Friday, August 27, 2004

Aotearoa, Land Under The Clouds

Or rather I'm flying off to KiwiLand, like the kids like to say. Sorta like KangarooLand. *grin* They are sooooo adorable.

Yesterday was a hectic day as I was rushing to get everything done and sorted so that I can go on my holiday without worries. From 8.15am in the morning until 7.45pm, I was perpetually in motion, from one point to the next and all. Good lord, but when I finally left the office, I didn't feel satisfied. I felt like I still had to go back to the office the next day to have some sort of closure, like cleaning my desk and wiping down my computers and arrange all my papers alphabetically or something.

But I didn't go back to work today - I woke up at 10am after packing until 5.20am last night. Went for dinner with my mom last night and got home around midnight then I started packing straight away. Brought down the luggages and dusted them off, opened up my vacuum bags to get to my winter clothes and just started fitting all of our stuff into one luggage. We are only bringing 1 medium size Delsey hard case for all three of us and two overnighters. So not that many things we can bring. In the end, they left it up to me to pack, again. Every year it is the same. *blech*

I just got back to Amcorp. Had some more chores to complete before I can go and plus we had to exchange some more NZ notes for my sister! We asked her the last time and she said she'll do it herself. Sheesh. And camera battery! I just discovered that the old one could barely let out a decent flash! =P

Anyway, I'm almost done packing, just need to throw in a few more stuff and we are set!

KiwiLand, here I come! =)

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Cutting it close... very close.

I have JUST only booked my accommodation in Auckland! Finally! Yeah, talk about cutting it close - my flight's on the 27th evening - this coming Friday! =P And then the car rental issue is still not settled. This car or that car, how many days, where are we gonna go... blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH! Sigh. I left it up to my sister to handle that after our argument last night at 2am in the morning! At that moment, I didn't care if we get a car or not get one as I was liable to just go and then try to get one in the city. Nothing is undoable. I know, I know. It's better to book ahead. *roll eyes*

Despite some hurdles thrown in my path, I'm finally going to NZ! I've settled most of my things and briefed my superior on some stuff and I'm all set to go! Yay!

Well, not quite. You see... I've not packed yet. I've not decided what to bring, what not to bring and what I should really bring. But then, I'm not too worried. Packing only takes me a few hours, since I've already drawn up a list of essentials and all that. I'll just go home and dust off my luggage and just start throwing things into it. Also, all three of us are sharing the hard-shell Delsey case, as to bring two of the same hard-shell case would ensure that our trunk won't be able to close. So I would still have to crack my head come Friday when all of our stuff is together and I have to figure out a way to make everything fit. Of course we will be carrying smaller individual bags with rollers. But then no one needs to know that.

I'm soooo excited. Am looking forward to this trip. Can't wait to see the valley and mountains, and extinct volcanos - just wonderful wide expanse of natural beauty. *sigh*

So many things to do, so little time! Now where have I heard that before? ^_^

Friday, August 20, 2004

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

We still haven't made up our mind as to where we are goin gto stay. I've been looking through my accommodation list over and over again until I'm just fed up! Argh! I don't care, I'm just gonna swing a crystal over the sheets and see which one it is "attracted" to. Blech.

Actually, I'm keeping the trip to around the Auckland region. It's only going to be 10 days so we can't afford to drive all the way down to the end of the North Island either - not enough time. So this time, I think we should just explore the north of north island.

Strangely enough, I'm very attracted to Coromandel Region. Am trying to plan the days there and back and still have enough days to shop in Aucklnad city and still stay a week in one place - A Woodsy Cottage, I like.

Where, where, where to stay?

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Cross-eyed

I've been surfing for NZ accommodations the entire day that my eyes are crossed and swirling. I've send countless inquiries and so far I've only gotten a handful of replies back. Not bad for a days work. =p

That site (www.holidayhouses.co.nz) that TNO suggested is very effectlive and helpful compared to those government runned sites that should fire their errant webmasters. But most of the acceptable ones are around NZ$700 - NZ$800 for a self-contained cottage. We don't want motels or inns. Even for ones on the fringes, they cost a bomb.

So yeah, we are going to Auckland this year. Am thinking I want to stay in Coromandel. What do you guys think? Have any of you been there? How about Hamilton? What's in Hamilton by the way? I don't want to drive too far away. I'm thinking nice cottage, cold weather, fireplace, a few good books, scrabble set, and of course wineries. Just the thought of mountains and valleys and wide open spaces... My imagination has taken flight.

-sigh-

Saturday, August 14, 2004

The Reason

I was listening to this song last night over and over again as we were cruising the empty streets of KL - it had a profound effect on me. I've never even heard of the Hoobastank until someone at work pointed them out to me. Now, I'm listening to the lyrics and it's most moving. It got me thinking that this song is apt for my faith in Him, or rather my path back to His side. Usually I don't get all emotional over songs lyrics, but this song hit a cord within me. I guess you can't really get the effect until you hear it when you're in a certain mood, and I was melancholy last night. To each to his own (interpretation).


The Reason - Hoobastank

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to You
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want You to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You

I'm sorry that I hurt You
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put You through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all Your tears
Thats why I need You to hear

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You [x4]

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to You
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want You to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me You didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is You

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Down the badger's hole

Today, I brushed my hands off with satisfaction when the UPS guy came to pick up the parcels. Now I have to go about asking ATA for a refund for the 3 that we didn't enter.

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Super Baboon takes to task
KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - The bustling city was shocked to a standstill when an unidentified woman dressed in a baboon costume and a red cape threatened to suffocate a bank officer with her fake buttocks at a local bank here today.

Patrons of the bank were shocked when a woman in her late 20s started shouting at a bank officer when he refused to cancel a transaction that was completed a few days ago. The woman reportedly storm off out of the bank and into a fast food chain next to the bank. She later returned to the bank dressed in a hairy baboon costume, with fake pink shiny buttocks attached. It is believe the costume resembles a character in the "Cow and Chicken" cartoon.

Guards stationed at the entrance tried to stop her, but she reportedly threw them off her and stalked to the same bank officer who served her before and threaten to suffocate him if he didn't do as she wished.

The bank officer refused as there was nothing he can do about a completed transaction. The baboon-dressed woman then held the bank officer down with inhuman strength, ripped off her fake buttocks and proceeded to smother the bank officer with it.

By which time, the guards tried to intervene but they were no match for her. Apparently, this angered the woman as she then shouted for everyone to leave the bank or else she will smother the guard to death.

At press time, the situation is still dire and the police has been called to help. No one knows what it going on now.

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The above story is FAKE. Please do not think it is real. This is just me writing to let off some steam. Plus writing press releases everyday is BORING. I need to let my creative side wonder a bit, what.

*grin* Anyway, just came back from NST. Was there to oversee an interview arranged for the Marvellous Monday cast. Later. I need to eat something now.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Bloody phew

Okay it's like this, GM alerts me that the ATA is happening. Ask me to ask Head of Group Marketing Head if we want to submit. So I asked. Permission given to submit our works. Time sees Sharon running ahead of it, like a crazy baboon trying to get information from all sides so that she can complete her forms. She calls everyone and chases them on this and that - everybody was busy but Sharon was really running against TIme so she had no choice but to snap at some butts. She was not happy about that but she had no choice coz said butts were moving too slow. She gets budget done and approved by three department heads. All looks good. But a lot of information is not in yet. So she chase butts again. Running around like super baboon. She even went back to the office on a Saturday so that she can supervise the subtitling for the chinese entries. So far so good. Information not in yet. She chases more butts. In the end, above mentioned butts useless, so Sharon takes over the lead and gets her own information. She also makes some up coz some information couldn't be obtain as butts who were suppose to provide it were too busy for her to chase.

Today she compiles ALL information, prints it out nice and black. She goes to get signature from GM. GM looks through all, and then said not her jurisdiction. Ask Sharon to go get signature from CEO. Fine. Sharon waits for CEO to be available, until after lunch. Her deadline was 4pm today. CEO finally available at 3.30pm. She goes in and brief him on what's going on. Then he asked about which entries DV's submitting. Sharon tells him. He is shocked and says entries not worth submitting if they have no chance to win. He demands to know who authorise this and refuses to sign. Sharon tells him. He was angry and said that he will take it up with management. He tells Sharon not to send anything. Sharon goes away "shocked".

Later at 5pm, Head of Finance calls Sharon to her room. Questions her about this. Sharon tells her she was the one who approved the budget. She then asked who authorised this. Sharon gives name. Head calls in CEO and explains again which was what sharon explained earlier on. He then decides that we should send in three of our best entries.Sharon obviously lacking in clout. Wonders if she can fashion one from a cengal tree. Anyway all are convinced that those entries have good chance of winning award. CEO directs Sharon to send in three. But it is too late to send today and UPS guy already gone home for dinner. Latest Sharon can send it tomorrow morning, day of latest deadline. Sharon calls Asian Television Awards people, people says ok. Sharon says "Phew" and prepare everything to be send off tomorrow morning.

Bloody HELL

Omigawd I'm freakin' hyperventilating right now! Argh! I just talked to the CEO and he axed the idea of sending some of Double Vision's works for the Asian Television Awards! AND I've been working to death the past two weeks so that I can send out our submission on time! Then he says "NO". ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! With a "Who gave you permission to send them?" thrown in!

DIE! DIE! DIE!

Friday, August 06, 2004

Possible reasons

I'm waiting for my colleague to finish the chinese-translation for a show that we are submitting to the Asian Television Awards and the Malaysian Movie Awards. Sigh... and it's already so late. Bah. So with so much time on my hands and no motivation to do more work as it is FRIDAY NIGHT, I'm wont to let my mind wonder.

As I sit here contemplating my life, I wonder why I'm single? I see plenty of girls out there who has found love and I've left wondering "What the heck is wrong with me that makes me so unlovable?" But then, it is not as if I didn't have several chances along the way to "hook" one as they say it, so what went wrong? Could it be that I'm scared of commitment? The forever part? But that's crazy, isn't that what all girls want? I had a chance to embark on a relationship roller coaster several months back, but I chose not to. He later told me I sabotaged the "relationship" by not letting him into my soul. I later figured he meant that I didn't talk to him more or confide in him as I do with my friends. I don't know. Maybe deep down I knew he wasn't right for me and that was why I didn't bother going down that path.

Maybe another reason I'm single is because I don't know how to read the signs and take advantage of them. Maybe. Somebody once mentioned that I do not take initiatives to start a relationship, that I always wait for the other person to make the first move. Is that true? I always thought I was quite bold in my approaching the opposite sex. Maybe I'm wrong.

I hate being single yet I love the freedom of not having to answer to another person other than my family. Maybe that's why I'm single, coz I put my family above all else. This one is a biggie.

Maybe I shouldn't ask why. Maybe this is meant to be. I'll just have to accept it that I might never settle down with someone. And let Life just be.

Is it so wrong to want someone special to call your own, the same someone who will be there forever? Someone I can lean on instead of always having to be the strong one or someone's buddy who is always there. I'm tired of taking care of others. I'm tired of thinking about others. It would be nice to be taken care of for a change.

My thoughts are rambling. It has no sense nor direction.

My brain is starting to hurt... *sigh*

Maybe... Maybe I'm too choosy...

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Estranged

I've been so quiet today that I've lost my ability to socialise. Today, the marketing dept celebrated two of my colleagues birthday and even though they invited me, I didn't feel like a part of their group. I felt out of place. So I left. I didn't want to be there when it doesn't seem right for me to be there.

I feel disjointed from the rest of the world. The estrangement doesn't just happen on my side but from theirs as well, so I guess all sides are mutually keeping away from each other. But why? It is not as if that is what I want to happened but somehow it did. Whatever triggered it... was it my fault? Did I do something wrong?

But the thing I figured about the other side is that they aren't very connectable. It might seem weird but that is the way I feel at the moment. They are social friends. I get that. They aren't close friends and I should think of them as such. I should.

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Cut off at the knees

Since MaXX-a-Million has been suspended until further notice, my work load has lessened by loads and I'm now back to doing my usual job scopes, publicity for Double Vision's programmes. It's soooo boring that I'm considering quitting already. I guess it is obvious I don't like writing press releases - it's so dry and flat. There's nothing exciting about doing that. But the one thing I like about this is getting to arrange things. One of the things I learned from managing the Maxx roadshows is that I like managing things. I like being in charge. Who doesn't? I like the calling of suppliers and scouting for things and calling up tons of people and arranging for things to happen. It is more productive than my writing of press releases. And it is my personal opinion that the press people that I've had the privilege to meet so far are snobs. I'm surprise that they listen to bad sources and judge without actual proof. Aren't all journalist suppose to be fair-minded people who are not bias in any way and reserve the right to judge for themselves and not judge based on gossip? Hmmph. If any of you who are reading my blogs are journalists, I hope you're not like that. So far I've met some from big papers and they are snobs.

Oh well, I'll have to meet more so that I can meet the good ones.

All this just makes me question whether I want to join the journalism crowd. I did consider going back to journalism, the profession I was trained for but innately, I rebelled against that idea. I guess maybe I don't like writing as much as I thought. The jury's not out on that one yet.

Going back to the topic, I'm now going home at normal hours. Haha. No more late nights and office take-outs. Of course things aren't totally back to normal yet, there are things to finalise. Loose ends to tie and housekeeping. My project manager asked me to help her translate a script the other day and boy, did I have to relearn my BM. I'm rusty, I need to brush up on my BM language skills. Eeek. Embarrassing la. But I got that done and gave it to Helen. But then she's not native so she doesn't know if it's correct or skewed. Guess she will run it by a native tomorrow. *grin*

Anyway, I feel sad. Even though MaXX was a pain in the butt, I have gotten used to the sting, I was even enjoying myself. You masochist. It just gall that it was not FINISHED. There's no completion, no closure. How can something so huge not have a closure? Seriously, the people who banned SMS contests are pea-brained, 'dungunfied' carcasses who doesn't seem to grasp the fact that humans are intelligent beings, that they are not God and that they can never hope to speak for others other than themselves. Those apes have no idea what they are doing and they are just doing it for the sake of hearing themselves speak. They do not understand anything but they pretend that they have the abilities to understand and spout words! If SMS contests have gambling elements, then ALL contests have gambling elements! That is the point of contests - it's all about chance. There is no such thing as entering a contest and assured a winning spot. If that's the case, then that's CHARITY. Idiots.

Ok, I'll stop ranting now and go back to my search of NZ's accommodations. Yeah, am thinking of going somewhere different this time instead of Perth. ^_^