Cameron Getaway! [Part 3]

3 July 2006

Sunday. 9am and the sound of morning cartoons penetrated the bedroom door. Ok, ok...get up, mill around...breakfast...guys go to get their car...couples out to walk walk...us playing Carcassonne...us cleaning apartment...all these amidst lamentations of "Are you going to take Monday em-cee ar?", "Come on la, stay one more day!" or even "Come, we go Penang! Monday only go back!"

Lunch was cursed with long waits again! While Saturday we thought the long wait could be due to our being a big group, Sunday lunch was just the 5 of us (same 5 what went trekking for 2 hours). Me, I had the Chinese option (where I'd to sendiri bawa my food from one end of the foodcourt to my table at the other end, and sendiri take back the bowls when done), but the others went for Malay fare. TST, 'Ward and Hengky had to wait (half-hour? more?) for their food. It seems that the store that they ordered from had no sauce or something, and had to ask another store to cook the food for them!

Once we were all packed up and the place nice and sparkly clean, it was time for souvenir-hunting. Here's a good place. Kea Farm.

The fried mushrooms, fried potato balls, in fact, sample everything from the stall that sells fried stuff. There was even an ice-cream machine outside it. Yum. Soft-serve strawberry ice cream.

Other must-gets include strawberries, make sure you do taste-test, honey propolis ('Welcome to Highland Apiary Farm' says their leaflet), then call home and ask if mum needs wants any greens.

After that head on to Equatorial to raid their toilets. One thing that shocked me was that Equatorial never seem to have changed throughout all these years. I don't remember the last time I went up except that it was during my primary school years (ooh the suffrance of travelling then), when Highlander started showing on RTM2.

You don't have to stay here, just park nearby and take a walk around Equatorial and enjoy the scenery.

Then, the long hard goodbye. 7pm, on our way home to KL. Could we make it back in time for a nice group dinner?

Didn't happen. Just like how we found a KFC KLG in Cameron, we'd stopped for A&W E&W at Tapah.

Cameron Getaway! [Part 2]

3 July 2006

There was a small problem (well, mebbe not so small...RM200+ problem in the end) when KE's car had a flat after it went over a pothole, flipped over 2 cars and landed hanging half over the edge. I dunno, listen to what they said only. Had to abandon the car overnight while Jun went to fetch them. Anyways everyone made it to the apartment safely and ready to greet the middle of the year! No need to say la, after unpacking the tables were out and we were already playing Carcassonne and Lost Cities.

First night itself already quite packed: football matches (TST rooting on Germany 'cos he had money involved, until he wasn't aware that his money was safe when they went into extra time), drinks (always entertaining), junk food and trash talk until 6am.

And everybody was up again by 8am! All fresh and ready for Puerto Rico, House on Haunted Hill and other board games galore.

Early morning bout of Puerto Rico.

Big group of House on Haunted Hill. The 'Traitor' player has yet to win a game.

Figuring out the rules and scoring of 3-player mahjong.

Food was a problem: Except for Friday night dinner, when it came to mealtimes eating out, there's always someone who'll be waiting for his first dish long after everyone else had seconds. During lunch 'Nic waited ages for his mixed vegetable and rice while the rest of us were sampling the local char kuey teow and roti strawberry and tandoori chicken. We'd reason that the waitress was distracted by the doctor in our group, fuiyoh the attention showered on him, if she was wearing low cut she would probably have leaned 90 degrees already. Come dinnertime TST and 'Ward were left starving. This one was worse as we only went to makan at 9.30pm! Edward had to wait 45 minutes for his tandoori chicken SANDWICH. Sandwich I tell you! 2 pieces of bread, tandoori chicken tika. Even Ivan had already gone through his fried rice, tandoori chicken, cheese naan and curry mutton.

Anything to say about the food? Oh yes, roti strawberry is seriously goodsheet. The one at Restaurant Sri Brinchang (and here we were staying at Tanah Rata). Must try. Tandoori chicken still cannot beat what you get in Klang.

Jungle trekking on Saturday afternoon was a blast. The plan was, we go trek to the watch tower, then come back and go kick some ball. I mean football. Once we'd reached the watch tower everyone was all DRENCHED and flat on the floor! View was good from the watch tower. Shame, didn't bring camera. We ended up staying quite a bit at the tower while waiting for the entire party to reach, occasionally shouting out to make sure the rest were still somewhere out there (and so that they knew we were still at the tower, hem hem).

Then came the bit where we splitted up into 2 groups: those whom backtracked and headed for football, and 5 of us ('Nic, TST, Edward, Shahnon and me) that decided to use an alternative route back. Mana tahu that route lead us to the forestry office, then onwards on Jungle Road No.6 and then Jungle Road No.5 before exiting at someone's plantation. 2 hours of trekking up down up down. Good thing weather was dry and it was still early. If we'd trekked elsewhere in the lowlands we'd probably have backtracked straightaway, who wants to sweat like crazy slipsliding in the mud.

Once out we'd headed to watch the others play football while entertaining visions of a tubfull of hot water to soak the feet. Must say was very thankful we'd kept the shoes we'd used when we went to Gua Tempurung. The shoes had this earthy smell and leaked sand from goodness knows where, but did its job well for the trek. Only thing was that since the soles were long gone our feet were a bit tender due to heavy impact going downhill.

Once back, out came the heat rubs. Wahsai a smell long forgetten since childhood days. A wee bit o' rest and out came the boardgames again until the rest came back.

After dinner we'd split up into 2 groups again: those to watch football, and those who weren't gonna. What did us who didn't watch football do?

Power Grid.

First impression? Simple and interesting. Of course la, whatwith the day's events of early morning games-marathon and trekking and food-waiting, the brens were a bit numb already. Too tired to really process but still too awake to sleep. In the end we had a second game in the bedroom that helped knock us out...at 5am.

Cameron Getaway! [Part 1]

3 July 2006

What's going on? Read here first.

So happened that end of June we'd our La Sallian's 'annual trip', the 2nd-biggest gathering of our batch (largest is still Chinese New Year at Vincent's). How large?

1 apartment. 13 people.

During the getaway week updates were going on: "Bring own pillowcases, bedsheets and sport shoes!" "Going jungle trekking!" "Eh, can you take leave on Fri itself ar? We want to leave in the afternoon!" Dilemma was wondering whether to work a coupla' hours on Friday, or head down to someone's house in Klang on Thursday night...in the end had to work becos' our lovely store manager herself was on holiday earlier in the same week so couldn't text her to give ample warning. Nevermind, guys said that they'll be reaching our place about 3.15pm, should be able to make it and pack. Oh yes, advantages of being a guy: the ability to pack a bag in 30 minutes.

When Vincent arrived was stunned to hear that we'd to leave the board game Hotel at my place due to lack of space in the car. 5 peeps in a Beemer plus provisions. Still had plenty of other board games, tho.

Hello, Parkview Apartments.

How prepped were we? Very prepped. Brought everything except for Hengky's OSIM massage chair.

Food.

Vice.

Games (football in the car boot).

Even the bedrooms prepared like on papaya trip one.

No la, last one dream la. All had to make to with sleeping bags or own bedspread. Mattresses and pillows were already provided, tho!

We Talk Here Now

15 March 2006

Hello folks. We talk here now:
http://niched.blogspot.com/

Wogs...

24 October 2005

Sniff. After dinner last night at SS2 we'd took a quick trip to the pet shop where we first bought Princess. Well...lots and lots and lotsa woggies!!! There's another Pom there, cute and fluffy and brown and fuzzy and worth RM2280. Lord. Didn't take any pictures, to busy craving to hold all them pupps from beagles to pom to terrier to shih tzu to...waaaaah! Wanna take them all home!!!

Then this lady has to come into the shop, and ask a caretaker if a dog she was looking at was a Siberian Husky. Caught my attention, that did. All I remember seeing at the booth she was looking at was a white cat of some sort. "Oh, that one miao ar?" went the nonplussed woman.

Had to 'adopt' Kamal's Nintendog.

Regarding Interviews...

18 October 2005

Some of the better advice I've been given regarding interviews:

"Don't tell the truth!"

"Tell about you achievements, your extracurricular activities e.g. joining scouts."
Well. Those will definitely work if you're a master BS-er or have led an active school life. However, BS can only take you so far. I mean, first interview's basically the department manager or some mid-level manager wanting to get the 'feel' of possible candidates. Them tend to be quite personable people who're friendly if you get off the correct footing from the start. Then...their boss comes in during the second interview. Shit. BS will make them wonder what the interviewers were thinking.

Haiiiz...I'm just getting a bit sien of working through interviews liao. I mean, looking retrospectively I made quite a number of 'interview tactical errors' that were...very stupid lar. Best example would be the most recent interview I went at Jenssen-Cilag regarding their position of 'Local Safety Officer'. As with most interviews, you got quite the number of standard interview questions to guage how dedicated you are to snagging the job.

"How would you think your colleagues would describe you?"

"Err...'weird'."

KNS. This one call don't think before speaking. Doesn't say good things, but rather sounds like liability no matter how you put it. If try to cover up by going about being sooo workaholic until considered weird means putting up high expectations that'll come back and smack you hard once you get the job.

"Where, or how do you picture yourself in 5 years' time?"

"Err...somewhere still as a Safety Officer but in a more senior position...?"

[You know, when I lose sleep becoz of thinking about job prospects, I ask myself this. And when I think 'hospital' I cannot even envision staying there for 3 years.] This job is so new that I also dunno what prospects are there for promotion. I mean, come up with safety guidelines for employees, do drug regulations plus adverse drug reporting...not unless the job scope becomes so diverse that can lagi branch off and become sub-dept head. Saying, "In a more senior position," doesn't sound ambitious, "To be honest, I have no idea where the prospects for this job will allow me to grow," probably makes me sound vague and unfocused, "Heading the safety department?" *mischevious smile*...Hey! Blardi hell should have thought of that! I hate interviews! Stupid questions that take ages to get a nice shiny answer!

"What can you say that will make me choose you over other candidates?"

"...err...ah...well..."

I'll go a bit more over this later when I tell about my PERSONALITY TEST results. Yeah, got comprehensive personality test. The short of it is that I a bit lousy at selling myself.

"What did you feel were your major accomplishments in your previous working places?"

"..."

This one...no help lar. Pharmacist lar, both retail and houseman. What to expect? Whatmore, housemanship in teaching hospital with SOPs. Surely don't expect me to go, "No! I refuse to follow these protocols which has already been set down to ensure the safety and efficiency of patients and employees!" I wasn't employed to do that what then. [Just like how Asians are brought up yar? Listen to your elders, don't think for yourself.] I mean sure you wanna ask why some protocols were set as they were lar, more ma fan, more work, more paperwork...But I digress. As I was. What kind of OMGWTFBBQ accomplishments am I suppose to achieve in my line of work?

'Effectively compiled inventory of hospital IV medications.' Er, houseman project. Also while it adds to easy references for the IPD it isn't anything major. Few years down the road someone'll update it as part of his/her project.

But then again maybe if I stayed in UH longer as a pegawai farmasi I could have accomplished something as by then would be more familiar with the place than being bewildered in different departments. How about during life in Guardian?

'Rotated employment status from full-time to contractual to part-time locum.' Er. Rolling stone gathers no moss.

'Improved employee morale via implementation of end-day incentive.' Once the interviewers find out that that sentence actually means, "Going to close store that time use own money to buy everyone McD's ice cream," even I dunno what they gonna think.

The fact that Guardian is big and corporate, they oso got they're own guidelines and will fire/taruh anyone that does otherwise. Heesh, not corrective measures until da store fails to live up to expectations.

"You're rather young yeah!"

Wish I could retort "Wait till you meet my parents!" but cannot as that is not true. Haiyoh then why bother putting up the statement, 'Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply'? Not even stated that you wanted someone with years of experience. KNN old dogs can learn new tricks as fast or not?

Ok-lar this thing's gone too blardi long liao. Will take on the issue of personality tests some other time. But experience has taught me something lor:

[Colour]
Don't immediately take the job if it's offered straightaway where they say, "Yeah, there isn't any problems, how soon can you start?"!

Hey Chuan Chen!

13 October 2005

Hey Chuan Chen! Sorry har have to specially write a blog just to return comment...something wrong with da Comments bit where I cannot, just cannot reply you there >:P

Yah-hor in all my wants I never said anything much about wanting frens to hang out wif, 'cept only one saying that I want to be able to see everyone occasionally. Why? Because I blessed enuff with frens to hang out with so it never became a want lor. See? No need to want for it since already got. Anyways my list of wants yah, some are possible, some are immature, some not feasible one I know...but it's just for me to whine about my wants mah. No need to take seriously one, if I want it I'll work to get it myself. No need me to ask for charity (well, occasionally can lar, but only if I ask for it >:P). I don't want to look like poor Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man...can cry one see that fella so hor-leen (see, yet another want).

Yeah, must thank frens for being there lor, to make sure my life isn't always boring. Actually hor, I come to suspect that before this I quite the antisocial fella one, now not so antisocial (still got lar, just not so much) becoz I enjoy their company!

Anyways long time no hear from you liao, what are you doing now leh? Remind forgetful me! Paiseh to comment then email me!