Observations

Scenario 1:

While going through an analyst’s work who was also new to the company, I realised he had done a lot within the last three months. When I told him what I thought, his reply was, “you are the first person who acknowledges my hard work. Thank you.”

Scenario 2:

I went to the procurement girl to ask about the status of few important invoices as I needed to see them physically before giving my sign-off to the bankers/consultants. After seeing those documents and knowing it would be approved by today, I went back to my place and continued my work. Few minutes later, she came to me and asked, “How did you know that I handle the approval side of payments?” I explained that it was my job to understand such line of chain and who was responsible for what. She then replied, “Some people have been here for months and even years but they still dont know what I do or the processes involved. I’m amazed that you managed to find out in your second week.”


**********

I am still struggling with this role and at times I feel I am losing it. It doesn’t get easier when I am given ridiculous deadline. If the issue has been there for years and people who were given the chance to resolve it within 6 months time frame couldn’t do it, please dont expect me to come up with miracles in 2 working days.

I am just speechless....

Women on top

I dont know which is harder; being a lady boss or an asian woman. It is so freaking difficult when everyone gets defensive whenever I pose a question that I want to slap them then and there. It doesn’t get any easier when I am the only female at my level. Heck, one “peer” has yet to acknowledge my presence despite having daily meetings but I was told by the HR guy that it could be due to the fact that I have more knowledge and experience in what he is doing. Dude, I am not taking over your job. Get real!

Thankfully the directors are sensible enough to entertain my requests in my pursuit to understand the business and my role better. Slowly I am gaining respect from some staff upon their discovery of my background.

It is not easy to be a woman on top, especially when you are asian, in an environment where most people are old-school-minded.

Singing in the rain

Video ini ditujukan khas buat peminat-peminat Glee dimana jua anda berada. ;-)

A perfect finale

Sometimes the only thing that makes all these bumps and bruises all worth it is her. A smile on her face and simple appreciation gestures take away all troubles and sorrows as if life is a walk in a park where birds sing melodious tunes and beautiful butterflies can be spotted amongst those blooming flowers.

And so today I am taking her to see one of her favourite bands, another mummy-and-me session. She is all geared up in her Selena Gomez’s style while I try my best to appear as a cool mum, whatever is that supposed to mean.

All I know is that no matter what, we’ll have a good time tonight, a perfect finale for my career break. I hope she’ll remember the moments we had over the past nine months. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope she’ll cherish those precious memories in years to come.

In the end, she's a gold digger

First it was Kanye West where we both danced like crazy to his Gold Digger song. The young lady did it so well that someone captured her dance on video cam while others cheered on her. Tonight I'm getting some time to myself to watch Linkin Park.
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter

Watch this space. *winks*

Coffee table

As I mentioned before, since I moved here I have become a book junkie. With no tv and phone connection as well as mobile broadband with speed as fast as tortoise and the closest cafe located 20 minutes walk, I had to find a suitable activity to keep me occupied. The weekly trip to the mall meant a few books in hand and it’s a bonus when the bookshop I love has ‘3 for 2’ offer.

Here goes some that made it to my library over the past 2 months:


Blue Blood series – I read #2 and I couldn’t put it down. I then got #1, #3 and #4 immediately while #5 came out recently. It’s a cross between Gossip Girl, TVD and Buffy/Angel. Initially I hated Mimi Force, typical high profile teenage socialite but she proved to be a strong leader and showed a softer side in #4.


An offer you can’t refuse, J Mansell – Utterly hilarious! I was practically laughing to myself, much to the amusement of the partner as he thought I was losing my mind.

Breaking up is hard to do, 2 authors – Not bad but some parts and storylines could have been written better. Well, it is meant for teenagers, so I shouldn’t put too much hope.

Narnia series, 4 books – What can I say? I simple love kids’ fantasy book and Narnia is a good literature choice; words and plot. The ending was a bit sad and I didn’t expect it to be that way. Oh, I got the books through the young lady, courtesy from her awesome school library.

Lipstick Jungle – It was average for me. I could pause, read another book and then continue back to this novel. Perhaps the tv series is more exciting, not that I watch any in full.

Starbook, B Okri – I started reading this before I left London and stopped after a few pages. I decided to continue from beginning about 3-4 weeks ago and still couldn’t finish. Each time I read, I couldn’t help feeling like I’m studying literature as a subject at university.

The Art of War for Women – Most parts are worth reading and put you on the ‘climbing the corporate ladder’ mode. The last few chapters were forgettable.

Nice girls dont get the corner office – The art of war is definitely better.

There were other books such as nudge, blink and those I read before I left London i.e. accidental mother (another hilarious book) but I cant remember them all. I doubt I will have the same luxury after this but I will try to pick one every fortnight. We say that all the time but reality is, it will be hard to achieve.

Blunder

I was watching G**d M*rning America few minutes ago and they talked about 4 happiest places on Earth. Lion City was one of them. (Fishy here as I dont think they know the work culture in that city).

If you think that was interesting, wait until you see the map they used. It was Peninsular Malaysia, coloured in yellow and a huge 'Sp*re' sign with an arrow pointing to it. *smack*

Now we know why a lot of people are misguided. I suppose I could forgive our local media for committing such blunders as even a well-known program does it.

These shoes aren't made for walking

It has been done. Today was the day I signed the offer letter and I am due to start in about two weeks from now. I texted Lady of Persia saying that I felt slightly nervous as it has been almost nine months since I was in corporate mode. Hopefully I will be able to talk sensibly and get my groove back.

After searching high and low I found a nanny who met our requirements. Her previous role was with a British family, 35 hours per week with a pay close to a graduate back home. She’ll start this weekend and hopefully it will be swift. Apparently she’s also a good cook, bonus point there.

Schools will be closed for a week during Eid and I think we’ll busy with lots of things. F1 invitation to fulfil, Jonas Brothers’ concert to be considered, trips to Fashion City and safari parks to name a few. It will be our first time watching the race and I hope the young lady wont get funny ideas that it’s a norm to be enjoying it from the box. Tix are courtesy from a friend who is the kapitan of one of the sponsors. As for the concert is concerned, I should come prepared with cotton balls in my bag as the decimals of shrieking teenage girls will be excruciating.

Instead of receiving a basket of flowers as congratulatory gift on first day at the office, I will be getting a new suit, maybe in silver, in advance of course. A practical approach for a person like me and I pray that our trip to Fashion City will be fruitful, size wise. Since we are there, why not add few shirts, a bag and a pair of shoes? *grins* Yet I must refrain myself from spending as the Shopping Buddy might come over in case she gets bored in London during Xmas week. We will definitely check out Blahnik and perhaps it is time for her to reward herself with a pair of those. I doubt I will get anything as they usually come in high heels and unless they have anything in two inches of height, I’ll just have to close one eye.

In the mean time, the only soles I want are these:

Picture from metro

Have a good weekend friends! Oh yeah, do make sure you are on high grounds for those who are affected by the flood.