Caca marba

Well, that's the best description of my first half of 2011. There were so many things going on. So many things on my plate. So little time to really focus on each one. And I ended up feeling so tired. I need a long holiday, but now it's not the suitable time. In fact, I'm not taking any long holiday this year because of a few reasons.


So, I'll just take half day off now and then, depending on my schedule. Overlapping appointment is the thing I hate most. With all these calendering system, electronic meeting invitation etc, people still invited me blindly, didn't really bother to check for slot availability. When I reject their invitation, they feel offended.


I just don't get Malaysian time management. They can choose to arrive 45 late to appointments, but get offended when people reject their last minute meeting invitations. *Pbfftttttt!*


It was in the news yesterday that Malaysian women are at number 16 in the list of most depressed women in this whole world. Indian women are on top of the list, followed by our Mexican friends.


So, why are Malaysian women so depressed that we managed to beat Malaysian football team world ranking? If you are a woman like me, you'd know the answer. The stress we are experiencing are coming from all angles. There's no way we can escape, and the only choice left is to deal with them. If I escape, that would mean I'm a quitter. If I deal with them, they usually add more to the stress. If I ignore them, I'd be accused of being irresponsible. So, which one should I choose?


So far, the best option is still to deal with them - all of them.
Society's expectation of working mothers are just absurd. Most of the time, people just tend to forget that working mothers are human just like the rest.


But how often do we read in the news about stressed working moms in Malaysia who committed suicide? Any statistics available?


There was one case reported by Malaysian newspapers a few months ago, but it was claimed that the woman was mentally unstable. The daughter had to witness her mother committed suicide. Aaaah...another stress the daughter would have to live with for the rest of her life.


Sometimes, I wished I lived as a working mum in the 1970s. Or, I didn't even have to work, but stayed at home and had gossip sessions in the afternoons with my neighbours. I imagined, the kids will be at school in the morning, while I cooked, cleaned and had my morning tea breaks. In the afternoon they'd be at the religious school, while I watched soap opera on TV. But hey, there's no ASTRO back in the 70s. So, I'll be probably watching TV pendidikan while folding the clothes.


But that's just my imagination.


But sometimes, it helps to have all these imaginations. When I started reading Growing up in Trengganu, and Map of Trengganu, both books brought back old memories of the 1970s, living in a kampung and day time used to be so damn long. There are a few chapters from Map of Trengganu that I reread because I really enjoyed going back to those times (virtually - only in my mind).


What I'm trying to tell here is that, sometimes, if you really feel that you are troubled and can't escape from all these stress, just psych yourself with some good books and the next day, you're ready to face life again.


Sekian, terima kasih.

Change your life in 2010 !!!!!

No I don't and won't have any resolution for 2010.
I am taking 6 days off work and will be reading this book.

When I start working again next Tuesday, I'll be a changed person. Hmmmm.....

The absence of any resolution does not mean that I don't plan to achieve anything.
Here's my plan/need/greed:

1st Q
------
5 new working shoes.
1 new leather handbag.
Cuti-cuti Malaysia during the school hols.
A new King Size bed.

2nd Q
-------
A new set of skincare
3 bottles of new perfumes
5 work shirts, 3 trousers and 2 long skirts
A new L-shaped sofa

3rd Q
-------
Two pairs of expensive suit
A new platinum diamond ring
Cuti-cuti Europe (hahahahaha!!! macam ada duit)

4th Q
------
Change car tyres


 And that's my shopping list for 2010. By the way it's not finalized yet. More items will be added later.

The tale of 2 cities

In this country there are 2 cities that really make me feel most welcomed and at home: Kuala Terengganu and JB. (Bera is my hometown, so it doesn’t count.) As for JB I can understand it because I used to spend 5 years of my early life studying there, but Kuala Terengganu?

 

I was not born there, don’t remember having more than 1 relative staying there, never lived there and definitely not planning to move there. It’s kind of funny whenever we went to Kuala Terengganu, it felt like going back to my origins. The food is unquestionably good, the beaches are definitely beautiful, the people are friendly and caring, cost of living is considerably low and I really don’t mind having to visit every customer we have there for the whole week.

 

It’s quite difficult to explain, but my favorite vacation (and sometimes work) destination has always been Kuala Terengganu. A friend once asked if I were to become a stay at home mom, what I would do. My answer was, I’d become a full time writer in Kuala Terengganu. I know it’s funny but I just couldn’t help it. There were times when I hoped and prayed that Mr Hubby would be posted to the East Coast so that I could live my dreams (that is to stay at home, lounging on the sofa and pretend to have some book writing in progress).

 

Now I think my dream almost came true when Mr Hubby will be working outside KL for a year and a half, but it’s in JB not KT. Still, JB is my other favorite town, so I’m quite happy. Although the dream to become a stay at home mom seems far fetched now due to some financial factors (hutang credit card yang berlambak, car installment etc), I’m just glad I’ll be going to JB at least twice a month. Driving alone at night with the kids fighting in the car is quite a challenge, no doubt about that. My motivation throughout the 3 hours drive has always been THE GLORIOUS JB FOOD! Hahahaha. No offence to Mr Hubby, of course I’m excited to see him but the main motivating factor is still the FOOD.

 

Now the kids are always looking forward to visiting JB because Mr Hubby has moved into a rented apartment with a biiiiig pooool and 2 playgrounds, yeay!

 

It feels really good to be able to escape KL life once in a while. I just don’t feel I fit in this hectic KL lifestyle, I don’t understand why. Maybe I am the country living type. I have a small piece of land in Bera, it’s near Tr1ang River. Someday….. maybe someday I’ll build a small house and live there after my retirement.

 

By the way, my boss asked me a few weeks ago on how long I plan to continue working, I told him 10 years. Well, I lied. Hehehehehe…

My Cinoni

Credits: Pics taken from Alanho's and Erwin Sanjaya's Flickr.

If I ever have some extra RM. I will change my Cinoni's appearance, from this:

To THIS:



P/s: Makcik memang berjiwa muda dan kengkadang tu tak sedar diri sikit. Hahahaha.