Crazy women

When I first came to Kansas, I met a great colleague from Germany. He gave me some help in adjusting to the life here. Though it was minal stuff for him, I am very grateful for his help, and we became friends since then. We kept in touch after he left Kansas, on work and off work, occassionally.

I sent him a few lines before Christmas, wished him happy birthday and merry Christmas. And this is what I got on the second day of the new year (I deleted the names mentioned in the email) :

Hello,
I am D´s girlfriend from Germany. We are more than four years together. Now I see that you communicate via mail with him. I have visited him in March/ April in Kansas. We were together in Chicago. During my Kansas visit, I met many of his colleagues and friends, but dont heard your Name before, I cann´t remember. So who are you, what are your intentions? Please explain me where and when you met him,
I hope for your honest answer

Happy new Year and
Best Regards
T

I pity this colleague. His gf apparently was checking his personal emails, I hope she is not controlling his life.

I think she should learn to respect her bf and his friends, have some faith in herself and her relationship, and learn to be more matured -- just because her bf are friends with other females, doesn't mean that there is something going on.

It can also proof that she is all about herself, because if she really loves him, she should have known that harassing his colleague risks jeopardising his career and reputation.

I originally wanted to reply to her email, but experiences told me that would only create more nonsense, so I decided to ignore it. There is nothing going on between us, which I felt that there is really nothing I need to explain, especially to a stranger that wrote a rude email to me.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time I met this kind of women, but she is the first one that puts things in black and white. In fact, I met women like this when I was studying:

Some of my guy friends' gfs got so worked up, they started brain washing my friends, and eventually I lost these guy friends. Some called to question me for spending time with their bfs after school. I can't even attend one of my friend's wedding due to his bride. I'm warning you girls who want to study mechanical engineering, this is one of the many shits you would get.

In fact these things occurred to me even when I was in high school. I knew this guy through inter-school activities and his sister was my junior. He used to picked his sister up after school and hung out in our club room while waiting. We shared some common views and chit chat a lot.

Unfortunately, I was stalked and bad mouthed by the girls from his school. One of them threatened me not to get close to him. I questioned him for the malicious rumours spread in his school about me, because I thought it was him that initiated it, otherwise who else would know me from his school? He didn't react, so I guess technically we didn't quarrel, but he looked very disappointed. I avoided him out of anger, distrust and fear from those girls. I eventually lost contact with him. A few years later, I heard from someone that he passed away due to leukemia. I regretted for not trusting and not having confidence in the friendship, and listened to those strangers' words.

I was naive by answering to these hostile confrontations honestly when I was young, but I won't acknowledge these nonsense anymore. Because there is nothing anyone could do to instill trusts between a couple.

To those guys that avoided me because of these women, you have no balls. To the girls that does these nonsense, you are mental.

Happy New Year 2011

Spent the last day of 2010 having lunch with a colleague at her place, and had sushi for dinner with some other friends, before we headed to the wine bar for count down.

The sushi was the best I have tasted so far, not to mention the price is reasonable too. I guess knowing the chef does make some difference, our dishes were never from the menu.

I left the wine bar feeling rather tipsy after drinking for two hours. Headed home and went straight to bed, exactly at 12am, 1st Jan 2011. Woke up early today, feeling fresh, watching the first sun rise of the year, while typing up my new year resolutions.

Looking back at my last year's goal, I guess I got pretty close.

The goals that I set for 2010 required constant effort throughout the life, I have started the momentum in 2010, so I will keep them going.

Therefore I am still going to improve my inter-personal skills, continue playing violin, trying to draw more, voice out my honest opinions more, continue to stay in touch with my friends and family, continue to work on creative thinking, keeping the pace with money saving and continue to love myself more.

For this year, I am thinking of some goals that are more attainable...

1. Complete my Engineering Chartership.
2. Work towards a promotion or pay increment.
3. Steer my career direction towards project management, in order to gain some exposure in project finance control.
4. Hold my values close to my heart when facing office bullies.
5. Learn to relax.
6. Find a venue that is safe for me to exercise at least 2 times a week.
7. Find a wedding dress.
8. Giving myself a small reward once a month, for the hard work I have done.

Christmas at Texas

Went to Dallas for Christmas, visiting my uncle, cousins, nieces and nephews.
I lived like a single-cell animal over the entire 5-day visit, all I did was just sleep, eat and poo. Conversations were nothing brain storming.

We didn't visit any places during that time, only stayed at home. Kids were stucked with the Wii and Xbox. You can't say kids don't get enough exercises these days, the games made them jump and wave.

I went to the church on the Christmas eve, nothing exciting, just seeing parents bringing their kids, all dressed up pretty, singing and praying. The traffic was bad, because everyone is driving, and the cars are big in Texas.... in fact, everything is big in Texas, from house to road to airport. My flight taxied on the runway for 30 minutes to reach to the designated gate! Despite the speed of the aircraft while taxing, you have to imagine the space the aircraft took during that time... yes, it is Dallas Fort Worth.

Anyway, back to Kansas now, and started packing my stuff to return to Malaysia for good.

I am collecting the 25cents coin, with all the 50 states... but I am still 31 states short...

I have been buying fridge magnets since the visit to Washington DC, I would like to build a huge map in my house in the future, with steel behind that map, so that I could stick these magnents on the places I have visited.

I haven't got any from Kansas and Missouri though. And I also didn't get any from UK, India etc... those places I have visited in the past. Anyway, I guess it would take me the entire life time to complete the map quest.

San Francisco

Went to San Francisco to witness the seismic test done on one of our products. It passed the requirement successfully.

So spent the rest of the weekend wandering around San Francisco. Went to Sausalito to enjoy the quietness of the town. It is a very calm and quiet town, the rain washed the town well, the colour was vivid in that town.

There were lots of small shops along the harbour. I bought a brooch that was made out of recycled materials.


I didn't know that place well, but I walked around without refering to the GPS, and enjoyed getting lost in those curvy steep stairs, looking at their individualistic house design, walking the rain, and indulged myself in the serenity -- there was hardly any noise in the entire town. Bach's sleeper's awake best described what I felt that day.

I came across this log by the pier. I love its grain.

How much history does the tree has, in order to grow such stunning grain? So does our lives...

I spent the next day walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a pilgrimage for engineers to walk on that bridge, admiring every single details of that bridge.

San Francisco has many bridges, each has its own uniqueness. But Golden Gate Bridge was outstanding because it is simple yet strong. It felt like a midwest American with simple blue jeans and cowboy boots, holding two pretty ladies with princess lacy dresses -- the Sausalito and San Francisco on both his arms.


The bridge was also like the blush for the bay, it compliments the natural beauty without standing out. This is truly a gentleman among the bridges.

Looking at the straight lines formed by the rivets, each with uniform size, it shows you how discipline the project crew was.



The bridge was built about 80 years ago, when there weren't too many heavy and high-tech machineries to help with the constructions. But these people pulled these cables and steels inch by inch, built the entire bridge. It is more than just the technical feasibility to build that bridge, but the determination of the people that moved generations after generations.

I saw the cable shaking in the wind, the cable was about 3 inches diameter, tensioned properly. Bridge as strong as the Golden Gate, yet is still humble and vulnerable when faced the force of nature.

A walk from end to end of the Golden Gate Bridge, though not long, but worth more than visiting many museums and shopping malls. The story I learned from San Francisco's trip is: It is impossible to cover the beauty of life and nature. Just like the colourful log, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It all take time to sink in.

First snow

First snow visited today, it is unlike the snow I have seen before. It is still snowing now, in fact it is getting heavier.



The snow is like sands, except it is white. It snakes across the streets, just like how the sands move in the Australian deserts.

Went for Chronicles of Narnia just now, and a really good dinner with my friends. I enjoyed walking in the winter night, despite the weather. That is because the temperature is so low, the lights on the streets forms a hue around itself, it is distorted because of the temperature. It looks magical.

As I arrived home just now, I stood outside for a while, and took this picture. It didn't show you much of the snow, but I felt as if I am living in the Prince of Persia's chornicle.

I used to see snow as goose feathers, as stone hard rocks, but I like this sandy snow the best. It sparkles in the dark.

The snow flew all over, tiny tiny crystles of snow, really looks like the caster sugar, or soft sands. It sprinkled all over me, even to my apartment door (on a second floor!) The wind blew so hard, as if all the things that happened this year would be blown away. It is really like the sands of time.

It reminded me of the North wind we had every year end in UK, it blew so hard acros the trees, that it makes a sound that resembles the ocean waves.

North wind comes every year end, I think it visited to help people sweeping away the things they clung on for the year. Reminding people it is time to let go, clear your sack, and fill it up with new memories and experiences in the coming year.

Performance Review Tips

It is the end of the year, and many of us are having our year end performance review, and perhaps some would have meetings for 2011 plans. So, I thought these tips would come handy.

Let
A, B, C, D, E, F = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
G, H, I, J, K, L = 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
M, N, O, P, Q, R = 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z = 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 percentage.

We all know that K N O W L E D G E = 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96%
We also know that H A R D W O R K = 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98
We even know that A T T I T U D E = 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100

So, it is generally accepted that knowledge and hardwork would bring you close, but it is the attitude that brings you there.

Let's look at some of the other qualities:
B U L L S H I T = 2 + 21 + 12 + 12 + 19 + 8 + 9 + 20 = 103

So, knowing how to bullshit actually brings you over the top! But this trick could be seen through by someone who has
E X P E R I E N C E = 5 + 24 + 16 + 5 + 18 + 9 + 5 + 14 + 3 + 5 = 104

What about those who are good in
A S S K I S S I N G = 1 + 19 + 19 + 11 + 9 + 19 + 19 + 9 + 14 + 7 = 127
!!!

So, next time if you were asked to perform give more than 100%, you know what you need to do.

Happy Birthday

These are the things I have done before last year's birthday: Things I have done this year.

For this year, I won't list the things I have done, because being able to come to USA, even for less than a year, has given me a lot of "firsts".

The most important lesson I learned this year, is to be comfortable in my own skin. I hope I get to keep this feeling for a longer time, even after returning to Malaysia. I am really not looking forward to returning...

Of the goals I set at the beginning of this year, I guess I achieved most of it. I need to continue working on those which needed a little more push. There is still December left, before 2011 comes.

Here are the goals I listed at the beginning of 2010:
1. Improve my inter-personal skills (+)
2. Continue practising my violin (-)
3. Try to draw more. (-)
4. Try harder to be myself, as in trying to voice out my thoughts more. (+)
5. Keep in touch with my old friends. (0)
6. Need to think more creatively. (0)
7. Save some money, or perhaps increase my income? (0)
8. Love myself more. (+)

(+) is improved, (-) is not improved, (0) is hanging in there.

And I would like to be more confident, have more faith on myself and gather enough strength and wisdom to overcome the pasts, while opening a new future, starting from now.

The journey to Washington and New York got me started thinking to venture into studying architectures...