The Working Gal...

It's been a while since I posted an entry.  The previous weekend was basically a whirlwind of disgusting housework to get the house presentable enough when Mum came back from her trip.  Then last weekend was another whirlwind of activities involving some treetop escapades (more about that later).  Guess all these whirlwinds are forming over my weekends because I am now officially back at working a 5 day week.  So, goodbye to all the lovely spare time I had for blogging, baking, playing erhu, swimming, reading and all those frivoulous little pleasures of life.  Boo hoo.  Of couse, my dastardly sisters are revelling in the fact that I have to work a full week now, pretty much a slave like them....Where's the sisterly love??

Well, I'm into my third week now and man, it has been a challenge getting my brains up to working speed again.  It doesn't help that I have to now travel to KLCC, smack in the center of town.  The thought of driving through the daily snarl was enough reason to tempt me to say "No" to my boss when he informed me of the assignment.  And it definitely does not help that the client starts work at 8am!  It has been a daily struggle to open bleary eyes and heave myself out of bed every morning to get to work on time.  And even then, I am only getting to work at 8.30am on average now.  Well, since I have not officially started my project, guess I still have some flexibility with the start time.  But I am trying to slowly train myself to be up earlier now so that it's not a shock to my system when I really have to start reporting to work by 8am.

Since I chickened out of driving and decided to do the LRT thing for now, it all boils down to precision timing.  Too late, and I'll need to be ready to really muscle my way into the cabin else I'll have to watch many many trains whiz by before I get a chance to even place my toe on the doorway.  Too early, and I basically end up like a zombie the rest of the day due to that 15 crucial minutes of sleep I had been deprived of.  Also, flat shoes are essential tools to survive the ride and the kilometers I have to walk from the KLCC stop to my actual workplace.  Tottering in high heels crushed in the LRT without anything to grab on to is definitely going to induce major injuries to the feet.  Flat, FLAT shoes, my friend.  Now, I have to carry a shoe bag with some heels to slip into once I reach the office (I really GOT to get a multi-tasking pair soon). 

An umbrella is an absolute MUST-HAVE item for rain-prone KL.  Unless you don't mind staying late in the office staring mind numbingly into the computer.  It's not like you can just watch TV while you wait for the rain to stop, can you?  Another essential item is wrinkle free, breathable clothes.  Believe me, traipsing around with a heavy laptop bag is no walk in the park in this humid, unforgivably hot weather.  I see all these pretty young things walking alongside me from the LRT station to almost the same final destination.  They don't even break a sweat while I always appear in the office looking like I just ran a marathon.  What kind of anti-perspirant do these ladies use????

Moving down the list....let's see.  Working downtown also means you have to bring lots of extra money.  It is darn expensive eating around KLCC, I tell you.  Unless I want to look like I ran another marathon and walk some distance to some "cheaper" eateries, I am consigned to the fact that I'll be spending a minimum of RM10 to RM12 everyday for lunch.  Last but certainly not least, it's important to develop some muscle and leg power.  Loading the laptop bag with all the essentials like umbrella, water bottle, shoe bags, etc. and heaving them around, can certainly rival Mr. Schwarzenegger's workout routine.  Since, there is little time to spend on proper exercise now what with being mentally exhausted by the time you get home, it is good to incorporate a little fitness routine into your day.  Taking the stairs instead of the escalator when running for that train, opting for the slightly longer walk to the station - preferably in the evenings when the sun is not squeezing all the moisture out of you of course.

Well, it's certainly going to to take some discipline and focus to get back in working gal mode.  As I have shared before, I should give myself another go at this job to see if I still enjoy it.  It is one of the challenges in my quest after all.  Now, if only I can find out the brand of anti-perspirant, it will make eveything so much easier....

Message to Mum...

Dear Mum,

How is your current holiday in Eastern Europe? I heard you are having a good time.  Someone even sent me these photos of you, apparently having a good time.

I am glad I was not there to witness this as I would have certainly freaked out.  After that episode at Angkor Wat where I had to watch you with my mouth open as you slithered down those excruciatingly steep steps on your butt, I have sworn never to take you anywhere adventurous.  Guess you showed me that you can run off and do that on your own huh?

Mum, I know you are trying to get all of life's experiences which you had to forego while you were working for over 30 years to bring up the family. I am very glad to see that you have the time (and some money!) now to enjoy your travels and your hobbies. Your kids have all grown up, big, strapping and earning their own living - so, no more worries there.  But please just do me a favour ok?  Be healthy, and be happy, but don't take unnecessary risks!  Remember lil' old me here is still waiting for you to come back so that I can get home cooked meals instead of becoming a Maggi "ching"....

Happy Mother's Day!

Love,
Your daugther.

Taxes!

As usual, the end of April had the newspapers plastering photos of stressed out people trying to submit their income tax before the deadline. The one useful system the IRB ever invested in was the e-Filing. It has given me so much more peace of mind now that I could log on from the comfort of my home at any odd hour to do my submission. And the speed IRB has returned my excess tax payments since I started e-Filing has made me a convert! While I have always dreaded the hassle, my BE submission has always been relatively easy to do, due largely to the fact that I have only one miserable income stream! Anyway, filing my form for year 2009 was an unexpectedly great source of pleasure. Since I was jobless for practically 10 months last year, I am now expecting a mini windfall from IRB for all my excess tax paid! Mwah ha ha ha ha!!

Since the IRB is now evolving into a lean, mean, tax collection machine, I am just crossing my fingers that all that money will actually be used for something that will benefit the "rakyat" (woo hoo, political blogger already man... I actually used THE word! Now have to make sure my a** doesn't get hauled up to prison under ISA...). I've got a few suggestions if anyone cares to listen?

1. Invest in some project management / shift planning/ work scheduling system for all the government and government linked companies like JKR, Syabas, Indah Water, etc. so that they can for ONCE, coordinate all the road digging and pipe laying and what not repairs in one concerted effort. As it is, the constant digging and re-digging behind my house by different parties for various unknown reasons, at extremely close but different intervals, has left the roads patchy, uneven and full of potholes! Oh yeah, the system must also know how to optimize the best time to do all this roadwork with one main criteria - it should NOT disrupt the beauty sleep of nearby residents!!

2. Establish a good recycling/ collection system and set up more recycling centers at convenient locations. While I am no eco-warrior, I know having a convenient system in place would definitely encourage me to do my part. I heard they are doing some trials with recycling at Putrajaya - so, I hope it will not be a case of "hot-hot chicken shit" as a lot of initiatives in Malaysia tend to be.

3. Improve the public transport - need I say more?

4. Litter patrol - Set up elite teams of enforcers who can make people who litter do garbage collection duty with Alam Flora for a month! But then again, it’s just going to open up a whole new “rasuah”(man, I am getting dangerous here – used another sensitive word!) revenue stream....Hmmm, this needs some re-thinking....

Anyway, these are just a few random ideas – there are plenty more areas that our tax money can be put to use and I hope we will actually live to SEE some good materialize out of it! For now, I am rubbing my hands with glee in anticipation of my check from IRB...Yay!!

Quotable Quotes No. 1

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results."
- Peter Yee, "You Can Become Rich in Property"

Silly Thoughts : I Wonder Why...

Labour day is celebrated labour-free?  Shouldn't we all be revelling in even more good hard labour on that special day?