels as if he's interfering with my life. He said he adores me, and tried to 'buy my heart' with money, but he feels that he cannot buy love and has stepped back. I really thought he looked at me like a sister, the way he treats me is no different from how my brother does. Such a fool I am for not realising.

Don't worry, honey. No one can take us apart. We'll be together again tonight. I'll use the same 'door' that you were forced into. I don't care about the murderer, all I want is you. Wait for me.

Psychology in Lifts

You know how we all hate it when we are about to get out of lifts and others are shoving themselves in?? But sometimes we end up doing the same instead?! We're not gonna talk about this, but let's check this one out.

1. Stand or Lean
When you enter an empty lift, where do you stand in the lift? And do you stand straight or you lean against something? For myself, I nearly always stand at back left corner and lean to my left (lift wall supporting left shoulder). Can I actually come up with a psychological study on this preference of a) choice of location to stand in lift and b) to stand straight or lean? Anyway, what is your choice?

2. Pressing A Number
When you enter a lift with some other people (maybe 3-4), do you settle yourself nicely in the lift and then only press to the desired floor, or do you press first before you settle yourself? For myself, I nearly always press first the moment I enter the lift before settling myself where to stand. What do you do?

3. You and the Opposite Gender
If someone of your opposite gender stands exactly centre left of the lift, do you stand on the center right of the lift to sort-of "balance" the placement of people in the lift, or do you go about your business standing wherever you want? Just say that you stand on the centre right, with just the same distance from the lift door as the person beside you. Who leaves first? You attempt to leave first or the other person leaves first (ie reaching the Ground floor when you know both will leave at the same floor)? For myself, I nearly always allow someone parallel or in front of me to leave first and then my turn, unless I'm with my family in which case I'll just move towards the door to leave asap.

4. Idle Time in the Lift
At least 80% of the time, someone MUST make themself preoccupied while waiting to reach the desired floor. The other 20% of the time they just stand/lean there like a statue. Preoccupying means they fiddle with the phone, fiddle with their hair, looking up at the numbers (showing what floor lift is currently at), etc. For myself, if I know I don't need to fiddle with my phone, I nearly always looking up at the numbers. That's the only thing I can think of doing while waiting.

5. Aura
I'm sure you have been in a position where there are about 5 people in the lift and you are at the centre (since the other took the corners). How do you feel? Do you feel as if the two dudes/dudettes behind you are looking at you? Do you feel uneasy by the personal aura of four people intruding into your own personal aura? Or you don't even give a darn because you're aura-challenged? :P For myself, yes, I do feel uncomfortable at times, maybe due to the fact that standing in the center of the lift, I can't possibly lean against anything. How about you?


This is purely an opinion study I'd like to test because I travel up and down lifts daily as I need to meet tenants, contractors, do some rounding of the building, etc.

Sad State of Modern Living

Until today I still receive calls from hotel membership people asking me to be part of their hotel membership. Eeee.... horribly constructed sentence. Anyway, the method of selling is seriously putting into the subconscious minds on the "proper" modern living everyone should enjoy.

The varieties of selling point are as follows: -

1. Elegant and Luxurious
"Don't you want to spend time away from home and stay somewhere elegant and luxurious? We have a huge room, with amazing view, king-sized bed, etc yada yada." Though I accept and agree to some people's need to feel rich (like some of my friends going to car showroom to test out cars) I do think also that you cannot have that feeling daily, or weekly or even monthly in fact! Too much of a good thing will make you yearn it more and more.

No problem if you yearn being rich and actually put an effort to it, but most people wanna feel rich without putting the effort, so what happens?! Loans! Or the better word is being in debt! And this is for things that depreciate in value. I don't need to talk finance here, you know where this leads.

2. Shopping Malls Are Just Across The Street
"Sir, this hotel in Bangkok is located right in front of the shopping mall for you to do your shopping!" Shopping in this modern lifestyle has become a hobby. It's like "Hey, man, what you doing this weekend?" "I'm gonna be fishing, or maybe do a little bit of reading, and if my friends call me out, I guess we'll head to snooker" or "I'm going shopping, wha'dya think!?". I'm still wondering why "shopping" books are not listed under Hobbies categories in bookshops. "Idiot's Guide to Shopping" "Learn Shopping Today!" "Master Shopping in 24 Hours"

3. You eat for two, but only pay for one! You, as a member, gets to eat free of charge!
I know for a fact that most 4-5 star hotels charges at least RM60 per head (exclusive of 15% service and government tax). I always tell them that I will not eat in hotel at all for that kind o ridiculous pricing, even at RM69 for two people because it's totally absurb. Hotel food is cooked for the masses meaning it's not gonna be as delicious as compared to people who cook one meal at a time for a maximum of 4 people to eat. Luxury food, people, is to eat DELICIOUS food with someone special. The hotel ambience just doesn't meet the pricing they place on the food. So here, "Eating at hotels" is supposed to be a modern lifestyle?!?

4. Can't think of anything more from the conversation.

Fall

The are three things that I consciously fear; death of myself, death of a loved one and 'falling'. Fear of death to self started since I got married. Death of a loved one is ongoing. 'Falling', this one is a fear that has followed be consciously since secondary school. Why I'm writing this today is because this fear showed itself in full face by a friend.

I have just been contacted by a '3-months of lost contact' friend who 'fell'. You 'Fall' when you have nothing to live for. You 'Fall' when you want to get out of your current 'life situation'. You 'Fall' when you're dealth with a shock for which the impact you are not ready for.

No names, but description yes. A nice girl, very hardworking and always takes care of her image, never skipped a prayer, leading a social lifestyle up to drinking tea/coffee till late at nights and dancing once or twice a week with gal-friends or social friends at discos. Work stress led to... drinking, smoking and drugs (weeds and pills). No more prayers, no more replying friend's sms or phonecalls, just releasing stress after work at pubs/bars being drunk. That's a BIG fall for someone to make a complete u-turn in life!

The only light in this is... she realised it, yesterday. First step to climbing out of a hole no matter how deep you fell. There is absolutely no one else who can help a fallen person other than that person. I can throw a rope, or heck, get a helicopter and a nice matress tied down to lower into the hold, but if a fallen person doesn't even wanna get up, all help is useless. The funny thing is, these people don't realise that being in the bleakest moment has one thing that everyone else don't have: Things can only get better. Problem with human being is that they are contented with "living the moment" that they see no future, or don't even strive for it.

Just to share a little from the show "Secret" which I'd rather call "A Philosophical View on Law of Attraction". Where we are now is due to what we did in the past, and what we are doing now SHOULD be what we want in our future. If we fail to do something for our future, then we are living the moment purely to kill time or fill-up whatever idle time we have with things we like that does not contribute to anything. It's no different from a parking-lot attendant sitting in his booth and not thinking of changing job ever and not even reading a book/newspaper/magazine during his idle time and prefers to day-dream only.

Please take care of your life, seriously. It totally begins with the man in the mirror, no one else.

Why You Cut Queue??

The strangest thing happened.

I was at my office lobby and I saw a guy entered the lift, so I pressed the UP button so that I can catch up with the same lift. It was just a 2 second wait.

Anyway, I got into the lift, saw that he pressed 9. I pressed 4 to my floor. Then as the lift opened at Level 4, he blocked the way and say "Eh, why you cut queue ah? I enter lift first, I go out first lah, why you want to go out first?" which I replied, "My floor is on the way to your floor what?" and he lambasted "I go out at Level 9 first, then you go out at Level 4. Don't cut queue!"

Yep, the strangest thing happened, in my mind that is, coz' I was just thinking what-if he actually did that.

Craving

I sometimes don't understand why people
need to spend so much money on things. Just
to be 'in', they think these items can actually
satisfy the society's view that they are cool. In
my opinion, there is seriously no need to be
craving for attention. It really doesn't matter
for you if they find you childish still eating
KFC or McDonalds' ice-cream in public. Just
as some people who suddenly change as
soon as they get outside their home, it's like
as if they have to lead dual life. This cannot be
possible. Please read first word of every line.

Hidden Costs in Buying Properties

Though I'm in the real estate industry and understand the costs involved in buying a property, I was caught offguard at some of the other hidden cost (related to property, but not really within property line) that was involved. I'd now like to give a run-down on what you should be expected to pay when buying a property.

Property Price - RM200,000
Downpayment - RM20,000 (10% of total cost)
Bank Loan - RM180,000
*Note: Most of the time new properties have their own panel lawyers and banks, and most of the time, the developer pays for the Lawyer Fee for the Sales & Purchase Agreement.

What comes out from your pocket....
Downpayment for property = RM20,000
Lawyer Fee for S&P = RM2,000++
Stamp Duty for S&P = RM3,000
Disbursement for S&P = RM200 - RM5,000 (here, the Lawyer have a field trip on charging exorbitant price for disbursement ie. RM70 for faxing, RM60 for editing, etc.. very similar to what an accounting firm or consulting firm would charge for disbursement)
MRTA = RM2,000++
Lawyer Fee for Bank Loan Agreement = RM2,000++
Stamp Duty for Loan Agreement = RM900
Disbursement for Loan Agreement = RM200 - RM5,000 (again, lawyers can go wild)

And went wild my developer's lawyer did!!

Belardy photostat and phonecalls costs them RM60 and RM70 each! I guessed they must have used superbly high quality ink extracted from Mont Blanc pen, and importing the said photostat machine from Australia and therefore there are shipping involved.

Basically, with the developer already paying lawyer's fee for S&P, my disbursement for the S&P itself is RM2,400+... and lawyer fees + disbursement for loan is RM3,000+.

In total I had to actually pay an extra RM5,500+ apart from my downpayment and MRTA (though lawyer fee's paid by developer).

In a nutshell, beware the "hidden cost" which is actually the Disbursement! That's a really scary word now.

Wife / Daughter

Let me give you this scenario, albeit it being a little evil and totally weird. It is very predictable, but I'm more interested in the choice you'll make.

Imagine yourself as a guy, just about to get married in a week or two. One night you have a dream, you dreamnt coming out of the toilet after a bath and you see your four years old son, playing right outside your toilet door. His fig-leaf like birthmark very visible on the right side of his neck. You say "Hey, play somewhere else." and then you see your two year old daughter just lying down on the bed. Then you look around for your wife, and you ask your son, "Son, where's mommy?". He gives you this weird look, and then you realise... she died giving birth to your daughter. It was a very difficult delivery, but your daughter managed to pull through. The dream ends.

Now, imagine yourself already married, in the hospital room holding back panic attack seeing your wife about to give birth. She pushes.... and your baby boy comes safely into the world. The doctor hands him to your wife, and then both of you takes a closer look at him, and you see a fig-leaf like birthmark on the right side of his neck.

Will you let your wife conceive again?

Something Truly Remarkable

Dear all,

At 11:23pm today, Thursday 18th January 2007, something truly remarkable has happened!! My blue pen, a PaperMate Kilometrico Fine, that can write for many kilometers has finally ran out of ink!

Long Live Kilometrico! Long Live The Pen!

Reunion

Back in December 2005, my high school friends and I had a 10th year reunion, back at school. It was nice to meet old friends again, coz' the last big reunion before that was on a 3rd year reunion. So, basically it's like 7 years since quite a lot of us meet up.

I was having a talk with a friend (who is now a lawyer for my company, hahaha.... cronism!!) and yeah, we did agree that as time goes by, marriages becomes reunion. Next week, a friend of mine is getting married and word has it that quite a lot of ex-school mates will be attending. I guess from now that, that's the only time for ex-school mates to meet... during marriages.

Hmm... I wonder if they considered my marriage to be a reunion in the past. :D

2006 : A Review

Darn, I can't make Private Posts, or maybe I just don't know how to. Anyone can help? I'm using the New Blogger.

Nearly everyone else would look back a year ago and see what they have accomplished, or not accomplished in 2006. I will not look back at my resolution, however, not to gloat, I will list what I have achieved in 2006. This is merely a listing for myself, to look back in the future (if I do that is).

Achievements
1. Bought a shop lot
2. Started a business
3. year anniversary
4. Still eating KFC healthily. :P

Shortcomings
1. Spending way above my budget
2. Not earning RM100 x my age
3. Several 'lazy spells' during working hours
4. Wasted too much time on games

This year,... one main goal is to reduce Item 1. Others, err... we'll go by ear. :D

Reality Crumbled

I have absolutely no excuse why I didn't update my blog timely... but if I DO HAVE, it'll be the lack of leisure time since working part-time equals working full time (placing all schedules on the days I do work) and the other non-working day was on processing my business.

It is Saturday morning now, and I feel better. The memory of yesterday is still here, but not the affect of having such a memory. What I felt yesterday afternoon was totally different.

We humans have this ability of creating reality out of what we perceive from our experiences, our understanding of the way things work and from what we gather through our senses. Without writing it bluntly, here's how a part of my reality crumbled.

I have a friend, a mother of two, to which I've known for nearly two years. We communicate quite frequently, well, yeah of course, since we're also colleagues. Colleagues usually cannot be friends, but those that do are very few. For me, I only have two colleagues I consider a friend. Now, having a friend, we conjure a reality on that person, based on our interactions with that person and whatever else we assume them to be.

Well, that reality crumbled. A totally bizzare act that she did totally caught me off my toes. It affected the other friend as well, but the other friend faced it more like a shock. For me, it totally wiped out 'respect' and affected me in a way that I totally lost the appetite for lunch, and the memory of it haunt me right into last night.

Jealousy?? No, if you're thinking I'm jealous, change your assumption. The knowledge of her act and the confirmation of it made me turn around, look around, wondering what other realities that I conjured that may be false. What other reality that is going to crumble as well. Making a quick check that my stronger convictions of my conjured reality are still intact and solid.

To describe how the reality crumbled, I have to give examples. It's like a parent who has a grown-up child giving monthly finance from his/her job in another state, and everyone commended that he/she's a very discipline and kind child. Reality conjured by the parent is that of a responsible and hard-working child, and when reality crumbled, the child is actually good yes, but the monies are collected from doing vice.

If you watch the show Prison Break, it's like the wife thinking that her husband is still not back from war, when he's actually in prison. It's like how some parents perceive the 'good' in their maid from what they see physically, but the maid turns out to be a demon.

Take care of the reality you conjured...