29 December 2006

Assalamualaikum wahai rakan rakan. Untuk pengetahuan semua, anda dijemput ke majlis makan makan yang akan diadakan insyallah pada hari yang mulia Jumaat 29hb December.

Tempat perjumpaan akan dimaklumkan melalui fahmi zakaria dan ahmad shahredzuan kepada semua menggunakan sistem pesanan ringkas. Diminta anda semua mengosongkan jendela anda pada hari itu supaya kita dapat berjumpa dan bermakan makan.

cadangan aktiviti dibuka kepada semua. sila hantar cadangan anda sebelum 28hb untuk memastikan kami dapat merancangan perancangan yang diperlukan.

Sekian,

Harap Maklum.




p.s - Vest is optional. You're welcome to wear blazers.


p.p.s - Sesiapa yang boleh Menghubungi Menon, sila berbuat demikan.

a tropical christmas

the icy wind blasting in your face, the slight drizzle causing a damp on your jacket, but not soaking it. the crowd of people hustling and bustling through narrow streets, each one sporting a paper bag or two. Gucci, Prada ones with ribbons tied on top, bright orange Hermes bags in between, in different sizes. Huge Next plastic bags with hangers poking out of them. Selfridges plastic bags bright yellow in colour, serving as a warning - get out of the way! the smell of hotdogs from round' the corner, the tramps and vagabonds asking you for change as you struggle to get some personal space from the sidewalk around you.

bright sign displays on shopwindows displaying their discounts, people pushing through, kids crying, not realising their mothers are just round the aisle,basket in tow. street music buskers banging on drums, each one festive as the other, wearing santa hats. the indecisive couple not knowing which shop to go to, the archtypical Japanese tourist busy snapping away. The black cabs whizzing around, avoiding the slow moving buses packed with tourists and shoppers alike.

the warm taste of coffee soothing your throat, the aroma of it isolating you from the world outside, just as the floor to ceiling windows becomes a barrier to the unrelenting noise and activity outside. inside its all cozy, ambient jazz music, soft sofa with generic branding.

in a nutshell, boxing day - London.


thats my london winter last year. 12 months on, its quite different. here i am, at home, typing out this blog. theres no boxing day holidays here, i have a feeling they should, as to allow us another extra day off (although i reckon we have the most number of holidays as compared to other countries). Being a Muslim-majority country (I wouldnt go as far as to declare Malaysia to be a Muslim country, as I follow the Constitution, and not political party rhetorics), the celebrations here are not as fun and huge as it is in england, but i guess they try their best to liven things up with a few santa clauses and some christmas trees in the shopping malls and hotel lobbies.

i had the best christmas last year having the full monty - unwrapping christmas presents placed under the christmas tree in the morning, christmas dinner, and lazing about in the lounge watching tv afterwards. perfect! the boxing day was spent ice skating in front of the natural history museum.. and had chinese at Mr Kongs ( or was it Wongs, i dont know!).

i had a christmas bbq yesterday (25th) at Moon's. Great food, great company. And the tinge of sadness of having to get back to work the next day. It feels like when I was in boarding school, when I just head back from a long holiday. That dreaded feeling, oh yes, i think you all know what i mean.

well. unfortunately i had planned to blog more, but as always, im running out of things to say. will blog later if i do figure out what to write. till then, ta-ra!

uncool runnings

its the christmas weekend and we, the people who work, are blessed with an extra day as monday is a holiday. woohoo! one day makes a huge difference these days.. hell, even half a day makes a significant change!

was reading other peoples blogs and Ope said that his life is more boring than mine. I beg to differ. I think his everyday activities, the Ope-Esque activities that he partakes in are interesting, i.e, like clubbing, but in an intellectual sense. An intellectual discourse with Ope in politics or economics is sure to bring up suprises. He has shattered my belief in ASB (Amanah Saham Bumiputera - a sort of unit trust) and suddenly i dont think its a good idea to park my money there!!

so anyways, i just got back from Murni with H.R.H Permaisuri Diraja Farisha, Acap, Ope, Shuen, Sarah and Tien Tien (shuens friend) and that was a nice little mamak session which i like to participate in. I think thats a cool session - does it count towards my Cool Points?

Maybe we should have something like a cool point chart, and the more things you do, you get more points. I shall start on a structure and get back to u guys about that.

So whats new happening, well, work has been quite quiet the past few days, due to the fact that everyone worth contacting is on leave, and the people who are at work are the ones you want to avoid. it doesnt help too that by virtue of everyone going on holiday, its understaffed, and u end up doing somebody elses work.

well, i guess im too sleepy to type out my blog. am going to get my well earned rest. till tommorow people, ciaooo!

I Wanna Be Cool Too!

ok so ive posted just like, an hour ago or so... but i was surfing and surfing (when i am actually supposed to be doing some sort of work) and guess what i found.... other people's blogs!

these people i would say are acquaintances, some of them ive probably not met for years and years. but looking at their blogs, it seems like theyre having the time of their lives. definitely not a 9-5 (or they are having a 9 to 5 job but what they seem to be doing after that looks cool) and reading their blogs and their pictures kinda sheds some perspective on how boring my life is. Heres what my daily schedule/ routine is like

6.20am - phone buzzes

6.50am - wake up

6.55 - panic and shower frantically

7.10 - realise its not that late. check email. packup laptop

7.15 - have breakfast (usually just a glass of water + redaxon)

7.20 - in car, ready to go

7.25 - forgot tie. rush back in.

7.40 - pickup Yu Min. avoid stares from weird neighbours

7.45 - at the NPE Sunway toll plaza. curse non smart tag users in smart tag lane

7.47/7.48 - reach the Bangsar toll plaza, again curse those stupid drivers

7.50 - notice how weird amber chia looks like in the celebrity fitness adverts in bangsar

8.05 - stuck in jam. plan for world domination

8.25 - cant decide how to dominate world - reach office car park

8.35 - stroll in office - go down to cafeteria look for breakfast.

9 - work!

and so work goes on till 6 when i leave, and i usually reach home around 7.20ish if im lucky

at night i either go out with fahmy, go to the gym, hav dinner with parents, or just like today, stayed in. oh yeah, i have clp class too sometimes.

so yeah, looks like im kinda low down in the cool stakes huh?

The Merchant of Venice

today marks the first proper day that we are operating as an Investment Bank. Before this we were merchant bankers but now, it all changes. By changes you mean that we have to have a rubber stamp that says "formerly known as AmMerchant Bank" everything else is the same basically. As shakespeare would state it, "Whats in a name? A rose in any other name would smell as sweet".

So i am enjoying my internet connection. Not bad to be honest, im now typing this blog on my bed, having watched the latest episode of the oc. I must say, the o.c has gone pitifully boring and i would say that they wont last any longer than one or two seasons. a bit of a shame really, maybe because the best bits are all used up in season one. As with all teen shows, its always the case of "will they, or wont they" and once that happens, it kinda goes down the drain. Its either that or you grow out of it.

todays work was kinda hectic, but for lunch fahmy and acap came over to the weld for a bit of lunch, and kat was there, and suprisingly, khalid too. had some nasi goreng at Chow (the Weld Food Cour) and to be honest, i am bored of that place already. and its overpriced too! The only thing i used to like about that place was the free wi-fi but now since ive got back my wifi at home, whats the point?

traffic jam this evening was terrible. im guessing because Selangor was on holiday today so all those who were on holiday decided to disturb us who are working in KL by going shopping and clogging up our roads. The weather played a part too by unleashing a storm (as it always does at approx 4pm) and of course, when it rains, people drive like idiots. suddenly everyone drives at 30km/h.

well, to be honest thats all i can think of to write at the moment. will blog when i have something to say. till then, take care peeps


adlan

Tis The Season To Be Merry

so yes, its december, the last month of the year, the end of the year, the beginning of a new year just round the corner. Not too sure what the new year brings me, but from what i can see, i think it'll be full of suprises just like this year.

first of all, ive just set up a new router at home. the previous router just gave up (as IT things always does to me) so i hope this one lasts. ive not been online much this past few weeks as i struggle to cope with the huge amount of work, and the sheer volume of things to do in a week.


so yes, in a nutshell

work-busy-stressful-just got internet running again at home-broke

will blog when im less sleepy. ciaoz people!!

So Here I am Again

its been a while... oh sod it. I always seem to start my blogs off like that. "its been a while... its been a while..." I really dont know how else to start it because it seems like ages since i blogged (here we go again, the generic blog start..)

but then, this is KL. and in KL, everything moves at the speed of light. for me that is. yes, i know here i am going again with another cliche' (this is a cliche ridden blog) but a lot of things have happened since i last blogged, even I cant believe the stuff! haha.

i am writing this in Starbucks taipan, 10pm on a sunday as i struggle to finish off my work. yes, i know u tell me why do i blog when i have to do work? well, im trying to find stuff to write, so i thought id have a litle break before continuing.

things have been going great for me here. i think little bits of my life are falling into its place. its a sudden realisation that things are finally going ur way after years of it being the opposite. i know i complain a lot about work sucks, but then so is every job in the world, i guess i am lucky to have a job that allows me to study and a boss that is friendly. ive heard horror stories about bosses and i think its quite good that my boss is okay. (the power of positive thinking, makes ur day sooo much better!)

so yeah, works good, the car is great (a bit underpowered but Proton aint gonna fit in a 5.0 V10 in a Neo so I guess i have to make do with it) and im enjoying the KL scene for the moment. work does get in the way sometimes, and when u start earning ur own money, u start going out less as theres less reasons to go out! haha

so today went to class, and then went to buy some car related stuff. no, ive not been modifying the Neo, but ive been buying car wash stuff, u know, car shampoo, car wax, sponges, kain buruks and the polish and some other stuff. so i set off washing the car and Helen of Troy, was that tiring. but the results were just fantastic, imagine just staring at the car and knowing u put in sooo much effort into that shine, and not just pay RM5 to some fella to wash ur car. the result was fantastic, so fantastic in fact that i didnt mind it rained 30mins later. yeah. sucks huh, but thats life so deal with it.

went to cyberjaya to send the paintings that i shipped back from london to her, and now im back subang under the pretext of work (which i am doing, albeit very slowly) and god knows what time am i going to finish this. my eyes are a bit dry, ( i have no idea why, and i think a good sleep is in order. right after i finish this... areghhhhhhh)
.

well in order to cut things short, let me just list things down;


1) I've got a new hobby. heheh.

2) Keesha works in AmIslamic Bank! And keesh if ure reading this at work, go and finish the work we did in the meeting the other day (Super Duper top secret - cannot mention name) or else the people at Merchant won't be too pleased

3) washing ur cat is a tiring...tiring....tiring.... thing to do

4) Never ever knock off Paul McKenna. Never

5) Aquaplaning - Not fun.

6) Work = No time for anything else!

7) Work = No Money

8) Life = Suprises!!

9) Ayo! got to go sleep! ciao!

Leaving London / Living KL

You see back in my student days, which wasn’t really that long ago, I always wondered why people don’t blog anymore. Now that I am working I finally found out why. You see, im back already in kl now working for a famous bank and to be honest with you, I don’t think I have the time. Its not that I do a lot of things, its just that maybe since im back in kl, ive got a lot more better things to do.

Ive started work at this little department that doesn’t really have a job description. I cant really state what im doing, but basically I think the department should be renamed “Department of Sorting Shit Out”. Yeah, I think I kinda like it here (for the time being) as its my kinda line yknow? It could be one day reading SC guidelines, or the next day just arguing with lawyers and looking at word by word contracts. Its times like this that im thankful that I am the kinda guy who looks into words too much (my exes all agree that I do). So yea, its my kinda thing, sorting shit out, im not keen on analyzing and writing an essay and telling what should be done, I like to get amongst it, and do something about it. And no im not bitter at them accenture idiots for rejecting me at their interview – never wanted to be a consultant anyway heh.

Life in KL has been good. I do feel sad about leaving London and the people behind. (you know who you are) so the first week was me feeling absolutely lost. Of course this was partly due to the fact that I am always lost in the middle of KL, and it doesn’t help that with a new car im suffering from New-Car-Syndrome where I drive slowly to avoid anything untoward to happen to my car. So when a Singaporean BMW grazed my right fender, the syndrome disappeared and I was driving back – KL Style.

I guess this is the life that I kinda wished I had. Driving back from work, meeting up friends for a teh tarik, going for the occasional meal with a particular special someone (again, you know who you are but u don’t read this blog so nevermind!). But the thing is you cant expect me to settle back in a week the lifestyle I had for 4 years. Im slowly blending back and its not as easy as you would expect. Sure most of you would say that im just being over dramatic but if you have lived with the lads (Daryl, Ed, Ben Rob Sully n the rest) you would have experienced a different kinda life when u come back.

Unfortunately I still do talk with an accent which does sound a bit funny at times and it thickens when im pissed off or when im just frustrated at things. “oh for fucks sake youre a fucking nasher” comes out once in a while so yeah, that’s interesting.

There are times when I wished I was in London. I repeat, not back living and studying in London like I was doing, but just back there, sitting in Hyde Park enjoying the glorious sunshine (summer) or just admiring the view from the Millenium Bridge (middle of freezing Winter). I know I wont be doing that for a long time, but I guess London holds a lot of memories for me, especially in my last 4 days there.

But of course im slowly moving on, taking my own sweet time (although not on the highways!), although I think my pace of life is rather fast these days. I started work 4 days (or was it 5) after I arrived at KLIA, and was still jetlagged on my first day at work. I still had receipts from Selfridges in my wallet and various pockets, I still have sterling in my wallet, and my memories from London are still fresh (although its slowly eroding away)

Its nearly three weeks now, I know that’s quite a long time but with all the things that have been happening to me, I that’s a lot in such a short space of time. Leaving people you truly care about and a city as impressive as London behind is not easy- but hey life’s not about moaning and wondering what if, its about identifying your target, getting your run in, keeping yr head up high (or low if ure playing rugby) and just going in for the hit. What happens after that ( a good tackle, or a dislocated shoulder) is for later. As for now, you got to sort that shit out.


After all, I wasn’t assigned to the Department of Sorting Shit Out for just being a pretty face.


Ok all, theres some sorting shit out to do. Will blog later. Ciao people!


-lan

The End is The Beginning is The End

it seems that Thailand isnt the only place where things are being thrown out. As you are aware I have been packing and cleaning as I leave my flat for good. It hasnt sunk in yet the fact that this is my last night here and my last time blogging from the dining table (wi-fi has gone and now resorted using wires again!) with the view of the magnificen Canary Wharf and BBC News 24 bellowing on the telly.

so yes, it is my last night here but it doesnt feel like it. As I got back from central London, I had a terrible headache and I slept. And then woke up, and then slept again. I woke up at 10pm, and started to frantically clean and apply some sealant onto the bathtub linings. I always say that I'm cleaning, and today I've kinda ran out of things to clean. The surfaces has been wiped clean, the floors have been vaccumed (and will be vaccumed again tommorow morning before I handover the key) and well, thats it i guess. There really isnt much else I can do tonight.


Its sad. I miss this place, but I guess we all gotta move on. Starting from tommorow finally all my three 'hurdles' -huge tasks that I need to do, have been done and dusted.


The hotel brochure said that they have in-room broadband. I'll have to see how it goes. If i do have internet, ill blog from there, if i dont, well, I'll see you back in KL. Either that or you can call me on my cell.


Alright then peeps. the last post from The Lumiere Building. See you all soon.



pish

Whatcha Gonna Do?

the apartment is empty, ive only got 5 tv channels to play with and trust me, on a lazy saturday afternoon, theres bollocks on telly. I've got nothing in the fridge to raid (and not only is it empty, it is switched off for the defrosting process), no food items to cook, and i am chained to my house at the moment as the people from PAL Shipping are supposed to come and pick my boxes up here in London, but when I called them they were in Manchester. Hmmm...

I've got no TV shows to watch (watched them all), but I do have ONE thing i have to do, which is cleaning up. Haih.. Im going to start that later. So what do I do to pass the time? well, surfing the internet, and i think the sites which i frequent the most have been visited on an hourly basis. This is boring. Not even friendster can save me now!

Was reading thestar.com.my, and found 3 articles indirectly linked to Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Its weird because law firms rarely appear on newspapers but i gotta hand it to em, ZICO is like a celebrity law firm.

An article in thestar.com.my announced the privatisation of an asset (which i dont know if i can name or not) by another company (again, i dont think i can disclose this) which I had a hand in! Woohoo! Yay! Of course i did 0.0001% (or less) of the work but its nice to read in newspaper articles things that you actually had a hand in. Another article was an announcement by the CIMB Chief Executive (Charon something) about something CIMB is up to. He was a top gun lawyer at ZICO before he jumped into the investment banking world. The last article is about ZICO being announced as the legal advisor for Genting and Maxis' bond issue. Wahey, way to go ZICO (eventhough i dont work for them!)

------------------------------------------


I dont think many people know about this, but my playlist on my iPod is grouped according to a particular time frame. For example, my playlist has names such as "A 05 KL Summer" and "A London Spring". All the songs in the playlist are a mixture of songs which reflect the time of year the playlist was made or songs that were top of the charts at the particular moment. I've decided to make a new playlist for this new time, and its called "A New KL Adventure!". Theres some tracks on it that was present in the previous playlist, only because I think it reflects exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. At the moment the new playlist will feature mostly happy happy tracks with fast beats, in order to justify the "New Adventure" status. It may be also due to the fact that i'll be using it during driving as I kiss my London Underground and oyster card days goodbye and hello to stressful gearshifting in traffic jams. Not to forget I would have to re-master the art of parking lot jousting where vision, timing, and skill is required in order to come up on top. Forget champions league football, this is the place where only the very best survive. (the loser ends up having to walk further)

Having said that, being wedged between stupid smelly people (they are stupid, trust me, and they stink as well!) on the bus from stratford to manor park or being stuck in the privacy of my car, I'd choose the car anytime.

When I say stupid, I really mean it. There was a huge huge lady who blocked the entrance and refused to move only until the driver intervened, in which her response was "I aint bovvered I got my rights to stand wherever I want I paid my fare innit?" Another thing Im irritated by are these hiphop wannabes blasting 2nd rate tracks from their mobile phones. Heard of earphones mate? And no, playing 50cent doesnt make you look like a gangster, it makes you look like a kid. And no, you're not from Harlem, you're from Stratford. And you're not even African American, you're of middle eastern descent! (being pc here...)

London's a bit foggy at the moment. Canary Wharf is blurry from my vista point. but I think itll clear up later in the day. Talking about that, I have to go to meet the lads to say hello/goodbye to Coxhead before he heads off to Cambridge, but I've got to wait for the box people to come.




well people, will blog again once i move my arse from this chair and finish the cleaning up. talk to ya'all soon...




pish

Going Back.. To Come Home

so ive not been updating my blogs for two months. a lot of things have happened in between that. among them, i;

had to witness the beloved hamstermobile being hoisted up 6ft in the air - engine and gearbox on the ground to replace the clutch plate

got an interview and subsequent job offer in the span of 24hours

attended my friend's (and senior's) wedding! the first one got married last year but I wasnt around, so this is the first wedding im attending which is not family-related

had a good time at Planet Hollywood and StarHill (you know who you are)

signed my first proper employment letter (and subsequent non-disclosure agreements) which made me feel pretty important

had a pay rise (eventhough i havent started yet! woohoo)

flew back on a day flight and having my new shoes covered in satay sauce by a stewardess trying to impress a little too hard.

lugged around 5 flat boxes around central london (not an easy task)

had to eat out of plastic plates and takeaway everyday (trust me, its not nice!)

went on a 12hour road trip to cornwall which rocks!

with the help Matt, Ben, Ed, Daryl, Liam, Robbie and Snuggy, successfully brought Sexy back

successfully dueted with Ben for the song Promiscous by Nelly Furtado. Unfotunately i cant explain why im singing Nelly's lines and not Timbaland's

am now in possession of a very fine expensive cigar humidor made from the finest Spanish Cedar wood (all thanks to the UEA lads!)

now live out of a suitcase with minimal clothes (where did they all go)

cleaned out the fridge

put all my belongings in 4 standard sized boxes

threw away 15 black bags of rubbish (still more to come) from the house - all of them boxes, junk and other things i cant be arsed to bring back

got two free songs on itunes!

got people i dont know about talking bout me (and getting my name wrong!)

cleaned the surfaces in the lounge (more to do!)


its weird how im able to sum up all thats been happening to me in the paragraph above. usually things like that happen like once a month for me a few months back but now everythings going quickly. im staying in London till the 25th, leaving behind memories and friends but without a doubt ill be back. dont know when, but im sure ill be back.

its times like this when you start appreciating London as a city. when u live here, ure usually too occupied to actually appreciate the things London has to offer. I take for granted looking at tower bridge, or walking by Oxford Street like its another High Street in another town. And yes, Hyde Park seems so nice when you realise you wont be seeing it in a weeks time.


In case you didnt know (which is highly unlikely, as word seems to spread around pretty fast these days) I've got a job at AmMerchant. At first i kinda balked at the idea, me? Merchant Banking?? But after talking to my fellow Career Advisor/Emergency Driver/Scapegoat/Fashion Advisor Fahmi, i realised that maybe it is a good place to start. And after embarking on an intensive research session (i.e Google) about the company i am contracted to, i think its a good place to start your career. The perks are fantastic, the office is in the Golden Triangle in KL, parking is slightly pricey but safe and just right below the building, and I'd be in the middle of KL - nightlife capital of Malaysia (money and stamina permitting), i mean, what more could i ask for. they've even let me come back to London to pack and start working a month after ive signed the contract of employement. of course im not being paid this one month but i think im gonna like this place. and oh yea, ive heard about the 24months bonus rumours in the banking industry but i think people should be realistic, that doesnt happen very often.

im now spending what would be my last weekend in the flat. This apartment is fantastic, the view is great, the bus stops right in front of the building, theres a tesco store literally on the doorstep and its high up away from the ghetto surroundings of Manor Park. Unfortunately Manor Park is still a shithole and people still smell bad in the buses but nevermind that, its all okay!

and besides, i think i can come back to KL and proclaim that im an East End boy, coz my house is just down the road from West Ham innit?

sorry that this blog is a bit mellow and full of sad sad things, its just that ive been to busy to feel sad that at times like this (fridge cleaned, boxes sealed up) when i have the time to start thinking, it really feels sad to come home.


ill always remember what shuen gave me the day i flew off to the UK the first time. It was a cd and the case had a card which had this on it
"I give you no excuses for you to stay, but reasons for you to come back"

..wise words from a wise man. Unfortunately the contents of the cd are...shall we say, very very wise indeed.


ill ramble more when I finally finish everything up. talk to u guys soon.



pishy

The End / The Start

Its been a while since my last post (funny how i always start my post with that line). For those not in the know, I've been working as an intern at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Yes, to most of you, being an intern is more like photocopying, arranging stacks of files, or even just sitting around doing nothing. To be honest with you, that was what i thought it would be at first. Of course I did the ocassional photocopying, the occasional running around, but most of the time i was actually doing some kind of work. It may be on an ongoing case, an opinion, or just research for future use. It was quite an experience and I think I enjoyed myself there. So much so that i took an extra two weeks unpaid internship. Not that it mattered, as the amount they paid me for the internship duration of one month finished within 4 hours of me removing it from the envelope ( i blame the petrol prices)

Ive always been unsure on what i wanted to do. Hell, I did accountancy professionals after my degree for gods sakes. but i guess it takes some kind of jolt to your system to realise what you're good at or what you are not. To me, doing the CIMA papers was a good insight into business and how things operate from a non-legal point of view. Unfortunately I dont think I will be doing it next semester, as I (again) change direction and intend to pursue my CLP (Certificate for Legal Practice) in KL.

Its been a rough year, a LOT of things have happened, some I have mentioned in this blog, some I wont (you all know how private ive become since my solitary confinement in London), and I think its good to be home. Not for just the obvious reason that London sucks my wallet dry, but I think I found something that I think I may be good at. I repeat may be good at.

I know this waffling about makes me look lost. To be honest, sometimes i think im like an american guided missile, - always having the clear view but sometimes missing its target and failing spectacularly. But somehow doing the stuff that the lawyers have handed down to me, it seems natural. Ask me about a Balance Sheet and I'll be at pains to tell you whats in it, but ask me something related to law and I'll be able to come up with an answer (sometimes not straight away, but eventually!)

So yes, it seems that all good things come to an end. I started my internship on the 3rd of July and finished it on the 12th of August. Not bad eh? I think the chambering students in Zaid Ibrahim & Co were very helpful and friendly, and tolerated the other attachees playfulness. Without a doubt I believe that this Monday, when I'm gone the productivity level of the Chambering students will increase by at least 15%.

I've learnt how to do Opinion Writing (very basic), Due Dilligence, did some research into foreign companies intending to invest in Malaysia, SC and FIC guidelines, intellectual property, EPC contracts, did some research on fire extinguishers (yes, a story for a later date...) invented a phoney government agency called the Lembaga Api Negara, participated in random chats, created a future hit TV series/reality show (still in planning stages with Kevin and Leon), wrote a speech for a minister, got interviewed for Bernama (but edited out! idiots!). All in all i think i had a lot of fun, and i learnt at the same time. But of course all this had a caveat, as an attachment student I did not have the same responsibility as the other lawyers, who has the threat of being verbally abused by their superior or the threat of a lawsuit by their clients breathing down their necks. I know the real legal world is much more difficult then what I've been doing, but hey, so is every other job.


The legal profession is called the honourable profession. Forget the crooks and the scheming lawyers, real proper lawyers uphold the right from the wrong, in a world where the two cross into each others lines. There are two sides to every story, and people should always remember that before jumping into conclusions. There are reasons as to why a party acts in a certain way, and certain times, unbelievable as it seems, something as an innocent mistake could lead to a criminal offence.


sometimes in life you need something to make you realise what do you want in life. the past events since i got back from summer (those not in the know, ask, those who dont know and dont ask, dont need to know) made me realise that family is important and that it is time that I started to place priority on those who matter the most to me. Life is fragile and as the Honourable Datuk Shankar told us earlier this morning in his talk, "Never take anything for granted". 24 hours can make a huge difference. Jack Bauer would probably agree to that.





so today, after six weeks, i handed in my pass tag and zico lanyard, took the lift to the car park and drove away from Pusat Bandar Damansara for the last time. i drove away from the law firm, but inched closer towards practicing it.


Monday - find out law college for CLP!!!



ok peeps, hope u enjoyed my blog. take care and talk to u soon.

Day In The Life of an Intern @KL

as you all know im back in KL already. There are a few of you who still havent realised that, in which all I can say is sorry i didnt let u know earlier. the next time u fly into london, do make sure u check whether im in or not, yea? hehe.

ive been back for over 2 and a half weeks now, and am enjoying the abudant supply of food. this of course has led my belly, never a fine example in the first place, to display bulges that will put johnny vegas to shame. nonetheless i have embarked on a fruitless exercise in self restraint, only to be met by jeers and laughter from my friends. I have not given up yet, but i think resistance is futile, eventually i will cave in to nasi lemak.

internship work has been going fine. its given me a new perspective on how a law firm operates. its never what you think it is, its never like in the movies or tvshows. yes, i do liven the place up a bit by making jokes here n there (some of them successful, some of them met with confused eyes) but so far its ok. the first few days were a bit boring, being stuck in a room with little to do and trips to construction sites (dont know why they did this trip) but when the assignments came in, it was pretty cool. doing research, writing opinion letters, bunking off early to lunch, bringing cases back (real cases, albeit low level) home and doing research on it and typing out stuff, its pretty sweet. this may be early enthusiasm, but i am actually looking forward to monday. although, having said that, there is a caveat; i for sure know that after 3 months, work sucks, regardless which company you are, unless of course, you're a formula 1 driver. talking to the lawyers there gave me some idea on life in a legal practice, which is pretty much unique.

law, they say, is style and action. the facts you can research, the cases you can study, but you need to show your clients, the judge, and the opposing legal counsel that you know your stuff and you're pretty damn good. its about perception, confidence and (to some extent) having the balls to go through it.

sounds like my kinda thing. haha



so yea, i am enjoyin a bit of kl here n there. ive not gone out much like the previous holidays, because of work and my sudden interest in just staying at home, but im enjoyin it i guess.

well, thats all ive got to write at the moment. its pretty late and i gotta catch some zzs, tommorow im making the trek up to Bentong to visit my grandma.
to ya'll back in London, take care and enjoy the summer

to those coming back to KL, come back quick and take me out for lunch

to those going to London, lets meet up soon!

chocoboy says hi.


good nite. take care

One Year Later

Its been nearly a year that I've been in London. I moved in about this time last year if im not mistaken. Makes sense for me to write this now, as I'm going off on holiday with my parents and wont be having a net connection with me.

A year is a long time. A lot of things can happen in a year. I've learnt a lot. I can admit theres a lot of me that has changed to adapt to living in London. One would be the amount of walking that I do. Its quite common for me to not take the bus when im in central london. I could walk all the way from waterloo to Regents Park, not bothering to take the bus. If I'm not pressed for time that is.

I've learnt that when you give something your best shot, it shows. My team mates harp on endlessly about kaizen, or continous improvement, and that belief spurs me on to try and be a better person. If you're determined enough, you can achieve what you want.


I've learnt too, that people change over time. You think you know someone nearly all your life, and you realise that its not what you expected it to be. I've managed to see those who care, and those who dont. I've also learnt that sometimes people value you more than you think and its important not to forget that. Some however, are just fair weather friends and should be avoided like a coughing chicken.


So whats the outlook for summer? I'll be working at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a slave/intern, and probably be watching the world cup. It'll be nice, though i wish the lads will be with me, but hey, autumn comes and theres some games to watch at arse-burton grove (arsenal) and if i do have some spare cash, maybe a trip to see premiership newbies Watford and Liverpool. Who knows.


So yeah, its been a crazy year. But hey, you know when its me, nothing's ever ordinary.



Im off for a couple of weeks, I wont be online but I'm reachable on the phone. If I dont reply, it probably means im out of credit, so do bear in mind. Take care people, and lets have a great world cup summer.


By the way my three teams for this world cup is England, Holland, and Australia. England is default team, Holland because I think theyre pretty good, and Australia, well thats because I have this feeling that with Viduka, Kewell, good organisation and Guus Hiddink's great tactic book can probably push them to the second round. Any more than that would be wishful thinking though.



Take care people. love u all.

Chillout - my style

I have got a feeling this blog is boring. I barely talk about the interesting things in life, preferring to focus on the more mundane going ons in my part of the world. I guess if you do want to read something interesting, theres always The Sun to read. Or, if you hate Europe and think the French, Germans and the Spanish are after you, you can read the Daily Mail. Daryl and Ben told me they preferred the Guardian. I dont blame them, since their new "Berliner" layout and full colour pages, I was kinda drawn towards them. But then I discovered their anti-war stance and that cheesed me off.

Don't get me wrong, I dont really like wars. Despite my persistent support for pre-emptive strikes, draconian security measures and increased surveillance, I'm a nice kinda guy. But if I want to read the news, I'll buy a newspaper. That's why I like the Times, they're balanced, and they just report the news without giving much support to any side. If i want to read opinions, I'll read the Economist. And if I want to see Keely Hazel give an opinion about something, I'd read the Sun, probably the most pathetic newspaper ever published, after the New Straits Times.

You must wonder why I despise the New Straits Times so much, after all, theyre the only newspaper in Malaysia to syndicate Jeremy Clarkson's article on the Times every Sunday. They're also the biggest newspaper in circulation in Malaysia. Well, where do I start? First of all, the headlines. The headlines are important for a newspaper because for "swing-buyers" i.e, buyers who dont have a particular brand preference, the headline will catch their attention and they want to know more about it.

The Sun will usually have something about some popstar, or footballer "Roo the Hero!", while the Daily Star will have a half naked picture of a woman on the front page with a stupid headline like "Becks with New Bird!". The Times will have the most dour and boring headline - "Blair under pressure", The Daily Mail will have something along the same lines every day "Europe out to get us!" and the Guardian will have something to satisfy its generally liberal left wing readers "Blair spends money ought to be used for baby incubators". The New Straits Times however discards all this and does the unthinkable. It has more pictures to attract the headline, and sometimes they put in exclamation marks. Which is a cardinal sin if you want to be considered as a "serious newspaper". I cant remember what the headlines exactly are, probably theres too much to mention! But I remembered when I came back for summer, I just wanted to read a different newspaper, it was just silly.

The quality of the articles are dissapointing, for all I know they could've been written by a one legged bear, the argument is one sided and dont really have much in depth knowledge about what theyre writing about. Take their coverage on the run up to the Iraq war, for example. If they actually knew something about international law, they would probably cut down on the use of the word "illegal" and actually discuss on the actual legality of the war. Because, if you do some research, its actually more complex than that. There was a whole article covering the sensational discovery that two siblings won a colouring contest. I could probably get my cat chocoboy into the news by asking him to jump through a ring of fire.

Hmm...

Actually thats a good idea. May have to think about that.


Anyhoos, i am knackered today. Woke up fairly early and went to the gym. Got back, and for some weird reason found myself buying stuff to make fajitas. Turned out alrite, though I need to learn how to wrap the perfect fajita, and I need more guacamole. Unfortunately its only 8.30pm and I am struggling to stay awake. I am just too knackered, I'll probably fall asleep pretty soon.

Oh yea, I rented some DVD's from Blockbuster. I took the lame-ass dvd collection, 3 DVD's - 5pounds for 7 nights, so I managed to get "The Life Aquatic", one ive not seen before, "Hitch" one I think was pretty good, and "State and Main" an intellectually stimulating comedy (yea, i know i dont watch much of it). I borrowed "State and Main" in my third year, through Lovefilm.com, but I couldnt see the ending because the DVD was scratched. Suprise suprise, this dvd was scratched too and I gave up. Maybe I'm not destined to see what happens in the end. Who cares.

Righty ho. Im off. Good night ya'll. Will rant more as the week progresses.

Post Exam Blues

its typical isnt it. during your exams, you have so much things to do, so much places to see, and when you do have the time for it, you cant be bothered. i guess the lure of going to galleries in the run up to your exams is much more greater than doing it after the exams.

and in typical briths weather fashion, the day i went for a bbq, was the day it suddenly decided to rain endlessly. and now im feeling a lil bit ill.

im actually suprised with this, i dont really fall ill often. i get the ocassional headaches two or three times a year but thats because im too busy to drink water and get dehydrated. heh, yeah i know, everytime i say ive got a headache, theres a 90% chance i actually couldnt be bothered to go out. but that 10% is true though!

so i do what i always do when im feeling a bit ill, i went out. a good walk with some (relatively) fresh air would do you a lot of good. So i walked around this shithole you call Manor Park. Its not bad, really, if you love Jalan Masjid India, then you'll love this place. I dont, so figure out. Got myself some juices, some cereal and chicken. Now, is it just me or when you buy chicken from the Halal shops, the chicken breasts are like huge. Its like they get mutant chicken breasts. it really is weird. And to defy economic theory, theyre actually cheaper! I still cant figure out an explanation for this. Its like Tesco's are Keira Knightley, and the halal shop down the road is Scarlett Johannson.

Got myself a calling card, and I called up Matpah, as I always do. I bet you hes sick and tired of me calling him up and asking whats new. So yes, there really isnt much else I can write here.. let me think..

I got myself an iTrip, but im not too impressed with it. I tried it with my small radio and it worked fine, but the stereo clarity isnt as good as i hoped it would be. But still, it is the only way of getting 7000 songs onto your car stereo, unless of course, you've got an ipod enabled stereo, or some sort of 2000cd changer in your car.

im currently enjoying having all this time in the world, and not doing anything. tommorow is a bank holiday, but the gym is open, so i will be there early in the morning and spend some time there guilt free in the knowledge that there really isnt anything better to do. I could sit in front of the tv and get fat, but even that gets a bit bored after a while.

my parents are going to be around end of this week, so thats nice. any of you lot who are interested in coming down to london do let me know and we can arrange something, im free until the 3rd when I'm going off. you do have to put up with my weird routine though. ive been told by some that its suprising how im so different these days, but thats what happens when you spend 3 months literally on your own. i promise ill be nice.

so yeah, the offer is open. come one, come all.


Yesterday was Ben's birthday celebrations, but his birthday was actually today. His housemate Sam's birthday was yesterday and he had a huge party. It was a bbq and i stuffed myself (as I always do). But since Ben didnt really know anyone at the party, me, daryl, ben and ben's mate chris (i think) drove off to watch X-Men3. I think the movie was a little bit dissapointing. I dont really know what storyline they follow.

Heres another little tidbit about me that you probably dont know. Besides being well versed in Star Trek (with this announcement, within the next 2 weeks my dates will suddenly feign illness or just ignore me totally), I do read the X-Men comics too. Not every week, but sufficient enough to know what's going on. I read the Uncanny X-Men, because their storylines are simple without too many alternate universes and dead people coming back from life. Its also set before the Sentinels era (but of course, they do go to the future and back, unfortunately), and the cast is more stable (i.e, they dont all suddenly find themselves in a different time area/alternate universe). In the movie, i wont spoil it for you, but the ending is rather consistent with the current situation in the Uncanny X-Men. Well, there is one area that isnt so consistent but I think somewhere along the lines "it happened" and everythings fine and dandy.

Ok, I'm just talking crap now. Am going off to watch Jeremy Clarkson shout "powerr..." and making fun of Richard Hammonds teeth. Bless the BBC. Well worth my TV License, maybe..


to all, take care.

What A Difference A Year Makes

my exams are over. see, even when i wrote that, i didnt exactly feel over the top. i didnt feel much. maybe its because Ive already got thru uni, hence it kinda takes the bite off from finishing the exams. finishing your final uni exams must be the best feeling in the world. and guess when did I finish my final year uni exams. Yeap, you guessed it, exactly 1 year, to this date, 25th May, ago. funny how time flies.

a year ago, after the exams, me, daryl, n robbie went over to sully's place to watch the champs league final. and we all know what a game that was.

the very next day, I took the train to london to view flats and apartments for my course in london.


i guess a lot of things happen in a year. but hey, as they say, every second is a chance to change a whole lifetime.


im going to enjoy my summer, so this blog will be quiet for a bit. till then.. stay classy!



lan.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

dont be silly. i dont write about relationships in this blog. its a "relationship-free" zone. but of course, with such a soppy romantic title, it could only mean one thing. yes, it has something to do with a phone. (as it always does).

whilst clearing up my room, i found my old blackberry, lying face down on the floor next to the drawers, near the laundry bag. I felt sad for it and decided to give it a charge, since the battery is flat. I switched it on for the first time after 3months of inactivity, it glowed to life. And now is sitting happily net to my Xda, another idle gadget. I feel some sort of attachment towards it, because despite it sucking my money dry, I loved it. I loved the way it worked, I loved the simplicity of it. I loved the ability to receive and send emails instantaneously anywhere. It used to be my life in that phone. And now I've got to go through the hassle of checking emails on my laptop (which takes forever to boot up, if, it decides to boot up) and you know when you check emails, you get distracted and what is supposed to be a 10minute look at what you need to, becomes a 1hour run through to all the websites that you want to see.

Its one of those things that if you look from the outside, you would never understand it. You could say "hey, you're just wasting your money" but trust me, once you get it, you'll be hooked. Its why they call it the "crackberry" because its so addictive. I used to say the same bout the ipod, i mean i told myself, i cant name 100 songs, so why would I need 30gb of music. And its all a flash marketing scam anyways.

And look whos life-dependent on it now. Yeap. Good things make your life better, but great things change it.

It ranks alongside the ipod, my watch, and my rice cooker as the four most important gadget/electrical/item in my life. I miss it. I miss it so much that I'm thinking of taking the blackberry subscription back in Malaysia. I can get it hooked up to the 017 number, and my blackberry handset here does the job, so no extra costs needed. Just put the simcard in and itll work. All I need now is rm 70 a month. Heh, even my slave wages can pay for that. But other than the usual email banter, I dont get much emails. Maybe I'll have to think it through.


I called up o2 to follow up on my refund. They were supposed to refund me 20pounds since February but somehow they failed to do so. When I called them, they said I owed them money. I was abit suprised and I checked my statements. It turns out to be the other way around. So my advice for you people who have problems with these mobile phone companies is, call them until you get the result you want because I've done this before. I called them three different times and they said three different things about my contract.



Ok. enough phone talk. Gotta go study. CIMA revision aint going to be done by just staring at it.




Jack Bauer quotes.



"Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone."

"Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas"

"If everyone on "24" followed Jack Bauer's instructions, it would be called "12".

"When Google can't find something, it asks Jack Bauer for help."

"There is the right way, the wrong way, and the Jack Bauer way. It's basically the right way but faster and more deaths"


-------


the end.

A Solicitors Letter (Part 2)

I woke up this morning and did the usual stuff, check emails, friendster, check the news, checkout whos on msn, and i was suprised to see that I received another email from Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

It said;

Dear Adlan

Just to let you know that we have received the duly signed copy of the acceptance letter

Looking forward to you coming onboard!



now.. thats just a bit creepy. "looking forward" to have me come on board? on board what? their legal vessel? plundering the legal seas, with me as one of the lowly crewman. the partners would be the ones sitting in the cabins, charting maps, while ill be the one manning the sails, forced to eat whatever my lowly legal allowance can afford me, and maybe even be asked to walk the plank. im guessing they have some sort of a pirate theme going on.


"Aye, matey, come on board the Jolly Roger and lets plunder the seas...arrr... you are the lowly crewman... man the sails (arrr), and fix them rudders, but if you fail (arrr../waving his hook gesturing towards the plank), ye shall walk the plank!"



I bet you the lawyers there are rubbing their hands in joy as they have a new whipping boy to carry their files, do the paperwork, clean their toilets, wash their car(s) and probably even make them coffee.

"I pity the fool" one of them would say. "...who has to do all the research for our cases"

sigh. more post later on. got to study.

Facts of Accounting

I guess ive been doing too much revision, that my blog entry is now going to be about what im doing. But let me clear things first, i dont see myself as an accountant, and probably never will. Unfortunately for the moment, i am officially a pq. A pq stands for a part-qualified, and thats what happen when you've done a couple of professional papers.

You've probably watched scrubs, ER and other shows. You've probably even watched Ally Mcbeal and L.A Law. Its funny how those tv shows make the actual work look fun. If you believe what you see, you'll think that doctors leap through hoops of fire and in the case of Ally Mcbeal, dont do anything much but fall over and stutter a lot. But you'll never find a tv show about accountants. You see, even the most creative of scriptwriters cannot make the subject interesting. At least in law you can laugh at the cases and the judgements, but how the hell do u laugh at numbers?

In the accounting world, there are 3 types of accountants. The ICAEWs, the ACCAs and the CIMAs. The top of the tier, top of the range people are the ICAEWs, also known as the ACAs. Too much acronyms for you? Its the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales / Assoc. of Chartered Accountants. These people are usually the best of the best, the ones that love numbers and probably find themselves salivating at the prospect of a 20page spreadsheet. Since theres not many of them around, theyre the elites, think of them like the SAS with numbers. Some of them however, may think theyre better than others, (they probably are) and may act like so. You may not like them, but you cant really fault them. They deserved to be in that high spot because they worked hard for it. So it doesnt really matter if you think they're a bunch of losers who dont have a life, they definitely earned their place. No, nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong at all. (losers)

On the middle tier, are the ACCA's. These people tend to be the clever ones. While not exactly embracing the love of numbers like the guys on top, they do have a bit of an interest in the subject. They do their audits, they do their tax papers, and they finish off with a view of becoming accountants. Its also quite well known that the hot girls join ACCA, and i can back this up with statistics. Im not saying there are no other girls in the other accounting professionals, but most of them join ACCA. These ACCA students laugh at people who do CIMA (below) because, well, because they do. They also have questionable attention spans and some that I know are distracted by the simplest of things, such as a World Cup 2006 Sticker Book. (you know who you are.. heheh)


On the bottom of the ladder are the CIMA students, and I'm one of them. CIMA students are known to be a bit on the "laissez faire" side. CIMA students wouldnt know what a balance sheet is even if it hit them in the face. CIMA part qualifieds keep telling themselves that they'll earn more than the other 2 professional papers, but thats mostly just to enable them to sleep at night. People do CIMA for a multitude of things, among them; as a holiday hobby, because they dont know what to do, and some just do it because they saw it on a website and it looked good. Some of them do it for all three reasons. CIMA students dont mind being laughed at because

a) they probably didnt know what they got into
b) they dont really want to be accountants in the first place
c) they dont have a clue


There is another type of accountants, theyre called CIPFA. Nobody cares about them.


All three papers are different in their syllabus content. ICAEW is geared towards "world domination", ACCA towards "bread and butter accounting" and CIMA is leaning towards "enough to get you by".



To be honest with you I hate this line of work. I can never understand how you numbery people can cope with such crap. Law is definitely much more fun, and much more interesting. I dont care about depreciation, and i really dont care about IAS or IFRS or some other shit these numbery people create. Accounting is basically down to things, and they shouldve stuck to it. Income and Expenditure. money comes in, and goes out. thats it!

I'm never going to be an accountant. Not even Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan could persuade me to be one.



I'm learning this subject because I know it'll come in handy for what I want to be in the future.



A dictator - complete with an island base/secret lair, a cat, and a huge table for my henchmen. Not forgetting a "laser".



CIMA is handy because i'll know how much it will cost to invade singapore create peace in the region, and whether it is actually worth it to take over Laos (cost/value analysis : not worth it).



ok back to revision people. ive got world domination to plan some revision to do.

sunny days

i have to admit, i have been rather distracted this past few days. the thought of being able to meet Pele' has kinda thrown my study routines off course for a bit. For those who have not known about this, it is pretty much what I've been thinking of for the past few days. Pele' is coming to London. yes, Pele'. The Pele'. Hes in London to promote his autobiography and I am thinking of going to buy the book and get him to sign it for me. Of course there will be a queue of, say, a few thousand people, but i will try and camp outside of waterstones at 9 in the morning to get to be first in line. Its something what my lil sister would do for a Harry Potter book, but thats just not on a level as Pele. Me and Nik are sorting out some plans on when and where are we going to meet him. Unfortunately i think hes only going to sign the book, so looks like the Brazil jersey i bought two days ago has to be returned sometime soon.

so what did i do today? Abit of studying, and er, abit of gallery viewing, would you believe it or not. Went to the National Art Gallery with Lee, which I finally managed to see the "Madonna on the Rocks" painting made famous by Dan Brown in one of his books. As usual, I looked at it for 10 seconds, thought, "Hmm, thats nice" and walked off. Art eh, you can talk for 30mins about it, but frankly, do i really look like i care?

got to see Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and some other paintings I really cant remember who painted them. Monet was there too, and there was one painting of a big horse. Nothing special, just a horse. There's a whole load of paintings which i know some art critic would say "changed the world's direction" or some other bullshit like that, but I think I had enough for the day and we went just chilling at the park. Last time I properly did that was back in august last year, with Nik, Kiau, Durra and Sya, at regents park. Just chilling around enjoying the weather. Being a nice day and all, I cant help but wish it was summer all year round. Its more lively, theres just a lot more atmosphere as compared to the cold bleak winter. Dont get me wrong, I kinda like winter when its running up to christmas and the new year, but after the 10th of january, i feel that London just becomes gloomy till April when the sun comes out again. It seems like everyone is walking around like zombies during that time. Anyhoo, (phrase taken from J.D in "Scrubs") its getting brighter and brighter and things are springing back to life. Hooray!

After trekking around with lee to get her krispy kremes, I got back home, got a headache, took ibuprofen (i dont usually take these!) which i think is due to dehydration, and watched tv. After watching Jonathan Ross (my highlight of the week sometimes!) now here I am, writing on my blog. I am going to be doing just a lil bit more studying, but I think tomorrow will be a day of full studying, that is before the FA Cup final and maybe continue on after the cup final game. Weekends, always the source of something fun for people, but for me a saturday is just like another day. This could be due to the fact that I had classes on saturdays, and half the week I dont have classes. My weekends are like what they have in Kelantan, on thursdays and fridays. Of course, minus the occasional stonings and Mawi concerts.

Oh, yea, my Aunty is coming over this sunday from KL. So in typical fashion, the house is in DEFCON 1, meaning suddenly everything is tidy. The floors mopped, vaccumed, mopped and vaccumed again, the dining table given a total disinfecting, and the bathroom is so pristine white, I feel like im in an igloo. My room, however, is a different story. My mom used to say that my room is like a sinking ship (kapal karam). I never really understood why she said that because i thought sinking ships are most of the time neat, that was until I watched titanic and discovered that as ships sank, theres a whole lotta mess. As an example, I found a tshirt i forgot i had, under the bed. I also found some magazines, but then again, lets just stop there.

so its another 10 or so more days to the exam. Cant wait to get this over and done with, because after that its the holidays!



well people, study calling. talk to u guys soon. till then, good luck and good night.

My Linen Jacket and Me

today has got to be one of the days that are really unexpected. it started off with me waking up late (again), and going about my breakfast routine pretty much as usual. i decided to join nik later on, on one of his shopping sprees. (doesnt happen very often, and its not a spree as you might think he would have!) and then suddenly out of the blue i had a call from my friend. she asked me to teman her to marylebone, and being a nice day and all, i decided that yeah, i could do with a short diversion.

it was such a sunny day, the weather was warm, and really, there isnt any need for any jackets. but i decided that today ill wear my linen jacket. now, its not an expensive jacket, nor does it have anything special on it, but nevertheless i always err on the side of caution, ull never know when the weather might turn nasty.

we went around marylebone, and we had lunch at st. christophers place. at s.c.p, there was a girl handing out flyers for a fashion party thing. the pass admits two people to VIP entrance, for free. the girl somehow gave me 8 of them. i looked at the other tables around me, there was a young-ish italian couple, and to our left there was 3 guys, i would say probably middle eastern, and probably the kind of people that could be extras from 24 (they werent the jubah-wearing ones, but the kind that Jack Bauer would shoot at endlessly, he is, according to Ed's email, the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men) . When we walked down the Tapas bars and the other alfresco dining places, none of em had the flyers on their table. I know its not a big thing, but I can only deduce two reasons as to why we got the flyers and they all didnt.

a) Lee looked stylish

b) My linen jacket.


Okay, I'm not going to blow my own horn. I know its not much of a big deal, but imagine this. You see a heavy-set bloke, with a shaved head, sunglass on top, wearing a white linen jacket. What do you think? Precisely.

Columbian Drug Lord.

the exact kind of guy you would like to have at your party. Whats even weirder was that when I was walking down regents st, my old friend Maria, who I've not seen since January called me up and said "I saw you at regents street, im on the bus that just passed you by!".

Now everyone can spot a Columbian Drug Lord from afar too!

Now things make sense. Sales people at selfridges or the other big shops dont look at me bad anymore. They offer me new and more expensive things to buy, even when i just walk around. Im given a carte blanche' to look, touch and feel more expensive stuff now. Would sir like to enquire about the diamond watch? Would Sir like to know more about the Mini Cooper Supercharged Works edition? Waiters give me better service, and somehow, i think this is all due to my humble, but smart linen jacket.

So remember, the clothes maketh the man.


But dress up as a Columbian Drug Lord, and the worlds your oyster. sort of.









p.s - i am not responsible if you are gunned down, ran over, or if you are suddenly arrested by the police.

A Solicitors Letter

2 days ago i received a letter from Zaid Ibrahim & Co. with regards to my internship. Its dated 26th April 2006, but the postmark on the letter stated 3rd May. Im guessing there must be some kind of hold up or something because I'm supposed to send in the letter by 11th May. Oh well, heres what it says, and in italics, what they actually mean.

"We are pleased to inform you that you will be attached to the firm with effect on the 3rd of July 2006"

"We dont know how the hell you got this internship, but we're pretty desperate for someone to clean the floors for us. Our cleaner just left you see."

"During your attachment you will be paid rm200 per month subject you continue your attachment with us for more than a month"

"You must have nothing on your CV and therefore be desperate to be attached to us to even consider getting out of bed for that amount of money per month. One of the partners decided that itll be fun to see how long you last in the law firm, knowing you're paid less than the cleaners."

"Either party may , during the attachment period, give 1 weeks notice for termination of employment."

"If you screw up within a month, you're long gone. And you dont get that paltry rm200. We're lawyers, dont even try to argue with us. We'd spend it on some other dumb helpless unsuspecting intern."

"Our working hours are [given in the letter, im not going to write it down]..... however you are expected to work longer hours if and when neccesary"

"That serves you right for having the cheek to apply to our law firm. We'll work you like a slave and if we need someone to make us coffee, you better make us a damn good one because that rm200 is our Starbucks Latte money"


Sigh. I keep telling myself its for the experience, not the money. I can imagine what I'm going to do with my new-found salary. Its so pitifully low that when I asked my dad if he wanted a cut of it, he refused. I bet upon getting my sms the other day he was rolling on the floor laughing.


Experience. Im doing it for the experience....

Back

Due to unexpected but welcome high demand from various parties of the public, this blog is back up. Many of you will wonder why I deleted the blog in the first place, well, like all mysteries in life, this one will remain unanswered. What will be answered, though, are the general questions of life.

I wont be doing a blog on "life" in particular. You know the kind of blogs that seems to have a melancholic view on life, about struggles, about hardship, about relationships. No. I say there are more important questions in life which need to be answered. Among them

1. Why are there so many stupid people in Stratford?

2. Why do gym trainers look like theyre on steroids? (they probably are)

and

3. Are Leeds going to be back up in the Premiership?? (of course! its where they belong!)

-----

The past few days I've been busy with gym and revising. More of the former than the latter, but I did manage to do some questions on my CIMA revision kit. I dont know, but to me I learn more through the book than I did through classes. The lecturers in my course seem to be a competent bunch, but that is before they start ranting about something else. Hafeez, my P1 management accounting lecturer looks like hes scared of teaching, and bores me to death. Asare, my P7 lecturer doesnt make sense at all. The only lecturer I rate to be above average this term would be my P4 Organisational management and Info Systems lecturer, Ian. He's pretty good, and hes got solid credentials to back it up too. He makes lectures interesting and bearable. In his class, I feel sleepy, but in the other two lecturers classes, I feel like jumping out the window.



Enough about lecturers. My current rant of the day would be about stupid people in stratford. I'm not saying everybody is stupid in stratford, no. Im sure there are clever people near where I live, but they may have been hiding in bunkers or probably moved out. You may wonder why I say this, well heres the reason why.

When you're on the bus, sometimes there are some kids (teenagers i presume) who blast out their music on their mobile phones. I'm all for listening to music while travelling, I do that all the time, but not playing it out on speakers?? It really pisses me off because their choice of music will probably the worst kind of rap, or the worst kind of techno. They play techno so pitifully bad, even the most hardcore of Ah Bengs would put up his hands and say "Enough, I dowwan to hear that song! Dont play play!"

Another thing is that they dont look when theyre crossing the roads. Some of them just stroll over without looking, and usually its the bus that has to make an emergency stop. To be honest with you, if i drove a 4X4 here, i think id be doing a public service to the community by running them over. When theyre not running away without paying the kebab shop, shoplifting, or holding up buses, theyre playing music on their mobile phones.

The women-folk arent too far behind either. They know theyre not the sharpest tool in the shed, so they offset this by shouting out what they think. They talk about everything in the bus, politics, celebrities, movies. I dont eavesdrop, but its kinda hard to not hear what theyre speaking when theyre practically shouting. And most of the times, what they say just doesnt make sense.


right. i am suddenly feeling a sharpe tingling on my back. Thats a warning system that reminds me exams are round' the corner, and ive got studying to do. Will blog more later on tonight. till then, welcome back.