CNY is tomorrow.
Wishing all - ‘Sen Ti Jian Kang’, ‘Wan Shi Ru Yee’, ‘Bu Bu Kow Sen’, ‘Tian Tian Fa Cai’ and of course ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’. Welcome to the year of the Boar.
Seth organized a CNY dinner for all of us on Tuesday night where we toss the ‘Yee Sang’; one of the auspicious dishes for the Chinese which symbolizes abundance, prosperity and vigor – the dish was nicely presented with the main ingredients which consist of multi-colored small pieces of crunchy rice crackers, a small serving of raw fish, jelly fish, shredded carrots, turnips, pamelos, peanuts, sesame seeds and added with plum sauce, lime juice, pickled leek and a small bowl of oil. The food was average, conversations during the evening – this was bad. I think Seth pick the wrong crowd. I can’t even have a proper conversation with these people. Organizing cool events should leave it to Nikolai & Tommy – they are the experts :)
What a week! It was memorable beating Wyatt flat out :) Again, I need to step up my game to another level because he is such a fierce competitor and with Celtic who is so creative – they can turn the game around easily and kill me off instantly. Their instinct right now is survival. Less Man, More Share. As for Seth, Seth is just enjoying watching the situation that we are in. For Seth, its like – let them fight, let them kill each other and I will be the last one standing. Seth is cunning. I trusted Seth once and it failed me miserably and I listened to Seth once more on Friday regarding the interview which I have no regrets. And that will be my last. I have a surprise for all of them :)
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Fairies Wear Boots
Highlight of the week – my game is on par with Wyatt’s *beam* Still; whatever I say, he oppose, whatever I do, he also oppose. Wyatt just want to be outstanding, he wants The British & Seth to notice him in particular. Wyatt’s objective: SURVIVAL. Me: WHATEVER! :)
Went to 1 Utama with Damian on Wednesday night – had Burger King, had a long long heart-to-heart talk. Issues where we need to grow up :(
Friday – was called for the interview :(
Troy’s birthday today. Make the long distance phone call :) It was so cool to catch up and share stories to fill in the gaps of the years gone by.
Liverpool have been invaded by the Yankees :( I don’t want the club to end up like Arsenal. Run by a French coach and majority of the players are from France. I want the Reds to continue to have that English passion and goals are score by the local lads. No doubt, the cash is tempting and global outlook is crucial, but the local identity, the historical roots must lay intact. And do these Americans know anything about English football in the first place? One owns the Dallas Stars and baseball’s Texas Rangers and the other owns NHL’s Montreal Canadians. English football is pure and should not be tainted for American commercialism purposes. And Henry Winter – you have my vote. Your article greatly sums up all of my grievances and hopes.
MEMO to George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
In buying Liverpool Football Club, you have not acquired another ‘franchise’, as you unfortunately described them on Tuesday. You have purchased one of the crown jewels of English sport, an emotional force in the lives of countless people, a place where community means more than commerce. At least you didn’t call them the Liverpool Red Sox.
Be careful with your new investment. We realize you are here only for the profits, that you perceive Liverpool as an ATM shaped like a stadium. George, your comment that “the new TV contracts are outstanding” clarified your game plan. We know you are corporate raiders.
Tread carefully. Liverpool are not mere business, a megastore with pitch out back. English football clubs are not about bucks and mortar; when fans gather they don’t talk about bottom lines, but about shared heartaches and triumphs, about center-forwards, not CEOs. So think New York Yankees, the closest your great country comes to a sporting institution steeped in history, personality and passion.
Ask Roman Abramovich. When Chelsea’s owner visits Anfield, he gazes in awe at the Kop, listening to the many songs, reading the banners, just reveling in a unique atmosphere. Don’t ruin it. Transplanting Anfield’s special feel to a new arena in Stanley Park was always going to be daunting, so don’t make it a disaster by pricing out true Kopites.
Where you come from, no one really blinks when a ‘franchise’ packs up in the middle of the night and re-locates thousands of miles away. Over here, a debate rages over whether Liverpool should move 200 yards. Enjoy your new venture. Please do not let Liverpool become a foreign-owned brand who sacrificed their local identity on the altar of dollar-lust.
So talk to the fans. Draw on the wise counsel of fans in smart jackets such as Rick Parry, or fans in bomber jacket like David Moores. They understand Liverpool’s soul. Do not stay away from Liverpool, like the dreadful Glazers do from Manchester United. And don’t you find it sad that United can deliver sensational football and still the Glazers do not often come to watch?
If you understand the Liverpool way, that brashness is frowned upon, that the club is nothing without the fans – then you will never walk alone.
Went to 1 Utama with Damian on Wednesday night – had Burger King, had a long long heart-to-heart talk. Issues where we need to grow up :(
Friday – was called for the interview :(
Troy’s birthday today. Make the long distance phone call :) It was so cool to catch up and share stories to fill in the gaps of the years gone by.
Liverpool have been invaded by the Yankees :( I don’t want the club to end up like Arsenal. Run by a French coach and majority of the players are from France. I want the Reds to continue to have that English passion and goals are score by the local lads. No doubt, the cash is tempting and global outlook is crucial, but the local identity, the historical roots must lay intact. And do these Americans know anything about English football in the first place? One owns the Dallas Stars and baseball’s Texas Rangers and the other owns NHL’s Montreal Canadians. English football is pure and should not be tainted for American commercialism purposes. And Henry Winter – you have my vote. Your article greatly sums up all of my grievances and hopes.
MEMO to George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
In buying Liverpool Football Club, you have not acquired another ‘franchise’, as you unfortunately described them on Tuesday. You have purchased one of the crown jewels of English sport, an emotional force in the lives of countless people, a place where community means more than commerce. At least you didn’t call them the Liverpool Red Sox.
Be careful with your new investment. We realize you are here only for the profits, that you perceive Liverpool as an ATM shaped like a stadium. George, your comment that “the new TV contracts are outstanding” clarified your game plan. We know you are corporate raiders.
Tread carefully. Liverpool are not mere business, a megastore with pitch out back. English football clubs are not about bucks and mortar; when fans gather they don’t talk about bottom lines, but about shared heartaches and triumphs, about center-forwards, not CEOs. So think New York Yankees, the closest your great country comes to a sporting institution steeped in history, personality and passion.
Ask Roman Abramovich. When Chelsea’s owner visits Anfield, he gazes in awe at the Kop, listening to the many songs, reading the banners, just reveling in a unique atmosphere. Don’t ruin it. Transplanting Anfield’s special feel to a new arena in Stanley Park was always going to be daunting, so don’t make it a disaster by pricing out true Kopites.
Where you come from, no one really blinks when a ‘franchise’ packs up in the middle of the night and re-locates thousands of miles away. Over here, a debate rages over whether Liverpool should move 200 yards. Enjoy your new venture. Please do not let Liverpool become a foreign-owned brand who sacrificed their local identity on the altar of dollar-lust.
So talk to the fans. Draw on the wise counsel of fans in smart jackets such as Rick Parry, or fans in bomber jacket like David Moores. They understand Liverpool’s soul. Do not stay away from Liverpool, like the dreadful Glazers do from Manchester United. And don’t you find it sad that United can deliver sensational football and still the Glazers do not often come to watch?
If you understand the Liverpool way, that brashness is frowned upon, that the club is nothing without the fans – then you will never walk alone.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
of memoirs and musings
Juan 34th birthday was celebrated at Sakae Sushi yesterday. It’s just so nice to sit in a comfortable corner with the guys; spending quality groupie time - sitting, chatting, eating and chilling together. We even make plans for the coming CNY and also for the future months! :)
London Weight Management – Tommy & I hang out there this morning. The sliming center was having a FREE 3-hours trial so we thought we give it a try. I knew early on, what I wanted. I don’t want and I don’t need to slim down as I always make sure that my weight is compatible with my height. I don’t want to be ultra-thin and I don’t think I look good being thin either. I just want to firm and tone up my arms, the thighs and my big butt. The Consultant said that my weight was ideal and that I should lose around 3 or 4 kilos, then my body will look curvy. And I also had the beginner’s stage of cellulite on my thighs :( due to an accumulation of fatty foods, salt and collective toxins. Sometimes, if I sit too long in the office, it can also cause irregular blood circulation which can result in water retention in the lower body. My arms are flabby due to uneven fat distribution which makes them look disproportion. So The Consultant drafted up a program for me – I need to undergo treatments in Fat Burning, Anti-Cellulite, Lymphatic Drainage and Firm & Tone.
The first session was the Aroma Steam. I sat inside the cubicle for 10 minutes. It’s like a sauna and it was hot. This was supposed to increase the body metabolism’s rate. The second session was the Sea-Salt Scrub. The Consultant scrubs me from head to toe, front and back. This is to get rid of all the dead skin cells. It was so heavenly; having someone to pamper you :) Then I was wrapped up with the Infra-Red Hot Blanket which will make you sweat. The purpose is to detoxified you and the waste will be in the form of sweat through perspirations. I was wrapped up like a cocoon for 20 whole minutes and I sweat like nobody business. Drops of sweats were coming out from everywhere; it was like I have played 90 minutes of football. Then I was told to have a short shower to clean myself up. For the third session, The Consultant took my measurements on the parts that I want to firm up. This is for her to monitor the before and after results. After taking the measurements, The Consultant rubs me with trimming gel and hooks me to a Massage Machine that has many buttons. What the machine does is like having 10 people massaging your whole body. It was so relaxing. Then the after-results measurements were taken. The final session is when The Consultant rubs me with a grayish cream which is to burn the fats and cellulite. Then I was wrapped again with a transparent PE cling wrap. I was wrap up very tightly as this wrapping function is to actually shape the body. Sculpting. I can even feel my fats were burning away. Once I’m done, I was shown the results – I manage to lose 700grams and 7cm. I’m not sure if the figures were real as there were several times I saw The Consultant pause a few times when writing those measurements down. Logically you just jot down the numbers naturally, but I sense there was a bit of hesitation.
Overall, it was a good trip, at least I know what sliming centers do and women’s money is so bloody easy to earn! I will rate the service as good, the interiors were excellent – so homey feel, so much of warmth, music was soothing and the price is average. 700grams is ok; I can’t expect a miracle with just 1 session.
Of course the center was hoping that we would sign up immediately, but Tommy and I were good at saying ‘we’ll consider it first, will get back to you tomorrow’ :) The price of the package is reasonable; we can even pay installments with 0 percent interest. But then again, it’s still a monthly commitment and we have plenty of those already. I was actually quite guilty; they even gave us a trial kit to use at home. I think once I have a bigger pay cheque, I will give it a try again. I think it’s really important to look after one’s body healthily. At least for now, I know which area that I need to work on and how :) This is Malaysia after all; we are not the only one doing this. But yeah, it’s bad. But I’m also very sure that if we had sign up today, the cost of today’s session is already included in the package. Chinese don’t do business for free :)
Then we went to Coffee Bean for lunch – lattes, pastas and sandwiches. Tommy was desperate for a smoke. Went to Cold Storage later for groceries shopping and I finally found the Vietnamese Poppiah. It’s great to hang out with Tommy, and fall into the old familiar routines again.
London Weight Management – Tommy & I hang out there this morning. The sliming center was having a FREE 3-hours trial so we thought we give it a try. I knew early on, what I wanted. I don’t want and I don’t need to slim down as I always make sure that my weight is compatible with my height. I don’t want to be ultra-thin and I don’t think I look good being thin either. I just want to firm and tone up my arms, the thighs and my big butt. The Consultant said that my weight was ideal and that I should lose around 3 or 4 kilos, then my body will look curvy. And I also had the beginner’s stage of cellulite on my thighs :( due to an accumulation of fatty foods, salt and collective toxins. Sometimes, if I sit too long in the office, it can also cause irregular blood circulation which can result in water retention in the lower body. My arms are flabby due to uneven fat distribution which makes them look disproportion. So The Consultant drafted up a program for me – I need to undergo treatments in Fat Burning, Anti-Cellulite, Lymphatic Drainage and Firm & Tone.
The first session was the Aroma Steam. I sat inside the cubicle for 10 minutes. It’s like a sauna and it was hot. This was supposed to increase the body metabolism’s rate. The second session was the Sea-Salt Scrub. The Consultant scrubs me from head to toe, front and back. This is to get rid of all the dead skin cells. It was so heavenly; having someone to pamper you :) Then I was wrapped up with the Infra-Red Hot Blanket which will make you sweat. The purpose is to detoxified you and the waste will be in the form of sweat through perspirations. I was wrapped up like a cocoon for 20 whole minutes and I sweat like nobody business. Drops of sweats were coming out from everywhere; it was like I have played 90 minutes of football. Then I was told to have a short shower to clean myself up. For the third session, The Consultant took my measurements on the parts that I want to firm up. This is for her to monitor the before and after results. After taking the measurements, The Consultant rubs me with trimming gel and hooks me to a Massage Machine that has many buttons. What the machine does is like having 10 people massaging your whole body. It was so relaxing. Then the after-results measurements were taken. The final session is when The Consultant rubs me with a grayish cream which is to burn the fats and cellulite. Then I was wrapped again with a transparent PE cling wrap. I was wrap up very tightly as this wrapping function is to actually shape the body. Sculpting. I can even feel my fats were burning away. Once I’m done, I was shown the results – I manage to lose 700grams and 7cm. I’m not sure if the figures were real as there were several times I saw The Consultant pause a few times when writing those measurements down. Logically you just jot down the numbers naturally, but I sense there was a bit of hesitation.
Overall, it was a good trip, at least I know what sliming centers do and women’s money is so bloody easy to earn! I will rate the service as good, the interiors were excellent – so homey feel, so much of warmth, music was soothing and the price is average. 700grams is ok; I can’t expect a miracle with just 1 session.
Of course the center was hoping that we would sign up immediately, but Tommy and I were good at saying ‘we’ll consider it first, will get back to you tomorrow’ :) The price of the package is reasonable; we can even pay installments with 0 percent interest. But then again, it’s still a monthly commitment and we have plenty of those already. I was actually quite guilty; they even gave us a trial kit to use at home. I think once I have a bigger pay cheque, I will give it a try again. I think it’s really important to look after one’s body healthily. At least for now, I know which area that I need to work on and how :) This is Malaysia after all; we are not the only one doing this. But yeah, it’s bad. But I’m also very sure that if we had sign up today, the cost of today’s session is already included in the package. Chinese don’t do business for free :)
Then we went to Coffee Bean for lunch – lattes, pastas and sandwiches. Tommy was desperate for a smoke. Went to Cold Storage later for groceries shopping and I finally found the Vietnamese Poppiah. It’s great to hang out with Tommy, and fall into the old familiar routines again.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
"It's not the end of the world. It just feels like it"
This week has been VERY de-motivating, I couldn’t even get half of my work done, I was playing around, fooling around…and Wyatt had out-do me in everything for the last 2 weeks. I have to say that he was very impressive. I’ve got to give him the credits, it’s great to have Wyatt as a competitor because he keeps me on my toes and alert all the time. And next week – I swear I’ll step up my game and bring it to the next level :) The integration process has not been easy for everyone to digest. I should not make comparisons between the old systems with the new systems. Being expose to a new culture should be a good thing. We just need time to adapt. With the old structure, I have so much of free hand in my area of work, open communication, de-centralize decision-making…the new one is just rigid. There are just so much of red tapes, so many levels that I need to go up to just to get one paperwork approve. The only thing that was notable was that the British are very systematic - they look into every details…which is very exhausting. Plus they are so professionals, always having meetings. If they can cut down their meeting hours, I’m sure our work would have been much more productive.
This week – lots of hanging out. First was the Thursday dinner buffet at Grand Blue Wave Hotel with Amadeo, Stavros, Pietro and Torres. Tommy and Nikolai drop out last minute. They have been quite anti-social lately :) It’s actually The Committee Members dinner. The food was so-so, nothing stood out. We had hours to kill. No rush. No agenda.
Yesterday afternoon – Trix, Torres, Damian, Svere Magnus and myself had lessons in Crystal 101. The rocks, the cut, the clarity, the color and its functions. Apparently, this year is the year of the Fire Pig – not a really good year though. Fire pig – roast pig. Chinese has a lot of pantangs; so Torres went and bought a black crystal bracelet – a black beauty that is used to protect against psychic attacks and Trix bought one miniature jade-color dragon that can produce more income for the merchant and helps to maintain the state of wealth :) I wanted to buy a bracelet as some of the rocks cutting was striking but none of the colors really catches my eye. Some were too aunty-color, some were just pale looking…nothing fancy :(
Highlights – I got my hair highlights done today. Whee! I chose a Red Mahogany color and it turn out PERFECT. I went to this stylist based on a friend’s recommendation and he was damn good. All these while, my hair was done by a semi-pro. Today, my hair was in the hands of an expert and he did this so-called technique “Japanese Dry Cut”. It was WOW. Never seen it before. The stylist just takes one look of my hair, touches my hair strands and begins to snip away. Now my hair is perfectly manicured :)
This week – lots of hanging out. First was the Thursday dinner buffet at Grand Blue Wave Hotel with Amadeo, Stavros, Pietro and Torres. Tommy and Nikolai drop out last minute. They have been quite anti-social lately :) It’s actually The Committee Members dinner. The food was so-so, nothing stood out. We had hours to kill. No rush. No agenda.
Yesterday afternoon – Trix, Torres, Damian, Svere Magnus and myself had lessons in Crystal 101. The rocks, the cut, the clarity, the color and its functions. Apparently, this year is the year of the Fire Pig – not a really good year though. Fire pig – roast pig. Chinese has a lot of pantangs; so Torres went and bought a black crystal bracelet – a black beauty that is used to protect against psychic attacks and Trix bought one miniature jade-color dragon that can produce more income for the merchant and helps to maintain the state of wealth :) I wanted to buy a bracelet as some of the rocks cutting was striking but none of the colors really catches my eye. Some were too aunty-color, some were just pale looking…nothing fancy :(
Highlights – I got my hair highlights done today. Whee! I chose a Red Mahogany color and it turn out PERFECT. I went to this stylist based on a friend’s recommendation and he was damn good. All these while, my hair was done by a semi-pro. Today, my hair was in the hands of an expert and he did this so-called technique “Japanese Dry Cut”. It was WOW. Never seen it before. The stylist just takes one look of my hair, touches my hair strands and begins to snip away. Now my hair is perfectly manicured :)
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