Work from home (COVID-19)

Just got a bombshell news from my senior manager that a 14 days rotating work schedule begins with immediate effect. This measure due to the COVID-19 is kinda extreme, making me wonder if someone in my company is infected with the disease. Putting the worry on the COVID-19 aside, I'm not sure whether I should feel happy or inconvenient about this 14 days rotating work schedule. I mean how is process engineer supposed to get works done by working from home? I guess I can only reply emails and give instructions to my engineering assistants during this 14 days period.

Speaking of the COVID-19, personally I'm still facing it with a calm mind, even though Singapore is second only to China in the number of confirmed cases. I'm personally monitoring my own personal health, ensuring I do not have fever/running nose/cough & etc. On the other hand, life still goes on as per normal for me, except that I'm working from home during weekdays. I still go out for my TGIF for the past 2 weeks even though my mum advises me to stay home and stay safe.

Working from home does give me more leisure time and less stress. My work life for the past 2 months had been extremely stressful and frustrating (I may talk more about this in another post). Hence, I guess this 14 days rotating work schedule gives me more time to chill out and rearrange my thoughts in facing my work life. I give too many f*cks and get angry about things that shouldn't matter (due to my own fault). Now I guess I could just adopt a whatever mindset since I work from home and can't do much when things happen in the production line.

Anyway, just a random post that I churn out in the middle of 12+am. I really need to get a life. Nothing much better to do other than watching sneakers and basketball videos on Youtube plus some reading. So boring until I decided I write a random post in my blog. Oh man...how to survive these 14 days work from home period before my rotation to work in office? Think I prefer to work in office than work from home.

Ciao and good night peeps!

My Essentials

I watched several GQ Top 10 Essentials videos on Youtube, so I thought I'd come up a list of my essentials in my blog since I don't make Youtube video.

1. Air Jordans
I'm a Jordanhead and I love Air Jordans, so a pair of Jordans is definitely in my list of essentials.
I always feel that I'm stylish as long as I'm wearing my Jordans, regardless what outfit I'm putting on. I wore it to work as well as when I'm going out.
I just feel that extra bit of confidence in myself whenever I put on my Jordans.

My current sneakers rotation: AJ4 "Motorspot Alternate", AJ5 "Laney" and AJ1 Mid Royal

2. Smartphone

Smartphone is definitely an essential to each and every one of us. 

My smartphone is an essential communication tool in my every day life: keeping in touch with my family, being on top of my work (via Whatsapp), checking out what's going on daily (be it news on Twitter or my friends' life on Instagram).

My current smartphone: Samsung Galaxy J7 2016

3, Jordan backpack

I'm a Jordanhead, so it's only fitting that I have a Jordan backpack to show my affinity to Jordan.

I always carry a backpack whenever I'm going out because I currently work and live in Singapore and I don't have a car, so a backpack is definitely one of my essentials. 

It carries most of everything that is essential to me: my work laptop, my wallet (I don't like keeping it in my pocket), my spectacle box, and etc.

P.s. the Jordan backpack that I have is a black color of below design:

4. Jordan hat

Again, constantly eager to show my affinity to Jordan. I have a Jordan cap. The one I have has a black cement design, classic for Jordan, paying a little homage to the Black Cement Jordan 3.

Usually wear my Jordan cap when I wear casual (t-shirt and shorts) and slippers or when I'm going to play sports (mostly basketball).

5. Deodorant

I have sweaty armpit and so a deodorant is one of my life essentials. I spray deodorant on my armpit to ensure that I don't smell awful when I'm outside with people. 

I currently use Dashing deodorant spray.

6. Hair Wax/Hair Gel

I don't like to cut hair often and so a hair wax or hair gel is one of my essentials. I use both hair wax and hair gel depending on my mood and the occasion. I normally use hair wax when I'm going out with my friends or when I feel the need to be handsome, while on a general day at work, I use hair gel.

I currently use a Uber Men hair wax and Gatsby hair gel.

7. Books

I enjoy reading during my spare time. Growing up, my parents did not infuse in me the habit of reading, but I'm fortunate to have high school friends who read, and that builds my interest in reading.

My two favourite novel series are Harry Potter by J.K Rowling and Robert Langdon by Dan Brown. I enjoy reading fictions, but recently I try to diversify my reading genre to include biography/autobiography books.

My current read: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson

Jordanhead: My Jordan collections

My sneakers addiction started probably during my 2nd year in university. My favourite has been Air Jordans and it's the only sneakers that I ever bought since I began falling in love with sneakers. I think it must have started when I started watching Youtube videos about sneakers during my free time in university. I love basketball and I've been a fan of Michael Jordan thanks to my eldest brother's influence. That's probably why I love Air Jordans more than any other sneakers.

My love for sneakers has a relatively less expensive (xD) beginning. The first two sneakers that I remember buying myself, as in walking into a sneaker store alone and picking sneakers to purchase, is a pair of black and white Nike and another pair of blue Nike. I bought these two sneakers in a sneaker store in Berjaya Times Square in 2014 before I went to university study in Singapore. I did not even know what these 2 sneakers are called until I did a research on them years later after I fall in love with Air Jordans. Those 2 pairs of sneakers are Nike Blazer and Nike Eric Koston 2.

The Nike Blazer and Nike Eric Koston 2 were my daily kicks to wear from 2014 to 2016 until I found out about Air Jordans. I came across Youtube videos on Air Jordans and I fall in love with it right away. However, I was still a university student laden with student debt and Air Jordan sneaker is expensive. Nevertheless, I came across Hoops Station website and saw a pair of Air Jordan 9 Low Pantone sell with a 42% discount. I made up my mind that I was going to purchase this pair and so it became the first pair of Air Jordan that I own.

To be honest, I never think about collecting Air Jordans as a hobby when I first bought the AJ9 Low Pantone. But my friend Jeff Choong once said to me: the first pair will open the gate to more pairs to come in the future. And damn was he right on this as I began to buy and collect more Air Jordans since I graduated and started to earn my own money. I love Air Jordans and so I make it a life goal to collect all the Air Jordans that I love.

My Jordan collections stand at 6 pairs/models as of March 2020. And plenty more will be coming as I intend to build up my Jordan collections. I'm not an OG or hypebeast Jordanheads per se. I just love Air Jordans in general and would purchase any colorway (I'm partial towards blue) or slight alteration to the model as long as I like it.

Sneakerheads often say every sneaker that they own has a personal story. And this is true for me as well. So, I'm going to share a little personal story for every pair of Jordans that I've owned and shared on my Instagram.

Air Jordan IX Low Pantone

As mentioned earlier, this Air Jordan IX Low Pantone is the first pair of Air Jordan that I ever own. First love is memorable most of the time and this is true as well for my Air Jordan IX Low Pantone. I bought this pair for RM399 (a 42% discount) from Hoops Station. I first broke this pair out for my mum's birthday in 2016. And this started a habit of me breaking out my new pair of Jordans on special occasion. That's how I add personal story to every pair of Jordans that I own.

This pair is extra special to me not just because it's my first Jordans, but it is also the pair that I wore the longest. I wore this pair from end of November 2016 until I decided to retire this pair to my collection (i.e. not wearing it anymore) in November 2018.

Since I wore this pair the longest, it was on my feet for a few special events in my life:

i) I wore this pair during my internship oversea trip to South Korea. I even wore this pair while hiking in the Sangdangsanseong Fortress. Oh mind, I remember I spent almost 4 hours in cleaning this pair in the hotel room after the hike. 

ii) I also wore this pair for my graduation trip to Taiwan.

iii) And this pair was on my feet for most of the exams in my last year of university. You know what they say: you feel good when you dress good. And I've always felt more confident when I'm wearing my favourite sneaker (at that time my only pair of Air Jordan).  

Here is me wearing the AJ9 Low Pantone for my last paper in university

Air Jordan 1 Mid Royal

This pair of AJ I Mid Royal is the second pair of Air Jordan that I own. I bought this pair for RM439 from JD Sports in Sunway Velocity. People always said the AJ I is the most classic and timeless sneaker from the Air Jordan line. You can dress this pair up. And so, I decided to break out this pair while attending my uni friend's wedding.

No special event or moment is associated with this pair but it's the pair I wore the most now. I also decided to beat this pair up, i.e. kept wearing it, because this will definitely not be the own pair of AJ I that I'm going to own....ahem...waiting for retro Bred 1s or Royal 1s to come back again.

Air Jordan IV "Motorspot Alternate"

This pair of AJ IV "Motorspot Alternate" is the third pair of Air Jordan that I own. I remember I saw this pair in a Hoops Station store in 2017 but I couldn't afford it then. But I love this pair because it is in black and royal colorway, just like the AJ I Mid Royal. Lucky for me, I was able to purchase this pair from Limited Edt Hall of Fame in Vivo City on Deepavali 2019.

I broke out this pair on New Year Day 2019.
I also wore this pair when I went to Thailand with my mum and brothers:

This pair is probably my favourite pair of Air Jordan out of my current collection. The leather quality for this pair of retro is just top notch. I wore this pair the most in my current sneaker rotation whenever I go out with my friend.

Air Jordan V "Laney"

Technically, this AJ V "Laney" is the fifth pair of Air Jordan that I own. I bought this pair from Sneaker Club Singapore, on the same day that I bought fourth pair of Air Jordan from Limited Edt . It's my 1st time purchasing two pairs of Air Jordans on the same day, so I guess this qualifies as a milestone on its own in my sneakerhead life. 

I broke out this pair on my one year anniversary (6 Aug 2019) as a full-time working adult. No special event or moment is associated to this pair for me yet but I'm sure I will find a way to include this pair once I retire my AJ IV "Motorspot Alternate". (Yes, I have a plan on when I will retire my Air Jordans too. Lols)

Air Jordan VI Retro "Infrared" 2019

This pair of Air Jordan 6 Retro "Infrared" 2019 is the first non-blue Air Jordan sneaker that I own, and the first pair of OG colorway Jordan that I own. I bought this pair on the same day as the AJ 5 "Laney".

I broke out this pair during Chinese New Year 2020. This pair, along with the AJ 5 "Laney", is in my current rotation of kicks to rock for daily life. Hopefully I'm able to find special events to attach to this sneaker in the near future.

Well, there you go to a little insight to my love for Air Jordan as well as my Jordan collections. My Jordan collections will only get bigger as I aim to collect all the Air Jordan models that Michael Jordan wore during his basketball career. Hopefully my Jordan collections will get big soon enough for me to build a sneaker room for my room in KL. xD

读死书

I believe most people step into the working world with a chip on the shoulder. Whether it's proving one's education history doesn't define future successes or showing one can translate academic excellence into successes in adult/professional life, there will never be short of doubters in life.

For myself, the word I constantly hear from others is "读死书", a derogatory phrase that is meant to belittle people who excel academically but unable to adapt to the dynamic working world. I would never claim I'm a creme-of-the-top student, but at least I excel well enough academically to be able to graduate from a prestigious university, and hence I do not appreciate when I hear the phrase "读死书".

Whenever I hear "读死书" in social gatherings, I try to maintain silence and listen to how others describe education excellence means very little in the working world. I guess it's a combination of being more mature as I aged as well as how university life has taught me humility. My university life has humbled me beyond anything I can imagine before I entered university. The pre-university Tiong Chin would never keep quiet when others say "读死书".

I do not deny that the working world or adult life is an entirely different ball game. Everyone takes varied paths towards achieving success in the post-education life, unlike education where excellence is evaluated mainly by grades and we are educated in a more-or-less standard system. I am fully aware that academic excellence means very little and everyone starts from zero as we step into the working world. I understand it's the reality of life.

But I find it amusing that those people who brought up "读死书" to undermine academic excellence, often cite Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg as example of successful people who excel in life but never graduate from university. Little do these people know both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg excel academically before dropping out of university, Harvard University nonetheless tqvm.

Even more amusing is that many of these people, who did not excel academically, seems to think/feel that they are special just because they surround themselves with successful people outside of their office life, and often talk about success by quoting from successful people's stories. As arrogant as this may sound and regardless of what these people think of me, it means little to me to be quoting and talking about success in life when they have as much to show about their success in life as those who excel academically. It is other people's success stories, not yours.

All in all, we all strive to be the best that we could be, no matter at which stage of our life, be it as a student or working adult. The past is not a guarantee of success in future, but never doubt what you strive to achieve in the past because what you did in the past paves the way for your future. I wish the best to every one of my friends out there, whether you agree with my post or not. 

Letter

Dear Tiong Chin,

I hope you're all right

It's starting to get more stressful in university. Mood swings are definitely going to be more frequent 

In spite of being back to where I thought I could have a better time, I feel more alone than ever 

The summer holidays was not what I envisioned it to be

The company that I cherish couldn't bring the same comfort to me and made me feel more alienated

I miss the Tiong Chin that was so ultra-focus during his A Levels

I miss the fact that he had something occupying his life that means almost everything to him

I envy those days where he could just focus on the studies

Not having to deal with family issues, bother about other things

I'm living the days trying to find something to be happy about

But nothing in my life now seems to bring real genuine happiness

I dislike talking on Skype with my family

To listen to mother talking about money issues with aunt

To bear with looking at my dad whom I did not feel love for

I envy my friends who have good results and are on exchange

I hated watching my friends enjoying life to the fullest

While I'm left feeling heart-wrenching on the things I feel I deserved

Things I believe I had worked for
But yet never came to me
I hate living life on deficit

Having to worry and concern if I have spend more than I should

I'm sorry that I am naive, stubborn and immature

I'm sorry for all the emotional outbursts that my friends endured

I just feel very lonely and unhappy

I know you, of all people, can understand this

Inconsiderate Malaysians

For some of the working class in Kuala Lumpur, public transports such as Monorail and LRT are the most convenient way of transportation as we seek to avoid the traffic congestion on the road. However, the behaviour of some Malaysians when using Monorail and LRT are, to say the least, disappointing. This is because there are many instances where our fellow Malaysians act inconsiderately when using Monorail and LRT.

The obvious example would be the passengers crowding in front of the door before boarding, thereby blocking the passengers onboard from alighting. In an understandable hustle to board a crowded train, these passengers repeatedly ignore the call by the control center or polis bantuan to give way to the alighting passengers before boarding. Surely we do not want to find ourselves being shouted at for blocking the way of the alighting passengers? That will be embarrassing.

Another example, which I personally find it irritating, is that after the passengers board the train, some refuse, or do not have the courtesy to move further inside the train to allow more room for others to board the train. This causes some passengers, who are determined not to miss the train, to squeeze themselves forcefully into the train. As a results, many passengers are sandwiched near the door of the train. I am sure that those who have experienced being sandwiched in the train do not find this comfortable. Wouldn't it be nice and comfortable for everyone if we have the courtesy to be considerate and just move further into the train? There's no reason to be afraid of not being able to get out of the train, at least for the Monorail.

To conclude this piece of writing, I'm urging fellow Malaysians to address and change these inconsiderate behaviors when using Monorail and LRT. These behaviors do not reflect a polite Malaysian society as we approach Vision 2020. It does not take a lot to be considerate and I certainly have the confidence that we are sensible enough to act the right way. 

Week in review (6/6 - 12/6)

Annyeonghaseyo modu =D

I have been back to Bolehland for more than a month now and this week is by far the most eventful one. So I thought I'd update my blog and do a week in review for this.

Tuesday
I went to watch the movie Me Before You with Yu Jun and Yan Xin 学姐 (both from 23rd batch). It was the first time I watched movie with any of my 学记 friends. Personally, I feel the plot build up is spot on leading to the ending of the movie, which is supposed to make people cry. Although I did not manage to cry, I enjoyed the movie as it is both heartwarming and funny. I was certainly touched by the storyline. Besides that, the sceneries in the movie are breathtaking, showing the gorgeous sceneries of Pembroke Castle and the surrounding areas in Northen Wales. Also, the soundtracks of the movie are wonderful with the appropriate love songs that added to the emotional journey we were on throughout the film. After watching the movie, it made me feel more interested to read the book and luckily Kar Leong is happy to lend me the book. =D

"Live boldly. Push yourself. Don't settle. Just live well. Just live." - Will Traynor


My company for the night =D

Wednesday to Friday

On Wednesday, I went to pasar malam near my house with Yu Jun and Yee Ching 学姐. Ate a bowl of spicy prawn mee and it was really spicy that I sweat profusely while eating. After that, we walked around and I bought fried turnip cake as add on before we went to my house to chit chat.

Thursday was Duanwu Festival and so I brought homemade rice dumplings as lunch to work.

I ate at the staff corner alone but was joined by other colleague after I finished my lunch. I was introduced to a new colleague (I forgot her name) by Dana and Jun, who worked as an intern in the company. After lunch, I went back to continue my data entry work but felt stomachache not long after that. It was so painful that I was sweating even though the office is cold due to the air-conditioning. I guess the stomachache was probably due to the spicy prawn mee that I ate on the previous night. Nevertheless, I did not request to go back earlier from work and 忍着痛 until I felt slightly better so that I could continue to work.

Friday was the deadline for the data entry task that Floria set to me the previous Monday. I managed to complete the data entry work about 30 mins after lunch hour. It was 3500+ of rows that I had done for the box of materials that she provided me. After I reported to her on finishing the task that she set, she passed me another 110+ rows of data entry work. So much so for reporting 'earlier' even after I slacked for close to 1.5 hours before reporting. =.=

Saturday
I woke up early in the morning to watch Game 4 of the NBA Finals 2016 between the Warriors and Cavaliers. It was the first live NBA Finals game that I was able to watch because Game 1 to 3 was scheduled during my working hours. Before the game began, I predicted the Warriors to win Game 4 and my prediction came true as the Warriors won to take a 3-1 series lead. Game 4 was really competitive that it kept me on the edge of my seat, unlike the previous 3 games (I watched the replay) which ended on blowout wins. There was one moment in the game where Lebron James and Stephen Curry exchange words in which the Internet made an meme out of it which is truly spot on:

Stephen Curry was like: What you mean I wasn't the most valuable player to my team?
HAHAHAHAHA

My eldest brother and I followed mum to Jusco to do shopping at 4p.m. While I was there, I bought a cone of cendol & vanilla ice cream which tasted awesome. Normally I would have buy a cup of Orea ice cream but because I spent quite a lot on outings this week, I decided to downgrade my usual ice-cream treat. Besides, my brother also belanja me two medium pizzas from the Jusco's bread shop which we reserved for watching Euro 2016 at midnight.

Because I have a date with my 场地组女神 and a few of my 学记 friends on Sunday afternoon, I went to sleep early after dinner so that I could watch the Euro 2016 match between England and Russia. Personally, I support England for this tournament and so I felt a little disappointed that the match ended with a draw after England failed to preserve their lead from a fantastic free-kick goal by Eric Dier. I was quite puzzled why Roy Hodgson did not take Harry Kane off and play Jamie Vardy or Marcus Rashford since Kane did not make much threat in front of goal. Hopefully, we will see more from England in the next two remaining group matches.

Sunday

The highlight of the week was going out with my 场地组女神 and a few of my 学记 friends. I was picked up by Poi Yi at Salak Selatan LRT station before she went to pick up Li Liing and Ong Tong. Then, we had pork chop for lunch at one of the food cafe at Jalan Kuchai Lama. The setting of the cafe is quite nice but I forgot to take a photo of it. No worry as the most important photo is of course the food:

After lunch, we went and pick up 依盈 at Mid Valley before we headed to Thirty Seconds to have coffee. Thirty Seconds happens to be the working place of Yun Ru, another 学记 friend. It was my intention to go a coffee shop because I was determined to order a proper cup of coffee art this time, which happen also to be my first coffee art cup. I enjoyed the coffee but enjoyed the chatting session even more before the days was concluded with Poi Yi fetching me home. 

More coffee shop outing next time please! @poiyi

Second time in a week I went out with a group of ladies. #艳福

Wonderful week to have and I'm yearning for more. That's all for this post. C ya!

Signing off,

TC

Shopping spree

Hey I'm back again with another post for the day!

So, today is a public holidays as it is the official birthday for His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong. I woke up earlier than I want because mum called people to come to our house to do some house cleaning. Initially I had no plan for the morning but then my eldest brother told me he was going down to Plaza Rakyat to do some shopping so I decided to follow along.

When we reached, my brother left me to go do his own shopping while I walked in Petaling Street market looking for the things that I want to buy. I was planning to buy a new Manchester United jersey because my latest MU jersey was quite outdated for some time and I want to buy the recently concluded season's version because MU just won the FA Cup. I went around stores and surveying the price and ultimately bought one from an auntie for RM20.

Next, I also wanted to buy a retro basketball jersey, a Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey to be exact. I have the MJ's Wizards jersey as a gift from my brother but the size does not suit me. Initially, I was skeptical about buying one because I heard basketball jersey is expensive. The first stall I asked about the price, they sell one for about RM120. Then I walked around to other stall asking the price. I was tempted to buy one from a stall which sells RM60 but it did not have the version that I want. Lucky for me, I managed to find another cheaper one which sells RM45, including the jersey and the pants and so I bought from there.

Lastly, I also bought a Jordan cap. The surveying process is similar to buying the jerseys and I managed to buy the cap for RM25. So, all in all I managed to buy two jerseys, one pants and a cap for a total of RM90. It feels good to be able to shop for these because I managed to save two months of hostel expense worth 530 dollars for the holidays by keeping my belongings in juniors' room. So I don't feel too guilty to go on a modest shopping spree. =D

That's all for the night. 

Signing off,
TC

Work life ramblings IV

Hi everybody!

A week ago I've mentioned that I have accepted the offer to work as a temporary clerk in Tokio Marine Insurans Malaysia Berhad. For your information, I work in the People, Strategy and Services department aka HR department and my office was located in Menara Dion at Jalan Sultan Ismail, nearby Raja Chulan monorial station. So, if you're feeling like it, you're more than welcome to come and find me for lunch. xD

This week was my first week of work. First day my dad fetched me to the office and I was 5 mins late in reporting on my first day. Anyway, a lady called Gwyneth guided me and my colleague partner, Zurin for the boarding program. After signing the offer letter, she bought us around the building to different departments and introducing us to people. Then, we were back in our office department and my superior, Floria, briefed Zurin and I on our job. After that, we were led to our tables and she passed us a box (big one, mind you) of papers each, which contains the materials that we need for our work.

Basically the work I do is data entry work. I have to match the data in the internal system with the tax invoice or receipts for all the expenses claims by the marketing agents and key in the details like (tax invoice no, GST amount, and etc) into Excel. It's a relatively easy job except when I came across accommodation and parking expenses, where it can sometimes be hard to identify the amount in the internal system came from which invoices. Most of the time it's just dull and tedious. Imagine trying to break down the lump sum parking expenses according to the individual receipts and key in the details one receipt by one receipt. O.O

I was given two weeks to complete the task and I completed a little less than 50% of it. Somehow I was surprised that I managed only less than half because I thought I was over 50% done but when I stack up the incomplete one, it's higher than the completed one. Haha looks like I might need to do OT next week to speed up the work which I did not do so in the first week.

Work aside, I had two lunch sessions with three of my elder colleagues who are just a little older than me by the looks of them. All three of them are females (two Chinese and one Indian) and it reminds me of Ming Yang, Kar Leong and Kanesh when I sat with them for lunch. xD  I also met one very friendly Malay woman who talked to me about Singapore. Hopefully I will get to know more people in the coming weeks of work.

Besides, I feel incredulous that so many websites were denied access on the computer I used. Initially I feel okay that they block social media, news & media and sports but I was rather taken aback when I found out they also block Google and general email (like Hotmail). Goodness me, that is strict and very work-focused. The benefit on denying these accesses is that I was really able to focus on my work and the progress is good. It gets me into thinking whether I should apply this method on my studies as well. The reality is data entry work is easy and dull and I don't get bored easily by it but studies are hard and I would often get frustrated by it. Ahhhhh, procrastination is a virtue. =.=

This first week of work really open my eyes to working in a corporate world. I am beginning to be able to relate better to the things people say/tweet/complain about corporate working. All along I have been eager to gain experience on working in a corporate world. I'm not sure whether what I feel about corporate working will change at the end of my working period. It's only the first week of work and I haven't manage to experience a significant working experience (the politics, the people and etc) in a corporate world yet. Although it's not much you can learn from data entry work and the work is rather dull, I guess I'm still content and satisfied that I managed to find office work (again) for this holidays.

Well, I guess that's all for this entry of work life ramblings. Hopefully, I will be back again with more ramblings about this work in future posts.

Signing off,

Tiong Chin

Holidays and Working

大家好！

It has been one week plus since I came back home for holidays. Same as the previous academic year-end holidays, I've basically stayed at home most of the time so far at the beginning. I have yet to find a solid plan to spend my holidays up till now but things will change as we enter June. I will get to this later. In the meantime, let me do a review of how the beginning of my holiday went so far, if you're interested in my life anyway.

The most significant thing that happened so far is the passing away of my dog, Ah Wong, last Monday. I was woken by my eldest brother in the early morning and he broke the news to me. It was the second time that my university's academic year end holidays was accompanied by the passing away of my dog. It sure feels sad for my family that Ah Wong passed away. We're still not used to the absence of morning bark or the sight of Ah Wong at the front gate waiting eagerly for its dinner. I was caught a couple of times going to the front gate wanting to embrace Ah Wong but it was not there anymore. Some night, I would feel emotional remembering Ah Wong. It has been part of the family for 9 years. The memory of Ah Wong wagging its tail excitedly when I came back home this holidays is probably the most memorable thing that I will remember for this holidays. May your soul rest in peace, Ah Wong.

If not for a string of sporting events to watch, I would probably feel very rotten at home now. These sporting events really lighten up my sort-of-uneventful holidays so far. The first sporting event that I'm going to talk about, you guess it, would be the Thomas Cup. I admit I'm personally very disappointed that our national badminton men's squad failed to seize a second golden opportunity to win the Thomas Cup when China was knocked out of the competition again, this time by Korea. Squandering a 2-0 lead against Denmark (the eventual winner) in the semi-final and losing 2-3, that image of Dato Lee Chong Wei on the giant screen looking at the elusive Thomas Cup really was painful to watch for all of us Malaysians.

While trying to get over the disappointment and slight anger on Malaysia's Thomas Cup exit, there is still something worth celebrating, which is my favourite football club, Manchester United, winning the FA Cup. I watched the FA Cup final between MU and Crystal Palace with Jeff. Even though it was really boring football in the beginning 70 mins, the excitement of watching MU equalising and then netting the winner to win the FA Cup really made up for the uninspiring football and watching the match till late night. To cap the amazing football week, Liverpool lost the Europa League (sorry, I'm a MU fans) and it felt good to troll Liverpool fans while MU was able to end the season with a trophy.

Glory glory Man United!!! =D

Moving on, I also managed to have a couple of catching up session with friends. Met Jeff three times for yum cha, watching FA Cup and playing basketball. That basketball session with Jeff was an enjoyable one as I played well and showed no sign of long layoff. Play basketball once so far since I was back and I hope more frequent basketball sessions follow. Besides, I also met up with Khai Hong, my best friend in university and I treated him for a lunch in 不见不散. Lastly, I met up with two of my XJ friends, Yan Chun and Xin Yen. We had a 5 hours 吹水 session at Wong Kok One Shamelin. Meeting XJ friends makes my feel more anticipated to meet my Procrastination gang, Poi Yi and Yi Yin. It feels amazing to have these two friends with whom I can go at any length in talking any topics with them, especially the dirty talks. xD

Alright. Earlier I have mentioned that I will have a solid plan to spend my holidays when June comes. This is because I went for a job interview for the position of temporary clerk with Tokyo Marine Insurance Malaysia Berhad on Monday and I was offered the job. I was really eager on this job initially because it is my first opportunity to work in a corporate company but was put off a bit when the pay offered is rather low to my expectation. However, a little research on the salary report on JobStreet, I found out that the pay offered is the average market rate for an admin clerk position for junior executive level. Well, I guess I expect too much from a temporary clerk & data entry job, though I would argue that I expect a corporate company to pay around the same rate as my previous employer (a Sdn Bhd company).

I think I will just skip the interview part. I will update again on my holidays and working life in future posts.

Signing off,

重成