Yesterday, my company organized a seminar by Lawrence Walter Ng. It is a very interesting seminar to motivate us. The main objective of this seminar is not motivation but how we should change our ways to serve our customers.

What is so cool about this seminar? Have you been to a seminar where everyone is motivated to participate, one way or another in a game, Q&A or volunteering to go up stage. There were more than 300 attendees. I must say the style of the trainer were very good. He is one of best speaker in Asia and he is a Malaysian. I am impressed by his work. There is just so much energy in the seminar.

If you are stress, depressed, not motivated with work/life or sad, just attend his seminar. He will teach you something that makes you see your life/problems in a different approach.

For example:

No Failures, Wrong Result, Change Strategy

There are no failures in life. We are not failures. However there are things we do that produces wrong result. Therefore we need to change strategy to produces the right results.

Often we hear these negative words:

– There are so many problems…
– I got scolded from my boss
– So difficult, cannot do…
– I don’t know…
– I’ll try …
– No Problem.

Change it to positive thoughts:

– There are so many problems -> There are so many challenges.
– I got scolded from my boss -> I got a message from my boss.
– Difficult -> Interesting.
– I don’t know. -> I find out.
– I’ll try. -> I do my best.
– No Problem -> My Pleasure.

By the way, he also gives out seminars to students who find problems in studying. The seminar is called “Art of Learning”. Pretty cool guy! He made me do a lot of silly things in the seminar itself that I never thought I will do. 😛

More info here: http://www.lwseminars.com/seminar.htm

What do you get when you combine all this into one?

+ + + + + + + + +

=

Isn’t technology amazing? I cannot imagine me carrying all the above out. The reason why I bought the phone is because the price slashed almost 50% and it has an mp3 player. By the way, if you have a java enable phone, install opera mini for browser. It is very cool, better than the IE on the phone. You can check gmail, blog (if you like punching alphabet on the phone which I hate), chat…etc.

I always wonder how people can use the phone to SMS chat, they really good at it too. Very fast. I had so much trouble, just sending “OK” to my friends. Send him a few “6” instead of “OK”. Tell you how much I SMS. Now, I can connect this phone to my notebook and use the keyboard to SMS. Pretty cool. Oh well, so much for my new toy.

In my line of work, funny things do happen with high tech environment. In IT, security is taken very seriously and some company practice not to give out password over the phone because you do not know who is on the other line. Here is a user calling IT helpdesk with an issue he has.

User: I forgot my password and cannot login to the network.
Helpdesk: Please may I have your ID.
User: 123456.
Helpdesk: I will reset your password and send it to you through email.
User: Hello, I cannot login to the network.:mad: I cannot get to my email to view the password.
Helpdesk: Sorry, I cannot give you the password over the phone. Maybe I will post it to your house address.

Deadlock. User cannot login to the network, he will not be able to work until he received snail mail on his password. :giggles:

Go ahead and test it out to see what your IT Helpdesk response. You probably can shake legs while waiting for your password.

Last week I went for a shopping spree in Singapore. It was really cool to shop without the children. I managed to get a lot of stuff for myself. Hubby told me not to get anything for him. That’s easy. Children, they want Mr. Bean’s bear.

I got my children 2 Mr Bean’s bear, 2 jigsaw puzzles and a Monkey Game. The Monkey Game was selling at S$9.90 (RM22.80) but Toysrus was selling for RM39.90.

By the way, I shop so much that I practically know every shop in Orchard Road by now. I walk from one end (Tangs) to the other end (Meridien mall). Beside Orchard, I went to China Town (bags are cheap there, 3 for S$10), Suntec Mall, Raffles Place, Mustafa Centre (lots of Punjabi, Saris, India clothing) and Harbour Front. I wanted to get more things but I ran out of cash. 😥

For me, here is what I got:

I just love those crosses.

When I was in vacation, back in July, my yahoo account was hacked in to. I could not log in. It is partly my fault, because I didn’t really put an unbreakable password. You probably knock me on the head since I am from IT line, I should know better.

Anyhow, the account was open more than 10 years ago. I had all the chat/IM and my old geocities website, link to this account. My yahoo IM friends will be gone. It will mean that it will all vanish if I don’t get my account back. It seems like a total lost of connection, ha, just like your identity. Fortunately I still have MSN IM.

I tried, “forget your password link” in the yahoo login page. Obviously, that will not work, as hackers will change the information of your profile. Next I wrote to the security team, account-security@cc.yahoo-inc.com. One of the admin requested some verification check like security questions and my postcode. It was more than 10 years ago, how would I remember what I put in? Anyway, I gave them a few answers but my postcode was easy, I only stayed with my parents when I was in KL.

After about 1-2 months, a whole lot of emails flying back and forth, finally, the admin send me a reset password. I had given up then but the good news came.

I heard a lot of cases that are in the same shoe as I am. By the way, for those who still can get into their yahoo account, it is time to update your profile and security question.

Here is what you have to do:

Yahoo Help!

Continuing my story from yesterday, about the extremely unsatisfactory florist. As most of you commented, it will be offensive to tell my kind friend about it. On the other hand, I was very grateful what she has done. I send a thank you message to her, expressing my gratitude. Knowing her, she asked me how was the gift. Oh oh. In the end, I told her about it, in a tactful manner. She said she wants to look at it, so I took a picture and send it to her.

What I got:	What was ordered:

She was furious, not with me but with the florist. She called the florist and I suppose bombarded her. They were in shocked when they saw the picture too. They apologized and will resend another bouquet to me. Weird, they should send an apology bouquet to my friend too. They have to send it to my office as I already started work. The bouquet came, a very small one. Peculiarly, it was send to an admin, usually bouquet are received by the receptionist. The admin called me to pass it to me. Casually I asked, why did it land on your desk? You know what she told me? The florist shop belongs to her manager’s (Senior Manager’s position) wife. Oh oh. What a small world?

I blog this NOT because I want to offend my friend or put her in an awkward position. I really thank her for the special gift and the thoughtfulness of her. This blog is to let you know that when you order anything from the Internet, you really have to be careful, especially from people you do not know. There is a case where this guy bought a second hand notebook and when he got it, it was already broken.

As for florist, usually they will use affiliate florist if it is from another state. The affiliate florist will not have a clue or picture what the customer order. It is merely base on descriptions.

p/s The chicken essences are at the bottom of the basket but a different brand. Not sure whether it tastes good, I let you know when I tasted it. 😛

Tracy’s side of the story.

I received this through email. Drool over it. :drool: I will make my way there to locate them. Yum Yum. :good:

Source: AsiaExplorers

Durians of Balik Pulau

In Penang, Malaysia, the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the southwest corner of Penang Island. Balik Pulau is a 30 minute drive over the main range and has a lot of durian orchards.

The following is a selection of branded durians which I photographed during the 2004 and 2006 AsiaExplorers Durian Feasts.

D11 “Number Eleven” is a very popular durian in the 70’s. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some “body” to it as the seed is small.

D600 This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

D700 The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Ang Sim (Red Heart) Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown orchard of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a “Hor Lor” pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) Xiao Hung, whose name means “Little Red One,” originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name “yah kang” means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian) Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

D17 D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

Coupling This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.

Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian) The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means “green skin”. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian) As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

Lin Fong Jiau This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. I wonder whether it is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple, for Lin Fong Jiau is a bittersweet durian, for too bitter for my liking. The flesh is whitish and wet.

I was awarded with some gift vouchers for one of my project. I went for a shopping spree. I found Disney’s tees on sale. It is dirt cheap, only RM7.90 per piece. The sleeveless ones are RM5 per piece. The usual price is RM 15.90. If you were there, you can spot me grabbing it all. :giggles: Too bad, they only have size of age 1-3. It is all for Emily. She will be very happy to see all of them.

My department arranged for a Fruity Friday as a team-building event. We went to Penang Tropical Fruit Farm. There is not much to see, only if you are interested in looking at fruit tree. I learn a lot about different types of fruit trees. There is a particular plant that the guide explains it can improve fertility and it is called “dukung anak”. You can use it to make tea and drink. It is a common plant that can be found everywhere. The seeds of the plant are beneath the leaves. Very interesting. Half the time the guide tells us that this plant can cure this and that. Not sure how true.

Fertility Plant/Dukung Anak

Anyhow, this place has plenty of fruits to eat. We went at the wrong time. July to August is the best season where there are lots of different fruits. We had banana, jambu, guava, jackfruit, local durian, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, dragon fruit, mango and honey dew. They also serve refreshing fruit juice. If that is not enough, you can also opt to try out their BBQ lamb, beef, fish, chicken, squid and satay. There are healthy salads too. I really enjoyed the healthy lunch to cleanse my system.

The fees, the BBQ lunch is RM28 & dinner is RM38. If you just want the fruits package, it is RM25. You need to call in to make a booking. More information here: http://www.tropicalfruits.com.my/packages.html .

Enjoy the fruity pics:

The BBQ Lunch

Yellow Mangosteen Tree

Dragon Fruit Tree – It is actually a type of cactus.

The red pineapple for deco.

The View.

More Fruits:

Two month ago, TNB sent me a PINK letter saying they are going to cut my electricity if I do not pay the balance amount (“Tunggakan”). Usually my hubby settled all the bills using the Internet. We have statements to show we pay on time and the right amount. I was frustrated then because I thought my hubby delayed in paying. Anyhow, I asked him to go to the TNB branch and settled the matter. TNB told him many customers have these issue and they are working with the bank on it. How come this sounds so familiar?? :sc:

Last month, I took over paying the bills of the Internet. This month bill came and you see for yourself. What a booboo TNB did? I should send them a PINK letter to cut away the billing. :giggles:

Anyway, I need to cut down on electricity to bring it below RM43 so that I don’t taste the 12% increase. Here are some I can think off.

1. Take the children out to walk more often, cut down their TV hours.
2. Buy a bigger kettle to boil water for whole week.
3. Shower before the sun goes down, no need to switch on bathroom light.
4. Iron all the clothes bi-weekly or buy clothes that do not need ironing.
5. During a hot day, if need air-condition, hang around shopping malls.
6. Put more load into the washing machine.
…..

Anymore bright ideas?