The Joy of Giving by John Greenleaf Whittier

Somehow, not only for Christmas,
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you;
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad.

It's 3 days to Christmas...

... I am still at work.

Most of my friends have gone on their annual leave but I am still around. For the last couple of days, non-Christian colleagues have asked me the ever familiar "When are you going on leave?" question over and over again.

Or worst, as my GM nicely put it "Hey, you're still around?!!"

Hmmm...yeah! If I'm not, who will oversee the office systems, install your email spam filter, uninstall junks you guys installed in your pc and making it operates at snail's pace etc etc...

So yeah, I'm still around.

Also, if anything ever goes wrong while I'm away, feel free to call. I'll just be an hour's drive away anyway.... :-[

So yeah, Merry Christmas to you too.
And a professionally productive new year!

Satelite Pictures of Kuching

Below are some pictures of Kuching. Taken from Google Earth, please be warned that satellite pictures of locations (on Earth! and not anywhere else) are at least 3 years old. So some infrastructures on these pictures may/may not be there.

This is Kuching, the city - not the cat.

This is the location map of where I work....

This is the neighbourhood where I live: the Tabuan Heights/BDC area. Sorry but I am not showing the exact spot where my home is located. That would be telling too much...:-)

Some pictures of the kids I do not usually share for obvious reasons...

I have not much to say...

BUT if I do, these are probably what I would have said it like Scott Adams did.

'Tis the season to be jolly...

I have these images in my head now...

... and this song...

So, is it just me or the weather?

Thinking Hats + Fancy Hats + Complementing Attire = Fancy Dress

My organisation is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this coming Monday. As in every year, we are busy organising a dinner for one and all, with the CM in attendance.

The theme: Be Bold, Be Bright, Be (Org's name)!

Here's the thing.

What was originally supposed to go along the line of de Bono's six thinking hats has become a full fledge fancy dress party because organisers have been telling everyone that attires must complement the hats i.e. wearing baseball hats would entail you to wear baseball attire. Duhh...!

What really sucks is that the CM will be presented with a headgear that may cost us around RM500.00. Double duuhhh!

Now, what shall I wear?

IM-ing Myself - 02

I am going to Kuala Lumpur this Thursday, to attend a one-day workshop organised by SEACeM.

This will be the second time in a matter of days which I am immersing myself in anything that is information management (IM). Somehow, I have this feeling that the management where I will will someday 'chop' off my head for all the things that I have absorded these few days.

On top of it all, we are in the midst of doing our budget for next year as well as tying loose ends for any program and activities these last quarter. So when can I have the time to put down on paper the things I heard, saw, learned with regards to IM.

That notion really defeats the purpose of everything - IM.

Right now, the thought of having a computer chip as a brain and being able to extract it and plugging it elsewhere to access whatever there is in there is not a bad idea after all.

Just don't delete my personal memories, that is all I ask....

IM-ing Myself

The past one week (last week) I attended an Information Management Conference and its subsequent workshop.

What??!!! you ask.

Well, a good definition is here http://www.willpowerinfo.co.uk/infoman.htm

Why I was sent there? Probably becuase I am the official Chief Information Officer at my workplace (though my official title is Information & Knowledge Management Officer).

The conference/workshop made me understood that many amongst us are still confused with IM and ICT. Simply put, IM is the process of the exercise while ICT are the tools which we can use in the process. I also came to realise that many still think information and its management as a technical aspect of the workings of an organisation.

I guess it is really up to people designated as CIO to inform and educate the rest of us.

Boy! Don't I have one big task ahead of me!

Today, Thursday 02 November 2006 is All Souls Day

Today is All Souls Day.

My thoughts and prayers are with my late mother-in-law, my cousin Gabriel, Melinda's dad, the late Pope John Paul and all those whom I know and love but have departed and I do not know about.

To know more about this Catholic Day of Obligation, please visit http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html

WANTED: Paranormals of Kuching'

Dear Readers Based (or From) in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia,

I am collating stories of ghosts (fiction, non-fiction, unexplained, yet-to-be-demystify) which happens in and around Kuching.

No need to send pictures or videos... because you nasty ones would probably send me a 'diseased' file. So stories in the form of .txt, .rtf or .doc are the ones which will be accepted. HOWEVER, please also indicate if you have proff - photos, videos etc and if I really like your story, I will get in touch with you with regards to viewing these images.

Why I want them? Because I would like to publish my own 'Paranormals of Kuching' (that's the working title) book.

Please note that the appearance of your submission will be at the discretion of the author (that's me!).

Send your stories to paulina[d0t]michael[at]gmail[dot]com.

Looking forward to your submissions.

Why Kuching (that's the city where I live...) Have Many Cats

Story no. 1:
James Brooke arrived in Sarawak in 1839, hailed a friendly local and asked the name of the nearby township on the river. The local, thinking that he was pointing to a cat prowling nearby said “Kucing” or ‘cat’ in Malay.

Story No. 2:
James Brooke (first White Rajah of Sarawak) referred to the town as 'Kuchin' similarly referred to Cochin or Port as in India.

Story No. 3:
The township in Brooke’s era was overgrown with a large local fruit tree call “pokok mata kucing” (nepphelium malaiense), a varietys of local Lychee fruit. Brooke named the township thus when he came across the trees and made it his first resting place, sitting under the shady tree.

This is the main cat statue in the centre of town. It is located on the fountained-roundabaout of Jalan Tunku Abd Rahman/Padungan.

The city also have a Cat Museum.

This statue is actually the boundary indicator for the Kuching City South Council. This is on one end of Jalan Padungan.

At the other end of Jalan Padungan, there is another statue of a cat. This is the hippest cat in town because every festive season, he/she will be dressed for the occassion. Here, he/she is dressed in a Chinese attire.

These felines are found on the garden/park at Waterfront.

Alternately, this is the fruit which is also in the midst of this name-sake argument.

And this is Dido, my mom's cat with whom she have a love/hate relationship.

A Neighbourhood Park Built for a Foreigner

I am fortunate enough to live in a neighbourhood where its developer is mindful to the social/recreational needs of its residence. The neighborhood I am in – the greater Tabuan Heights area- have ample mini parks where families and friends can gather and socialize in the evenings and weekends.

One of this is the Malaysia-China Friendship Park (Taman Sahabat) at Phase 3 of Tabuan Heights. The park is just a hop, skip and jump away from the cul-e-sac where I live. For Kuchingnites, the park is along Jalan Song, directly opposite the Tabuan Heights Commercial Centre (think Pizza Hut, Fujisan Bakery and 7-Eleven!).

The park is managed by the Kuching City South Concil and was built at a cost of about RM10mil. If you ask me, that is a whole lot of money spent on a piece of land.

Anyway, the park was built in commemoration of Admiral Zheng He’s 600th anniversary (boy! Is he old). The Malaysia-China Friendship Park was created to signify political ties between the two governments. At 5.88-acres, the project was undertaken in collaboration with the Council Office of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching.

Among is features are a unity garden, a rock garden (a good way for free foot-reflexology), a pagoda, pavilions, paved walkways, cat sculptures and a bridge.

This is the main entrance to the park.

One of the two marble seats at the main entrance which depicts animals found in Malaysia and China. My daughter thought it was cute!

These marble plaques surrounds a small fountain. There are 14 - to depict the 13 states and one Federal Territory in Malaysia.

Kuching (which means 'cat' in Malay) is famous for its cat statue and the park is not to be left out. These hugging cats is situated at the car park space on the main entry way. Mind you, these statues are actually about 5' tall.

One of the buildings in the park is this pagoda, strategically situated along the long, windy walkway that encircles the park.

The statue of Admiral Zheng He that stands about 3 stories high.

At night, the park is well lit.

The statue from the other end of the Koi pond.

This is the Tea Pavillion, taken from where the statue stands. The fountain goes on/off are specific time, of which I am yet to find out. The Koi pond is...full of kois!
The pavillion at night, taken from where the pagoda is situated. Light food items are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The main entrance is situated next to the Tea Pavillion. These is where the Tai-Chi and joggers congregate every morning and evening.

All That Surf & No Water

My family and my sister's planned a 'nice beach-side getaway at the Holiday Inn Damai Lagoon Resort some 28miles from here. As indicated, it is a resort owned by the Holiday Inn Group. My sister, being a federal government employee, is entitled to hotel stays at the resort (as well as its sister resort, the Holiday Inn Damai Beach).

Sunday, 2.00pm:- We checked in last Sunday afternoon - bringing with us enough food, clothes and plans that should last us the 3days/2nights stay. My sister booked us an Executive Suite, which is located at the 4th floor of the main resort building.
This is the door to the room; I will not show you the inside 'cos that would be free advertising for the resort.

Sunday, 4.00pm:- From the room, we can see the pool directly below us.The view of the pool is nice but it gets rather noisy when the pool is full of people at 7 IN THE MORNING!!! This is also where we spent our Sunday afternoon.

I guess the main attraction of the pool is the fact that it is a sand-pool. Personally I do not like that sand cos it makes the water dirty faster but my kids love it so why not?

Sunday, 6.00pm:- Alternately we have the beach at our disposal but we did not step on any sand that day. Too early, too soon.

Sunday, 7.00pm:- This is the main building of the resort from the poolside during dusk. This is a very nice picture.

Monday, 8.15am:- On Monday morning, for the first time we have been going there, we had to queue to get into the restaurant for our breakfast. Man!!! Was there a whole lot of people! We were seated nearly fifteen minutes later by a very harassed waitress and proceed to enjoy our food... until a man came and sat at the next table with his family. My niece called him the Egg-Man cos when he breaks his half-boil eggs, he literally smash the shells by throwing in onto the floor. He also did the same with his empty sugar packets.

I must say... we all waited in line too, Mister!!! So why the bad manners?

Monday, 2pm:- I should have known that is a bad-omen cos at about 2pm, Monday afternoon, the water supply stopped. When I checked with the Front Desk, I was informed that it is the work of the water authorities. So we can only wait and see.

Monday, 4pm:- That afternoon, we all trooped down to the beach with hopes that the water supply will be restored.

Monday, 6pm:- water supply was not restored and we resorted to washing off the saltiness from our bodies by jumping into the pool.

Monday, 8pm:- the sink was full of dirty dishes - dishes used for our in-room dinner. As a last resort (pardon the pun), we (my niece, hubby and I) took several mineral water bottles and trooped to the pool to get some water.

Not for drinking, since we have our bottled water. But more importantly, for flushing the toilets. On the way up, sis. met a colleague who told her that he is checking out and the resort offered a complimentary stay the next time around.

And that was when we unanimously agreed to abandon our holiday and drive back home.

Monday, 9.40pm:- I don't remember a time when our packing was the fastest but the need to get out of there and into a treated water shower made us packed at super-speed, checked out and head for home by 9.45pm.

Monday, 10.15pm:- reached the city

Monday, 10.30pm:- washed my hair and showered. Wonderful!!!

So if you wonder how the resort looks like at night, after you'd checked out, it is like this. I wonder when will be our next stay?

This Day Six Years Ago...

On 17th October six years, ago, my eldest daughter was born at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital, Ampang, Selangor. She weighs 3.36kgs and was born at 4.06pm. We named her Elizabeth Ashleigh. On 17th October 2006 @ 4.06pm, she turned six.

Her Godmother/Aunt/My Sister bought her a cake (above) with the Powder Puff Girls figures on it. She was so happy she jumped up and down when she saw it (below).

Making a birthday wish...

and (below) some of the stuff she got for her BIG day.

A pretty sandal for her pretty little feet from Gran.

A bracelet with the letters *A*S*H on it from me...

A mathematical book from Aunt Babe...

and some other stuffs which her sisters helped her unwrapped.

...she also had her cake and ate it too. And the smile says it all.