Caution! Rats On The Road!

On the September 5, 2006, the streets of Kuala Lumpur were jammed with… no, not cars, but ‘rats’. ‘Rats’ in ties and briefcases. These ‘rats’ were running, no.. not running away from cats, but running for a good cause.

The 7th Kuala Lumpur Rat Race had returned. The Edge and Bursa Malaysia co-organised the Race that would benefit twelve charitable organisations this year. Donations collected from participating local and foreign companies in Malaysia would be channelled towards the beneficiaries involved in various causes.

Bearing the UEM World Berhad official sign, twelve people were assigned to participate in the race. I was one of them. Hee… hee… hee… I was one of the UEM rats! I hated rats and now I had to be one of them.

Malaysia’s Second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed flagged off the CEO race and the 4.5km main race at Bursa Malaysia’s Exchange Square.

The enthusiasm of the participants was clearly reflected in their upbeat mood.

The cheerleaders, representing their respective companies, were armed with banners, flags, mascots and musical instruments including bagpipes.

At the end of the day, everybody had fun and was happy, be it the winners or the losers. Well, I didn’t make my company proud but so what… at least I completed the run. After all, the run was supposed to be fun, wasn’t it? So why taking it too hard?

Here are some of the photos taken during the race... enjoy!

Nestle

General Electric

UEM Group

Maybank

Tabby (Maybank)

Blue Hyppo (TM Net)

Sazzy Falak & the gang (ASTRO)

A Birthday & A Vacation

It’s vacation time for me, my soulmate and the gang!

On the 1st of September 2006, we went to Cherating, Pahang. As it was an ad-hoc plan, so it was not easy to find a place to stay. After checking out more than 4 hotels and resorts, luck was finally on our side and we managed to secure a room in Holiday Villa.

Holiday Villa, Cherating

  

Our times there were filled with beach volleyball and pool games, fun in the swimming pool, a cosy dinner, a walk by the beach, ‘gulai kawah’ for lunch and a midnight ‘teh tarik’ session at a stall close to where we stayed.

Best part of all, it was my soulmate’s 44th birthday. He was a bit groggy and taken by surprise when I woke him up in the middle of the night and presented him his birthday gift, a pair of Montblanc cufflinks, while the rest of us just looked on. After wishing him ‘Happy Birthday’, everyone went back to sleep. It might not be the coolest way to celebrate a birthday, but I hoped (fingers crossed) that he would remember what just happened when morning came.

Kuala Lumpur Drift

I am quite a speed-queen. After all, that’s what people always told me everytime they got out from my car. Having met with 3 major accidents which had brought me close to death and a countless numbers of minor accidents on the road since I was legally allowed to drive 15 years ago, I think I was a speed-queen after all. A reckless one sometimes. Thank God, so far no one lost his soul and thank God again, I am still breathing. However, the last accident I had was in 2004. Therefore, I presume, for the past 2 years ago, I don’t speed like I used to anymore and I realize I do behave accordingly when I am on the road nowadays. Well, once in a while, I do drive over the speed limit but I have become more careful this time and it doesn’t happen as often as before. What to do, I still have that young blood in me. Just can’t help it.

So if whenever I want to misbehave, I’ll go to Speedway PLUS situated next to the Overhead Bridge Rest Area on ELITE Highway. The circuit is opened to public everyday for go-kart and on every Saturday night, ‘drifters’ (that’s what the call for the drivers who drift) from all around the country will come over to drift. The drifters are grouped into four categories; ‘A’ for the experts, ‘B’ for the intermediates, ‘C’ for the amateurs and ‘D’ for the novices. Looking at them romping at each other on the circuit, I find it so enjoying and amusing. Just like in the Fast and Furious: Drift in Tokyo movie.

I have been taken for drift rides by Ser Meng Hui a.k.a. Ah Fai, Malaysia’s most celebrated drift expert, on his Nissan Cefiro for many times now and every time I am in his car, I get over excited and very nervous at the same time. Sometimes being drifted like that brings fear to my gentle soul. I never thought in a million years that I would be experiencing this.

As a conclusion, I pretty much enjoy it a lot. But then, who doesn’t?

The Company's Audit Committee Luncheon 2006

  

The Audit Committee luncheon took place at the prestigious Bombay Palace of Kuala Lumpur on 25th July 2006. I was seated in between YM. Professor Diraja Ungku Aziz and the Mr. Anuar Marzuki, Company’s Chief Financial Officer and opposite of Mr. Geh Cheng Ooi. Among other VIPs who made it for the luncheon were Datuk K. Ravindran, Puan Nik Airina Nik Jaffar (the company’s Chief Operating Officer) and En. Mohamed Hazlan Mohamed Hussain (the company’s Senior General Manager of Operations Division).    

This was the first Audit Committee luncheon I attended. This was also the first introduction of myself to the Audit Committee members as the one of the first technical internal auditors of the company. I was nervous, that’s for sure! Unexpectedly, these VIPs were so warm and light-hearted. I was expecting some tension or extremely serious conversations during the lunch but these people turned out to be so friendly and bubbly that my anxiety slowly vanished and I was not feeling tense anymore. It was simply cool being around these wonderful people.

The Department's Family Day 2006

We had chosen Janda Baik, Pahang for our Family Day this year and we named our special day as “Get-To-Gather 2006″. Just like any other typical Family Days, we had potluck lunch and telematch games. Some of us took a dip in the smooth flowing river. The air was very fresh and the green trees were very cooling to the eye. I was one of them who got into the water the soonest. Check out the cool photos taken during our share of good times together on July 23, 2006. 

The location

We food we brought from home

Suri ram ram ram.... come on guys, come out of the water and play!

Love Balloon game

Apple Bugs game

Balloon Crusher game

Rocky Journey game

Candies In The Flour game

Our simple yet so meaningful prize giving ceremony

Going Underwater Again

In July 2006, again, I ventured into the marine world. This time it happened under the water somewhere near Tioman Island.

Much to my disappointment, there wasn’t much to see this time. The visibility was poor. The wave and current were strong. I threw up many times, on the way to the diving spots, under the water and also on the water surface. It was horrible. I felt terrible.

I remember I got lost during one of the dives. I was busy snapping photos at that time that I didn’t realise I was actually making a 180^o turn. I was carried farther away from my buddy due to the heavy underwater current. I was out of the view of the other divers. It wasn’t long when I knew I had lost them. I panicked and shot straight right up, trying my best to resurface as fast as I could (something that I should not have done). In no time, I was already out of the water, gasping for air, screaming and praying that anyone would see and rescue me. Now, that sounds a little bit too dramatic, doesn’t it? But that was what actually happened to me. There were a lot of things playing in my mind during the ascent. Sharks, creepy creatures, monsters, ghosts, those ‘supernatural’ things, oh damn, there’s a lot more!

Lesson learned, lesson learned… never leave your buddy and always stay alert. In any situation, try to stay calm and ascend slowly if you need to resurface.

Alright! Got it!

Despite of the miserable feeling I had during the trip, I managed to complete six dives and snapped as many photos as I could. There were photos of Giant Clam, Behn’s Damselfish, Parrotfish and Red-breasted Wrasse and short clips of White-eyed Moray, Remora, Lizzardfish and Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray.

My All-Time Favourite Singer

She was born on January 3, 1965 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She is the youngest of 8 children.

She burst into the limelight in 1985 with her debut album “Dimensi Baru” which subsequently went gold.

She was rewarded with Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN), a federal honour, by His Majesty the Yang DiPertuan Agong IX.

She had earned a great number of achievements including Best Female Vocalist in the America’s International Star Search Award, the first non-native to win Indonesia’s BASF award for Best Female R&B Artist, the first Malaysian artist to stage a solo show in London’s West End at the Royalty Theatre and the first Malaysian to perform at the Dewan Filharmonic PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur.

She had released excellent pop and jazz albums - Dimensi Baru (1985), Emosi (1986), Warna (1988), Lagenda (1990), Ratu (1996), Ku Mohon (2000), Cinta Kita (2004).

She is the one who sings “Antara Anyir dan Jakarta” (Malaysian version).

She was married to Roslan Aziz, the producer of her previous albums, but had gotten divorced from him a couple of years later.

She again got married in 2003 to Hasridz Murshim Hashim Abdullah, better known as Acis, who, back in the 80s, was a keyboardist with one of the Malaysia’s popular rock bands, Gersang.

She is my all-time favourite Malaysian pop/jazz singer.

She is Shaheila bt. Abdul Majid or commonly known as Sheila Majid.                                     

She was the reason why I terpacak at Planet Hollywood, Kuala Lumpur on the night of 30th June 2006, with my other-half, my sister and friends. That night she rocked the planet!