Of Late.

# my house is finally wireless-enabled after such a long time, blame it on my lack of initiative and the absence of a laptop back then, what's the point right? I feel so contented knowing that I can now watch TV and surf the net at the same time, in the comfort of the living hall

# thinking of doing a total revamp on Seeds Of Life

# this morning, as I reversed my car into position, I had a sudden realization that something is missing from the passenger's seat leg compartment. A split second later, to my horror, I finally realized that my leather shoes were not where it was supposed to be, total ZOMGs. A quick search on the boot later provided much relief, the old pair was neatly tucked in the corner. See darling, its not always a bad thing to be keeping old/unused stuff

# its always good to have back-ups eh? Just so you know, there was once that I even forgot to bring along a pair of socks to work because normally I drive with slippers or sandals, more comfortable. Since then, I always have a spare pair of socks in the glove compartment of my car

# monday blues enhanced due to lack of tasks and also a ruined sunday morning, read previous post's ending to find the reason behind it

# here's another update on the progress of my little dwelling which hopefully will be completed as scheduled, looking at the current status does not give me much confidence on that though, sigh

As you can see clearly in the picture, the rows behind ours are progressing much more faster, even the bricks have been laid. Nvm ler, better late than never

# Last but not least, this post was written early in the morning while taking a dump in the toilet, talk about multi-tasking. Don't you just love being wireless enabled?

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Think Twice.

As quoted from The Star Online, dated June 25th, 2008 on a not so beautiful Wednesday, "According to outsourcing and consulting group Kelly Services, which conducted the 2007/08 survey, base salary in both sectors (the oil and gas sector and the information technology industry) increased by 30% followed by the engineering sector at 28%."

If you're actually in consideration of joining the IT industry after stumbling upon the above quoted, my sincerest advice, seriously think twice, twice. While I have not the slightest idea on the target group surveyed, as in their job level and focus, and I secretly hope to be joining them soon, a quick browse through online job sites revealed the following:
- the average starting salary for an IT fresh grad ranging between RM1800 to RM2200
- a developer with 2-3 years of experience only between RM2500 - RM3000
- a senior developer can fetch around RM3000 - RM3500, on average

And so, from what I can see, the salary range is still pretty much the same, especially for the fresh grads, similar to what I was offered when I first job hunted. Of course its a different story if you're hopping into the SAP bandwagon or hired by large MNCs, hence the word average. Taking a developer's salary at RM2800 per month as example, if a 30% increment was really given, it would shoot up to a staggering RM3640, that would totally come handy to cushion the price hike in practically everything. I would totally love that!

Anyway, just to share with you, surviving in the IT industry is not an easy feat, especially if you're doing software developement because you have to be really, really, really interested in what you're doing in which I admit, I am not, to the extend that I hate programming at times, serious. This is coming from a person who has worked in the industry for 3 years plus in various positions, from Associate Consultant to Software Engineer to Senior Software Engineer then back to Consultant again; just different job titles, all still doing the same thing, coding and software developement.

You know what, since I'm feeling pretty generous today, I'll share with y'all some of the experiences working in the IT industry that you might have or have not heard of, just to get a better picture of how things are like in there. Not really applicable if working in front end IT departments, like the banking or insurance sector:

- there's no standard working hours, you start with the rest of the people but ends only when work is done and at times, that would stretch way past midnight

- did I hear someone say OT? What's that? If required, you might see yourself spending your weekends away in the office. Been there, done that

- your best friend is your workstation, you will be spending more time with it more than any other person or thing around you

- you might be working from home, in the office, client's site, in other states or overseas, which can be a good or bad thing and honestly, you'll be praying for less travelling or time abroad once you've had too much of it

- can't help but feel that software houses are slowly phasing out the concept of bonuses from their business and employees, perhaps this was what fueled some of the high increments. Even if there is, its usually one month, two the most

- the pace of change in technology is faster than you can say wtf and guess what, its your job to keep up with it. At one point, its good cause you're learning as you grow, on the other hand, there's a chance that of the stuff you've learnt become obselete

And many more but I'm gonna stop here because trying to come up with additional items is making me feeling more depressed, oh the irony. But of course there are lots of perks working in the IT industry as well but I'll leave that for another day. Like all the wise men says, there's always a good side and bad side in everything, the yin and yang of life cheh wah suddenly so philosophical. Anyway, hopefully what I've mentioned above can be of some insight to those concerned, providing a better picture of working in the industry from the perspective of a software developer.

Sekian, terima kasih.

p/s: Post inspired by the fact that I had to suddenly cancel my plans on a Sunday morning to head back to the client's site for deployment troubleshooting. Bias-ness exists in the post, hence might not be 100% applicable or accurate.

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The Kin Kin Adventure.

Yeap, you got that right, I've finally tried the infamous Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee after hearing so much about it for the longest time ever. It was a fine Saturday afternoon when we headed to its branch in Pandan Indah, first one I think, bet you didn't know that yet right? It's the first corner shop after a left turn of the row of shophouses opposite Steven's Corner and if you can't visualize the location, just drop by and pick me up, I'll gladly guide you over for a bowl of the pan mee, your treat of course. Ons?

The interior of the branch in Pandan Indah and from what I heard of the main stall, this one is much more cleaner, less crowded and most importantly, air conditioned. Oh, not forgetting, more approachable staffs

The most important ingredient of the pan mee, the super spicy chilli that tasted and felt that its been fried beforehand

Before picture of the Pan Mee, the standard size, there's no small or large, only one bowl or two bowls, three bowls if you can and even more if you're nuts

This is after adding the chilli flakes and mixed the stuff around. Since I'm spicy intolerant, don't dare to put that much after tasting some of it initially. Seriously, don't play play

Additional bowl of mixed fishballs, meatballs and foo chuk ordered

Perhaps due to the air conditioning, we had to pay an additional 50 cents per bowl, the 5 bowls of pan mee plus 4 drinks, that bowl of additional stuff and few scoops of chilli costs RM30.20, rather expensive considering the portion being kind of small. My verdict, not exactly as superb as expected due to the countless recommendations but still much better than the normal ones only if mixed with the chilli and this is also a reminder to self not to lansi by thinking that its not enough before trying.

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Venezia, Revisited.

After like 2 years. Not much noticeable changes as far as I could remember, other than extremely polite waitresses who addresses all the patrons with Miss, Madam or Sir and the colour of printings on the serviettes. And somehow the restaurant felt quite stuffy due to the poor ventilation perhaps because at one time, some stuff was overcooked, I assume and this scent of burnt stuff lingered throughout the restaurant, lasted for quite some time too. And because I am very forgetful as well, as ya'll already know, names of the food has been generalized. Oh, even the menu, and the choice of food available, has not undergone any major revamps, same old, same old.

Serviette.

2 Ice Lemon Tea.

Pizza, seafood.

Pasta, clams.

After the first few bits, it got me wondering, what actually held me back from being a frequent patron of this restaurant (later on, the bill actually reminded me why). The quality of food was top notch and the taste, needless to say, still superb. I especialy enjoyed my pasta, the presence of chilli flakes really adds to the flavouring! The pizza was a little too sourish for me, due to the abundance of tomatoes but according to Jacklyn, that's the ways she likes it. And halfway through the frenzy triggering mode, the camera ran flat, kaput-ed.

Anyway, the bill came to around sixty-ish for pizza, pasta, drinks and the service charges + tax. In general, for Italian cuisine, its actually not that expensive but the chinese in me is crying foul just by looking at the receipt. I guess this is still better than having to drive all the way doen to Chulan Square for Rakuzen *shivers*.

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Off I Go.

On an epic adventure in search of the lost spirit of blogging in hope of maintaining the continuation of Seeds Of Life, thus, there can be no failure, only success. For the time being, as I wade through the deep swamps, trek the treacherous mountains, cross the scorching deserts and swim the roaring seas, I shall leave you all with a picture that serves no particular special meaning or message or what-so-ever.

Till the day I return from my journey and meet all of you once again, adios and wish me the best of luck in finding the lost spirit of blogging! *plays Indiana Jones theme song in the background*

p/s: In the meantime, you might be seeing new posts between this one and the previous ones. Have no fear at all, it's just me filling in the lost and forgotten gaps during my epic journey. Yee Haa! For now, please continue humming Indiana Jones theme until you get sick of it.

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Sickalodeon.

The viruses have returned after a long holiday, they must have missed me a lot for causing such a degree of infection so rapidly, at one point I was enjoying my dinner happily and the next thing I know, I was lying motionless on the bed with a pounding headache, feverish plus watery eyes, aching at the joints and the bones, so on, so forth. The continuous pounds on the head was the worst resulting lack of sleep which caused even further pain due limited resting time. It has always been like this, if I'm well, I could probably slay a dragon but once I fall sick, it'll be like surrounded by an army of fire-breathing ancient dragons totally defenceless.

Also, the timing was kinda bad considering I have started on this new job barely a month and I've already taken my first MC, bad impression, really baddd..... Perhaps I have broken their record by being the fastest employee to have taken an MC since joining up until now and for many years to come. What a way to be remembered.

Prays for self to get well soon in order to return to the battlefield tomorrow, also a reminder to self not to take the orange coloured pill that will cause sleepiness at a level that's impossible to continue staying awake.

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A Difference?

Previously, I used to:
- park my baby in an open air carpark for RM6 a day, subjecting her to continuous heat from the morning sun and chillness from the pouring rain, so kesian kena torture like that everyday
- but what to do, either risk my baby instilling hatred on me or risk burning a blackhole in my wallet due to parking fees. Yeah, blackholes, those thing that sucks anything and everything into the unknown
- get stuck in traffic congestion on the way to office and back home without fail everyday, maklumlah, use Loke Yew road
- refuel at least once a week, 30 litres of petrol could only last me around 300 km, somehow even less if not pumping Shell. Just so you know, I keep track of petrol consumption each time I refuel
- total cost on fuel and parking amounts to roughly RM360 per month


And currently, I:
- park my baby in a covered carpark with some security facilities such as CCTV monitoring and guards patrolling, according to them that is
- parking only cost a minimal RM70 per month but according to my colleagues, there's a risk of minor flooding on the lower levels
- use a further but less congested route to work but still stuck in heavy traffic when returning home from work in the evening
- refueled only 12 days after the previous session, 30 litres of petrol can last me about 330 km now, makes me wonder if the additional 30km is due to getting stuck in less congestion or less effect of vaporization since I'm parking indoors now
- If everything still go according to what I calculated as above, by the end of this month, total cost on fuel, with the new rate and parking would amount to RM316, 44 ringgit less than previously


Is this one the natural signs that I have made the right decision moving on from the previous company or I'm just making myself feel better by thinking this way, hhmmm, in a way I am contradicting myself. Anyway, I guess its still too soon to come to any conclusions at this time so I'll just keep myself happy with the more positive thought, the latter one that is.

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Fwah!

I got so many things to talk about that I don't even know where to start! There's the first hand experience driving up to and down from Lookout Point which I just realized its pretty near to my place which I initially thought was somewhere far, far away, Kepong perhaps. Or about the covered parking lot which I finally managed to find after days of trying that charges perhaps the cheapest monthly rate in KL, at only RM70 per monthly, not taking into comparison if you're parking in a building owned by your company. And also how I got to know of an alternative route to the parking lot which is a little further but less congested, thanks to my colleague. The not forgetting ...


*Blackout occured - just so you know, happened twice already in less than 2 weeks after the hike in tariffs, how ironic*


*Much, much later but less than an hour ... power restored*


Sorry, potong steam already, gonna go to sleep okay thank you bye-bye.

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There Is So Much Work.

That I am already running out of disk space on the 11th day of this new job OMG! Just kidding, actually its the hard disk in my machine that is lacking storage space in the first place, just 39GB. How to survive when the virtual machine is already taking up 30GB, must complain!

If you don't see me blogging much nowadays, its not solely because of work, part of it is due to my newfound addiction to Nostale, another one of those comic like fantasy MMORPG available for free, I've kinda given up on Maple Story btw and it won't be too soon that I'll have to give up on this as well, too many other higher priority commitments. Else, I have a feeling that Jacklyn would be strangling me with the cord of the mouse very, very soon.

Anyway, I'm playing as a swordsmen because I suck at maging and arrows can't be made, its not cheap either. Ah, just realized that my stinginess affects me in the virtual world as well, this is sacry. Anyone playing Nostale as well? Anyone?

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Sushi King No Like Me.

There was a time, a long, long fateful afternoon ago, when I was still working in Plaza Sentral, Jen and I decided to have lunch at Sushi King in Sooka Sentral. Just so you know, out of the numerous times we had lunch together, there was only once when we headed for Pan Mee instead and that was also because Adrian was joining us.

Anyway, back to the Sushi King story. So, I took a pair of wooden chopsticks, seperated them and was ready to munch on my sushi when I realized the following:

Saya punya chopstick sudah patah and since it was the first time back then, I brushed it aside, just a random occurance anyway

It was not until last Wednesday when I had Sushi King with the usuals that the same thing happen. It made me feel that Sushi King is really not meant for me. Tell me, what are the odds of the same incident occuring twice at the same restaurant that you patronize? No, I don't have the strength of 10,000 bulls but perhaps I had the appetite, lols. Another picture just to show how much can 7 person eat for dinner at SK.

I think at this time, there's still some dishes that have yet to arrive, ; P

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So Hawt!

This entry is posted from the OldTown Kopitiam branch in Pandan Indah at 9.56pm. Right now, I am feeling extremely warm and uncomfortable because the air conditioning is not switched on, well, it did for a moment just now. According to the branch supervisor or manager I don't know, the AC system has malfunctioned which I refused to believe since there's 3 units of AC there, takkan all rosak together and it was running just fine a moment ago.

Can't help but feel that he turned them off as a cost cutting measure since there's only a handful of customers sitting inside. I didn't want to drown myself in second hand smoke by sitting outside either so I just beared with it as my friend has already ordered her makans. Hence, ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declared that I'm forever banning this particular OldTown branch, if you're planning a gathering there, you can count me out, thank you.

p/s: I have finally refueled for the first time today after the price hike and all I can say is that, sakit hati lah wei...

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Price Tag.

Name:- Wong Jed Chuan, Jed not being my surname nor English name in case you don't realize
Sisters:- An elderly Sis
Brothers:- One attached to me wtf
Shoe size:- Think Ronald McDonald
Height:- 182cm and not growing anymore
Where do you live:- Cheras, KL
Favourite drink:- Guiness Malta, Lemon Honey, Coke
Favourite breakfast:- Fried BeeHoon + Fried Egg, yums
Have you ever been on a plane:- Yeah, and I hate take-offs
Swam in the ocean:- More like floating since I can't swim
Fallen asleep in school:- I nod a lot during Uni lectures, backbencher I am
Broken someone’s heart:- Unbreak my heart, say you love me again...
Fell off your chair:- Nope but I've made others fell off their's, lols
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call:- Chee sin
Saved e-mails:- Never bothered since there's so much storage so I just leave them in the Inbox
What is your room like:- Plain, oh so plain
What’s right beside you:- Left or Right?
What is the last thing you ate:- Uncle John's Special Nasi Lemak yang kasi very little nasi
Ever had Chicken pox:- Very long ago, during school holidays
Sore throat:- Feel like one's coming pretty soon
Stitches:- None
Do you believe in love at first sight:- Never did, never will
Like picnics:- Not really, can't bear with the heat
Who was the last person you danced with:- Miss Jacklyn
Last made you smile:- Colleagues spurting random nonsense
You last yelled:- AARRRGGHHHHH!


TODAY DID YOU…
Talk to someone you like:- I talked to you, didn't I
Kissed anyone:- Not yet
Get sick:- *TouchWood*
Talked to an ex:- Ex-Utopian player, lols
Miss someone:- The crumpled paper that I threw at my colleague missed him
Eat:- Take a wild guess

Best feeling in the world:- When everything goes according to plan
Do you sleep with stuffed animals:- I am a bear, therefore I am a stuffed animal
What’s under your bed:- Dust and emptiness, perhaps a strand of hair or two
Who do you really hate:- TRAFFIC JAMS!!!
What time is it now:- 5.25 PM


RANDOM…
Q: Is there a person who is on your mind right now:- Rames, who made me do this TAG
Q: Do you have any siblings:- Yeap, one big one small (refer above)
Q: Do you want children:- Perhaps, at least one I guess.
Q: Do you smile often:- I am a frowner
Q: Do you like your hand-writing:- Yes
Q: Are your toenails painted:- No thank you
Q: Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in:- Jacklyn's
Q: What colour shirt are you wearing:- Light grey
Q: What were you doing at 7:00pm yesterday:- Stuck in traffic jam
Q: I can’t wait till:- The day I can finally move in to my own house
Q: When did you cry last:- When severely punished by Mom donkey years ago
Q: Are you a friendly person:- Nope, unless I know you well
Q: Do you have any pets:- Nope, feel like having some Hamsters though
Q: Where is the person you have feelings for right now?:- Cyberjaya
Q: Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now?:- Saya punya isteri

Have you ever crawled through a window?:- Nope, too big sized
Can you handle the truth?:- Depends, some things are better left unknown
Are you too forgiving?:- No way Jose
Are you closer to your mother or father?:- Mom's best friend wtf
Who was the last person you cried in front of?:- Feel the wrath of an angry Mom (refer above)
How many people can you say you’ve really loved?:- A handful
Do you eat healthy?:- When I feel fat
Do you still have pictures of you & your ex?:- Group pic ada lah
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you?:- Very blur + thick faced
How often do you go to church?:- Only went twice so far
If you’re having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to?:- Jacklyn
Are you loud or quiet most of the time?:- Quiet, so quiet you can hear the flapping wings of a mosquito
Are you confident?:- Depends


5 things I was doing 10 years ago..
1- Studying for PMR
2- Learning to march professionally wtf
3- Heading for multiple tuition classes
4- Surfing the net
5- Trying to gain some weight


5 things on my to-do list today
1- Complete the pending module
2- Buy a cake
3- Find the way and head to Look Out Point
4- Spend time in Nostale
5- Complete the words for wedding album


5 snacks I enjoy
1- Mamee!!!
2- Grilled Chicken Wings, I like to eat
3- Twisties, tomato flavoured
4- Pringles, sour cream and onion
5- Grilled green peas with flour coating


5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1- Invest! Invest! Invest!
2- Donations, Charities
3- Travel around the world
4- buy myself a private cruise
5- stay there for life


5 of my bad habits
1- Lazy
2- Procrastinates, a lot
3- Not into trying new stuff
4- Nail biting
5- Pessimistic


5 places I have lived in
1- Cheras, KL
2- Bukit Beruang, Ayer Keroh, Malacca
3- Cyberjaya
4- Outram Park, Novena, Yew Tee in Singapore
5- Too young to remember


5 jobs I've had
1- Sales Assistant for FILA
2- Event Crew
3- Promoter
4- Software Developer
5- IT Consultant


5 people I tagged
1,2,3,4,5 - Buat je lah kalau mau

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Not again.

And so, PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced that there will be no further increase to the price of fuel this year. Are we finally able breathe a sigh of relief or will this be just another one of those empty promises or confusing statements delivered by the Government that has happened much too often this year around, such as:

Incident #1 - The time when PM announced that Parliament won't be dissolved in the morning on that particular day and then later in the afternoon, he announced that the Parliament has been dissolved, like wtf.

Incident #2 - The time before elections when PM announced that fuel prices would not be increased in 2008 and just recently, a 40% hike was announced, citing the government could no longer bear the increasing costs of the subsidy, wtf again.

Incident #3 - The time of contradicting announcements coming from Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister who said that the revised subsidy would only come into effect on August and PM saying that it comes with immediate effect. And for once, the PM was right but much to the dismay of the rakyat.

Incident #4 - The time PM announced that the fuel price in Malaysia would go according to the market price + 30 cents discount from the Government and today, the PM made another announcement stating that there will be no further increase, despite the high possibility of global prices reaching $200 per barrel.

That's all I can recall as of current time, with constant incidents like the above, how can we as the rakyat able to place full confidence in actions and measures announced by the Govenrment? Still, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for #4 to last and not being one of those temporary measures taking to gain support from the rakyat thingy; at least I can plan my stuff up till then, a lot of expenses are coming my way, you know why. Woe is me.

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Monday Birus.

Kebiruan langit yang tidak dapat menandingi kebiruan yang terpendam dalam sanubariku

Awaken to a Monday morning feeling very tired and really depressed, perhaps the new working hours is finally taking its toll on me, I'm usually up even before the sun rises and heads home only when the sun sets. Seated facing the windows, I can only see the bright and sunny rays shine upon the world outside everyday, missing me out totally. And prior to this, the morning rays used to wake me while the evening sun accompanied me home, sigh. Also, window seatsa are not that good a thing actually, seeing cars passing by from the 8th floor every single minute makes me feel trapped and grounded. Makes me wish that I could just ignore everything, head out and drive to the unknown or perhaps Malacca for cendols with lots of Gula Melaka but then, not anymore with the recent hike, sigh.

Or perhaps I'm having a difficult time adapting to my new job, having blended too comfortably in the flexibility of the previous company and I'm talking about the KL branch of course. Not having spent more than 2 hours in the KLCC office, I was already on my way to the client site in Menara Dayabumi, talk about fast track and efficiency. New location, new working environment, new boss, new colleagues, new clients, new pace, new laptop equals work 24 hours daily, new makan place, truckloads of work and so on. Not that I'm having trouble blending in, everything's just not the same anymore, the agony of job switches.

The depression might also be due to a sudden realization that its already halfway past 2008 and looking at my resolutions list, most of them are bound to fail once again. This then brings up the question of why bother to actually do a resolution since you know you're somehow not determined enough to achieve them? Some say its good to have goals in life, as long as you're still alive, its still achievable. Others say at least you have something to fall back to when you're lost while the remaining does it because everybody's doing it. Me? Its similar to the first reasoning, to have some goals to achieve each year, a form of motivation to do something out of the usual routine in life I guess.

I just can't seem to find the exact reason behind this feeling of being depressed, no PMS jokes mind you and since there's no source, there'll be no solution for the time being. So, I guess it'll be here to stay until its gone wtf.

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Its the Weekend, again.

I think it is fast becoming a habit for me to do an update on my weekends in just a single post or nothing at all, either that or I am becoming really lazy or perhaps I'm just too occupied but I think that's not the case. And so, I can continue contradicting with myself and end up with no conclusion not like I needed one anyway wtf am I doing wasting time writing endless stream of nonsenses that don't really make sense with no punctuations or whatsoever should just quickly end this post then go to sleep tomorrow is Monday again sigh so sien have to head to work wait later have to remind self to wake up not because of the EURO I no like football/soccer/whatever its because there's the Canadian F1 GP at 1am w00t!

Okay, okay, so, for the earlier part of Saturday, I was driven around KL starting from Taman Bukit Pandan to MABA building to Hang Tuah for Pork Mee yums to Setapak which is quite near Jen's place but infortunately she's not home (kat itu Roxy summer splash thingy kat Sunway Lagoon). Then from PJ near Jaya 33 to Old Klang Road nearby Pearl Point and finally back to Taman Bukit Pandan where Adrian came to deliver cake all the way from Kepong, we are very loyal customers. Seriously, tell me now and tell me the truth, did the fuel price really hike by 40% ah? Later part, too tired to do anything terus drop on the bed and fell asleep.

Awaken by the biological clock early in the morning but mood ruined by the lack of Maggi curry in the house boohoo. Spent most of the afternoon doing spring cleaning and managed to generate 8 huge bags of rubbish in the end, including stuff from Mom, Dad and Sis of course. Some of my items included my old Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers, many, many boxes from purchase of hardwares and some original games, my first HP the Nokia 3210 where the battery was leaking, so on and so forth. I wonder from whom I inherited this tendency to keep old stuff although already knowing that I won't be using it anymore.

A surprise came during dinner when Mom suggested for a steamboat dinner which she never did before because oftenly, it was too hot and uncomfortable for her to do so. Hence, the surprise. Fortunately, Dad and I can be considered as their frequent customers hence they kinda like close-one-eye on the stuff that we brought on our own, upon the insist from Mom, smuggling outside food in loh what to do? Not only that but I also managed to complete the remaining 10 episodes of a TVB drama series that I have been following. Not a very productive weekend I would say.

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Tomorrow Is Sunday..

Kereta, Beca, Melaka dan Cherrie sedang ambik gambar

This is to all the Cendol with lots and lots of Gula Melaka lovers

Mighty fine picture, I have to say so myself

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Paintball is Awesome.

It was an off day on Friday for the client in conjunction with Agong's birthday the following day, pretty neat huh? Then again, its not like we really did get a day off, there were some team day activities we were required encouraged to attend, free and easy activities in the earlier part of the day and paintball late in the afternoon. Yeap, paintball session between the client and us, perhaps its a mastermind from the higher levels to let each of us vent out our frustration against one another, if there's any.

A heavy brunch plus a movie later, we were on our way to TAG which was located directly opposite Desa WaterPark. To me, that place looks like an abandoned parking structure, about 4 levels and a total opposite to what I had in mind as the session would be held indoors. After signing the indemnity form and changing into something more suitable (lockers and shower facilities available), we were briefed on the safety measures as well as equipments, basically the DOs and DON'Ts during ongoing sessions. Everyone was provided with a body armour, the girls got the better ones while the guys, we just got a thin layer of rubbery suit, a mask to protect our faces, arm bands for team identification, a neck wrap, optional and most importantly, a CO2 powered marker to kick ass.

All in all, there were 4 teams competing, each consisting 12 members. 2 teams will be competing during each session, covering 2 floors, the objective is to capture the opponent's flag. Being a total noob (first time experience), my heart was pouncing throughout the game as shots were fired rapidly as I ran and squat and ran, looking for suitable points to hide and return fire. I could hear myself breathing heavily while peeking through the barriers and avoiding bullets. Fortunately, the mask was able to accomodate my glasses as well, else, I would have concured lots of friendly fire, lols. We won the first round, and ironically, it was me who managed to grab the opponent's flag, kembang siut! I got through the first round clean.

The second round was not that forgiving as I had to rush to the frontline. Not being able to notice a hidden opponent, I was shot on my back a few times, ouch! But then, upon knowing that it actually hurts much less than I had imagined, I enjoyed the later sessions even much more. Managed to score some hits, got shot at the back, on the thigh, knee, mask, shoulder, chest in the end, lols, much incurred during the final last team member standing session. In the end, it was a 2 win - 1 loss for our team, not too bad considering more than half of us were noobs.

After experiencing it myself, paintballing is indeed a very fun and awesome activity, the adrenaline rush of charging into the battlefield, the excitement of taking down your enemies, the joy of conquering your opponents. It's definitely an activity that I will look forward to doing again in the future, so, paintball, anyone? Just not the Bukit Tinggi one cause I heard the markers there are extremely powerful *shivers*

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The Aftermath.

The following day (after the price hike), I was pretty disappointed with the fact that there were still that many number of cars on the road as I was silently hoping that it would have caused a large percentage of car owners to look for alternative transportations, which in turn, reduce the volume of vehicles on the road. But sad enough, that was not the case.

Surprisingly, I still see quite a number of cars refuelling at multiple petrol kiosks along the way to work, during the morning hour rush. Must be those dampened by the long queues and heavy congestion the night before.

Everyone was talking about it, from radio DJs to the cleaners, colleagues to managers, clients to random individuals or groups in the coffeeshop, hawkers and so on. About 90% of them were not happy and disagreed with the move 10%, another 9% totally furious. Oppositions voiced their disappointment, the government said they had no other alternatives. The rebate is a total joke but then again, better than nothing.

Random food stalls increased the price of the goods, on average, by 50 cents and so, begins the move on passing down the increasing costs of production to the consumers. And in time, so will everything else, grocery shopping will never be the same. Bus fares as well as charges for transportation by lorries are expected to rise.

Small peaceful gatherings around KL, Ipoh and Penang to voice dissatisfaction over the price hike, no unwanted incidents. The drive home was still congested as usual and same as myself, I was still able to see many cars with single occupants. Wait till we refuel for the first time after the hike, it might just change our mind and attitude. Somehow, car pooling just doesn't work for me but I guess I'll only talk about this sometime later.

A huge commotion is going on this time around due to the severity of the hike which stood at at more than 40% increase, right after the government announcing there'll be no increase until August and not long after the hike in food prices. Perhaps it's also attributed to the government's promise of no increase in fuel prices during the election campaigns, I do not know. The only question is, how long will this big Hoo Haa actually last, maybe a month or two before the rakyat

The only question that I have is how long will this big Hoo Haa actually last, a month or two? Then will it fall back to the rakyat getting back to their own business accepting the increase just like every other time? Or the hype over the hike being overwhelmed by news that has more impact? I guess only time will tell.

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Fuel Price Hike.

Let's talk about something that's more up-to-date today, like the hike in fuel price that will come into effect tomorrow, well, in less than 3 hours time to be more precise. Based solely on personal opinion and perhaps a little imagination, let's have a look on the aftermath of the 40% price hike, from a mere RM1.92 to RM2.70 (brace yourselves, there's more to come in August), the highest increase in many, many years with some believing its sort of like a "punishment" to the rakyat lols.

Meet Jed. Jed, like most salaryman, earns just enough to survive each month working as a software developer in Kuala Lumpur. Due to the limited and inconsistent public transportation around the area he lives in, Jed drives to and fro his office, located in the heart of the city or somewhere nearby every single working day. On average, he needs to refuel once a week and each session would cost him roughly RM60 for about 31 liters of petrol.

However, with the recent increase, Jed will have to fork out an additional 78 cents per liter, thus, forcing him to pay around RM84 now, and Jed is just driving a MyVi 1.3 auto. That's about RM336 per month, just for fuel. So, the question is, what would Jed do to ease this additional burden since taking public transportation to work is still not a viable solution?

The first thing that comes to mind would be to further minimize his already tight budget, anywhere possible, like cutting down on movies and shopping, opting for cheaper food when dining out, less yum cha sessions, so on and so forth. Other than that, Jed would also consider taking public transportations whenever possible and restrain from driving to far away places unnecessarily which probably translates to even less road trips. All in all, Jed plans to spend less and save more.

From the above, the hike had consequently reduced Jed's purchasing power dramatically and since its not just Jed that's being affected, coupled with the recent increase in food prices, its pretty obvious that many would follow suit in budgeting effectively. Now, with the huge volume of downshift in consumer's spending power, who's gonna be contributing to our gross domestic product (GDP) growth since everyone's saving? And what about the local tourism industry? Or the property and automotive industry?

Not only that, the hike would definitely have a ripple effect on prices of all other commodities, since a high percentage of economic activities requires consumption of fuel, be it directly or indirectly, in the form of goods transportation. This means you'll be paying more for everything sooner or later, be it a plate of chicken rice, a tin of Milo or a trip to the local physician. And with this, we might just see an increase in crime rate since even basic needs would be less affordable or perhaps I might just have gone a little too far saying this but we shall see.

And you know how the government keep reiterating that our fuel prices is still much cheaper compared to neighbouring countries, which by the way are not oil exporting countries? Moreover, average salaries are considerably low as well and this translates to a higher cost of living. I can honestly say if you're not planning for any properties or automobiles, you can easily survive in Singapore earning SGD2000 but not in KL earning RM2000, which sucks, big time.

In actual fact, I am all for the government's decision to eventually have the fuel prices pegged according to the market value. The subsidies can then be put into better use, like improvement of public transportation and infrastructures, further development on food, education and technology programmes, helping out the poor and needy communities and all that. But the recent hike is just too high and too soon, the government has effectively increased the burden of the rakyat still in the midst of coping with rising food prices. The RM625 rebate, equivalent to RM54 per month, is not even enough for a single refuel. And with the "government's call" for its people to Ubah Gaya Hidup (Change Your Lifestyle), I am wondering what else can we ubah, eating less ah?

And there you have it, the thoughts and opinions of an individual who has not much knowledge in the field of economics. I wonder what would be coming from the experts in this field or would it better for me not knowing?

p/s: I just got to know that the government has also approved the electricity tariff hike as well. Malaysia Boleh!

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Public Service Announcement.

Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of updates because Jed is still trying to adapt to his new working hours at the client's site, starting at 8am which for him is almost like the heading back to school schedule again. And ending at 5pm but you know how the IT industry works right, it doesn't end until you're done, too bad.

Moreover, there's limitation in access to the internet but Jed should not be complaining considering how he can still miraculously use web messengers during working hours. That's all for now, have a good day everyone.

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