That car sticker that got me thinking

I was driving around the other day and I saw this car sticker which states “I love Allah”.

As most of you are aware, Christians in this country are currently wrestling with the “authorities” in court on the usage of Allah in the Malay-language bible and other Christian publications.

The “authorities” are prohibiting Christians to use the word “Allah” as they claim that the usage of “Allah” will confuse the Muslims while the Christians are arguing that “Allah” simply means God and hence, should not be prohibited from using the word.

The encounter with that car sticker got me thinking… Will we Christians put up the “I-love-Allah” car sticker in our cars? After all, we claim that it simply means “God”.

No Christians have answered yes to my question.

P/S: The driver of the car which bear that sticker was not a Christian.


1 year ago… The annual corporate battle

Bali take away

It was my maiden trip to Bali. In fact, it was also my maiden step into Indonesia. And if there is one thing I can take away from Bali, it would be my impression on Indonesians. It has changed tremendously.

As judgemental as it may sound, most Malaysians (myself included) have got rather bad impression on Indonesians. If we are matured to admit it, we do not like to be in their presence here. There is a stigma about them. I believe I do need to elaborate why.

But the Indonesians in Bali are a totally different lot. They are so gentle, friendly and always carry a smile. And their command of English is quite impressive, from villa staff to restaurant staff to taxi drivers.

I guess one explanation of this phenomenon is that Bali is a tourist spot. But then again, KL is a tourist spot too. Are our people friendly and our taxi drivers give others an impeccable impression?

I know Hinduism influence is strong in Bali but I never thought that it would be that strong. 70%+ of the people in Bali are Hindus. You can see charms and offerings outside every store, hotel and villa in Bali. According to the driver, the balance of 30% non-Hindus only started coming in from Java in the past 3 years. So prior to that, almost 100% of Balinese are Hindus.

Another interesting point… the driver told us that Indonesian govt tried implementing Syariah law in Bali 2 years ago after the influx of Muslims from Java. But the Balinese people fought back and threatened to break away from Indonesia. They believe that the economy of Bali will suffer if that is to take place.

In the driver’s exact words, he said… “If tourists are not allowed to wear bikini or go topless at the beach, no one will come. We will all die…” He also sounded sore from the bombing that happened there, and of course, the reason behind those bombings.

And so they fought and the Indonesian govt gave in. The issue was not brought up again. Wow, don’t you just respect these Balinese people for their courage and strength on what they believe in?

And to close it up, I think one can forget about the food in Bali. Nasi Padang… Babi Guling… Bebek… not overly fantastic if you were to ask me. In true Malaysian spirit, I will say that our food beat them anytime.


2 years ago… Are you prepared?

Greetings from afar...

Greetings from the extreme heat of Bali! But it’s great to be able to sit in the pool, watch TV and blog at the same time, all in the comfort of your villa. It’s bliss after all…

Just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Blessed Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. Have a fantastic year ahead and stay great and stay healthy…. always!

2 years ago… What’s your “X” this X’mas?

Chicken Ass

It should be about 15 years ago. It was dinner time in a camp. As 10 people filled the table, dinner was served. There was a roasted chicken, some vegetables, a tofu and a soup. With a table full of hungry boys after tiring workouts, food finished in a flash. A piece remain though…

“Zewt, we saved that chicken backside for you…” my friend said…

Imagine the horror in their face when I picked that chicken ass up and stuff my face with the remnant of my rice like there is no tomorrow… I can still make up the look on their face.

Regular AZAIG readers will know that I was not born with a silver spoon. During my pre-teen days, dishes during dinner can be rather scarce.

I remember we used to have a relative who was a hawker and she will collect the chicken ass from her hawker business and give it to my family. My Mom will marinate those arses in 5-spice-powder and lam-yu (some kind of bean paste) and deep fried them. Like I said, dishes are hard to come by. So, deep fried marinated chicken ass is a treat for my family. Honestly, I still remember the taste and it’s pretty yummy!

I guess one can say that I grew up eating chicken ass. By the way, there are also some other strange dishes which I think not many of you will eat. But I ate them all. When you are young, hungry and life is tough, I don’t think one can be picky about food.

And this is probably why I get rather annoyed when I see some people being overly choosy about food. I-don’t-eat-this, I-don’t-eat-that, I-only-eat-breast-meat, I-only-eat-drumsticks… these people just haven’t experience having to eat tofu in soya sauce with rice as dinner.

As for now, I don’t think I will specifically order chicken ass but I will not go… “Ewww…!” at the sight of people eating it. And by blogging about this, I am not ashamed that it was once a treat for my family.

Will I eat it again? Well, if it’s marinated with 5-spice powder and lam-yu and deep fried just like how my Mom did it… why not?

Will you eat chicken ass?


1 year ago… The current hypocritical trend

GST – the compelling reason

If I were to tell you that Malaysia desperately needs GST, what would be your reaction? Would you think that it’s because our country needs the money? Perhaps… but there is a more compelling reason…

In order to dwell into this notion, we need to digress a little… to this thing called “credit rating”.

Do you know that each of us have our very own credit rating? When we apply for loans, mortgages or credit cards, the banks will approve or reject our application based on our credit rating. It basically measures whether one is worthy to be give a loan or otherwise.

Besides individuals like you and me, companies also have their own credit rating. When companies apply for loan, their credit rating will be assessed, just like individuals.

Now, do you know that a country also has a credit rating? It is known as the “Sovereign Rating”. Essentially, it determines whether a country will be able to borrow from others. The poorer a country’s Sovereign Rating, the more difficult a country will be able to borrow from others.

Do you still remember when I blogged about the 2010 National Budget where I mentioned that if Malaysia is a company, it will be a company which has been running on losses for quite a number of years running due to continuous budget deficit situation? That is to say, this company called Malaysia has been borrowing in order to keep going. And to continue to borrow when you have been borrowing for a long time, a country needs a strong Sovereign Rating.

Here lies the problem. With the country continues to run on a high budget deficit situation (i.e. loss), the world governing authorities have “heavily hinted” (actually, I would prefer to use the word “threaten”) to downgrade our country’s Sovereign Rating.

My friends… this is no laughing matter. I can't even think of words to describe the magnitude of this, if it happens. I am sure all of you, in your own intellectual ways, will piece together the consequences, if it happens.

And so, in order for a country to enhance (in our case --- to preserve) one’s Sovereign Rating, a broad-based consumption tax mechanism has to be put in place. I have to be honest here, I am actually not sure if this is a prescribed rule or a directive from the world governing authorities. One thing for sure, this is where GST comes in.

Trust me, if you are a Malaysian, you do not want our country’s Sovereign Rating to be downgraded. Don’t get me wrong, I am not supporting GST. Definitely not, particularly when we all know the level of efficiency on how the money collected will be spent.

I am just saying that we are where we are today because we are in a very screwed-up situation. And why are we in this screwed-up situation? Well… sam jiu lah…


1 year ago… The reality of reality shows

2 years ago… The fear evolution… Do you believe in miracle?… Marriage brownies points

Lace Petals Lingerie… go indulge

I was told that the online business is one which is flourishing. Well, judging by the amount of web boutique being set-up, that may just be true.

Another friend has set up another such boutique and it’s not the usual dress and girls’ accessories… it’s hmmm… lingerie… I was told that wearing a sexy pair of lingerie give a girls a boost in self confidence. Is it true? If it is… plenty confidence there I must say.

As for the men, you’ll not regret the sight you can get from there. You might want to get a pair for your lovers? After all, it’s Christmas!

Mention Zewt and you might just get a discount. Happy shopping at Lace Petals.


1 year ago… An analogy of an orgasm

2 years ago… Don’t bother about inflation?… A charity prostitution and a twisted fortune telling

A squid story

I first heard about it when I was in University. The guy who told me is the same person who told me about this “tragic” story. I have since heard similar stories from other people but whether it is true or otherwise, no one knows…

Ya’ see… fishermen go to see and spend quite a substantial amount of time there. I was told that it may be as long as weeks, or even more than a month. And ya’ know, spending time out in the sea for such a long period of time tends to result in extreme boredom and loneliness when fishermen are not actively engaging in fishing activities.

To entertain themselves, they smoke, joke and drink. But then again, they can’t be doing that all the time. So what else do they do?... They masturbate. And over time, masturbation went through evolution…

Apparently, the inside of squid resembles the female love canal. And so, it was said that fishermen use squid as a masturbation tool. Yup… they wrap their pole with a squid and do the up and down motion which produces the white lotion.

Have you heard of this before?
Is it true?
And… are you a squid lover?


1 year ago… A theory of 2 companies

2 years ago… A sight at the gym

Answer to GST snippet and how it affects you

In the snippet, I asked this question…

“Apart from the govt, there is a group of people who is smiling in the sleep and quietly celebrating because GST is to be implemented. Who do you think this group of people is?”

Thank you for all your answers and kudos to ThomasChan for getting it right. The group of people that I am referring to is the elite bunch of people, the professional tax consultants from the professional firms. I know some of them, and they are really smiling in their sleep.

90% or more of companies in Malaysia; be it big, medium or small will need their service in the next few months. They will be rendering their professional advice in terms of initiation, preparation, implementation and setting up of processes to manage the compliance requirement and payment.

Another group of people who will benefit from the introduction of GST is the IT industry. There will be a lot of system enhancements, translates to a lot of business. But I think this group of people is not quite aware of it yet.

These people are going to make 10s or even 100s of millions in consultancy fees. Trust me when I say they are now smiling in their sleep. Of course, only the top partners will make the big bucks. Those slaves doing the ground work at the bottom will just earn knowledge and lots of sleepless nights.

But anyway, why did I say in the title and it will affect you? Do you think it will affect you?

When 10s or 100s of millions are going to be earned by these consultants, it also means that 10s and 100s of millions will be spent by companies in Malaysia. What does that tell you? Get the drift yet?

10s and 100s of millions being spent means there is additional cost to businesses in Malaysia. Huge additional cost! Now, what usually happens when companies or even small time traders incur additional cost? Think increase-in-price-of-petrol.

Yes… these 10s and 100s of millions of additional costs are going to be passed down to consumers, i.e. you, me, your uncle, your boyfriend, your girlfriend’s one night stand partner, your girlfriend’s one night stand partner’s dog’s mating partner’s owner, etc.

Some of you mentioned that retailers are going to benefit from GST. That is not true is GST is effectively implemented. They can merely pass the cost to the consumers without raking in more revenue and remit the collected GST to the govt due to enticing need to claim input tax recovery (I shall talk more about this later).

Anyway… prices are going to increase. And this is why I said that if you are only worrying about that additional % of GST that you need to pay, you are wrong. And let me assure you, these 10s and 100s millions of additional cost is not the end of it. There are more complicated issues in the GST that will affect you, me, your boyfriend; your girlfriend’s one night… well, I am sure you know what I mean…


1 year ago… A new criterion

2 years ago… Will this point hit you?

GST snippet

It is a very complicated taxation mechanism. To explain it would take numerous write-ups, and I might just end up confusing you even more. I received a few e-mails asking me about it and I will try my best to explain it in the simplest form possible. But I have to let you know that I am no GST expert.

Since weekend is on the way, let’s leave GST talk for next week. However, let me leave you with a teaser…

Apart from the govt, there is a group of people who is smiling in the sleep and quietly celebrating because GST is to be implemented. Who do you think this group of people is?

On a related note, I was in a consultation group with a top govt agency this morning regarding GST where a lot of P&C information was disclosed and discussed. Sorry that I can’t share with you, it’s P&C. Anti-Zewt claimed that I was only boasting when I claimed I have access to such information and he/she knew such information too. Perhaps anti-Zewt can share what’s in that consultation… can he/she?



2 years ago… Light Monday read… My very own encounter… Why the fortune teller failed to tell my fortune

Short & Sweet: Episode 3 - Are you?

Zewt is a registered voter (and have voted before)

Are you?

1 year ago... Our type of rescue

2 years ago... Guess the blooper

I did it!

1st kilometre…
I could feel the adrenalin rush. Everyone was running; no one talked. All I could here were the sound of shoes hitting the ground; echoing between 2 huge buildings around us.

2nd to 8th kilometre…
Cruising mode, a time when all the runs around the golf club and time spent on the treadmill bear fruits. My lungs and legs went at the rate I want them to go. No sign of other runners walking. This was also when I saw a guy who has got a hilarious message plastered at the back of his outfit. It reads… “No sex for me if I can't finish --- from the wife”. I overtook him and never saw him again.

9th to 10th kilometre…
First sight of people walking, and I was beginning to feel a little of my muscle. I slowed down to load up on packet of chocolate-flavoured power-gel and bottomed-up a few cups of H2O to wash the gel down my throat.

11th to 13th kilometre…
Auto-cruise mode began to show signs of malfunction. Stopped for the first time to do some stretching. Felt a stinging pain in my underarm only to realise that I have suffered from “chaffing” due to constant rubbing against my outfit. Continued running with my arms slightly open (like a chicken) to prevent further damage. It’s not funny.

14th to 15th kilometre…
Quite a number of runners are walking which means, no need to look for empty space to overtake others (even with my arms slightly opened). But then again, who said anything about overtaking now?

16th – 17th kilometre…
Auto-cruise mode completely fried. Stopped a few times to stretch, walk, and load up my second packet of power-gel. Pace was extremely slow. A motivation tip from a seasoned runner friend came to mind… see things that looked nice from behind, pick up pace to overtake in order to check if it the front looks as good, know what I mean.

18th kilometre…
The spirit is willing but the body is weak. Fatigue is the name of the game. Legs do not seem to listen to the brain. Told my ass to get moving but the legs that carry my ass just refused to go. Damn it!

19th kilometre…
Began to feel a slight cramp in my right calf. Stopped to do more stretching. It was here that I saw the most outrages cheering party ever… 1 boy, dressed in florescent yellow and a few girls dressed in florescent pink/green were dancing to loud music blasting from 2 big speakers. Trust me when I say they were dancing… they were realllllly dancing! At the same time, there were chanting… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… Some people stopped to take pictures with them.

20th kilometre…
In trying to preserve my right calf which I felt was about to cramp, I put more weight on my left leg when I ran. Bad idea! Tragedy struck… a sudden massive cramp in my left calf. I have had cramps many times before during my games but this was by far the worst I have ever felt. I couldn’t even stand up.

I would like to thank the 4 guys who stopped to stretch my calf. One guy, with a set of tattoo on his left arm also helped to massage my calf while the other placed a towel behind my head (I was lying on the road) and ask me to keep breathing. Hey guys, I do not know any of you but I am sorry if I have slowed you guys down. Many thanks.

Managed to get up and continue…

21st kilometre…
In my effort to preserve my calf and prevent my chaffing to my underarms, I was literally running like retard. Well, it was more like brisk walking. But I still tried to run, or looked as though I was running. You know why? Too many cameras around at this point… hah!

Final 100 metre…
They said the half marathon is a 21km run. It’s not. It’s 21.1km. That additional 100 metres may seems like nothing, but when you have ran 21km; that extra 100 metres seems to be the distance between heaven and earth.

Nevertheless, when I finally can say… “I did it!”… all the pain was worth it.



1 year ago… Loved vs. Pampered vs. Spoilt… A truly interesting encounter

2 years ago… How is this possible?… Supernatural solutions… Talking to the dead

More money gone

I heard about this shite a while ago, the kind of privilege info that I can get my hands to in my industry. But I thought blogging about it would not be a wise move as it is after all, P&C typed of information. But now that it is out in the open, I guess we can all talk about it.

Did you guys read the big news last Friday? More were elaborated today. I am referring to sub-prime ala middle-east flavour.

Dubai World, the flagship investment arm of Dubai with stakes in Nakheel, the company responsible for the construction of the palm-tree-like artificial residential islands (Palm Islands), is unable to pay off its debt worth USD60b.

Worse, it appears that Dubai seems to be saying I-am-sorry-thank-you-bye-bye, metaphorically speaking.

So, USD60,000,000,000 gone. Well, technically, not gone. Just that it has gone from pocket A to pocket B and pocket A is going to cry, get drunk and dump down buildings while pocket B will enjoy all the bliss.

Anyone who has got active thinking juice should ponder on a few things… If Dubai, said to be a damn-f*cking rich place can’t pay USD60b, what does that tell you? Do you think they are really rich? Everyone is saying that the economy has recovered and this, which has been kept under the carpet for a while creeps out, what does that tell you? Don’t you think there are a lot more shite hidden behind the multitude of good news reported in the press?

Of course, this will not affect the taste of your nasi-lemak, bak-kut-teh and char-kuey-teow so you can choose not to bother about it.


1 year ago… Generation condemnation

2 years ago… Yes, we do believe

Read?

I stumbled upon his writings some time last year when a close friend of mine forwarded me one of his articles. It was a very long read but I was left speechless for a while after reading it. The things he write will really make you think. I am referring to Johann Hari, a British journalist.

I chanced upon another article of his today. It talked about a city which we have heard about it over the news many times. But the article shed a whole light on it. It certainly did for me. Certain parts may be a little dry but there is eye opening knowledge everywhere around the article. It’s stupendous.

If you are into more knowledge, a different perspective of things, an enlightening moment and what I believe is a very good read, I invite you to go pay a visit.

But if you are browsing through the blogosphere just looking for laughs and not interested to know about the reality of life and do not intend to further your horizon (which is perfectly fine by the way), don’t bother.

1 year ago… When one has yet to earn

2 years ago… One for the girls

Preserving... what?

When I scrutinised the migration issue a while ago, a particular reason to why we should all remain in Malaysia was highlighted. Of all reasons and excuses that I’ve ever heard, I disagree with this reason most. Yes, I even find the I-stay-here-because-of-the-food a much better reason compared to this particular one.

The reason mentioned was… preserving our culture.

Since the migration talk centres mostly upon Chinese, I shall confine the notion of this article only on Chinese culture.

So… remaining in this country to preserve our culture? Seriously? Our culture, to me; is already dying a death inflicted by our very own hands in this land.

For a start, check out the names of the your children or your friend’s children. The regular Mei Ling, Siew Ling, Ah Hong, Ah Tan, Ah Seng, etc. are there only for documentation purposes. Instead, they are known as Ethan, Gabriel, Antonio, Shauntaine, Caitlynn, Caroline and one of my friend even named their daughter Gisele. If we can't even address our children by their Chinese name, what preserving culture are we talking about?

By the way, if your children do not have an English name, very likely their Chinese name is one that does not sound like a typical Chinese name anymore. You know what I am talking about. Well, at least you try not to officiate the English name.

But then again, do you tell your children that they you are their “ba-ba or ma-ma” or… you are known as daddy/mommy to them? Worse, how many of you are conversing with your children with any language BUT the Chinese language? Of all my friends who grew up speaking Cantonese, they are all conversing with their children in English. “Seems more natural” was the excuse.

And just to rewind a little bit back to the time when most of us got married, did we wear a Chinese “qua”? Or a tux? Preserving our culture? Really?

December is coming, and everyone is excited. Why? Because Christmas is coming! The birth of Christ and a religious celebration notwithstanding, how many of us Chinese are more excited about Christmas than Chinese New Year? Dinner with friends/family on Christmas eve is something to look forward to but dinner with family on Chinese New Year eve and Chap Goh Mei is a chore, isn’t it?

And do we still celebrate Mid-Autumn festival and the dumpling (“jung”) festival? Oh, you do know that those are Chinese festivals right? Do you?

I can go on forever but I am sure you know what I am trying to get at. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should all suddenly get traditional so that our Chinese heritage radiates out of us. The fact is; the Chinese in most of us are dying, if not dead. And not migrating is not going to stop that.

Before I end, allow me to share with you this real life encounter that I had with a child…

Baby X is now 3 years old. He was born into a Chinese family where both the parents speak Cantonese. In fact, the paternal grandparents side do not speak English at all. But just like so many young Chinese families nowadays, Baby X grew up, and is still growing in a very strong English speaking environment.

Lately, efforts were being put in to remind Baby X that he is of Chinese decent. This was triggered by a lack of response from Baby X when people tried to communicate with him in Cantonese. It appears that he will not speak to you if you speak to him in anything besides English. The child, as it seems, knows how to differentiate between English and other languages.

But one latest effort hit the worst snag when Baby X gave this strong response… he screamed…

“I am not Chinese! Don’t speak to me in Chinese. Don’t call me Chinese. I don’t like Chinese!”


P/S: A few people e-mailed me asking about GST. While I am not exactly the expert, I will certainly be blogging more about it soon…

1 year ago… Did all the money suddenly just disappear?

2 years ago… A very familiar situation… The ultimate fine dining

Another typical u-turn

On 16th June 2009, the Second Finance Minister announced that the govt has no plans to implement the Goods and Services Tax ("GST") in the near future.

Today, 24th November 2009, our Prime Minister cum Finance Minister announced that the GST bill will be tabled in Parliament. I guess we all know what is the meaning of "near future" in the eyes of our govt.

While Beyonce's concert has gone, GST is coming. It is an effective tax collection mechanism that will impact every person in this country. Well, what to do? Govt is in need of money to spend on computers which cost RM40,000+ per unit to develop this country.

Your char-kuey-teow, bak-kut-teh and nasi-lemak are going to be more expensive I can assure you. But it's ok, I am sure they are still as tasty.

Of temple and palace on the second day

AZAIG’s first multitude of photos post…

We made our way on foot to “Tiantan”, a.k.a. The Temple of Heaven, which was rather near our hotel. It was a pleasant walk.

Upon entering the west gate of the vicinity, I was greeted with the sight of a host of people engaging in very interesting activities. There were people dancing to all sorts of music, including waltz/disco; there were people practising martial arts; and there people playing Tai-Chi ball. Not an easy feat as some tourists tried and could not return the ball at all.




The trees are known as “Trees of the Scholars”; and an American once claimed the world can never reproduce these trees. There were speakers hidden within the trees playing smoothing traditional Chinese music. The presence these trees together with traditional Chinese music in the background made the path towards Tiantan a very serene one.




3 main architectural wonders formed Tiantan; with Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest being the main attraction. I was actually quite disappointed that we are not allowed to go into the building. But then again, the sight outside the Hall is already quite incredible.

The other 2 elements of Tiantan are the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar (no picture). There is a stone right in the middle of the Altar where they said that anyone standing there will sound extraordinary. I didn’t bother as the queue to step on it to give it a try was already quite… extraordinary.

After lunch, we went to the Pearl Market which was nothing overly spectacular. Thereafter, we headed to YiHeYuan a.k.a. The Summer Palace.

It’s located quite out of town, but still accessible via subway. It’s said the emperors would come here to get away from the summer heat. Thus, it is known as The Summer Palace.

There is a lake next to the palace. The climb up to the palace is an excruciating experience. I really wonder whether the emperors got people to carry them up. But it was good for me, strengthened my leg for the up coming marathon.

I don’t usually pose up a lot of pictures, even after my Italy trip. For this one, I shall let the pictures do the talking though I don’t really have a sophisticated camera.

Up next… the WangLiChangChen a.k.a. Great Wall…


1 year ago… Any difference?

2 years ago… If you think you’re ugly… Don’t ever let this happen to you… And she placed her hands on your inner thigh

Short & Sweet: Episode 2 - Screw

Even when you are having a really bad day…
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Someone will still screw you!



1 year ago… The great tribulation

2 years ago… Will you attend?… The healthy diet triathlon

Life in a Professional Firm vs. Life in a Commercial Firm – Episode II

In the 1st Episode, I shared about some lightweight differences between life in a Professional Firm (“PF”) and Commercial Firm (“CF”). PF and CF have also been defined there.

For the second installation, let’s look at some more pertinent differences…

Profit centre vs. Cost centre

This is by far the most significant difference should you decide to switch over to CF.

In a PF, you render your professional service to client thus generating revenue for the firm. The reports that you produce and the hours that you slave are all translated into $$$ for the firm. You are known as the profit centre (“PC”).

Being in the finance or legal function in CF would mean you will be looking after the welfare of the firm, not the clients. It means you do not generate any revenue for the firm. You will move from being a revenue generator to being a cost burden. You are now a cost centre (“CC”).

Naturally, PC is given more privileges in CF. They are the breadwinner of the firm and hence, they tend to be well taken care of. Their “voice” tends to be louder, their gatherings will be more lavish, their departmental trips will be more luxurious; and you will have to live with it.

Don’t fret though. Though PC will be getting higher pay and bonus, the general pay structure in a CF would still be better compared to PF.

You may want to check out other perspectives on being profit centres vs. cost centres.

Advisor vs. implementer

In a PF, you are a consultant. You are the expert who tells your client what to do and how to do it. It does not matter whether your expert advice is workable or otherwise, your job is to tell your client what is in the rule and what the available options are.

In a CF though, your focus will change. The management do not expect you to tell them what to do; they expect you to do it. You are there to make things happen. If you need resources, you have to voice out. You are the expert who has been employed to deploy.

This is when you suddenly realised that you are not that expert as you think. You will suddenly realise all the so called technical knowledge you gained while in PF may not work. And so, you might end up being a “client” to PF and boss the partners that you once report to. Sounds fun, isn’t it?

Learning vs. contributing

It’s funny that people join PF to learn. They are supposed to be the expert and top consultants, providing top notch advice and yet, people join them to learn. While in PF, I was once told that I am to act like an expert in front of a client even if I am not. I was supposed to be the expert consultant, but I was actually just learning. Ironic isn’t it?

Quite similar to the preceding point of advisor vs. implementer, the learning takes a dive when you move to CF. Instead of learning, you should be contributing. After all, you are the expert in the CF that you work in. Of course, there will still be things to learn but it will not the skills that you have been hired to perform.

It can be quite a daunting expectation. One should be mentally prepared.

Technicality vs. Commerciality

Last but not least (for this episode); discernment between technicality and commerciality is crucial when you work in a CF.

In a PF, it’s all about technical knowledge. During performance evaluation, you will always be asked to improve on your technical knowledge. Which section, which rule, which paragraph, while law, which regulation, they should all be in your fingertips. In your mind, everything is written in the book, you just follow.

Things take a whole new perspective when you enter CF. When in PF and you tell your clients to do this and that and they reply saying they can’t do it and can’t provide this and can’t implement that and you will be wondering why they can’t do it. When you are in a CF, you will know why.

Sometimes, doing the right thing may not be commercially justifiable. Sometimes, the right thing just can’t be done. Maybe it will cost a lot of money, or result in loss of revenue. Your role in a CF is to strike a balance. You are the expert who is there not to advise, but to implement measures to look right even when it’s wrong.

Just like how you found out that things learned in university are mostly futile when you work, things learned in PF may not be that useful either when you are in CF.

What would you want to be the reaction?

You should read and ponder upon “What would be your reaction” before reading this…
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Weekdays, on the way to work; and you were stuck in the jam once again. You just couldn’t understand why the lights always turn red as soon as you were about to cross the junction that day. Perhaps it was just not your day.

You turned to your right and saw the other driver smiling. “Seems like a good day to him”, you thought to yourself.

A loud unknown sound redirected your attention. You turned to the source of the sound and you saw it… a motorcyclist had smashed a metal rod into the driver window of a few cars behind you. He seemed to be pulling something from the driver side of the car.

2 seconds later, he swung the metal rod again to the car and a loud scream followed. To your horror, you saw a splash of blood on the windscreen of the victim’s car. The motorcyclist, who has firmly established himself as a criminal then sped off; and he was going to pass the right side of your car.

At that moment, your mind somehow brought you to the countless victims who have fell prey to such theft and they are now either dead, or left in a coma.

You engaged a gear and just as the perpetrator was about to pass your car, you intentionally crashed into him. You got him! He was pinned between your car and the car next to you.

You paused for a few seconds to recollect yourself before exiting your vehicle. The thief was screaming in pain and your car was badly damaged, so was the car next to you.

You wonder how the owner of the other car would react…

What would you want to be the reaction of the other driver?

Those who commented in the earlier post… any thoughts?


1 year ago… Same shield, different usage

2 years ago… Ghost sex = good sex?

What would be your reaction?

You were on your way to work, just like any other day. As you were about to reach your office, you stopped and your car came to a halt as the traffic light turned red.

The music from the radio entertained you as you waited for the lights to turn green. Looking around, you saw the familiar faces crossing roads; probably making their way to the respective workplace.

Suddenly, you heard a loud “smashing” sound coming from the back of your car, followed closely by a scream. Before you could turn around to check out the source of the commotion…”bang!”… something smashed into your car!!!

You got out of your car in hastily only to find that a motorcyclist was pinned between your car and the other vehicle next to you… your car, was *gasp!* badly damaged!

It was not an accident. What happened was…

The motorcyclist pinned to your car is a snatch thief who just smashed the window of a car which stopped a few vehicles behind you to get the driver’s handbag. After getting his loot, the thief sped of only to be stopped by a good Samaritan who sacrificed damages his car by crashing into the thief.

Unfortunately for you though, your car was also involuntarily sacrificed…

What would be your reaction?
What would be a typical Malaysian reaction?
Would you react like a typical Malaysian?

Such a dilemma to be honest with oneself… isn’t it?


1 year ago… An answer in the 400th

2 years ago… Can we really not be a part of it?

Those babes and their…

As I have briefly mentioned, I spent a short stint working in China a few years ago. That short stint was filled with many eye opening and experiences. One of which was when I asked to play in the inter-department football tournament.

The guy who got me into the team was this man by the name of Feng (mandarin for “wind”). Feng is the person who handled my work permit and other immigration related matters.

The entire team can’t really pronounce my English name. I am fine with people addressing me in my Cantonese name but to be called in Mandarin was rather weird. Hence, I am known as “shi-chi-hao” (number 17), the number of my jersey.

And so, we were in our final group match. And because it was a match that we had to win, my fellow teammates managed to gather some reinforcements. They came in the form of female colleagues who were kind enough to act as our cheerleading team.

Well, some of them were pretty hot looking. So I told my then colleague who is also a Malaysian and also happened to be in the team with me that it was the first time I ever had such a competitive match with proper pitch, referee, pre-match procedure and now… hot looking china dolls as pom-pom girls.

Quite a good feeling I must say…

And so we took our position on the pitch and got ready for the kick-off. The girls cheered and just then… just right then… a few of them did this…
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“krrraaaaakk…… ptui!”

They freaking spit around like machine guns. No matter how hot looking they were, the “ptui!” action just turned you off immediately.


1 year ago… If your boss wants to axe you

2 years ago… 10 Nov: A day to remember

Short & Sweet - Pilot

Starting a new category called "Short & Sweet"... and for a maiden entry...

"People who keep asking politician to wake up should they themselves... wake up" ... Zewt

1 year ago... To capture the rapture

The curse of a true slave

There was a vacancy in another department a few months ago and I recommended that position to a former junior (“J”) of mine who is currently slaving in a professional firm. Upon my recommendation, J decided to put in an application for that position.

The interview went well and J was offered the job. However, the department could not match J’s expected salary. I then had a lengthy discussion with J and after deliberating the offer, I advised J to decline the offer both as a friend and a fellow professional.

A few days thereafter, I got a call from my colleague from the recruiting department asking me to convince J to join as they were really interested in having J on board. Since I made the recommendation and was J’s former senior, I should be able to exercise my influence.

I told my colleague (“C”) that I have indeed exercised my influence and my advice to J was to decline the offer and I thought the offer did not match J’s value. I told C that I will not sell my friend’s soul to the devil even if it’s the same devil who is feeding me. C was astonished to hear that.

C then went on a crusade to get me to influence J. C went on and on about how J’s competence has not been proven and if J joins and performs well, J will surely be able to climb up the ladder. That was such a bad point simply because I work in the same company and I know exactly how this company, and in particular, how C’s department works.

C was relentless. C said that in the years C has been with the company, it was proven those who work hard and slog late into the night will be duly rewarded and rewarded well. Given that I know C has been working really hard and been slogging late nights non-stop, I asked how well has C been rewarded. C confidently answered that rewards will come.

Those familiar with AZAIG’s sentiments on modern slavery a.k.a. corporate world will know that slaving your life away is not the way to go. And certainly, I will never recommend my friend to sell his/her soul, unless the price is absolutely right.

It is very sad that there are so many people with the “true slave” mentality that one should slave out one’s life and will go all out to get others to join this disillusioned bandwagon. Will a true slave get rewarded in the end?

In the latest promotion list issued last month. C’s name was not there.


1 year ago… How will the end begin?

Maiden encounter of the city

“How was Beijing?” has been the most frequent question posed to me in the course of last week. Well, I must say I enjoyed my trip a lot. You may not like the people for their rude and often unhygienic antics, but I would consider Beijing as a city that one should not miss.

Upon landing, I was greeted with a first glance on Chinese efficiency. Initially, there were only 2 counters opened at the immigration checkpoint for foreign passport holders. Within minutes, there were officers appearing from nowhere and suddenly, all counters were operational.

I kept track of the time. We landed at 6.30am (thank God for MAS and on-time flights)… me and Jules got out from the plane, settled immigration, collected our baggage and got into the taxi… all before 6.50am. I find that quite amazing.

The hotel we stayed in was fantastic. If there’s anyone heading to Beijing, drop me a mail and I will tell which hotel it is. They allowed us to checked in at 7.30am and we had a nap till 11am before beginning out adventure.

Our first destination… Qianmen, which means “Front Gate”. It’s located to the south of Tian’anmen Square. By the way, Chinese are obsessed with the 4 winds. If you are heading there soon, bring a compass.

And to the north of Qianmen… Tian’anmen Square.

Nothing overly spectacular except the fact that they have security checkpoint for every entry. They x-ray all your bags. X-ray machines are also located at the entry of all subway station. I was stopped a few times because I had my tri-pot in my bag. They thought it was some kind of weapon.

To the north of Tian’anmen, it’s the great Forbidden City.

I think the Forbidden City has gone through quite substantial restoration work, which made it more magnificent. It is truly a structure of ultimate Chinese grandeur. It is always a great feeling to see ancient monuments such as these. It really makes you wonder, how in the world do they manage such feat without modern technology. The amount of thinking involved is just too mind-boggling.

We didn’t manage to cover the whole city. It was just too big, and just too much walking to do.

We went to the National Centre for Performing Arts a.k.a. The Egg. You have to pay to go in and I think that was a mistake. Nothing to see inside structure and so, if you do go, there is no need to go inside.

We went to a nice Sichuan restaurant for dinner. Let’s save that for food post, shall we?


1 year ago… More keywords splendour

2 years ago… What would you do?