My Blog

Just returned to office today after a 3-day Junior Advanced Course (JAC) Books 3 & 4 seminar at Yamaha Kelana Jaya. It was okay, I gained a lot of knowledge from Miss L. But it got me worried about my students who will be taking the Lower Grade (Gd 7) exam in March 2008. I took 3 days of no-pay leave, so kena potong gaji

It has been a hectic week since Saturday 25 November 2006. A short re-cap of what took place for the past few days…

25 NOVEMBER 2006 - SATURDAY

Woke up at 7 am, had to get ready for concert rehearsal at Flamingo Hotel’s Grand Ballroom for the Claris Concert - a collaboration of all 5 branches, teachers and staffs were required to be there at 8.30. I had to fetch Covyn (my student) from Claris Midah too. Reached there just on time. Bought currypuffs for Covyn and myself.

I got an sms from Anakin, saying that our friend’s (2K) mom comitted suicide. My first reaction was, "My God! Holy sh*t!" It somehow casted a gloomy shadow on me after that, but I tried hard not to think about it. She’s dead, there’s nothing we can do. The BIG concert’s tonight, we have to do our best!

Havana Express (my item!) was the second group to rehearse. I was blur cause I didn’t attend the rehearsal at Claris on Tuesday (mana boleh attend? I was at work! They were practising in the afternoon!) Used the Mini Stagea. Hmm… Nice… 2 rounds and we’re shooed off the stage for other items.

Loafed around till my students’ item - Initial D "Rage Your Dreams" and "Shanghai Beach". They provided lunch. Horrible… Cold hotdogs and buns… Yuck… Forced myself to swallow the hotdog - was starving. Covyn wanted to watch the Crazy Frog rehearsal, so we stayed till 2.30pm.

Sent him home but on my way out, got lost in that housing area. Da*n! Managed to reach home at 4.30pm. Had some food and took bath and prepared for the BIG night ahead! Sms-ed CK at almost 5pm cause I had a free pass to the concert. He sportingly agreed.

Reached Flamingo at 6.30pm. Many parents were queueing up to go in. I rushed upstairs to see if there’s anything I could help. Students were all over the place!

Some of my former students - from Setapak, Ampang and Midah branches greeted me with smiles and a tug at my arm! Even their mommies and daddies came to say hi Wow! They’re so grown up now! Timothy Lee, who was from my JMC and JXC class in Setapak is now in Form 2! He’s so much taller than me now! So is his brother, Jonathan! Makes me feel so old ler…

The concert started at 7.30pm sharp with a bang! Mission Impossible - electone ensemble and rhythm stepping. Nice Jaime was our host. She’s good!

It was indeed an "Enchanting Evening with Claris". There were, of course, some minor hitches and glitches, but these were all over-shadowed by the impressive performances!

My ‘babies’ were nervous for their items - even the 4 teenagers for Initial D, not to mention the 9 or 10-year old kids fom my JAC class! The Initial D performers took to stage - a mixture of my students and other teachers’ students ( Ditto for other performances - like I said earlier, it’s a collaboration of all 5 Claris branches). They looked so rugged, and gave an energetic performance. Too bad, the singers’ voices were not amplified enough through the microphones.

Next was Shanghai Beach. The kids 22 of them( ranging from 8 - 11 years old) were all dressed in Chinese traditional costumes! My 5 ‘kids’ all looked so cute and pretty and handsome There were 2 false starts, because of the registration thingie from the main electone. I was so nervous for them! I was so worried for them! Luckily, Roy managed to kautim that thing and the kids recovered themselves and gave a good performance!

I felt myself bursting with pride for all my students. Even though they normally give me loads of headaches, white hair and sorethroat, they did really well in this concert - both my teenagers and the 5 kiddies.

Next was Havana Express! Teachers’ item! We tried our best, and put in everything! My right foot was shaking on the expression pedal. No, I wasn’t THAT nervous, I guess it’s a mixture of nerves and excitement. Strangely, I enjoyed performing! I used to dread it when I was younger. I guess it’s because we’re doing an ensemble piece. I’d die of heart failure if you were to ask me to do a solo performance!

"The Perfect Year" was our finale song. All contestants gathered on stage and sang the chorus whilst, Miss C, Miss LJ, JC, WQ serenaded us with their sweet voices.

After saying goodbye to my kids & their parents, shaking their hands and patting their backs for a wonderful performance, we stayed back for the photo sessions. I ‘kidnapped’ Miss C’s kids - Jia Qin and Ling Ling, plus MY’s kid, Nicholas for a pix. They’re such adorable kids - I’ve seen them grow up into such talented kids, just like their mommies and daddies

I left at 11 pm, while they’re still discussing the concert and the boo-boos, etc.

Lots of thanks to Ms. CLF, Ms. LJ, KC and MR NKC for their effort and hard work, making this concert a success and a memorable one for all of us and the students + parents. Will I participate again? Well, a definite YES (only for ensemble playing, mind you!)

Once again, after a lapse of bad spells and disillusions, I felt proud to be part of Claris Music, part of Yamaha. Felt as if we’re the ’selected’ and ‘priviledged’ lot who knows another language - the language of MUSIC

Went to PJ at 12 am, to talk to Anakin, K and another of their friend regarding 2K’s mom’s demise. Reached home at 3.00 am… Half dead…

26 NOVEMBER 2006- SUNDAY

Dragged myself out of bed at 9.30 am. GM and SY were scheduled to come at 10.45 am, for our ladies’ day out. Got ready just in time, GM arrived punctually. SY was late… Fetched YS and off we went!

First stop, Taman Megah HAndicapped & Disabled Children Home in PJ, to bring them some nappies, foodstuffs, etc. Initially, I was quite apprehensive to go in - I didn’t know how I should react to the special kids. GM hesitated too. But we went in anyway. Surprisingly, reaching out to them was not a problem at all! They reached out to us, and we reacted, naturally. It was a surprise for me to be able to hold their hands and even give them a hug! I didn’t know I was capable of reacting spontaneously like this! For once, I allowed total strangers to invade my ‘personal space’ ( I’m uncomfortable having people, even friends, invade my personal space - I normally take a few steps backwards if I think that someone is too coming too near me).

Then, we left for  Mid Valley for lunch. Hungry… But we’re moved by the kids… YS said she’ll be going again with her Buddhist group. Hope to go again with SY soon.

Vietnamese food… Crap… Costs me RM22 I can have many plates of chicken rice with that amount…

Walked around, didn’t manage to get anything. The Scrooge in me made me held on tight to my purse strings - I’ve spent enough on a Metrojaya dress last week, for AL’s wedding, with matching accessories and shoes It wasn’t the Sales Carnival either. No good bargains, so refused to be tempted into buying. Only bought br*ast paddings for my new dinner dress

Also, was kinda sleepy and tired after such a long night. I truly wasn’t myself. Had Coffee Bean another 15 bucks gone…  I was quieter than my usual self.

SY sent me to nearest LRT station, took LRT to Amcorp Mall. Anakin came to fetch me. We were going to pay last respects to 2K’s mom. But first, I needed to change into something more sombre. I was wearing an orange-coloured tee and mini skirt! Had to borrow baggy t-shirt and jeans from Anakin. Thank God, the jeans fitted me well

Went for the wake at the funeral parlour. 2K seemed okay, but I know that he’s heart-broken bout his mom. Kesiannya!

Left at 9.30pm, Anakin sent me home. Thanks!

27 NOVEMBER 2006 - 29 NOVEMBER 2006 - MONDAY - WEDNESDAY

Junior Advanced Course (JAC) Books 3 & 4 seminar at Yamaha Kelana Jaya, conducted by Miss L. Super worried about my ‘kids’. They’re not at that level yet and they’re due for Book 3 in January 2007! Maybe I’ve molly-cuddled them too much, spoon-fed them too much! What am I to do? I have 15 months to get them ready for their Yamaha Lower Grade 7 exam in March 2008 - repertoire, arrangement, sight-playing, aural, improvisation… God! Help me!

I was so worried that I didn’t have the mood to join other fellow teachers for lunch on the first two days. I went to Giant alone. Hey, I actually enjoy having lunch alone - can eat anything I want, walk anywhere I want, without the need to entertain and interact with other people Should do this more often But not every day lah…

Visited my ex-colleagues at Ascom on Tuesday. They were surprised, esp KSY Hehehe… Karen came and gave me a hug… Normally, I’d have backed-off (me and my ‘personal space’ thingie), but I responded this time. Missed the whole lot of them!

30 NOVEMBER 2006 - THURSDAY

Back to the grindstone today, with a whole pile of work greeting me, screaming at me to get them done… Back to the grindstone now, the windbag ( Read: ME)

I wonder what the sh*t is wrong with students nowadays. They keep asking me questions which I’ve already told them the answer many times and have reminded them more than ten times, to which, they’d nod their heads and say,"Okay". But once they leave the studio, they’d forget everything! Sometimes, I’d console myself by this thought = Never mind. They’re suffering from dementia, like Por-Por. Sh*t… They keep asking what time is the concert practice when I’ve already told them N-th time as well as written it down in their notebooks. Can’t they just flip it open and check? Why must they be so da*n lazy and just take the easy way out by texting me and disrupt my peace? This is one of the reasons why I decided to leave Yamaha. I don’t want to bring my work home! At home or while I’m not teaching, they’d still text of call me. This includes those inconsiderate parents, (especially that b*tchy woman from my NJXC class-my previous blog). I want my privacy and my own time without thinking about the lesson plans, the concerts, the exams, the extra classes and all the planning when I’m at home! And this is not the first time they’re sending me text messages to confirm about the practice sessions, replacement lessons or normal lessons time/schedule! Wasting my energy, money and time to reply their text messages. Da*n! Sh*t! Who do they think I am? Their personal secretary? They’re not the only students I have. How do they expect me to remember the various practice session? Crap… Why can’t they be responsible for themselves? They’re teenagers, for God’s sake! Sh*t.. Why should I be the one to remind them over and over again? I’m not their mother or what-so-ever! Why are teenagers so irresponsible? When I was their age (Gosh! This phrase makes me feel so old!), I don’t need anyone to remind me about extra classes or anything! Why are students (and their parents) such a pain in the neck nowadays? My mom and I never gave my teacher such problems! Why can’t they give me some peace instead of texting me in the middle of the night (past 12midnight, mind you!) that they can’t come for lesson (last minute cancellation and yet, expect me to give replacement lesson! Da*n!) or asing me questions which I’ve already answered N-th times on my rest day (Sunday)? Why can’t they be more responsible for themselves?

This is the 10th week I’m in Elken.

Whoa… Soon it’ll be Christmas! Ah… my favourite season of the year! I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Okie, before I get carried away with the Xmas thingie, let me continue…

SS ‘abandoned’ me in this dark and scary abyss since her last day 8/11/06. It’s been 2 weeks since she left, and I’m still Blur… Super blur @_@ She has taught me plenty of things and has been nice & kind to me. THANKS. But there’s more to learn. And EY is not back from her medical leave yet… I hope she’s all right.

So, I have to do the admin work as well… So many things to do. Yet, my slow brains can’t remember everything… GOD… Anyone can just dump jobs onto me. I’m like a Jack of all trades. Sometimes, my table wold be fo full of things that I could hardly know where to start. Tasks come piling up one after another - before I could kautim one thing, another person would pass me something else and another, and another… I get so blur till I don’t know which should I do first. Da*n…

My colleagues are nice people. Helped me alot esp with explaining the procedures of those nasty paperwork and stuuuupppiiddd JDE system thingie. I make mistakes every time I attempt to do the JDE thingie. S*cks! Other departments? Nice people too… But some always come breathing down my back, chasing me to get the graphic designers to kautim their jobs, or chasing me for the translations of speeches, slides, etc. Hey… I’m just the middle-man la…Ya, overall, they’re a friendly lot, I should say. And, I like chatting with the security/cleanliness/beverages personnel. Maybe my eyes are still covered with wool, I dunno… Time will tell, I guess…

I was shocked and taken aback when my superior and dept head apologized to me cz I’m doing things which I’m not responsible for doing. They said they’re trying to hire someone to do the admin thingie but it’s rather difficult to get new staff cz it’s the end of the year now. Anyway, it’s good that I’m thrown into deep waters cz I get to learn new things even though it can be tough sometimes. Good experience and exposure for this bag of lazy bones (READ: Carrie = ME) I know, when I look back to this day in a couple of years time, I’ll be thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained here. Thank you, Lord. There’s a reason to every thing…. There’s a silver lining in each cloud, hopefully…

Ah! The good thing is, I somehow managed to fit into my gold Adax skirt now Previously, my b*tt and thighs were too fat to fit into it, no thanks to all the sitting down and lack of activities in Ascom. Now, I’m running to other departments (see? I’m also a despatch!) and sometimes, I’d take the stairs instead of the elevator (I’m not committed enough to exercise at home, so I’m ’stealing’ some time here to accelerate my heartbeat abit to strenghten my heart;p ) Hopefully, I can tone up the flab at those unwanted areas - b*tt, thighs, tummy…

Apart from the heavy workload (which leaves me forgetting to drink water/go to the loo), I should say I’m learning alot here. But I still miss the Ascomers. Here, I watch what I say, so that I won’t step on the wrong toes and I watch my back constantly (even though I don’t feel that there’s anything lurking behind those smiley faces) - just to be safe than sorry

Not as carefree as the days in Ascom, nor as laid-back as my Yamaha days (I used to watch TV, talk to Johnny the doggie, kacau, I should say> and nap in the afternoon before leaving for my classes!). Not complaining, just comparing… Well, you gain some, you lose some A new chapter has begun in my life…

BTW, for your info, we just transferred my dearest Por-Por back to a nursing home in Tmn Saga, a few streets away from my house so that we could see her more often and ensure that she’s well-taken cared of. The one in PJ was good, but they don’t serve Chinese food and she was once admitted for anaemia cz she’d refuse the food they served. Now, we could drop by whenever we’re home early and also bring her soup and fruits often I miss her.. .Loads… I miss her yelling at me, I miss her cooking, I miss her jokes, most of all, I miss her as a whole… :’( She’s got dementia now, can’t even remember my name… I don’t dare ask if she knows who am I… I don’t want to be heart-broken.. Denial? YES…

7 weeks… I can’t believe it’s my 7th week in Elken.

Time moves too fast! It seemed like yesterday since I left Ascom Media. Well, maybe it’s because I still see my ex-colleagues rather often to ‘kepoh’ on each other’s news. And yes, there’re emails, phone calls, text messages as well as ‘missed calls’ whenever we think of each other (Sabariah, kau yang mulakan "miss call-miss call" ni, bukan?)

Well, the first couple of weeks were rather relaxed - nothing much to do, except doing some proof-reading and translations, plus research on Vitamin C and compiling the competitors’ info. I was BORED to tears! Would feel sleepy after lunch everyday, but unlike in Ascom, I couldn’t catch my forty-winks here! I made frequent trips to the washroom so that I won’t look like a sleepy head at my desk. I have my own desk, but everyone can see what the others are doing.

I withdrew into my shell again, talking only when I’m spoken to. It takes me quite some time to warm up to others, you know! Especially if it’s job-related. Yeah, have to tread carefully.

I was "Ascom-sick" on my 2nd and 3rd day in Elken. NO! I don’t miss Ascom! I miss my friends there! I was teary-eyed when I texted SY and CH. I missed their company so much! And the miss calls we gave each other didn’t help at all.

My fellow Elkenians are a whole lot of nice people. SS introduced me to everyone in my dept (Advertising & Promo dept, plus the graphic designers) on my first day there. I could barely remember their names! Thank God that their names were pasted onto the side of their desks! SS was nice and friendly and invited me to join them for lunch. She also taught me alot of things regarding my job. Thanks, SS!

MK is my immediate superior. She has been very patient in showing me the ropes too. Mostly, they converse to each other in Mandarin and Cantonese. They speak to me in Cantonese and English. People from other depts speak to me in Mandarin and I’d answer in Mandarin, but if i can’t express myself well, I’d revert back to Cantonese I’m slowly warming up to them now, but I can foresee that I still need more time. D’s antics and initative in getting me to talk is greatly appreciated

There are more things to do now. SS is leaving for greener pastures (ALL THE BEST!) and EL is on sick leave, so I even have to handle admin work (which I’m totally blur at!) I must learn everything from SS before she leaves, 4 more working days for me to learn and digest! With my slow brains, how can I learn everything?! God! Please save me!

Nice people here but STOOOPID systems, esp that dunno-what JDE thingie. Too much paper work amongst other departments who just dump their things on us, expecting us to kautim for them. And if there’re mistakes, fingers would point back at us! SH*T… sometimes, we’re just the middleman! We pass the thing to other dept or freelance translators, and it’s NOT our responsibility to check or amend it for the requestors! They should check it themselves before submitting it. Should there be any mistakes, it’s their fault. We’re NOT obliged to check for them when our workload is so da*n heavy, right? Some friends asked,"Hey, what’s your job function there?" I’d stare blankly at them and shrug my shoulders. All I know is, anyone can dump anything on me, give me VAGUE instructions and expect me to be able to kautim for them. H*ll! How would I know what they want if they don’t tell me specifically? I’m doing proof-reading, translations, research (for Vitamin C, enzyme catalyst & other supplements), pre-ISO checking for the job requisition thingie- asking for people’s signatures if they forget it( they TEND to forget it to make your life miserable!), filing, Stupid JDE thingie, dealing with other dept (requestors) and freelance translators, distributors who come colelct their newsletters, etc… I dunno what the H*ll am i doing sometimes! It’s like I’m a Jack of all trades ( literal translation: "Satu kaki tendang") and doing some energy-depleting admin work (SUCKS) So, what EXACTLY is my job function? Hopefully, they’ll get an admin staff soon, so I can concentrate on the publishing thingies. And by next year, they’ll give me a clearer picture of the areas of my responsibilities and what I’m supposed to do, and what’s none of my business.

I was totally depleted when my enzyme thingie for the VCD for the 10th time 0_0 I managed to grasp what they wanted and completed it the next day, with the help fr ML. When she passed it to the manager, the verdict was - she changed her mind and wanted it in point form! So, we both had to do it again. It’s okay. It’s over now.

My current colleagues walk at a leisurely pace when we go out for lunch. I walk relatively fast, to get myself out of the sun sooner. But, once they spring into action (at work), there’s no stoppng them. Whole dept are ladies, except the graphic designers (4 are guys, the other is a girl)

On my 2nd week there, I’d wake up feeling afraid to go to work. But it subsided. Have to deal with other departments too! You know I hate talking to strangers. Now, the fear is coming back… I’m afraid I won’t be able to do well, or that I’d make mistakes. I’m afraid I’ll mess things up… So, now I’m trying to learn as much as I can from her, and also to get used to the job, with help from other colleagues.

I still miss the Ascomers though… It’s more fun there, but not much room to learn new things. Less pressure there too Well, I can’t have my cake and eat it, right? Overall, my verdict is… My ex-colleagues are nice and I really MISS them loads! My new colleagues are nice too - I just need to take my time in warming up to them Cheers! Can’t say the same thing about the admin tasks though, and the user-UNFRIENDLY JDE system and the various forms to fill for various tasks. EEW…