Family

Family, is such a strong word in every society. As we grow up and as we marry ourselves into our partner's family, we tend to somehow discover different perspectives in this life called family. Nevertheless at the same time , we also compare the family that we have with the family of our friends, and friends who we relate to as 'more than family'.
How far would you go for your family? It's a direct question, but really it has no direct answer. Even with a childhood with strong family ties; the answer, at this day and age, usually comes with some qualifications.
I know people who will go at length, who will walk through fire for some so called friends, but then families are left in the dark. It's like this universal saying, kacang lupakan kulit, but hell yes we tend to be just that when it comes to family. We somehow need some kinda strong gravity power to pull us back to the ground; to remember that there is this thing called blood ties that can never be erased even with death.

April meet

One of the main ideas of joining the club was - to rejuvenate. And rejuvenate i was. It is so fun to have a group of interesting people, from various different backgrounds, different careers and only one thing brought us together- this month's book.

Ive promised to list down the books that i would recommend to the club. Here's some:

The Reader- Bernard Schlink
The lady and the little dog- Anton Chekhov
Catcher in the rye- JD Salinger
The end of the affair- Graham Greene
Loser takes all- Graham Greene

Franny and Zooey

My all time favourite past time- book buying. People go gaga over the recent pesta buku, but for me book buying is unlike the pesta which is only held yearly (as if that's enough to create a reading society); for me this book buying thing is a monthly must do activity. I have monthly budget for books; so this month i trotted to Kinokuniya (besttttt) and grabbed this JD Salinger piece of literature almost immediately.

I have started a few pages today; BEST! Can't wait to read the rest. Since i love 'The Catcher in the Rye' so much, i'm almost positive that this will also be a hit! Yay can update Goodreads now :p

The many states of being annoyed

Much to my annoyance, my sometimes (annoying) husband has been rather annoyed lately with my annoying signs in the house. Maybe he is more annoyed at my annoying habit of picking them up from stores and annoyingly hanging them everywhere, creating an annoying unmodern look. He displayed his annoyance by giving nasty annoying comments everytime a sign falls/out of glue. Even said that it will crash and break into pieces. So annoyed he was.

So here is me, also annoyed.

These are a few of my favourite things!

Although my house is not full of food/groceries due to well-known reasons; but it is full of pinggan mangkuk! i tell u we need a proper kitchen pronto. I have spent hundreds on items for the kitchen; and looks like i am ready to spend more even if it only means to be used by me and me alone.



Enjoy a cuppa tea now!



Anya the dancing mouse?



Now this is very honest!



Nice!

Pesta Buku

It was a hell of a weekend. The trip to JB was okay; had so much fun with Fatin the lil gal; but i cant stand the extremely hot weather in JB. So much so that when i returned to KL, i thot of installing an air cond at the living room :p heheh

May is coming and we are going to ROARRR this May. F is receiving his second anugerah cemerlang (no fair no fair!!!)next week; and i must say he well deserve it as he works hard at almost everything. Then comes F's bday which i must plan whether (1) presents (2) surprises or (3) trip. hmmmm???

I visited the Pesta Buku KL last week and found pieces by Hemingway and Steinbeck sold at RM 10-12!! Wowie!!! didnt get any cos they are not in my most-wanted list. But if only they had Chekhov!
I have been literally crawling with this month's book club book; i still can't believe it won a prize; i dont get it! (tak puas hati. Felt like i kinda wasted my monthly budget for books sigh...

Training Day

I had newcomer staff today and as usual my expectation was high. She had to walk, talk and think as fast as i do, regardless of the fact that she had zero legal experience. Tough? Very. Cos if she doesnt talk or walk as fast then i'd have to do her work instead, and take the blame for shoddy work. High expectations? Very. Easy? NO. Possible? Need to try.

So i decided to take a different perspective. Nowadays i sit next to my staff, and teach them like ABC. I never scream as i know, people, like me, cannot learn fast when they are intimidated. Or frustrated and irritated. They will have (create) imaginary conversations in their head and they cant focus when they are frighten. So, really scream is not the way to go. I hate screamers.

I did start training Mr A, using the tough-easy way. I was firm with him, scolded him (not scream) for his mistakes but at the same time i simultaneously teach him how to do the tasks correctly, fast and efficiently. I sat next to him, like a teacher in a kindergarten, walked with him to search for files, basically spoonfed him. Some spoonfeeding is required at times when you need one to progress fast. He showed excellent progress in 1 month, and i think that is so much better than 90% marks. We have a good interaction, and he knows when i mean business, or when i am ok to take a little joke.

I think ive reached that halfway mark. My expectations are high, but i can take it when some just needs to take it slow, one at a time. Just like ABC.

13.4.2009

The thing about being constantly online is that you get LOADS of ideas.About the future, about your current life. What to buy? where to go? who to meet? Who's doing what....

Ive been thinking, i lead a small, but valuable life. I have dreams of doing so many things; so many different things.I always feel that i need to make my life colourful, wonderful. Once in a while i'd be thinking: should i take up that course? should i further my studies in a faraway land? should i have a bigger famly? yada yada yada

I would really love to be a student again,and the fact that i'm not a realy sociable person makes student life- so attractive. but the issues of scholarships and 'serious studying' are not so appealing yet. im basically crawling in this department.

so ive decided to take up some new activities. maybe teach. or learn new things in some courses.hmm creative writing course anyone?

Long winded

Long winded is the last thing i want to be. But it's long winded that has got me gripped on : Russian Literature.
ahhh it's just so beautiful and touches the heart. Such simple tales. Inconvenience of love.

I stumbled across Anton Chekhov's creation when this character in a book/movie was reading The lady and the Little Dog. I googled this short story and it was available online. I am halfway reading it. It's like eating a sweet caramel on a beautiful sunny day. You have to read it slowy, maybe repeat a phrase or two, and swallow, slowly digesting the beauty of the literature. Such simple yet meaningful written words that create a short story. I'm just slowly sucking it in...letting it melt slowly.. I am soo in love with Chekhov rite now!

But the books are not so easily available. Borders had some overpriced ones that i am eyeing. MPH almost none. Times didnt have the book with the dog story. Any other Chekhow lover's out there?

7.4.2009

Life at work has been a teeny weeny bit better now. I dont hate that many people as i used to 2 weeks ago. So thats great. Not that the number of people that i hate is a measurement for quality of life at work, but it's a sign hehe.

I find that like a singer, we (on this side) need to have an alter ego. (Not one called Sasha like Beyonce ok, so bimboish- sorry Beyonce fans). Sometimes this alter ego comes without us realising it; it's like an automatic weapon that opens up when you are at battle. In simple words, we are not ourselves when we mean business.
But this alter ego must always be re-evaluated. And it helps when you have close friends to assist you, to condemn you and fills you in with things you dont see.

I wonder what my alter ego is; but i am sure that i am kind :p I am still discovering this very interesting yet mysterious science in me. But firmness is essential. And i feel that it's crucial to control one's temper even when meeting extremely stupid/stubborn people. I'd still put firmness no. 1; and to create that we need knowledge, patience and confidence.

As we were driving home from work the other day, i sighed really hard because i had a headache only after reading several pages of legal submissions.( pls understand how terrible the submissions were that it gave me the headache) I asked my pirate, why did i do this? why did i have such a difficult job? why did i do law? why couldnt i do something simple like - erm cooking, or ermm waitressing? Or a job that allows me to just read Chekhov's short stories hehhe
No answer of course. The questions were just lingering in my head and within the air at the parking lot at our apartment.