Company trip to Bali

Ok, here's my posting on Bali (16 - 19 June 2006)that I was supposed to do last week but didn't coz I was too busy, with work.

Actually there's a lot of things I've not been able to blog about. I guess I'll just KIV them first. One at a time, la.

All I can remember of Bali... is... is... err... is... Darnit... I can't remember! Haha! Just trying to get out of my alcohol-induced amnesia. @_^

Okay, okay... *ahem*

Bali, on first impression, seem like Kota Bharu, what with the houses and motorists and it's local people. But its not KB, coz there are no head scarves there, thank goodness. But then, I landed at night so I couldn't really see much or gauge much for that matter. They took us straight to this restaurant with four bronze statues of padi women facing against the wind, which reminded me of the Oscars actually. The food was tasty but nothing that I would wax lyrical about.

Our hotel, Inna Putri Bali in Nusa Dua, was quite nice. It's supposed to be 5 stars but then it's really old - they are still using dial phones... in beige to boot. But I love the authentic Balinese ambient and design of the hotel. It's a huge place, and the pool and the beach is about 5 minutes walk from your room. But I don't mind, coz the walk is really pleasant as you amble pass ponds filled with koi and other type of fishes, water lilies, babbling brook-like ponds and statues of Balinese supernatural beings. Some are scary looking, some kinda serene. But all of them are very life-like. Throw on some spotlight and voila, you have great authentic Balinese ambience.

The beach is nice but not as nice as Perhentian or Redang, but better than KB's or PD's any day. The water's chilly and not that murky. The water flows from Antarctica I think and I ended up with a cold right after coming out of the water, and with the sun shining brightly and HOTLY. But my only gripe about the beach is the garbage. There's also garbage floating around in the water! Even though we were near the reefs and there were kelp, I didn't see any fish swim close. Says a lot about the health of the reefs…

We had one free and easy afternoon. The morning activities of games were compulsory but I missed it coz I couldn't wake up! Why? Coz we were up drinking and playing games the night before. We painted Kuta town red. That was fun. =)

It's weird really. I am usually a very light sleeper but that morning, I didn't even hear my phone alarm go off despite it being next to my head. Must be the flight (came on a Boeng 737, 4 hour flight) AND the alcohol.

So that night, during dinner, I got penalized. Actually 4 of us missed the morning activities and all 4 were punished. The two guys had to do dirty dancing whilst me and my roommate, Marilyn, had to do pole dancing, on stage! Pai seh only, coz I've never done pole dancing. And to make the matter more hilarious, some one shouted from the audience that the poles should be replaced by our tall colleagues! >_< This suggestion was of course, met with a roar of approval. What can I do but follow along la, even though I had no idea how to pole dance. Vision of sexy girls and a long metal pole filled my mind, but then doing those wriggles and thrusts was another thing altogether. I tried my best... =P

That night, after dinner, we had another drinking session, and this time all the bottles of the hard liquor came out and my god, everyone was happily drunk by midnight. Some of us went for a midnight swim while others scrambled to their rooms to watch football. I went for a midnight swim at the pool. After that, I wondered down the beach, alone. My first glimpse of the beach took my breath away. The moon was out and it's white light were illuminating the sea and the breakers, and it looked awesome. It looked like angels were getting ready to descend at any moment. I lost myself for an hour there. Just having an Alone time. But it didn't last long, as the group came by noisily to join me. Oh well *sigh* It was good while it lasted.

The next day was the tour day, which I think was a waste of time. The bus took us shopping and only at those tourist traps. So didn't enjoy that. After dinner, we started drinking early and then took a taxi to Seminyak to experience the night life. Naturally by the time they closed the club, we were all stumbling into waiting taxis, drunk and beyond.

Needless to say, I had a hangover the next day. I was fine during breakfast but once I got on the bus to go to the airport, motion-sickness got the better of me. By the time, the bus got to the airport which was thankfully in 15 mins, I felt nauseous and just out of it. All around me, my colleagues milled around, recollecting what they did yesterday. Me, I just sat on the bench and concentrating on not throwing up.

I knew it was going to be a horrible flight home if I didn't do something. So I threw back a whole bottle of coke and went to the toilet and forced myself to puke. For one hour, while everyone else was shopping, I was bent over in the toilet, with a finger down my throat. Some people are just better at hiding their hangovers I guess. Which I found out later, were many.

I guess, I can say that my company trip to Bali was fun, in a haze of alcoholic fumes kind of way. It was a weekend of alcohol bingeing. But then what can you expect when you bring together people from the advertising industry? *wink*

Tagged! A little more about yours truly...

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. Sharon
2. seaDevilyn
3. Ladyshate

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. My smile
2. My shoulders
3. My eyes, I guess. Coz I can't think of anything else...

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

Only 3 eh?
1. My legs
2. My face
3. My hips

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

1. Chinese
2. Thai
3. Malay

THREE THINGS YOU CAN'T STAND:

1. Horrible people who has no respect for nature
2. People who kills endangered species for personal gain
3. People who kills and eat endangered species, esp men who believes that eating certain parts of animals will revive their Manliness. Haha, wouldn't it be funny if the tables were turned on these idiots? Run, Forrest, Run!

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

1. Supernatural beings =P
2. Clingy people
3. Flying cockroaches


EDIT: EEPS forgot to do the other half!!!

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS:

1. Lost
2. BTVS
3. Star Trek Voyager

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE JAPANESE ANIMES:

1. I only know one - Crying Freeman

THREE OF YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONGS:

1. The closest thing to crazy - Katie Melua
2. Trees - Marty Casey
3. Passage - Vienna Teng

THREE MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN:

1. Underworld
2. Aliens (2)
3. Underworld: Evolution

THREE MOVIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO WATCH:

1. POTC 2
2. Cars
3. The Exorcism of emily Rose (But I won't)

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1. Food
2. Shelter
3. Clothes

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. dp suit
2. My LOTR sliver ring
3. 3-inch brown velvet tie-on heels

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:

1. Trust
2. Love
3. Loads of sex

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE GENDER THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

1. A broad strong shoulder
2. A sexy smile
3. Sexy forearms

THREE BAD HABITS:

1. Judgmental
2. Procrastination
3. Cracking my body

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:

1. Scuba diving
2. Reading
3. Pamper my dog

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Dive and be one of the denizens of the deep
2. Go for a long, relaxing massage
3. Put on some chillout music and curl up in my bed

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING OR CURRENTLY PURSUING:

1. Own a ranch or a farm in the mountains
2. Be a dive master
3. Go higher in my position as a PR practioner

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

1. Maldives
2. Turkey
3. Greece

THREE KIDS' NAMES YOU LIKE:

1. Acheron
2. Alaric
3. Arissa

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

1. Dive with a 40 feet whale shark
2. Learn to build a mini suspension bridge
3. Go to Australia zoo to see Steve Irwin care for his crocs

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:

1. I love shoes
2. I care about my looks
3. My driving ain't that good

INITIALS OF THREE CRUSHES:

1.CKH (Teen crush)
2.AT (Late Teen crush)
3.JL (Uni crush)

My dna personality

Looks like this week is about self-discovery. *GriN*

Attentive Artist

About you
You are an Artist

Your appreciation of beauty, ability to think abstractly, and innovativeness make you an ARTIST.

Never one to be tied to a particular way of doing things, you let your imagination guide you in discovering different possibilities.

You would rather seek out new experiences than stick to your everyday habits, taking in as much of the world as possible.

Your eye for beauty and your willingness to consider different perspectives make your creative efforts interesting—even though you may not realize this yourself.

You prefer to think about things before voicing your opinion, considering a wide, diverse range of options.

While there are forms and styles that you prefer, you tend to keep an open mind when it comes to your artistic preferences.

You are curious about things, interested in the "why" more than the “how.”

You have an active imagination that leads you express yourself in a distinct way.

You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.

You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.


How you relate to others
You are Attentive

Because you like spending time with others, understand their feelings, and often know what is best for them, you are ATTENTIVE.

Some people are merely concerned about others, but you take action, helping people when you have the opportunity.

Although you care about others, you are hesitant to trust them to act in the best way on their own.

You don't let your concerns with people go unnoticed: if someone has hurt your feelings, that person will hear about it.

People energize and excite you—you are able to have fun and be yourself when you're around others.

You also learn a lot about yourself by talking things out with people, even if you don't always share things that are important to you.

You have a strong sense of right and wrong, and you're not hesitant to express yourself.

Understanding the dynamics of a situation is an important skill that you have, and you often intervene to clarify things for others.

You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.

You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

Been to KB and back

A break from the Honda rat race was what I needed to sooth my frazzled nerves. Went home to my baby to rejuvenate, refresh and relax for four whole days. The poor darling is getting on in his old age. Dr. Leong said that the way his condition is, he'd prob pass on in his sleep. Patches is 15 years old, that's 105 years old in dog years. Pampered him as much as I could. When I left, he looked bewilded and then sad. *sigh* Miss him so much... he's so adorable.

My break was not a lazy weekend spent at home. Rather it was the usual scrubbing of floors and bathing Patches and all that that kept me busy. Mornings were cooking lessons in the making of nasi dagang, nasi lauk & pulut kuning by my aunt, and afternoons were devoted to Patches. But don't expect me to cook for you, coz honestly, I don't remember how to cook those dishes. It was just an exercise in futility in actual fact.

Now that I seem to be freer, I will try to catch up on my blogging.

Oh the interesting side, I just found out that my boss knows Patrick. Haha... what a small world.

Was it all worth it?

I would have to say yes and a little no.

One of the major reason I took this job was to have the chance to learn new things. To experience new things. With the KLIMS project, I would have to say I did learn a few things. On top of that, I made some new good friends and my team is closer now for the experience.

Yeah, I worked the 10 days straight and I'm back to work the very next day, with no monetary or leave compensation in sight. I asked about the leave compensation thing and was told that no such thing exist in this company. Imagine that. You worked very hard, you spend your weekends working like crazy, your body protests every night, and yet there are no compensations in sight. I guess now I know why people go into sales. Why put in so much energy into work when the end output is still the same amount? I should just be a model employess but work exactly 8 hours a day and all the extra hours, I should just freelance. Yeah, I know. I say this now, and I procrastinate.

Yeah my boss acknowledged my hard work, with an email to the team and the company. It's good that he have eyes to see. But what about my weekends? I'm anal about my weekends, I guess. You can have me the whole day for my weekdays, but my weekends, I keep to myself as it is MY weekends. That's something the Labour Court would love to chew on, but *shrug*. Malaysia being Malaysia, hah.



*sigh*

Pictures @ KLIMS 2006

Here you go. Pictures of our 141 Honda Project at KLIMS. It was a great experience no doubt. Worked like hell on it and was hellish for as long as it lasted but it was a good experience.


The Entrance to the Honda Automobile Exhibition


Top view of the Honda Booth.


The masses during one of ASIMO's appearances! Massive crowd...


This is the FCX Concept. Gorgeous piece of design with a fuel cell system that uses hydrogen and oxygen to power the car and discharges water instead of CO2! The interior is totally futuristic! Reminded me of the command deck on Voyager.


This is the ultra dynamicly metalic-red Sports 4 Concept. A lot of visitors love this concept car. The interior is even better: Four individual bucket seats, all leather of course, the finishings are a combination of metal, leather and real wood. It also has individually-controled sky-roofs!


The gang (missing some) who packed goodie bags like demons-possessed!


One of ASIMO's performances.


This is ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.

Tired but edgy

I almost got into an accident just now. I almost knocked another car at the PJ State roundabout, or rather he almost knock me. I was careless and I was tired. I thought the car was turning right but he was turning left. My vision blurred but I think he changed his signals the last minute. But I admit that I was careless as he was on the outer lane when my foot pressed the gas pedal. I should have been more careful and waited until I was sure of his direction before I started forward. If he didn't avoid me, he would've hit my side. I think both are in the wrong. But more so me than him as he had the right of way. He flipped me.

The past one week of KLIMS has drained me. I'm tired and I'm cranky. I feel as though I can never feel well-rested again. I worked throughout KLIMS, from 9am to 10.30pm every day, from the beginning to the end. I was the only PR person there for the most parts and it was tiring being the coordinator for the media, the public and some of my team. Packing the brochures into the folder and the paperbags were crazy and we had to mobilised half of the company to help us push out as many brochures as we could. We had 100,000 paperbags to pack. We fell short of 30,000. But 70% is quite good already. A pile of paperbags that took 30 minutes to pack went within 3. It was a packing frenzy.

I was one of the packers as well as a liaison between the KLIMS PR company and Client. Not just for the media but for the Royalties and the dignitaries too. Protocol sucks.

I will be posting up pictures later. But for now, I think I'm still in shock.

From a car exhibition I emerged drained and reckless, a dangerous driver on the road. I don't think I'll be driving tomorrow.