Archive for June, 2006

28
Jun

::: highschool :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me

Last weekend Khien and I were attending a wedding dinner @ Cheras and it was an opportunity to meet up with those old highschool friends whom we haven’t met for the past 10 years.

Don’t ask me about the wedding dinner.

Anyway, seeing those familiar faces, hearing those familiar voices, and being surrounded by those old-fark friends, it certainly brought back those sweet memories from highschool. I still remember the days when we didn’t have to worry too much. Exams? Fuck exams! When I was in highschool, my purpose was to have fun, so I was never too worried about exams. But I got by and graduated in the middle-tier group. I still remember my SPM (something like O’ Level). Because in need of some cash, I sold off my revision textbook, textbook and notes to my junior at the end of the semester (this is a tradition in the school because new books were much more expensive).

But the SPM exam was three weeks into the school holidays, so I had nothing to study and no notes to revised. I sat there looking around, whereas my friends were busy studying. Well, I was very well connected so I managed to borrow some books to study (the problem is, I can only borrow the books ton the subjects hat were coming up much later). During mathematic exam, I forgot to bring my beloved calculator.

Right before the semester break, we decided to make a huge impact on the school system. The guys decided to wear skirt to school whereas the girls will wear long pants. Unfortunately, 99% of the guys chicken-out at the last minute, so me and the other 2 guys were among the class that got the balls to wear skirt to school. Oh and that reminds me that I didn’t know wearing skirt was such a cooling experience. I felt so cool down there and at a point when I squatted down to take group photo, I was totally “exposed” to the camera.

I guess you know what kind of student I was back then.

But who cares! That was me. I managed to graduate so I have no complain.

* * *

I also remember my almost first-time. It was also during the final year. She was the one with experience and I was completely new to the field (I refuse to use the word “green”). She fell in love with me and I liked her. But it was end of the year and she was one year younger. I was about to go to colleague whereas she was staying in the highschool. After that, we would have gone separate ways so we decided not to start.

During one afternoon, I was at her room (she rented a house with schoolmates) and somehow, we started kissing (yup, that was my first kiss), and then we were rolling on the bed. I was filled with energy back then and the flag was skyhigh due to the excitement. I was groping and kissing, and I was clumsy like a pig. Suddenly, she pushed me away and said in a very shy voice, “tonight you come here, ok?”

I could feel the blood rushing into my brain and I could hear my heart thumping in my ears. I was having problem breathing that time and I was nodding with all my strength that I almost snap my neck. I was so excited. She even asked me not to forget about condoms!!!! I thought I was finally going to get laid at a very tender age! (Yeah, I was 18 and the teenagers get laid when they were 12. But I was innocent k?)

But I didn’t go to her place that night. My very first time didn’t happen that year. I decided not to go there that night because I didn’t want to do something which I would regret for the rest of my life and I didn’t want to use her for that purpose. I was leaving school to pursue a higher dreams, and I knew we couldn’t be together. So I passed the opportunity, abide with a very sore arm.

27
Jun

::: superheroes :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: work

I just found out that we have superheroes in the company. The nickname is the tell-tale sign of what kind of person they are.

My Sales Manager - The Elastic Man.

Beuno - The Rock.

Export Sales Manager - Batman.

Another division sales exec - Robin.

Customer Service Reps - Charlie’s Angels

Head of Customer Service - Charlie

Charm - The Incredible Hulk

You must be thinking that I have a super hero nickname too. Yup, you got that right. I am the super cool Superman

Now talk about being the ultra cool one. Who else is wearing their red underwear outside?

26
Jun

::: the world is not a fair place :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: life and work

Beuno has been getting lucky. Besides being the dumbfuck weirdo in the company, and being isolated during the company outing (the colleagues had been ignoring him), he has been lucky in career wise. During an unofficial Company Idol survey, he was ranked last in the list, and among the colleagues, only very few people even care about him.

As of late, we all noticed that he has no personal style. None of us have a regular eating time (that’s why you can see me taking a late breakfast or early lunch somewhere nearby) and he has been the one who always stick to the fixed lunch time (and talk about being sales and yet got time to eat at fixed time). Lately he has been eating at wee hours as well and that is freakish. Besides, I had been told that his dressing sense has changed also. He used to wear one-size-too-small plain color shirt. Now? Viola! The very cool correct-size stripe shirt (yup, that’s what I usually wear).

The other day I overheard his conversation with a customer (I was unfortunate enough to have my cubicle in front of his), and it was one of the classic. The customer called, and obviously I could not hear what the customer was saying, but from what I heard from our Beuno was saying, it was enough to give me a century shock.

“Yes Mr. X?”
“Oh there are thousand of this products. Do you know which one are you talking about?”
“Mr. X, you must make sure which one it is. There are thousands of this products, so you better make clear which one you are talking about. If not I wouldn’t be able to help you.”
“Why not like this. You go make sure first, and then call me back.”

WOAH!!!! If this is not a classic sales talk, I don’t know what is. We are selling a product to a customer, and customer is telling us about their application so we should check with our products to make a proper recommendation based on the application. Yet our dear Mr. Beuno can ask the customer to make sure which product to use only then ask him. So what’s the use of him being in the sales team?

Anyway, the new higher management likes him so much that he is going to handle all the big customers of mine. In a way, his portfolio is going to grow and suddenly he is handling those key customers. Before this, he was just taking care of those tiny accounts, and watching with red-eyes about those key customers since the previous MD didn’t believe in his ability to serve. Now he has 3 key accounts that contribute to 80% of the company’s sales. Good for him, and good luck to those customers.

That’s why sometimes we have to wonder how those dumbfuck asshole like him these kind of people can get so lucky in work. He is a hardworker, on the surface only, and he doesn’t know how to communicate. I still remember the one instance where he stood in front of the admin for a full minute, like a rock. The admin asked him what was wrong, and he said, “call courier.” The admin looked at the clock and it was already 5:20pm, so she said, “Beuno, the courier service is off. Why not I call tomorrow morning?” He just stood there, and said again, “call courier.” The admin felt that she was being challenged on her patience, and she said in a controlled voice, “Beuno, as I told you just now, the courier service is off work. I will call tomorrow ok?”

Guess what? He stood there again, like a rock, for another minute, before he said, “Oh! I mean how to call international. I want to call Korea.”

Pardon his lousy English. He doesn’t understand complicated words like apologize, grateful, and such. Yet the new higher management likes him. So go figure if the world is a fair place.

22
Jun

::: tired :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me, life and work

There has been an exhibition and I had been busy running around, managing the booth, meeting current customers, greeting new and potential customers, and driving my outstation colleagues because they are not familiar with K.L.

It has been a good experience during the exhibition, and for some in the industry who had known each other for years, this exhibition is like a reunion party for them. You get to see the happy faces those people expressed when they saw an old acquaintance. It is weird that they are in the same industry and sometimes their office locations is just a street apart, yet they only get to meet and catch up during the exhibition.

Generally, it has been an exhausting time because of the effort to put into the exhibition while trying to keep up to the things in the office. Other than that I have to work on other things as well, and it was like juggling thousand of things at the same time in this difficult period. But somehow I am enjoying the busy schedule and the up-pace since I like to keep myself very busy.

The announcement has been made and I am getting calls non-stop from close colleagues and they all expressed their sadness. Yes, it is a sad thing but I have to move on and do the things I want to do. We have only one lifetime, and the chances to do something we like is just so limited. The path might not be an easy one but there will be no regrets as this is something I decided to do.

Some people might not understand it. Some might even disagree with me. But who give a shit? This is how i want it to be so I will not allow others to stop me as there are too many people who are afraid of change, and there are many pussies who are naturally pessimistic.

Well. Let’s see how things will go. I hope that after many years, I will still rant and rave on Blogger and see how I fair in life.

* * *
mobile post

19
Jun

::: mindless rants and raves (2) :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me, friends, life and work

The back is not getting well. There has been an improvement but there remains some pain and the movement is quite rigid. Oh well, I am really not getting younger.

* * *

The other day I got a SMS from a friend announcing that she’s getting married and gave us the date/time and location of the wedding dinner. The invitation is the SMS. Damn! That’s a new way to save money.

(Keep a mental note on this and remember to SMS to friends when I get married.)

A lot of friends are not in contact on a regular basis. In normaly days, they are too busy with their very own circle of friends, like after graduation you are the circle of ex-friends, and completely out of touch. You see them once a year if you are lucky (and that is during Class Reunion). If you are really lucky, you will see them twice. Three times is totally unheard of. That’s why I treasure those friends who stick around for ages even after graduation and it’s like fine wine; the longer you keep it, it will brew and blossom into something great. Just like Khien as one of the examples.

Then, out of nowhere, they just appeared in front of you (by email, SMS, or phone calls) and they don’t waste time. Just 1 minute of chit-chat about your well-being and then, they will throw the red bomb to you. What can you say? “Congratulations! That’s great! I didn’t even know you got a boyfriend/girlfriend!” or something as simple as “Congratulations!” and just pretend that you are listening carefully on the avenue and date of their wedding. I guess any chit-chat longer than 1 minute is really expensive so they got to watch their budget.

I will really appreciate it if they could just spend some time before announcing the wedding to call and talk a bit. Otherwise I get a feeling that I am just the target because they wanted to collect the angpow money from me before taking the wedding dinner.

* * *

On the motivation side, I am really low on motivation. I just feel like curling up and sleep. I am so darn tired and no motivation.

Damn the World Cup.

The truth is not the World Cup. It is personal things that needed to be done and I have been working hard, that’s why I always appear tired and exhausted.

* * *

I have lost my phone last week. It was devastating because I love the phone so much, and I have a lot of information saved inside. The experience was unique: I was urinating when someone called, and I talked to that person for a quickie and when I was done talking, I put the phone on the wall (yup, I needed two hands to move the piece around and zip), and I washed my hand, wiped it clean, and went back to the office. Once I sat down, I realized that I forgot about my phone. I quickly went back to the toilet and it was long gone.

Next time don’t fucking call me when I am urinating! Bastard!

18
Jun

::: new people, new style :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: life

There had been some reshuffling on the corporate side and there are people making noise on those relocation of office and what not. I was just thinking one thing; why not?

Just like our previous Prime Minister, Tun Dr. M. During his reign, he had his very own strategy, planning, and method of doing things. After 22 years of ruling, he stepped down and the new Prime Minister, Pak Lah, changed things here and there so that whole system will suit his taste and his method of working. Of course, during this reshuffling, there are new blood joining the team whereas some of the old birds just retired. The new Prime Minister just had to get the people he trusted to get into the team. Or so to speak: put the right people on the right job.

Is there anything wrong to that? Nope. If there is, at least I don’t see it.

Of course, what went wrong was the fact that Tun Dr. M made a lot of noise in the press defending himself on various decisions he made during his reign after the new P.M. made another different decision. Unfortunately, that’s not a wise move (at least in my opinion). He stepped down gloriously and the people are seeing him as the hero of the country, propelling the country to where we are right now. There’s not a single person attacking him, just the new P.M. changed the strategies and planning as he sees fit. So why is Dr. M trying to raise all this kind of noise and make him look…ermm… not so glorious? Why would he want to spoil the memories of the people and change our views of him from the “Hero of the Country” to a “Grumpy Old Man”?

Anyway, that’s another topic of discussion. So to the people in the office: new management, new management style. It is as simple as that. If you jump ship as soon as possible, then you will enjoy an easier life (less stupid stress). If you are still holding to the old style of management and refuse to change, then your life will be difficult as the people around you are changing. Adapt to the new environment and you have a great chance to grow if you apply your experience and knowledge correctly.

Nonetheless, all these changes got nothing to do with me. I am seeing the whole thing from another totally different perspective and I am actually enjoying the moment.

16
Jun

::: what is driving you? :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

The other day E asked me a really good question. “What is driving you? Where do you get all those drives?”

Well, drives are from within, your deep desire and thus wanting to achieve thoser inner desire, the drives give you all the energy to go on even if you fail, fall down, hit the ground with a thud. But you will just get up, pause for a split second to think of the mistakes, and continue doing what you do.

The reason E asked me that question was because E’s daughter was going for an interview and the interviewer wanted to find out what drives her. So E came to me and asked me since she found that I am the only person in the whole company with a shitload of drives. Anyway, in order to help her, I came up with an email to send to E’s daughter.

—————————
From: Adrian Ang
To: xxx@xxxxxx.com
Subject: What Drives You

Dear J, I had heard from E that you needed some guidance on answering those interview-questionaires and particulary on the “Drive” issue. I cannot claim that I am expert in this but I can try. First of all, you have to understand that the key engine that is driving you is unique. Not everyone has the same driving force within and I simply cannot just tell you on what to tell the interviewer. So this will be a long process to discover on what’s driving you. Check on the list below on common driving force within:-

1. Money
2. Fame
3. Satisfaction
4. Security
5. Recognition

Fame as in you want people to follow you and adore you like a movie star. Recognition can be defined as being known in the industry, and recognize your contribution to the industry/company and also community. I don’t think I have to explain much on the “Money” but Satisfaction and Security are both very different.

Satisfaction is your job satisfaction and this is a very wide definition. It can be something you have done and you are happy with it, and it can also include the paycheck amount. Some people see Satisfaction as a fulfillment in personal goals, like having a challenging project and you come up with a great victory, or something like that.

Security, on the other hand, is for wuzz and that means they are scared of being fired.

There are two ways to answer “So tell me, what is your driving force or what’s driving you.”

It can be your personal answer, or the something what the interviewer wanted to hear. If you want to answer your true driving force, then go ahead, discover the 5 items listed above and list down which one is the most important.

If you want to answer what he/she wants to hear, then you have to study the interviewer during the interview and see what kind of person he is. If he is aggressive, I would say Fame and Recognition. If he is those very nice guy, then I would say Satisfaction.

“My driving forces are my desire to do well in each responsibilities I was given and my desire to contribute to the company and the community. Of course, during the course of these contributions, I would like to be recognized as some one important in this industry and also be rewarded financially so I don’t have to starve myself while working really hard.” (say this with a faint smile) (NOTE: Sometimes they will ask you on how you contribute to the community. My answer? Meaning that I shift the trend in the field, or started something new, going extra miles and set the benchmark as high as possible so our competitors will have a hard time following us)

That’s what I told the interviewers if that’s what they wanted to hear.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Rgds,
Adrian
——————————–

Darn. I am good!

15
Jun

::: you are not me! :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me

Today finally the news has travelled the globe for 3 times in one second. The people had been called in for meeting and the news was announced. So I guess you can say that it is not “official” and there’s no turn-back point.

“Why?”

I heard people asking me that question all the time. It’s not like I don’t want to answer but I do reserve my rights for the things I want to do. Besides, what’s right for you don’t necessarily right for me. I have my future that I want to achieve and there are things that I want to do. In another word, I like to build the road myself instead of riding on a highway being made by someone else.

“Ah, but it is such a pity!”

Thanks, but I need no body to pity me. Besides, that’s what YOU think. Yup. YOU. NOT ME. I don’t think it is such a pity that I make certain decisions. Maybe it was for you, but it wasn’t such a pity for me. As I said, I am trying to lead a life that I always wanted so I might as well as take a move. All the stops I had made were like Pit-Stops to rest and gather my thoughts. I was learning about things, knowing the life-long friends and I like to stop and rest for a while, and then move on. YOU might think that the pit-stops are a place for you to rest, unpack, and stay there forever. Unfortunately, pit-stops are just pit-stops. They are not “destinations”.

Of course, living in this society, we all have to be a bit well-rounded so I just smiled, and said, “Yeah, it was such a pity but I made a choice.”

There. Thank you. I don’t need your pity. If you want to wish me luck, I will really appreciate your kind gesture.

14
Jun

::: black night :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: movie

One advice: Don’t watch it. The movie sucks!

At first we thought it was such a scary movie that we went in with high anticipation. And then, just 3 minutes into the movie, Khien and I were talking about jokes and we were laughing so hard during the movies. And then, Maria was bored and then we talked about things, and we all laughed.

Go figure.

The whole movie was in Thai language even though there were 3 stories from 3 countries, namely Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. We had to puzzle really hard why all 3 were in Thai language with all the “Po”, “Kai” and “Chai”. Besides, we are in Malaysia so doesn’t it make sense to at least bring in the movies where those actors are speaking their home language? I made the conclusion that the movie were brought in from Thailand because it was cheaper.

And the movie was really cheap. RM6 per person for Cineleisure (the Curve) and at first we were puzzled as of why the price was so low. We were expecting RM10 per person. Later I found out that the price was so cheap so that we couldn’t buy a hammer with that RM6 to pounce on ourselves.

Go watch it if you want a good laugh.

13
Jun

::: sign of aging :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me and life

Yesterday Khien, SH, Maria and I went to the Curve for dinner, and then we headed to IKEA because Khien wanted to buy a closet to fit into his room. Everything went great and we had our fair share of fun around IKEA (no, we are not furniture fetish, except maybe SH, but we joked and talked).

All was well until when we were about to check-out the closet. See, in IKEA, the arrangement was that the assembled furniture you saw in the display area are not assembled, so you got to find out the aisle and roll number to pick up the boxes of goods. Well, Khien and I were taking out the boxes out from the bottom roll and it was pretty heavy. I mean, come to imagine it that it was a darn closet, so it must be heavy unless if its a paper closet or those plastic-zip-lock closet.

Anyway, because the stupid trolleys did not have any brake-lock (not like those found in U.S.) so we asked Maria and SH to hold the trolley still so we could load the thing up. We loaded up the first box (yup, it was a cool two box set-up closet) and when we were loading the second box, both Maria and SH were busy talking to each other in animated way and both of them were looking around (that’s what I call eye-shopping). Neither of them were holding the trolley.

When I loaded the thing up, the trolley slipped and glided away. Because of the sheer weight of the darn box, and I was bending down at an awkward angle and I strained my back. It was painful alright, and I shouted (literally) at them to hold the trolley and they quickly did so. By the time we were done, I was having problem standing straight, and it was like burning on the lower back. Hell, it was so painful that when I was taking a dump in the toilet, I had problem getting up because it was too painful. Luckily I didn’t have problem getting the shit out of the orifice, or else if pushing needed, I can imagine the pain involve (duh! Lower back muscle strain, not the orifice pain).

So today I have problem walking, carrying laptop and I am walking like an old man. Shit, that’s the first sign of aging. I hope at least I will age gracefully.

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