Time Warp

It has been extremely long since the last time I viewed my blog. As I clicked on the link that led me to this webpage, it reminded me of many happenings in my life that have passed. It allowed a sense of reliving the past and every post that I read filled the void of my memory. Incidences that I would have taken for granted if not for this blog to remind me. The time warp between past and presence felt so close and easily assessible just by re-reading these typed momories.

It has been great to have experiences that moulded me in one way or another into who I am today. Friends that I've met along the way and people who've encouraged me throughout my lifetime have all been a part of the pieces of puzzle that complete my life. I'm thankful for all the experiences and friendship shared. I will exchange these experiences with nothing at all.

Time passed and things changed. Here I am very close to where it all began. The very first time I saw the city. The initial adaptation to the hectic lives in Malaysia. The place where I first found what a real world consist. There I was and here I am.

Although this measure might be a little drastic but I still commit to God my future plans. I want to put the lyrics of the song "wherever You may lead, I will go" into action. Even when I don't see what lies ahead and I don't even sense whether the direction is the right one; I believe that God is good and that I can fully trust in Him my cares and worries.

"These are the days that were and these are the days will be. Guide me O Lord and I shall be:

...A Man After Your Own Heart..."

The Song

The song is finally finished and I'm happy with the results. Its final lyrics are:

Verse 1:
We will do our very best
To rise above the rest
Helping and serving
With open arms and smiles
We will run the race with pride
Our reward is your delight
Customer focus at its very best

Pre-Chorus:
We'll let the whole world see
We will serve cheerfully
Dare to make a difference
We will stand tall

Chorus:
Hand in hand we stand
To give our very best
To be a service haven for you and I
We offer our hearts
Filled with openness
In serving you we'll go the extra mile

A song I wrote

Verse 1:
We will try our very best
To rise above all the rest
Helping and serving with integrity
That's our daily quest

Verse 2:
Striving to reach our goals
To finally be proud to boast
The standards and services and people quality
To customers and the rest

Pre-Chorus:
We'll let the whole world see
We will serve cheerfully
And dare to make a difference
We will stand tall

Chorus:
Hand in hand we stand
To give our very best
To be a service haven for you and I
We offer our hearts
Filled with openness
To serve you we would go the extra mile

Still waiting for the green light. This might become an official song of a company. Can't reveal name yet. Excited!

Spider Man vs Spider Crab

Geramnya...

Went all the way to a particular branch just to get my e-banking password done. I thought I would have good service and being a staff of the company, I expected to see good signs. To my dismay, the other extreme happened.

I went in and felt like what my boss would call a "dungu". There werent any signs saying where the CSRs are. The first people I saw as I stepped into the compound was the BSE and PFE and the QMS machine was there as well. Is it supposed to be there with them and not the CSRs? Then I took my number and while waiting, I saw 2 guys wanted to remit funds. One to India and the other somewhere else. Both of them were holding WU forms. I chose to stay on to see who would conduct their transaction after I've done mine.

First disappointment. Drove 10 KM to get my e-banking replacement done and the CSR told me that the e-banking "dah habis". Is there really such a thing as "dah habis"? I really doubt so.

Second disappointment. This guy with the WU form waited for his turn and went to counter 4. The lady at counter 4 exclaimed "Oh, untuk WU kena pergi ke Kaunter 14". I wonder why she doesn't want to do it. By right, every teller has the access to WU. If there is only one teller who can do it, then should have set up a special remittance counter or at least let this poor guy know in the first place that WU money transfer can only be done at counter 14.

Third disappointment. The poor guy got to counter 14 and waited for his turn and when the lady at counter 14 served him; she asked him to go to counter 16, which is the CSRs counter to get his Mykad photocopied and go to counter 12 after that instead. What nerve to ask the customer to do so when by right, the teller should be the one serving the customer professionally.

Fourth disappointment. He went back to counter 12 to get his transaction done. He took out his form plus the photocopy of Mykad and presented it to counter 12. The "man" this time continued to key in the particulars into the system. However, when this poor guy took out some USD to pay for the money transfer, the "man" at counter 12 told him that WU cannot be done using USD, it must be in RM. What nonsense again. Your customer is here not knowing how to remit and you just tell him that it cannot be done? What nonsense. He did not even try to help the customer in solving the foreign exchange difficulties or provide any solution. This poor guy went off dejectedly and I approached him just to find out what exactly was happening. That's why my story is so detailed. He and I went to that particular branch hoping to get things done but ended spending our time wasted at the mercy of the so called "good service". I'm really disappointed.

Is this how we treat our customers in the service industry? Shame on us who consider ourselves even professionals when the most basics of courtesy is not even produced. Shame on us who call ourselves staff of this company when we don't even try to do our best in our daily worklife.

Appraisal Time...

Can't believe I've worked for so long. I would be completing my probation period by the end of this month. Confirmation result is just around the corner. As the days draw nearer, I would have to think of what I need to say during the appraisal interview. Well, I pray that I would be worth the confirmation would have at least made my employer proud.
D-Day = 30/09/2008

An Urge

Industrial & Organizational Psychology at UKM
(Prospective Lecturer)

OR

Managerial Psychology at HELP
(Prospective Trainer)

Of narrow and wide

There are always two sides to a story. Like the famous example of the glass "half empty" or "half full". It usually boils down to how we perceive things to be. Well, our human nature instintively causes us to dwell on the negative rather than the bright side of things. This is true especially when situations turn bad or experiences turn sour in spite of the many things that we can be thankful for. We often struggle with COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

Much to my surprise of working for the last 5 months; I have gradually seeped into a constant cycle of routine activities and unchanged lifestyle. Now, I have to find time to do what I used to enjoy doing (Swimming, guitaring, composing, watching movies etc). Life has changed so dramatically that there aren't many perks in my routine. One distinctive difference is that life is not so carefree after all. Every decision made brings consequences regardless of the severity. Actions taken are all preparation for the future. Sacrifices have to be made in facing daily challenges.

Despite the changes, there are things that I am thankful for too. My career has started off in a highly demanding environment in which I learned much about creating and maintaining standards. As a result of a total change of environment from what I've studied, I'm gaining every single knowledge I can as all things are new to me. Hence, this is truly priceless. My constant cycle of routine involves training people, preparing for seminars, going for regional projects and even composing for the company. I have a home that is not far from my friends and am fully supporting myself financially. During trips back to my hometown, I get to serve as a musician back in church as well. It really is exciting. Although life is not so carefree now, I get firsthand experience in learning how to be a MAN. Ahem...

To ponder again on the glass "half empty" or "half full", I guess it all depends how you want life to be like. Happy or sad, exciting or mundane. "Half empty" or "Half full", it's your choice.

Think Money

What Makes a Person Rich?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" " It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are." Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

The Call by Regina Spektor

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before

All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye..

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye..

Another phase gone by...

The look then
Leading worship in CF

(1st prom; CPR in PD; CPR in Penang)

(CPR in PD; FRIM trip; Farewell for Weng Onn's batch)

Another CF meeting 05'

(CF camp "Together-Gather" 05' ; 2nd Prom)

Another CF meeting

(Foo & I, Other housemates in Pendita)

(First CPR and only 4 in the comm)

(Friendship Appreciation Nite)














(Another CPR)

Potbless at David's place

CF Camp "Together-Gather")

(My sis came to UCSI!)

The good ol days with David (@Pasar malam)

FRIM again=)

I can wait forever

You look so beautiful today...
When you sitting there its hard for me to look away...
So I try to find the words that I could say...
I know distance doesn't matter but you feel so far away...
And I cant lie but everytime I leave my heart turns grey...
And I wanna come back home to see your face...
And I, cuz I just can't take it

Another day without you with me is like a blade that cuts right thru me
But I can wait, I can wait forever
When you call my heart stops beating, when your gone it wont stop bleeding
I can wait, I can wait forever

You look so beautiful today...
Its like everytime I turn around I see your face...
The thing I miss the most is waking up next to you...
When I look into your eyes then I wish that I could stay...
And I cant lie but everytime I leave my heart turns grey..
And I wanna come back home to see your face...
And I, cuz I just cant take it

Another day without you with me is like a blade that cuts right thru me
But I can wait, I can wait forever
When you call my heart stops beating, when your gone it wont stop bleeding
I can wait, I can wait, I can wait forever

I know it feels like forever, guess thats just the price I gotta pay...
When I come back home to feel your touch, makes it better...
Til that day, theres nothing else that I can do
And I just cant take it, I just can't take it

Another day without you with me is like a blade that cuts right thru me
But I can wait, I can wait forever
When you call my heart stops beating, when your gone it wont stop bleeding
I can wait, I can wait, I can wait forever

Thus was then now

An empty street
An empty house
A hole inside my heart
I'm all alone and the rooms are getting smaller

I wonder how
I wonder why
I wonder where they are
The days we had, the songs we sang together
And oh my love
I'm holding on forever
Reaching for a love that seems so far

So I say a little prayer
And hope my dreams will take me there
Where the skies are blue
To see you once again, my love
Overseas from coast to coast
To find a place I love the most
Where the fields are green
To see you once again, my love

I try to read
I go to work
I'm laughing with my friends
But I can't stop to keep myself from thinking

To hold you in my arms
To promise you my love
To tell you from the heart
You're all I'm thinking of

Mark 6

A Prophet Without Honor

¹ Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, "Only in their own towns, among their relatives and in their own homes are prophets without honor." ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

; a much pondered verse about being home or not.