McD & Me (2)

The trend continues.

Third in line in my queue today, the other queue had four in line.

Couples first in line turned out to be buying for a family of eight, with a daughter who simply couldn't decide between a fried chicken and a McChicken burger meal.

Young lady second in line knew what she wanted and made her order swift. Too bad the cashier ran out of small change and we waited for the RM1 bills to arrive.

By the time they served me, the other queue was serving the sixth customer.

April score board to-date:

McDonald's @ Tesco = 2
Slacker extraordinaire = 0


Hint: if you ever saw me in Tesco's McD and wanted to get your food fast, do not queue up in the same line with me!

Boleh-land

This is the second time the temperamental BKE SmartTAG system messed up my Touch'n Go card.

For those who have never experienced it, faulty SmartTAG system will block your Touch'n Go card, giving you the invalid card error (kad tak sah). Sometimes the blocked card can still be used in Touch'n Go lane, most of the time it no longer works for both SmartTAG and Touch'n Go lanes.

When you get this error, what you have to do is to feel vengeful and go cause a jam at the SmartTAG or Touch'n Go lane, and refuse to budge until someone approaches the jammed lane to sort you out.

Just kidding, please don't do that. =P

That's selfish and inconsiderate, and you would get a healthy dose of swearings and angry stares from the impatient drivers behind you. Since everybody knows that it's your fault the system messed up *sarcasm*.

What you should do when you get the invalid card error, is to use the cash lane for the time being until you get your card unblocked at any Touch'n Go office.

That's what I did last Friday, I went to the Touch'n Go office at Penang Bridge, and here's where the Boleh-land story evolved.

"Encik, problem di BKE SmartTAG, kad tak sah, boleh tolong unblock?"

"Nah, sudah siap." *returned Touch'n Go card*

"Terima kasih. Ini second time card kena block di BKE SmartTag loh."

"BKE SmartTAG memang sentiasa ada problem, guna Touch'n Go kat BKE."

"Sudah tahu BKE SmartTAG sentiasa ada problem, bila nak fix?"

"Guna Touch'n Go kat BKE, jangan guna tu SmartTAG." (didn't answer my question)

"I guna BKE tiap-tiap hari lar encik, that's why I beli SmartTAG. SmartTAG ada problem fix lar, ask people guna Touch'n Go mengapa nak ada itu SmartTAG?"

"..." *calls for next customer*

For those who don't understand Malay, the gist of the converstion is that the guy in the Touch'n Go office acknowledged that the SmartTAG system at BKE has problem, it's already known for a while. His suggestion to me when I told him it's already the second time I encountered this problem, is to use the Touch'n Go lane at BKE instead of the SmartTAG lane.

Yup, instead of fixing the problem, they want us to use the more time consuming alternative that totally defeats the purpose of having the SmartTAG system.

Boleh! >_<

鞋带，香蕉

今天的羽球打得有点纳闷
不知怎么的还没开始打就已经觉得累
半途那班高手的出现令我有点错愕
不满他们问都不问就抢去我们预定的一个羽球场
喂老大，邀你们的两个人玩双人赛不代表把场让给你们
好心让你们玩你们却来个反宾为主，真过分
你们人多声大我又胆小脸皮薄所以不敢赶你们走
你好也，真可恶！
没打到尽兴就不悦无趣的回家了
像我羽球师父说的：“我就是不爽！”
说到师父就想到今天他给苏打饼和我的组合取了个代号
我们一个是‘鞋带’，一个是‘香蕉’
不知道我是鞋带还是香蕉叻？

Leverage is Back!

It has been a long wait since August last year, but they are back, woohoo!

Tuesday 21:00 to 22:00 hours, channel AXN. Go watch.

And if you are the lucky ones who don't have early meetings/work or those who need only little sleep to stay fresh, then the new season of 24 is on 23:00 to 00:00 hours, same day, same channel. I will have to see if any friend on mine is going to own the new 24 and be ever so kind to lend me.

Leverage is like modern day Robin Hood, a dynamic team of five steals, cheats, cons, and generally outwits the bad and rich to help the good but poor. There are actions, gadgets, and humours. Seeing the bad and rich get their deserved punishments makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

Me likey. Me happy.

By the way I am not being paid to advertise this, though I wish I was. =P

McD & Me

Before the move to ulu place, my craving for McDonald's was usually satisfied at the McD restaurant either in Sunshine Square or Queensbay Mall. You know, a lunch out with colleagues capitalising on the 12 to 3 value meal discount.

After moving to ulu place which has no McD (yes, the horror!), I can only satisfy my McD craving in the weekend, and it's usually at either Sunrise Tower or Tesco.

Recently, over the course of several weeks, probably 6 or more, I noticed a curious thing.

Everytime I visit the McD in Tesco, no matter if I chose the shorter queue, I would always end up being at the "slow counter", those customers at the other queue would get their food and went on their merry ways long before I got mine.

It seems like whenever I go to McD in Tesco, I would always encounter one or more of the following:

(1) customer in front of me who orders large quantity of food, probably for a party somewhere

(2) customer in front of me who simply couldn't decide what s/he wants and takes ages deciding, just to change her/his mind after the order is keyed in

(3) customer in front of me who simply couldn't decide which toy to get with the Happy Meal

(4) customer in front of me who asks how much to "go large" after the regular meal is served and decides to have the large meal then

(5) cashier who is the slowest of them all

(6) cashier who simply wanders off doing something else when it's my turn

Oh McD in Tesco, why do you hate me so? =P

Just my luck I guess. >_<

Seriously, how difficult is it to decide what you want to get before it's your turn at the counter? And just how long does it take to say "Eating in/Take away, I like to have a regular/large <insert choice here> Meal please. Coke please. Nope that's all." Took me about 10 seconds everytime for the ordering part.

Indecisive people, meh! It's supposed to be fast food ler!

As for the McD in Sunrise, I haven't encountered the "always get slow counter" phenomenon so far, but I did get the "chicken and duck talk" phenomenon. I made my order in English and the cashier answered in Malay, asked what I wanted for drink in Malay, I answered in English, she asked if I wanted anything else in Malay, I answered again in English, she told me the cost in Malay. The kuai lo behind me hastily changed to the other queue which the cashier speaks English in reply to order made in English.

Shame on you Malay cashier girl, if the customer speaks in English, be courteous to use English ler! I am sure McD wouldn't put you at the counter if you couldn't speak English.

Everything above was real life experience.

What to do?

Took a lot longer than I anticipated to write this entry, since it's already 1st of April I like to wish everyone Happy April Fools' Day, indulge your inner child and be merry fooling or be fooled! =)

Okay, that done, let's have a change of mood and move on to the sombre entry I have spent some time to craft.
-----

Every year around this time, my company announces the performance review for the employees. So it's this time that we find out whether or not we have meet our expectation and more importantly, whether or not we get a rise (raise in American English).

Okay, so I am the slacker extraordinaire, but really that's not my attitude towards work. Honest.

I am all serious with work related stuff, I meet my due date, put in my best into my work, make sure my work is of good quality, I pay attention to the details, and go that extra mile to make sure my work is easily comprehensible for the others.

So it came as a shock that I am underperforming. =(

This is really a big deal, I have to perform better else I will lose my job! This is seriously not laughing matter.

I admit I am not the 'long hour' type who are in the office 07:00 to 19:00 hours. I usually call into the early meetings from home and then arrive office late morning to avoid peak hour traffic. And I try not to stay late in the office unless I absolutely have to, I want some semblance of work/life balance.

But anyway, this shouldn't be the reason why I am rated underperforming, since you know, I meet my due date and all that.

Have to say I am rather puzzled, is my own standard really not as high as I think it is and hence 'my best' and 'good quality' are really not up to scratch?

I just... refuse to believe that.

It's so happened that manager MunY has just written an entry on performance review with some handy pointers for underperforming people like me. I am doing most, if not all, of his 6 useful pointers leh.

After some serious thinking I came to this: I am not selling myself.

Problem is, while I have no qualm in admitting and even joking about my weaknesses, I don't feel comfortable telling people how swell I am. I am a quiet person who listen more than speak, and I don't like to be in the limelight.

There are those who are in love with their own voice, those who will speak up for the sake of speaking up in the presence of important high up people. There are those who will pour non-stop given half the chance, to show how knowledgable, how great and mighty they are.

Empty bucket makes the most noise?

Tough luck for me then, cause usually those who make the most noise get noticed, and as the saying: it's not what you know, but who you know that matters. Sad but true.

So, what to do?

Appreciate any suggestions you may have. Before you send them to me, please read the first paragraph at the top, especially those in red. Thanks!

Sombre matter, isn't it?

Reading is Good (March 2010, part II)

Finished another novel between the writing of part I and this part II. Just thought I should clarify in case people think I cannot count. =)

Part I and part II together has a total of 22 reviews now instead of the 21 stated previously.

-----

A Twist in the Tale by Jeffrey Archer is a collection of entertaining short stories.


image source

Easy read and the usual great writing from Archer. I particularly like "Just Good Friends" which completely caught me by surprise and "Christina Rosenthal", which deeply moved me: 7.5/10

-----

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton, probably better known as The 13th Warrior, happened to be a novel that I read after I have watched the movie version starring Antonio Banderas.


image source

It's about an Arab adventuring with the vikings. This is probably not the best of Crichton's, I find it less believable than his other novels. That said, it's still an engaging read, it's just me having high expectation from Crichton: 6.5/10

-----

A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer has got the honour spelled right, the British English shall remain the "real English" for me. I reject the emigrant's version of "no 'u' only me", no thank you.


image source

Story involves the Russian, the American, the British, the Swiss, and the French. It revolves around an icon with a secret, a deal signed 99 years ago nearing it's expiry date. Agents from various countries killed to either get hold of the icon, or prevent the others from getting it: 7.5/10

-----

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown probably doesn't need any introduction for avid readers, think even those who don't read heard of it.


image source

Without wax is back! =) (go read Digital Fortress)

The story revolves around Masonic secrets and a mad person, the plots and twists gave me deja vu, it's like reading Da Vinci Code all over again, but with different object of desire and different group of people. Instead of trying to obtain and break the Da Vinci Code, it's now trying to obtain and decipher the lost symbol's concealed meaning.

The novel reads like a movie, probably wrote with that in mind. The revelation of the Lost Word is... meh, I am disappointed by the ending, perhaps because I am not a religious person. Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV) is cool, but the feeling of same old same old plus a weak ending puts it at: 6.5/10

Quotes from The Lost Symbol:

"Knowledge is a tool, and like all tools, its impact is in the hands of the user."

"Great minds are always feared by lesser minds."

Masonic luminary Albert Pike: "what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

-----

If it wasn't left behind by my brother, I probably wouldn't have read Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, and good grief, I wish he hadn't left it behind! I thought I am long-winded, rest assured I am properly humbled after struggling through this novel.


image source

The storyline, well, the core of it anyway, is about a clown turned assassin because his wife ran away, so he went bonkers and went about killing everyone involved.

The author has a very different writing style, and it's not one that I like. Long sentences talking about ten things at once, branching out whenever a new thing is mentioned as if the author has to explain everything there and then in the same sentence. And seriously, why the heck are those things mentioned anyway? Paragraph spanned pages that suffocates the reader, definitely not an easy read.

I reckon the story could be told in 30% of the volume, ditching all those rubbish fillers that served only to bring you to Holland and back with no added value. After all the long-windedness, the story has an abrupt ending, jeez... 3/10

Quote from Shalimar the Clown:

"I like it that you're clumsy with compliments," she consoled him... "I never trusted men who were too smooth with words."

-----

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a motivational book.


image source

It's about the story of a shepherd going after his dream (Personal Legend). A lot of goodness packed in a small and short book. Elegent and insightful: 6.5/10

Quote from The Alchemist:

"The sercet of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."

-----

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling... Seriously, do I have to introduce this book?


image source

I reread this because I watched the Harry Potter movies 1 to 6 during the Chinese New Year holidays.

While I know the general storyline and ending, I have totally forgotten so much of it it felt like reading a new novel, thank you goldfish memory! =P Second time through it and it's still immensely enjoyable, and such an easy read I finished in three days (nights).

I won't talk about the storyline, I probably don't have to anyway. =) Suffice to say that this is the final book for the Harry Potter series. Rowling deserved to be an author made millionaire, if only I could write like her (and be as rich as she is): 9/10

-----

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is another book I had the misfortune to find lying around.


image source

The truth is, I started reading this book, then I watched the Harry Potter movies, then I went ahead and read the Harry Potter book before I returned to this book. Says something about how gripping this novel is huh? Not.

It's a long-winded story of a murder, not sure if the author was trying to justify murder? I am starting to see a trend with Indian writers, in fact I can relate that to my co... nevermind. There is "ooh, tell me more, tell me more" and there is "bloody hell, just get on with it!" It's the later for this book: 3.5/10

Quote from The White Tiger:

"I don't keep a mobile phone, for obvious reasons - they corrode a man's brains, shrink his balls, and dry up his semen..."

-----

It's refreshing to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon after the previous novel.


image source

221 pages of short but captivating story of a child with behaviour disorder (autistic) solving a dog murder case. Touching and reminds me of how lucky we are being normal: 6/10

-----

The Associate by John Grisham is about a fresh lawyer, surprised? =P


image source

Story started with a video from a drunken party in the past, involving sex and possibly rape charge, which forced Kyle to play along an information theft scheme from his blackmailers.

About half way through the novel, an episode in the story put my imagination to overdrive and I thought "aha, this must be the other spy" and spun for myself the plot of the story and how it would end, much like what I did for other mystery or detective stories, which I was often right.

But I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong, the plot didn't go as I imagined. The ending, well, it's more like there isn't a real ending, no closure, similar to real life. Gripping story, nice read: 7/10

-----

Buried Fire by Jonathan Stroud is a so so novel.


image source

It's about how a selected few who possessed dragon given powers trying to free the dragon when the seal that held it underground broke, and how this whole thing was thwarted.

Not terribly boring yet not very interesting: 5/10