Sunday 28 February 2010

First Day At Bahrain...

Working at Middle East has been one of thing that I always like to accomplish. Many friends wonder why I want to come to Middle East, most of  people think it is very religious and conservative place. But for me, it is another good market to explore, at least it has very good prospect for people like me in the oil&gas and petrochemical industry. Actually I have made up my mind before leaving UK that I would use maximum 5 years time to save money and gain as much as possible the oversea experience. With the modal and experience, I want to start a new business at Malaysia which nobody has done it before at Malaysia. Middle East is my first region to explore, think of going to China & Taiwan after ME. Anyway, we never know our future, things may change by the time it come. For whatever reason, I'm here in Bahrain already. I'm supposed to be excited to arrive to the ME, but I wasn't that excited upon arrival. Of course it is because my heart is still with someone at msia.

Though I have transitted at UAE when I went to UK last time, but this is the first time I have ever entered a ME country. The local people are definitely not friendly. Since I'm coming to earn their money, so I just take it lor... it doesnt really matter for me... I'm a salesman mar... :p
Company has allocated hotel accommodation before I find my room. The room is just ok, still alright for staying for short period.

The temperature is just 24C at daytime, just nice, even colder than msia because it is still in winter. But wherever you go, the view is very hazy. There is sand everywhere, with the wind blowing all the time, quite difficult to walk around without covering my eyes. This is the view from my hotel room window.

The view on the street. Can't really se clearly the builing at the back, too hazy.

There are many local restaurant, but don't really know what are the Middle Eastern food. There are some minimarkets too, the price of the goods here is quite expensive compared to msia. Don't really know how to describe the look of the street, just upload few photo here.


At least there are some shop that I'm familiar with.

Tomorrow going to office and start my working life again after one and half year. Work hard and aim to realise my plan. The starting of my life at Middle East.

Wednesday 24 February 2010

When you know you are leaving a place for the last time...

The title of this blog post was first written when I was about to leave Manchester in end of December 2009 but no content was written then because I was too busy to travel to London then back to Malaysia. After being home, busy with Cambodia trip, meeting up with friends, CNY, other new blog post were created and draft of this post has been down there for some time.

I was driving home from KL tonight, felt exactly the same when I left Manchester - the feeling that you know you are leaving a place for the last time and won't be returning in near future. Leaving Manchester was a huge decision. Though I was looking forward to coming home and starting new career at Middle East, I still left with a heavy heart. Manchester is the city I lived, studied, made friends for 16 months. The places and the people have become so familiar. Really felt hard to leave all the good friends there.


This trip to KL was out of expectation because Jeff was supposed to go to Penang on that weekend. But he changed his plan few days before that to stay at KL. That's why I also changed my mind and went to KL to meet up with Lynn and Jeff. Lynn is still the same as I saw her at Liverpool in November last year, still super duper sweet with Joseph. Really didn't expect to see weiz in this trip because I knew she was super duper busy with gathering with her friends. Totally out of my expectation, I met her twice. The last meeting up was a mess but I really appreciate it.

Driving on highway, I switched off the radio, only the noise of the engine and silence of the night were with me. Great moment to meditate and think. Didn't turn to my back to see the place I was leaving, didn't do that at Manchester, didn't do that at KL. Definitely things will change by the time I come back, I wish...... but I don't know.. it is silly to make a wish like that.. we will never know the future.. maybe that's the reason we make wish..!!!

Tuesday 23 February 2010

过年不能少的东西---梁妈妈的凤梨酥

记忆中打从第一次到俊杰家拜年起,每一年过年都不能错过梁妈妈亲手做的凤梨酥。我对它的喜爱程度绝对是到了不行的境界。俊杰每年都会在梁妈妈做饼时特别留一罐给我。去年在英国过年,没吃到梁妈妈的凤梨酥,就真觉得过年少了些什么。今年在马过年,俊杰和梁妈妈照例留了一罐给我。太感动了,小弟此生不知何以回报梁母,惟有能够在这里写篇日志来感谢梁妈妈。

过年时,市场上有各式各样的凤梨酥,形状,大小和凤梨馅的包法都不通。梁妈妈做的凤梨酥是把凤梨馅完全包裹在牛油酥里面的那种。

梁妈妈的凤梨酥之所以那么好吃绝对是因为凤梨酥的每一个部分她都处理得恰到好处。首先说凤梨馅,一定要带纤维,这样吃的时候才会吃到凤梨的口感。不像工厂大量生产的凤梨酥,凤梨馅是用搅拌机把凤梨打碎做成的,梁妈妈的凤梨亲手把一粒一粒的凤梨用磨具磨成凤梨馅的,这样的凤梨馅才会保有凤梨原来的纤维,而不是像用机器做成的凤梨馅只是像凤梨泥一般。


凤梨馅的酸甜度也是至关重要的,凤梨本身就酸味大过于甜味。在凤梨馅里加入白糖增加它的甜味固然是必要的,但甜味绝不能盖过酸味。梁妈妈的凤梨馅的酸甜度就刚刚好,甜的程度就刚刚好比酸略低一点,绝不抢了凤梨原来酸味的风头。

再来说牛油酥,好吃的酥饼一定要是入口即化的。但这种入口即化的酥饼太柔软了,很容易松散开来。其中秘诀就在酥饼进烘炉前表面上涂上的那层蛋黄,梁妈妈把整颗凤梨酥都涂上了蛋黄汁,烘出来的凤梨酥表面呈漂亮的金黄色,而且酥饼不易散开,让你能够每一次都能把一整颗完整的凤梨酥一大口的放进口中去品味它完美的口感。说到口感,最难和最考功力的就是炒凤梨馅及控制它的水分和软硬度。梁妈妈这方面绝对是到达了出神入化的境界,凤梨馅的软硬度做得和牛油酥的一样。这样一来,咬下凤梨酥当牙齿穿过酥饼到达凤梨馅的那一刻,不用再增加一丝力度,牙齿就早已穿透进凤梨馅里头。感受让你分不出是馅还是酥,似酥非酥,似馅非馅的口感。

最后还得一提的是凤梨酥的整体外形,不知道梁妈妈是有意还是无意的让某些凤梨酥的馅外露。若隐若现的事物往往是最迷人的,也许梁妈妈就正在体现这个道理。再加上每一颗凤梨酥的大小都有明显的不同,梁妈妈纯住家手工制作的凤梨酥实在是让人太有感觉了。

Saturday 13 February 2010

Yes boss.. I'm ready...

After signing the job offer letter, the company made the work permit application and it was approved unexpectedly quickly. At mid of December 2009, my boss already kept asking me to go over to Bahrain and start my job immediately. But I already bought my flight ticket back to Malaysia on new year day and planned to spend CNY at msia. Most of my friends know I'm not the type of people who miss home a lot. That's why my real reason to stay 2 months at msia was actually to meet weiz here. Though I didn't think I could really make anything happen even though I stayed for 6 months time, but I just wanted to be in msia as long as I could just to maximise my chance to see her more. Anyway, thing didn't work out for us. I can't ask for anything more, if the thing will happen it will happen. I just let the fate decide our destination. No forcing.

I knew I needed to buy office attire like formal shirt and trouser because my old shirts are just too old. Went around shopping centres and looked at many shops already, almost bought it at G2000 at 1U that day. But yeevoom arrived at 1U earlier, decided not to continue buying shirt but going window shopping and yamcha with her at OldTown. Maybe that was just an excuse, maybe the truth is I wasn't ready to buy those things. Wasn't ready to accept the truth that I'm leaving msia. At last, 2 days ago, my heart was settled down. I knew what should I do now. Finally bought 4 sets of formal shirts and trousers. Maybe it is still not enough, should buy another 2 shirts. Also bought a cabin size luggage bag as I need to be travelling to all branch offices at Middle East at more than 70% of my working time. Bought 10 pieces of toothbrush, yup I'm very particular in toothbrush, not easy to find one I really like it. Like the girl I really like her, really not easy to find one. Hope the 10 pieces can last for a year. Also some socks. All together it costed me about RM1000, aaarrrggghhh.. really broke now.


Very soon, the empty luggage bags will once again be filled up and it will then be my time to leave msia. Though I still feel sad to leave, but I think I'm ready.
Now I want to say: "Yes boss, I'm ready, let strike for the best result and achieve USD20million order intake, hahahaha....!!! By the way, can I get just 1% as my commission? hehehe....!!!"

Thursday 11 February 2010

如果的问题...

“如果我们之间没有远距离的问题,我们会有可能吗?”

一个心里很想知道答案的问题,不管答案是好的还是不好的,心里还是很想知道吧。

但是这个答案在这个时候应该是没有意义的吧。

也许人与人之间的缘分是注定的,一切让它随缘吧!!!

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Dental Surgery...

The other day when I yamcha with YeeVoom at 1U, she reminded me about my dental surgery joke. It happened to me few years ago, it is still funny when think about that.
There was an ucler in mouth which was not cured after few months. Recommended by my regular dentist to the specialist dentist. That specialist dentist even got "Dato" title, sound so professional and famous. But what worried me the most was the price, of course, I am just a poor employee.
The receptionist nurse is a young pretty girl, extra bonus for a guy visiting dental clinic (hehe...). After the dentist looked at my ucler, he said it was not an ucler, it was actually a blocked saliva vessel which maybe caused by accidental bite in my mouth. Then he continued saying :"It has been some time I never met this kind of condition, but the remedy is very easy, just a minor surgery. I can do it now, cost you 300 bucks only." But somehow I felt he was actually grinningly smiling and I could imagine that he might be thinking :"It is funny, long time never do this fun surgery already, today got a 'water fish' here for me to have fun, hehehe..."

Anyway, considering the necessity of the surgery and I needed to pay again the consultation fee if I came back later for the surgery and also I'm a Nike supporter, so I said :"Just do it"
There was another nurse in the surgery room, she is also quite pretty. This old dentist is so ****, only hire pretty nurse. He also called the nurse at the reception to come in to assist this surgery. One of them needed to hold my lower lip all the time because the "ulcer" was behind my lower lip.
The fun part of this surgery was, I could actually see the whole surgery process through the reflection from the dentist glasses. Maybe he might be wondering why I looked at his eyes all the time but actually I was looking at what he did to my "ulcer". It was kind of weird feeling because I could see I was bleeding but I didn't feel of any pain at all (of course it was because of the anaesthesia). And of course the excessive blood in my mouth will disturb the surgical operation, another nurse (the pretty receptionist nurse) was in charge of the sucker and regularly suck the blood out from my mouth upon the order given by the dentist. So, in the whole surgery the dentist kept saying to her :"suck it, suck it". Ok, that was very normal procedure and professional verbal language. But after some time, my mind went to somewhere little bit blueish. I thought of  some other meaning of "suck it". My first reaction was to laugh, because I really felt it was a funny scene, a patient held on the dentist chair while the dentist kept asking his nurse to "suck" me. But I couldn't laugh, because my lip was held by another nurse and basically I couldn't move. In the end I chose to close my eyes and pretend being deaf so that I could control myself not to laugh.
Anyway, the surgery went on and been successful. The dentist told me to return to the clinic to remove the thread after one week. But I didn't because all of the thread dropped off before I took dinner that night. He is good in cutting but not in sewing.

Thursday 4 February 2010

老朋友难听的真心话...

曾几何时我们一班朋友聚在一起聊心事时(与其说聊心事,不如就直接说是在八卦朋友的秘密),

会毫不留情地把朋友的一些错误的想法直截了当的批评和指责(可能是在借机会用骂人来疏解考试压力)。

虽让有时候被指责的人心头上会有点不服气,但过一阵子后想回来还真的觉得朋友们骂的都是有道理的(都是自己先犯贱,被骂是应该的)。

不是真朋友的还真的懒得理会你的事。

但我们渐渐长大后,面对了真实的世界和现实的社会后,大家待人处世的功力也变得圆滑了。(现在每个朋友都比滑蛋和粉还滑)

聊天时聊到些敏感话题,大家都怕会触到朋友的死穴,自觉性的就会避开那个话题而不去谈论它也不给任何意见。就算有说也只会说好听的话,不好听的话就收起来了。久而久之,朋友就会错了再错,甚至泥足深陷。

想想为什么现在好朋友间都不说难听的真话了?也许觉得大家都长大了,每个人在各自的领域或工作里也有一番小成就,自尊心也随着年龄长大了。不想因为难听的话给说得太重后,朋友的面子挂不住而翻脸的情况发生,不说自然而然成了最好的应对方法。或许朋友会觉得说他自己这些年来也做了很多错事,所以有什么资格去批评别人的事。

其实大家心里都明白什么叫当局者迷,旁观者清。身在事件当中的朋友这时是最需要旁观者清的朋友们的指点,哪怕是难听的话。庆幸还有一位这样的朋友在身边,虽然不常联络,但她却在我处在最迷茫糊涂的状态时及时把我骂醒。也许你不是刻意这么做的,但真朋友就真的会说出难听的真话。我真的在追薇的过程中持过很错误的想法。

谢谢你,把我骂通了,我真的知道现在应该怎么做了。


谢谢你,老朋友难听的真心话!!!