Dear all,

I've officially moved my BLOG to http://notsoprivatelife.blogspot.com... or click here --> NOT SO PRIVATE LIFE.

Do update your links... thank you!!

My friends and readers, I might be moving my blog to another new hoster soon. Probably Wordpress, as I do not have much time now to manually manage and improve my blog. I will post another announcement as where I have moved this blog to.  Stay tuned. 

Thank you for keep dropping by!

Like I said, I MIGHT move... and I MIGHT not too if I can't find a better spot to move!

I happened to read an article that caught my eyes and my brains (and of course, my boobs and even my breath...).

"Don't you need to make a work-related call right now?  Get the number, pick up the receiver, dial and speak.  If you are still reading this, chances are you are one of a number of people for whom using the telephone is an anxious prospect." - Taipei Times (Click to read the rest of the story.)

I knew for that instance, that this article was talking all about ME.

I have great difficulties talking on the phone, especially with strangers and when it comes to work-related and formal stuffs.  I didn't know I have phone phobia until I started working and when calling clients and authorities up is a requirement and a common job in my office.

I simply H.A.T.E it.  And if it's possible, I'd rather not use the phone.  Email and meeting the person face-to-face are much easier for me.

Why?  You may ask.  At first, I couldn't identify the reasons behind my fear of the telephone.  Then after reading this article and seriously think about it, I agree with what the article have to say.

1. Discomfort from the phone comes from being unable to see the person at the other end.  That's true.  At least I know for me.  Since young, I've been taught how to interact with people when I meet them.  Never have I been told about the courtesy on the phone.  So now, it's a new skill I've got to slowly acquire.  Gosh, really tough job.
2. When calling someone in authority.  That is yet another point that hits me on my head.  My job is more about pleasing the client than giving instructions/advice to them.  In other words, it's all about customer service and business.  Look, I'm not a sales girl or have anything to do with the customer service department.  And the nature my job is to be consulted, not being ordered or pushed to get something done, or what to put into the report and what not to.  You see, if I don't speak nicely and gently, I might lose the business and eventually, I might be fired as well.  "To ensure the business is portrayed at its best" created great anxiety in me.

Do you have the same problem too?

Well... I only hope that after a few more months, my tele-communication skills would improve... 'coz I really want to receive an increment in my salary!!

Tags: Musings

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tag: Event

So... service disruption in the West Malaysia would cause the service here in Kuching, Sarawak to disrupt as well??

Sigh. Finally I'm able to be online for more than 1 hour after 2 weeks!!!  And that is, for me to specially wake up at 5.30 a.m., just to try and see if the internet is working.

Pathetic, eh?

STREAMYX, oh STREAMYX... please do yourself justice!!

I'm sure there are a lot of dissatisfied customers like me out there.  When Streamyx is the topic of my conversations with friends, I will definitely expect complaints that the service is really LOUSY.

I didn't mean to scrutinize your service.  I really would love to know the reason behind this frequent failure of service.  I bet all of us consumers would appreciate it if we were informed of the interruption of the service in our area.  Yes, maybe we are home users and so we are not so important to you, but puh-leeezz.... if we subscribe to Streamyx, it only means that we need to use it, no matter if it's in the day time or night time.

I'm not hoping to wake up as early as this just to blog or surf or simply chatting with friends. NO WAY.

So please do something!! Sending us a notice like the above would be good enough for us, at least we know when we are able to get online and plan beforehand so that we can get our work done.

STOP doing unnecessary PROMOTION if there are so frequent service failures!!

Well, is there anything in the world as money dropping down from the sky without one having to do anything?

I don't think so.

This post is specially for my fellow Malaysian citizens.  It was also in the news (The Borneo Post) yesterday.  I received a similar SMS this morning:

TAHNIAH. Simcard anda memenangi hadiah cek tunai RM9000 dari AFM AKADEMI FANTASIA. Sila hubungi 006281389727677. Terimakm.

Oh well. Whatever that 'Terimakm' might mean.

So friends, please be smart enough to know that this is another SCAM.  I heard that the phone number originated from Indonesia.  Whatever it is, please don't let that chap have your wealth.

Remember, greed will not bring you anywhere.

Tags: News, Money

My STML (Short Term Memory Lost) syndrome worsened ever since I slowly recover from my sickness a few days ago -- diarrhoea, vomit, headache, giddy; according to the doctor, I got some kind of intestinal infection. But according to myself, I would say that I had such symptoms because of lack of sleep.

Imagine me receiving two bad news at once -- my mom, who was in Sibu, fell ill; somebody I knew for a long time from the choir suddenly broke the news that she was diagnosed with cancer and it had already spread to the lungs. I had a nervous breakdown, and this illness just came crashing on me the next few days.

I attended another friend¡¯s 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner tonight. And even though I brought my digicam with me, I totally didn¡¯t remember what I wanted to do with it until the dinner was over. Then I asked myself, geee... I should have snapped some photos to be added in my blog!! Ohh... my blog. Another important thing which I¡¯m not supposed to forget.

So... since there¡¯s nothing I can do tonight except crapping here, might as well I turn in early as my health has not totally recovered yet. I shall get my camera ready for the next coming events... Christmas caroling, a good friend¡¯s wedding and... oops, what¡¯s the other one?

Tags: Musings

"Hello! I'm who-ever from where-ever.  I'm calling to..."

That's the typical way I always start my conversation when calling someone I've never met or never knew. Especially for my job, where calling people up is something we have to do all the time.

And I just hate it.

I hate it. I hate it. I HATE IT. I H-A-T-E I-T.

I don't know why. Most probably because I don't know who the other person is, what kind of person he/she is, and so I don't know in what manner I should talk to him/her. Sometimes I used the wrong tone of voice, even though I didn't mean what I sounded, I was blamed for being rude.

I don't see myself as a rude person.  And neither have I ever used rude words or languages when talking to people on the phone.  Yes, I admit that I have problems in communicating.  I'm a direct and straight forward person, and so am I when talking on the phone.  Therefore, for those who don't know me well enough, they would think that I'm a very rude person.

You know (of course you don't), this is a very tough job for me.  Every time before I call somebody up, I need to take a minute or two to 'draft' out what I'm going to say, so that, besides not missing out any points or questions, I would express whatever I wanted to say more politely and that I would sound more soft-spoken.

Only those who are not as spontaneous as I am would understand how I feel.  Not just on the phone, even when I'm having a presentation in front of a group of people I tend to be lost.  The difficulties of finding the correct words and putting them into a sentence... and that's why I've never liked presentation even though I've been doing it for so many times.

Well, what's the point of talking so much right here and doing nothing?  Hah. Guess this is my greatest weakness so far.  Anybody has any advice for me of how to be more spontaneous?  Sigh. Sometimes I feel that I'm a total failure, especially now when my job requires me to have this skill ?good spontaneous communication skill. 

Sociable but can't communicate well on the phone. Perhaps I'm the only human person of that 'quality' who's alive in this world today. Hahaha.

Tags: Musings

Photo Courtesy Tigerhomes.org

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's "Snake King" Ali Khan Samsuddin, who broke records by living thousands of scorpians and hundreds of snakes, has died after a cobra bit him, reports said yesterday.

Ali Khan, 48, who wrangled with snakes for over 25 years, was bitten on his left hand by the six metre-long (20 feet) King Cobra during a snake show in the capital on Tuesday, and died on Friday.

"He had been bitten by snakes many times before, including three times by King Cobras... so we didnt think anything would happen," his son, Amjad Khan, 21, was quoted as saying in The Star Daily.

The snake charmer had been given outpatient treatment at a Kuala Lumpur hospital and had told his family not to worry before taking a turn for the worse, said Amjad Khan.

Ali Khan won fame after making it into the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records for living in a glass enclosure with 6,000 scorpians for 21 days. He also broke a Malaysian record seven years ago for living with 400 cobras for 40 days, the state Bernama News Agency said.

To read the rest of the news, click here: The Peninsula Online and BBC NEWS.

Darn... I didn't know at all that Malaysia has somebody who made it into Guinness Book of World Records!!!  I feel kind of proud, of course, but am sad too to know that he's gone now.  Just like Steve Irwin.  Died doing what he liked. 

*Sigh*  Life is short, eh?  No one knows when exactly one's life will be over.  So one common advice for everyone: Enjoy every moment of your life to the fullest and never (at least try not to) take anyone or anything for granted.

I'm trying to do that, even though I tend to forget.


Tags: Environment, News

After 48 years of marriage, an elderly man in K. L. calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day Son, but I  have to tell you that your Mum and I are getting a divorce; 45 years of misery is enough!"

"Dad, what are you talking about?" The son screams.

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says."We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!"

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the  phone."Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts.  "I'll take care of  this."

She calls K.L. immediately and screams at the old man, "You are not getting divorced.  Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back and we'll both be there tomorrow."

"Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR??" and she hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife.  "Okay", he says,"It's all set."

"They're both coming home for Father's Day and paying their own airfare!!"

Oh goodness... I only pray that I won't be that forgetful until my dad would have to do that to spend time with me.

Daddy, if you're reading this... please always keep in mind that I love you.


Tags: Family