Ramadan Traffic

There is a total traffic breakdown in Malaysia every once a year, for an entire month due to Ramadan -- the fasting month before the Muslim new year.

The traffic built up for several reasons:
1. Typically during fasting month Muslims get off work earlier (30mins - 1 hour) before the normal working hour. So by the time the normal rush hour comes, the road is already filled with cars. (In case you wonder, Malaysia has more than 60% of Muslim populations.)

2. There are lots of temporary food bazaar set up for the entire month for people to buy food on their way home. This usually takes place in some empty field or common carparks, so people park their cars all over the places to get into the bazaar.

3. The government has been expanding the residential areas without upgrading the roads. Public transports routes and stations are not planned properly.

4. Flash flood whenever rain visits, pouring or drizzling.

My normal one way journey between home and office takes about 20 mins with smooth traffic. During this month, it takes 4 times longer. I could do 2 round trips with those traffic time and petrol wasted.

Driving during this time of the year is never easy, even the motorcyclists who drives between the cars are experiencing jam. Though I get to have a longer personal time in the car, but I don't enjoy stepping on the brake from the moment I leave my office (the traffic jam starts the moment we leave the car park), guarding my lane while the rest of the drivers are trying to cut queue on the road exits/entrances etc.

You might think highway should help solving the issue. Ironically, the highway is as bad as any other places, most looks like a gigantic open carpark. The traffic builds up before and after the toll booths.

Listening to the radio doesn't help at all, the traffic reports basically tells you the entire traffic system in the country has melted.

These phenomena subside everyday (if without rainning) around 7pm, when most of the Muslims have reached home preparing to break fast. The entire city center would look like a ghost town, you can hardly find more than 10 cars within your 500m vicinity while driving.

The flood of traffic would slowly get back to normal in about 8.30pm, when people have finished their meal and going home.

Also, during the peak hours, until after the break fast, do not attempt to visit any restaurants, because car park is precious at this time, and table seats are mostly taken as well.

Despite all the delicious Ramadan food offered across the country, I would still pass due to the reasons above.

New Bracelet

Made myself a bracelet out of Chinese knots the other day.
It took me about two weeks, approximately 2 hours a day.

Here's the back:


Here's the front:

Wedding photo shooting session

Went for wedding photo session last Friday.
It was a rainny day, but luckily there was some sun coming out when we went for outdoor session.

I was given 5 dresses for the entire day, one for outdoor, the rests are all indoor. I thought 3 would be enough, but they don't offer anything less than 5.

Anyway, the entire session went well, I am quite happy that both myself and my partner were prepared -- brought my own accessories to match with the dresses, he brought a few more coloured shirts to match with the coats. I mean, they have good accessories, but it didn't bring out the effect I wanted.

The photographer and the make up artist was professional. I was quite pleased with the service then.

We went back on Sunday for choosing photos for the album. I wasn't very satisfied with the photo choosing session, as the person didn't give us a thorough briefing on how and what should we be doing. Instead he intended us to rely heavily on him to do the selection.

I guess it was just a combination of the inexperienced guy and our differences. He probably thought that we were clueless and would give our decision power entirely to him. But our (myself and my partner) way of working are pretty different. We were clueless, but we weren't prepared to rely too much on the others to decide what we want.

We selected 82 pictures out of 300 over shots. I am not used to seeing myself in fine make up and at odd angles, and thought that those pictures turned out unlike myself.

Anyway, the selection went well, we paid extra to get some of the things done. We will get the demo set a month from now, and get the pictures a month or two after confirming the design.

They will be making a DVD displaying the photos on our wedding reception, and we need to decide a theme song to go with the DVD. I have been thinking of Bach's Sleepers Awake, but am still trying to find something better. Canon in D was considered, but would be too soft to be heard in the chatty Chinese dinner hall. Something with brass would be nice...

Rumour

I heard a rumour today from a VP, asking if Decamouth is leaving.
I wonder...

Old England is back

There was this lady who worked in our office for 15 years before the last retrenchment two years ago. She was hired by our agent after leaving our office, she is now back to our office since the beginning of this month.

I called her Old England, OE.

Despite her strengths are on the product line currently taken care by me, the boss put her in the product line which I would be more suitable. In other words, the MD put OE to do the jobs that are more suitable for me, vice versa.

I have been depressed over my responsibilities for very long, way before OE is back to the office, because it is not challenging enough. Though I am getting very comfortable with what I am doing now, I feel that my intelligence is getting rusty day by day, my EQ is plunging new low everyday...

I was given only one choice, which I might just take it eventually.

Tried on wedding gown

Went to choose my gowns for photo shooting yesterday. The photo session will be two weeks from now, but I need to choose the gown in order for them to alter it prior to the photo session.

I went with my partner, the entire process was rather pleasant, as I didn't need to fight with other brides for gowns, like what I saw in other bridal shops.

I had the entire floor by myself, choosing everything that is available there. The tailor was helping me to fit in the dresses, and gave some comments on some of the dresses I chose.

Some of my friends volunteered to help me on the gown fitting day, but I rejected all of them, as I already know what fits my body the best. And I am not keen to have a bunch of girls who are overly keen to get into the marriage process again, giving lots of comments which they might not have done on their wedding and wanted to realise it through my wedding without their own cost.

The bridal shop had the entire day booked for me, but I took less than 3 hours to choose 3 dresses.

It was tiring enough, eventhough all I needed to do was to pull out the dress from the shelves and wear it, with the help of the tailor.

I am happy with two of the three gowns. The third one was chosen by my partner, which I thought it looked like a huge blue meringue. But I guess I should try on something that's outside my normal self.

I saw some of the jewelleries available in the shop, I guess I might need to make some myself. Because most of them were too elaborative.

I am foreseeing some problems to coordinate the photo album after the photo session. Because outside the 3 dresses, which two were ivory/white and a royal blue, I also have a Chinese traditional two-piece-dress which is chilli red with lots of complicated embroideries. I wonder if the album would turned out to be like an American flag?

Exciting week

It has been a rather exciting week so far. I spent 3 days outside office, meeting client and did inspection work at a job site with Mr. Porche.

Mr. Porche is a great manager, I enjoyed learning from him and working with him.

I also got my engineering chartership yesterday. Yay~! But when I looked at Mr. Porche, I feel that there is still a long way for me to become a professional engineer like him. He got his CEng around my age too, would I become like him in 10 years time?