More than just an accountant

I hope I don't get him into trouble as he could have been 'summarily' terminated if he was caught. I just couldn't resist but snap a picture and blog about it. He must be very tired that he dozed off in broad daylight sitting comfortably in front of a bank facing the main road.  Of course, it was a public holiday as there wasn't anyone then when I snapped this picture.  He was oblivious when I walked past him, needless to say. From the moment I stepped into the bank's ATM section to the time I walked out, he was still in slumberland, at least a good 3 minutes as I was only depositing a cheque.

Oops! Sorry, I 'crushed on' you. Is this sight a familiar one? I don't mean the traffic jam. Look at those flat orange rubber on the road. And who can be proud to be called Malaysians who live in a land where drivers who are supposed to be holding legal driving licence have not learnt to be law-abiding citizens? Why are drivers so impatient to wait in line that they have to cut queues and ram into these lane dividers? And, by the way, should the authority consider fixing steel lane dividers instead of rubber type to deter such 'cowboys' from their 'crushing' hobbies? It's still money spent, it's just a matter of spending before or after such mishaps.

No, they are not products of biotechnology which make some kind of rare fruits grow on street light poles. These are scenes typical to housing estates.  The lower the income-earning capacity of the population of the area, the more of such 'fruits' you can find present. What could be the reason these bags of trash not in dustbins but on street light poles? The residents skim on dustbins? Or to prevent stray cats or dogs scavenging through the trash or these bags are more convenient for the garbage collectors to do their jobs.  Believe me, these collectors seem to be so busy that they will not even close the covers of the dustbins after emptying them.  I believe this phenomenon is more of for convenience. What kind of impression are we leaving to tourists or foreigners who visit our country?

"No matter where you are in life right now, no matter who you are, no matter how old you are - it is never too late to be who you are meant to be." - Esther & Jerry Hicks. I am already, what my other half describes as 'half-way through our lives'.  Starting out a venture on my own since about three years ago, I never thought that age is a barrier.  I only know that I need to move on and I know that I will not be any better had I stayed where I was. Where we are in life - there is never a right time in life to do something different.  When one has just graduated from college, it's a norm for parents to expect their kids to join the working world to gain some experience as well as to recoup the investment costs in their kids' education. After a few years, one would have accumulated too many commitments to be even bold enough to take a risk doing something on his own in view of the fixed and steady salary.  Then, come the additional precious member...

As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, it was as though we traveled back to stone age.  We were impressed. However, as we spent the second half minute in the restaurant, we felt invisible.  Even when we were finally visible to the waitresses, we felt the least welcomed.  We were not shown to our table although the waitress was standing less than 5 feet from us.  We had to find our way to a suitable table. And, thankfully, we were finally served when we found our own table, that was when we asked the waitress to join another table for us as the two small tables are too uncomfortable for 5 of us. Ironically, for a restaurant of this size which has at least 20 tables, I could only see not more than 3 waitresses, excluding the cashier.  No complaints from us since our food came quite promptly.  The button for 'Service', 'Bill' are only for 'display'.  They didn't work, at least ours didn't work, not sure about the other but...

In my previous corporate job as an accountant, I've received remarks that 'You do not look like an accountant', 'You don't look like a bean counter' or even 'You don't speak like an accountant' etc. . Whether they meant good or not, I take them as compliments as I think I am more than an accountant. There is a group of accountants out there who are very conservative, they have no business sense, they don't understand the meaning of PR or marketing. Neither do they take any risk at all, most of the time, they only want to 'win', no compromise. When you talk business with them, they would blurt out rationale only from the financial point of view. Sigh... waste time talking to them. They live in cocoons made of figures, financials and accounting standards.  Interpreting numbers is their forte. When it comes to talking business, they.. err.. blunder. Oh gosh! I've offended accountants or rather bean counters. Having said that, I...

Should you stop paying your subscription to a professional accountancy body when you have not been practising as an accountant? It has been almost three years since I quit from my corporate job and focusing on my own venture .  As an accountant, I am required to be a member of Malaysia Institute of Accountants as well as CIMA. I have been diligently paying for their annual subscription fees although I am not practising as an accountant. Does paying for the fees still keep you as a member or substance counts?  The advice (not from anyone from the institutes) to me is to continue paying as an 'investment' in case I may require to be affiliated to the professional bodies in the future.

Having moved to our new house for about a year now, we still receive letters addressed to the previous owner.  I've been accumulating about three dozens of them and this was after the first batch returned to the postman. One fine day came this 'new' postman whom I've not seen before. He refused to accept the the previous owner's letters when I wanted to pass them to him.  He gave me the reason that he was just doing his job and he couldn't confirm who stayed where. All he does is to deliver letters based on the address on the envelopes.  I had to handle those undelivered letters myself.  He got down my nerves when he wasn't very courteous with his tone of voice.  Not wanting to continue the conversation with him, I walked back to my house.  I picked up the phone and immediately dialed the operator's number.  It wasn't difficult to get hold of the post office's administration office for my area. I managed to speak to the supervisor.  ...

Being in a field so closely associated with academics, I can't help but reminisce my good old school days.  The most distinctive pages of my early school days were those prideful days when I became a regular recipient of year-end achievement.  Every year, without fail, my school would hold its year-end Concert Day.  This was the day I looked forward to.  Not only did I get to perform on stage , it was THE important day where my hardwork throughout the year got recognised and rewarded.  Flipping through the pages of my report book which I have kept til now, I was quite amazed that I was, in fact, a smart student then.  Don't get me wrong that I am prematurely diagnosed with Alzheimer but I just couldn't recollect the moments when my parents actually 'celebrated' pridefully of their daughter's academic achievement. Neither were they boastful to anyone (including relatives,friends or neighbours) how well their daughte...

I had a chance to visit this place called Time Tunnel at Cameron Highlands recently.  It brought back so many memories of my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.  About 2,000 artefacts including photos and newspaper clippings, are displayed, some date back to about a century ago whilst some were those from the post-war era.  I salute the owner of this museum for hoarding these priceless memorabilia for the viewing of the public. He should be proud that his eccentricity is admired and earning him not only some income but also a respectable reputation. One wonders where he managed to find space to store them. Mind you, he even keep stuff such as bicycles, barber chairs, counters, benches, wheelbarrows and even part of handrail of staircase, not to mention furniture such as shelves, stools and tables. The following exhibits during my time attracted my interest most. One of my favourite pastime was playing ...

So little time, yet so many things to accomplish.  Now, when will I have the time to read the books I bought?  There are at least 5 books that I have bought but are now sitting uselessly while accumulating dust in the book shelf.  Some of them are just flipped for a few pages and later abandoned again.  I feel so sorry that these books are not read yet for its contents.  I'm sure there are intricacies,wonders and amazement waiting to be discovered by reading them.  But, what will power do I have to pick up one and start reading regardless of my busyness?

It doesn't need any introduction why we were all dressed in red. Donning a red dress or blouse seems to be the tradition in most Chinese families on the auspicious Chinese New Year.  It may not necessarily be red. Any prosperous or bright colour will do the trick such as bright yellow or pink.  In our family, dressing up in red is a norm.  Instead of shunning this tradition, we enjoyed doing it although we may end up having a piece of red dress in the wardrobe which is normally worn only once a year. 

Letter flimsily left on my car windscreen When can they improve?  Just when I thought things could not be worse, here is where I found my letter.  I know why they place the letter everywhere except the letter box.  Apparently, my car was blocking the postman's motorcycle's path where he could just drop letters into my letter box without having to get down from his bike. Now, this is convenience for them! So, who cares about poor service as long as letters are delivered..not in letter boxes?  Do you notice the letter was not even placed under the wiper in case it may fly off?

From the first year I reached secondary school until I graduated, being an accountant had always been my first choice ambition.  It was only on my final year in Secondary 5 that my first choice had changed to being a 'Manageress'.  Somehow, as a child, an accountant gave me the impression of being a very highly-respectable profession.  Not only that, one can only call herself an accountant after passing all the necessary examinations.  She can't call herself one just because she holds the title of 'accountant'.  Having knowledge of this respectable profession or rather occupation, as what I knew last time, and the fact that not anyone can be an accountant, I told myself that that would be my choice.  How about doctors and lawyers? Aren't these respectable occupations? Oh yes, they are. And these earn a lot of money too.  I had even  thought about whether I would be able to be a good lawyer as being a lawyer means one needs to ha...

  This is what Malaysians have to live with.  Why couldn't the letters be inserted or pushed properly INTO the letter boxes and be left to be soaked with rain water? The other scenario left much to be said of the postal service.  Letters are not delivered into our letter boxes but left on the gate. Don't the postman realise that there is rain to drench these letters or even the wind to 'send' these letters to other people's doorstep? Maybe I am the only 'fortunate' one who had to bear with wet letters at my doorstep. A letter from my bank was soaked and was torn to pieces when I wasn't careful enough when opening the letter. Consequently, I couldn't even figure out exactly the content except for a few words here and there which eventually gave me a clue. It leaves me to wonder what is the SOP for proper delivering of letters?

Dancing on stage was one of my childhood dreams. It was also one of my favourite pastimes. I used to be very active in stage performances when I was in my primary years. And upon reaching teenage, though my studies schedule had made me busier, I would not want to miss any opportunity to dance on stage. It's not very frequent that as a college student, one got to be involved in such activity unless one devoted a lot of time in it. So, when I got the opportunity to perform for a major event then, I did not think twice and grab the opportunity. It was a very enjoyable experience for me. I got to shed some pounds while enjoy doing what I liked most. And, it was also a good destressor from the college tests. The music was great too. Here, I only managed to have this photo in my album. Apart from a dance performance to the tune of Denise William's 'Do you wanna dance?' (I think), we (the dance team consisting of four dancers) were also backing up for a fashion show.

The one seated on the second row is me. On my left was one of my close friends, CT. Behind were more of my close friends in school, YM and GK. I may look shy in this photo but mind you, I was the Head Prefect as well as the Assistant Captain of Red House of the school.

Whoever is the brains behind this is a genius. The 'Circles' feature is GREAT! You can create a few circles of people you know and each of the circle needs not know the other cirlces' members. Isn't this brilliant? This also means photos posted and shared with a particular group are not visible by the other circles. So, you don't need to worry that your boss will know that your college mate now works with a competitor of where you work. You may not want your boss to know so much of your family happenings with the photos that are posted. Or you just do not want to share so many things with your colleagues. No one will reject privacy. Way to go, Google!

This is among a few other 'facts' emailed to me this morning. I suppose the minority always seems to be the 'cream of the crop' or the 'neglected' few. Not many inventions are friendly to the 10% left-handers in the world. So, it's not surprising that they have to cope with more adversities and tend to kick the bucket earlier.

Anyone of you recalled the TV series, 'Have Gun, Will Travel?' I am not a fan of cowboy movies. In fact, they bore me so much. The title gives me an inspiration to write the title of this post. We live because we want to see our kids grow and prosper. We live because we know, or at least, we believe our lives in future will be better, don't we? We want to enjoy a better life, don't we? Do we want to live if we know we are going to be 'in hell' tomorrow? This explains why chronic disease patients don't look forward to living. They would rather die than living to suffer or letting their loved ones witnessing them suffer. Tomorrow is better! so the saying goes. But, if we don't live today well, can we have a better tomorrow?

Sensitive towards my surroundings and always expecting what I deserve, I have decided that I will start writing about things, of the typical Malaysians, of course which truly reflect this real spirit, you will know what I mean if you follow my blog. As a pioneer post, anyone ever complains about missing 'gadgets' in the car. I don't mean gadgets such as laptops or handphones left in the car which certainly attract thieves. I mean those items, attached to windscreen, which are supposedly 'valueless' and yet get looted. Yes, I am referring to the 'Smart tag' reader. You don't see these gadgets attached to windscreens of cars anymore as they get 'stolen'. But, these are supposed to be for convenience and speed to go through toll plazas without stopping long. So, tolerant drivers have to make do with keeping the reader with them (hide them in compartment away from the sight of thieves) and flash these readers as they pass through toll plazas. So, the...

I wish I had more photographs of myself when I was a little girl. The only photo I remembered taken of me was when I was five, I think so. Of course, I couldn't recall that was me in the photo. But, the girl in the photo did resemble me. The little girl in the photo portrayed someone who seemed to be a stubborn girl who won't take any orders unless they are right. And that's so 'me'. So, I don't doubt at all.

I want to be heard and seen. Not on TV or movies, but on prints, on books. I want my words to be read by people who could be of different or of the same background, who could be reading them and wanting to share with people they love, with their children,hopefully. I want my words to inspire someone. I hope my experience can be a wake-up call to people who read it. I hope people will ponder, will reflect. All but for the betterment of the inner them which eventually will be sprouted as something to be relished and cherished with families and friends.

Sad to say, I was a victim. What's worse is I have full faith in her. I trusted her and I believed her when she said it's a stable insurance company to go with. And when she switched to another insurance company, I didn't question at all. In my heart, she is my friend and she would not land me in any trouble or inconveniences and would strive to recommend me the best policies to serve my needs. Armed with a qualification not any insurance agent can afford to possess and being an ambitious person, the search for an easy life begins, inevitably, I would if I were her. No one can guarantee that he or she will be stuck for life doing the same thing. Well, even if she were to change harbour again, I wouldn't mind or blame her. I expect, as her friend and client, to be informed, formally as well as friendly, her 'exit' from her sales career. What I faced, disappointingly and gradually, were delays, slipshods and non-responses, not something to be expected from a passi...

Don't EVER,EVER,EVER open any email from people whom you suspect would not be likely to email to you. Once, I received an email from someone whom I am close to but the content of the email was a casual but suspicious one. I proceeded to question this 'sender' of her reason for doing so. Well, I did not suffer any losses, my PC wasn't corrupted,neither did it get attacked by any virus. There wasn't any link in the email. Just a short and simple message. Well, I wasn't spared the next time and my curiosity got the better of me. I was in doubt of the email with the subject of the sender's name. She is my relative whom I have not written to and out of curiosity (with no sense of security), I opened the email. What's worse was I succumbed to ignorance and clicked the link. Alas! a virus detection window popped out right before my eyes. Geez, I can't even recall exactly what appeared on my screen. All I could remember was 'it was critical' and ...

"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering." - Anonymous A quotation I received in my mailbox this morning. To those who worry too much and not appreciate the present.

It got me frowning for a while and wonder if I have missed out a very important chapter of this subject in my school. That earthquakes are afterall not natural catastrophe and can be avoided by careful environmental planning? Don't blame me if you think I have wasted your time watching this video clip. * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuMLtycp_0I*