Being a hotelier, cat has tried out many hotels, motels and resorts. As the years passed by, most of the hotel rooms looks the same (with only the color of the bedsheets, bedspread, curtains or wallpapers to differentiate them). Once or twice, if you are lucky, you will get to see something different that will make an impression on your mind.
Being hoteliers ourselves, most people would expect us to be kind of heart and tolerance towards our fellow colleagues in other hotels (as we are working in the same line and been standing in their shoes too). But the opposite would be more truthful. Every hotel had their share of what we call 'fussy' or 'HWC' (Handle With Care) guests but we are certainly our own worst nightmare!
When you see that there are hoteliers (especially those that has the operation background) expected to check in on that day, the reception staff would give a groan. Extra care is given to the choice of room & view. Cat, ashamed to admit it, is no exception to this. It must have been the way we were taught or 'brainwashed' during the earlier student and training days. (Sorry, prof.. :) A case of Dr Jeckyl turning into Mr Hyde once you stand at the opposite side of the counter. Only the level of fussiness would be either low or high depending on the individual.
Cat would be more on the mild side. Cat can overlook any maintenance problem (toilet flushing, light bulb fused, the ice cube compartment in the minibar was not defrost) but cat would however place a high level of expectation on the service (be it restaurant or rooms). That is the base of all hotel management studies. There are things you can control and things that you can't. Not greeting a guest or ignoring a guest who's standing in front of the counter is a big 'NO'. Slowness in action added with no apology is "Unpardonable'. You know, the invoice is saying that the room payment is inclusive of 'service charge', and that means guests are paying for the service.
If the attitude is still bad after a second hint from cat, you can be sure that there will be a complaint made to the manager. All staffs are expected to be given a full training before they are allowed to stand at the reception. If not, a higher authority must be at the staff's side before he/she can be given the 'approved' sign.
However, if the service is good, we would certainly not be stingy with complements and we would put a small note in our head to remind ourselves to offer the staff a job when we have a vacancy. See, we are not all that bad either. :)
Some of us will test the bed first when they checked in. Others would check the size of the room or the air conditioner. Cat's fetish would be the bathroom : the Bathtub actually. The sign of a tub and a complete bathroom amenities would be the thing to put a smile on cat's face. After a hard day of training or a whole day in the coach, a long soak in the bathtub would be bliss. Being a small cat, all bathtub sizes are acceptable. :p Ooo..and that certainly makes cat utter her thanks to God for not listening to her wishful thoughts of hoping to be taller and bigger. Soaking in the tub, smiling and feeling grateful.
Signing off,
Sleepy but Smiling Cat
Cat is tired.
Mom : Sorry Cat. Could you come home now?
Cat : What's up, mom? Are you ill?
Mom : No..but I have good news!
Cat : I'm in the midst of doing the budget. Can you tell me first what is the news?
Mom : Well, I got this SMS from Celcom, saying that I have won RM 30,000! Imagine that.
Cat : What did this sms said?
Mom : 'Congratulations! Your phone number has been selected as one of Celcom's Lucky Prize customer of the month. Please go to the nearest CIMB Bank and input your account number with the below special 4 digit password to obtain the RM 30,000 prize'!
Cat : What number is on the sms? Is it an office number or a handphone number?
Mom : It's a handphone number. And I've called there cat. Someone picked it up and said that I need to follow the instruction in half an hour's time or the prize will be given to someone else! I can't wait, cat!
Cat : Hmm...Is there something else, mom, that you have not tell cat?
Mom : Well, actually, he ask me to it in 15 minutes. But I managed to plead and get him to give me 30 minutes as we don't have any ATM machines nearby in this area.
Cat : Mom, let me have the telephone number please.
Mom : Well, you can't call him cat. He said that only call from my handphone number will be accepted. And I am to call him when I am at the ATM machine.
Cat is biting her lips and closing her eyes.
Cat : Mom, it's a scam. One of those get rich fraud thing. No one would give you RM 30,000 just like that and then ask you to go to the ATM machine. Once you gave him your Bank account details, blink..all your savings will disappear.
Mom : But..what if it's a genuine thing cat? RM 30,000 is a lot, you know.
Cat : Mom, if Celcom is really going to give you something, it will be done in a professional way. Calls, letters, press. Cheque and not bank in thing like this. They won't ask for your account number. Don't move ok. Cat will try to get back as soon as possible. Just don't move.
Ooo..cat just can't believe that mom would fall for that trick..and she reads the newspaper everyday. Guess, sometimes people would say, all this happens to everyone else except me. But when it is about yourself, you tend to lose the focus and forget what happened to others.
Rushing back as cat just can't trust that mom will sit still when she gets an idea in her head. Hope that she'll listen to cat.
Signing off,
Cat
'Your eyes will always see through me, And bring me to my knees...'
Boss is driving cat up the walls. Redo reports, more meetings and doing stuffs that even his secretary can do. Why? Just because cat does not agree on certain issue. Total loyalty? Depends.. cat would need to be convinced before cat can do that.
What evil thoughts lurking behind those spectacles? Punishment, of course, coated with an icing of sugary words. Cat looked back at boss and slowly answered without changing the expression. "Ok, I'll stand at the counter the whole day". Afterwards, cat is as usual: serious, smiling, talking with the others. Eyes were watching cat..you won't catch cat grumbling or being angry because of that. It's not a case of being hypocrite but a need to show boss that cat will not break under any pressure. Cats can be stubborn creatures at times.
Then, a message came from a dear friend. Laughing, cat was telling about today's event. Two words.. and only 2 words.. "Poor Cat.." and all the hidden emotions came to the surface. This is why Cat is turning away and keeping quiet because in close friends lies cat's weakness. When you are hurt, it's better to be among those who doesn't know you well enough. Then, you can keep your hold on your emotions. Tears are not certainly not meant for the public.
Let cat keeps her distance until she's got it all out from her system. Don't be too nice to cat, it will only make her weak. If you still want to do it, then don't do it from far away. Do it when you are beside cat.. :) then cat can have your shoulders to cry on.
Signing off,
Cat
“God, please grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change... and the courage to change the things that I can. Thus, grant me also the wisdom to know the difference between the two..."
When cat looks at the world around cat, cat usually did not notice things until the lesson becomes very clear. Cat has not ride on the bus for 3 months already as cat has been going to work on car pool with friends.
Cat likes to walk around when cat has lots of things to think about. A matter of clearing the mind. Today, cat waited at the bus stop to take a bus to town. It takes 30 minuted to go to town and cat usually sits at the window, daydreaming (smile) or reading or sleeping. Lost in her own world.
As cat went on the bus, the conductor said, 'Hello there. Long time we never see you. We thought that you have moved to another area.' The driver nodded and said, 'And I told him that surely a smart young woman like you would have probably got promoted and moved to KL.' Cat was surprised that they remember cat. We had a small chat and cat went to sit at cat's usual seat by the window.
Then an old lady climbed on the bus. 'Oh, fancy seeing you here again. How are you, child? Everything ok?' Again, cat was surprised. 'Do you know Cat?', the very words that came out from cat's mouth. She nodded and told cat that cat was the 6.45am girl at the right window. Ahh..Cat smiled and talked to her for a while. Then a couple climbed on and.. the same thing happened again. They said that they were glad to see cat.
The wife said that for 3 years, no matter what the weather, they will always see cat at the same window early in the morning going to work. The girl in black was what they called cat. (smile). The person who never talked to anyone but always have a smile on her face as she climbed up the bus with her big bag. Oo..soon everyone was joining in and telling cat about how they speculated about cat's profession ..(salesgirl, student..ouch..teacher..) and why cat has vanished. One of them thought that cat had had an accident and another thought that cat was sick.
The 30 minutes journey became a short one. It made cat realized that cat has been one of the markers in the landscape of their lives. We were strangers..but with familiar faces. They have given cat a sense of belonging and place.
Think of it. While going to work, without realizing it, cat has been a part of their familiar view. All of us had shared an easy, familiar chat although we never got around to exchanging names. This is what it means..when you have been gone for a while, or when you were feeling disoriented, out of place, the sight of a familiar stranger would let you know..you are at the right place.
Signing off,
Cat
Neil Gaiman has got it right with his quote on Love :
Love makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart.
You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one person, no different from any other person, wanders into your life… when you are not paying attention, and you give them a piece of you. Your life isn’t your own anymore.
Love gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase can turn into a glass splinter working its way into your heart.
It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind.
It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.
**************************************
This was posted on a Friend's FB Status:
Why does a person purposely wants to hurt another person's feelings? Sometimes, when you think about it, it doesn't make sense at all..
Hmm..since when does anything that has to do with feelings make sense? Especially if the above Status update is the result of something between a man and a woman. Everyone knows that a man and a woman's mind works differently. One side is saying A but the other side is hearing it as B. Some things do get lost in translation.
Let's look at it this way. Words especially if written or typed is dangerous (unless you have 'smileys' to put at the end of the sentences so that others can say..'Oh. that's a joke. No need to take it seriously). If the person who wrote something or the person who reads the sentence is in a foul mood at that time, feelings would turn to anger or hurt.
And basically, when people feels hurt, the reflective action is to strike back. Hmm..how about rewinding back the tape to a few hours earlier..have you said or done something to hurt that person's feelings in the first place? Or have you 'NOT' said or done something that was expected? There may be a reason for the hurtful words. Feelings becomes extra sensitive when love is involved.
It might be easier if you could talk face to face..look into the other person's eyes, see the body language : The lips can say anything, but in the long run action speaks louder than words. A hug can replace the so hard to pronounced word 'Sorry'. Everyone needs to feel appreciated and worthy..
It takes two people to make a relationship works. It takes only one to destroy it. Cat also would be much happier if she does not think a lot. Simple minds work better in relationships even though it might lack imagination. There's always two sides of everything. If you feel hurt, turn the other way, walk off. Sometimes, it's better this way. Giving some space..
Learn to forgive. And if something hurts you so much, again forgive and let go. Let it out of the mind and concentrate on other things. If you can't see the action, well, you need to decide something. You, and only yourself knows how the story goes..
Hmm..
Signing off,
Cat
A guy was having a great time with his partner, suddenly a touchy topic comes up. All of a sudden the girl's mood changed. He asked her what is wrong, and she says 'Nothing'. You know that when a girl says 'Nothing' , it usually means that the thing is a 'Something'.
What did the guy do then? He put his arm around the girl and say: 'Come on. I know that something is bothering you'. But the girl remain stone silence. Next thing you know, she took her pillow and walk out from the room. He just watched her go as he is a bit irritated now. He thinks that she is behaving in a childish manner and doesn't like it.
A research shows that 29% of husbands and 21% of wives reported no conflicts at all during the first year of their marriage. But 16 years later 46% of the couples had divorced. It seems that wives use a lot of the silent in the first year but then began to mellow in later years. It maybe because when women are married longer, staying together and the relationship becomes more important to them.
However, the men remains constant. They did not seem to be improving nor getting worse. Maybe men feel they do not know what works with women. So when the women are silent, the men just let them be.
Maybe sometimes, we just need to be direct with each other. Sit down and tell your man why and what made you feel hurt. Most arguments are silly. The more you can let go of small issues, the better. Need to work things out so that no one would feel that they have to become silent.
Do not be afraid to upset your partner. You know that you cannot be close to someone with whom you are afraid to discuss feelings.
There's something in the air.. sniff it.. why..it is full of the sweet smell of roses and shhh.. listen, there's the sound of fluttering wings..oh my.. there goes a naked kid playing with love shaped arrows. Shouldn't someone take those arrows from him before he hurts the public?
Ah yes..love is in the air. As the florists are all flashing their too bright smiles, thinking of all those orders at triple the price for roses..let's talk about this day dedicated to love.
Valentine's day..a day of celebrating love. Be it with your partner, lover, parents, children, pets, cat..it's a day where you are allowed to openly or secretly tell a person of your feelings to them. How about singles? Well, you can tell yourself how much you love yourself. :) No self pity allowed..go and splurge on a little black dress and paint the town red. There's lots of other singles out there. Valentine's is only one day, after all. Be thankful that you are not involved in a relationship with a married person..it will surely make you cry, not to have your loved one with you on this pink colored day..
A few wonderful love movies to rent:
* Avatar : love is more than the surface..and it's certainly universal
* Any Disney's movies : A guaranteed happy ending
* Casablanca (1942):no matter how much you love someone, you have to let them go.
* Dr Zhivago : a man's life of agony: he must choose between fidelity for the woman he married or passion he feels for the woman who inspires him.
* Gone With the Wind : the difficult love between a manipulative Scarlet O'Hara and the man that she won't admit that she loves
* The Notebook : true love can have a bond that is stronger than any force on earth
* West Side Story : 2 lovers are torn apart by bitter rivalry (a heartbreaking end)
* Slumdog Millionaire: love is worth fighting for, and nothing worth having is easy to obtain
Is love really worth all the tears and sadness? Love actually..is worth it. Yes. At least, once in your lifetime, you'll get to feel the intoxicating fumes of being loved, cherished, adored and desired. To feel the heart beating at 80km per minute (laughing).It's certainly worth it even if it ends in tears.
Ouch.. watch out where you shoot those arrows, you little naked imp! Oo..that certainly hurts..and why is cat starting to see pink spots..oooo...purr..
Signing off,
Cat
When you are living in your mother's comfort,You tend to forget all her effort,How she has loved and cared for you,The emotional torment that she has been through.You think your mother will live forever,There will be other times to show you love her,I'm sure she'll understand that too.One day you might find that she has gone,Things will never be the same at dawn.You will regret like I have,Cry like I have.What could have been will never be,How could you have let it be?
Time makes no dates,
Love can never wait.No need for Mother's Day or her birthday,You can make everyday a special day,Just by a thoughtful gesture,You'll give your mother endless pleasure.For those for whom it is still not too late,Don't make the same mistake,Things left undone & unsaid,Will only give all a heartache..
Cat has always been a lover of books especially novels. Cat can finish reading a good novel in maximum 2 days of continuous reading. People eat food to live, cat absorbs books (you could always see cat anywhere with her nose in a book). Cat can tell you what a book is about from A-Z just by looking at the title.
All these activities came to a stop last 2 years when cat had some problems which change cat's whole outlook on life and faith. The novels were left aside. They provided good reading but it's certainly not real life. Cat was lost and just doesn't have any clue in solving the problems. Just hoping like in the story books, that things would pass and someone would help cat find the answer.
The encounter with serious materials/books came at this time. Unable to sleep, cat was searching for 'boring' textbook like materials to read to help getting sleepy. But instead of that, cat found the book interesting. It was an autobiography. Another person's real life story. That opened cat's eyes to try to find similar books. Then cat started a second, a third and a fourth book. One thing leads to another. Then cat found motivational articles and s friend gave cat her first 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'. One thing leads to another.
And each time, cat saw a pattern. These people whose life stories were recorded in the books have all tasted hardship and also success. The rich and famous. But then, at the peak of their lives, they were tested again. And this is where you could see there are 2 groups of people. One group chose to give up, self destroy all their achievements by taking drugs and alcohol. The Lost Souls.
The other group has taken a different path: to face whatever demons and struggles to survive and get out of whatever mess they are in. If there is no ready made door, they will find a window. Giving up is not in their dictionary. These are the very ones that found happiness. The optimists.
You can come from a rich or poor background. The past are events that are out of your control. You can't change whatever has happened. It's how you live your own life now that matters. Your self esteem, knowing your own worth and strength helps. Back to the basics. Start with your own self. You can never make someone else happy unless you are happy yourself. How to do that and what formula to use? There's no one specific way to it. As cat now learns.. each person has to find his or her own approach in understanding life. Some people can find the answer just by a click of the finger but some needs to experience things first hand before they understands. Formula A might work for A but it might not work on B. People can only guide you, but you need to find the answer yourself.
Nowadays, cat is reading books on religion, biographies and motivations. Sometimes it even took weeks to finish one single book. (smile). Keep stopping to think and absorb the ideas after each chapter. And of course , hehehe..finding someone to bug if cat finds the chapter hard to understand. Cat still read novels from time to time for leisure. You can never forget your first love (smile)
Cat weird? Nah..not at all. Just a bit different..and accepting it. :) It's not against the law to be different, isn't it ? (smile). Cat, in another way, is still the same cat: a bit childish and playful at times and with close friends, enjoys teasing people and being teased, laughing at jokes, open mouthed watching a magician performs his magic tricks, enjoys watching cartoons, loves people with a sense of humor and shed some tears watching a sad movie. Same cat but on upgraded and stronger version.
Signing off,
Cat V5 (18.1.10)
It's a day where no sad stories should be told.
Where should Cat start ye..? From the very beginning? Or maybe from the middle... or let's just skip everything, and turn straight away to the last page. Nah, let's go accordingly by the book.
Once upon a time..
Cat was born in a small fishing village in southern Johor. By 'small', Cat really mean small: there were less than 3000 inhabitants (well. actually 2999 inhabitants + 1 kitten) there at that time.
Most of the villagers are fishermen, and a few are farmers. The land are plentiful but more suitable for cultivation of pineapple and local fruit trees. As often the case with small villages, there are not that much entertainment around, and the younger generations would choose migration to bigger towns.
It was actually Cat's mum hometown. Mum had grown up there all her life till she got married to Dad at the age of 18 years old. Mum was so lucky to have 14 of her siblings with her, as the distance from one house to another is around 8km. Just imagine, how far it was to go to school. It took her 30 minutes of walking in the wee early hours (even before the cock crows).
When Cat was small, we did not 'balik kampung' often. :) It was a journey of 180km from Muar to Kukup and around 2 hours and 45 minutes of driving in Dad's antique red colored Volkswagon. It was a long drive with a panoramic view of plantations, never ending highway and again more trees along the road.
Cat got carsick almost every time we made the trip, affected by the strong smell coming from the palm plantations and from the long bumpy ride. (Thank God the roads are much better nowadays, kan..:)
Let us talk about passion tonight. No, not that kind of passion as in love. (smile) But passion for work. This afternoon, as cat was strolling, out in the sun, during lunch time.. cat saw an old couple that has been selling fruits nearby to cat's flat 6 years ago, pushing their fruit cart just across the road. Ohh.. just fancy that..they are still selling fruits until today.
Cat ran across the street (cat being cat), and said hi to them. How happy the heart is when they still remember cat. After some exchange of cat's news, cat asked them about their children. Do you know that the eldest is now a businessman and the 2nd (which is the youngest) is a teacher.
Oo..then cat started to remember the case of the old man who was abandoned by his children and lived in the shed behind a school. That old man had had to work as a gardener in the school as his children had abandoned him due to a quarrel among themselves. Oh.. don't tell cat that this couple had been abandoned too.
As if reading cat's mind, the old man started to laugh.' No, cat. My wife and I have been selling fruits since we were young. We are not rich but we have enough for everyone and we even managed to send the kids to universities with the money we make selling fruits. So now, even though the kids do send us more money than we ever needed, we feel that we as long as we are still strong, we want to keep on selling fruits especially during week days. The schoolkids will miss us if we are not there and we would take this time too to meet old friends like Ah Seng who sells mee at the other corner.'
'Don't worry about us, cat.' the wife smiled. 'Our children sent us money every month. We can stay at home and watch TV if we wanted too. We don't know until when we will still stay together.. and..we do need the exercise' chuckled the old man while looking at the wife.
Cat was surprised. This is the first time that cat has seen people love doing what they are doing. They were actually proud that they are still working and not just waiting for their children' money. Imagine that..
While there are some of us who doesn't want to work but just want to enjoy the good life. There are those who just complaints about their job.
Just imagine that..
Signing off,
Cat
There are times when cat just want to leave everything and give up. There are times too when cat just feel like throwing something at someone (smiling..well, cat is almost human). And there are times when cat just wish that she is deaf so that she would not hear anything at all.
Why? Because some people just love to judge others based on what they see on first glance or by what they hear from others. Why don't they just take the next step and ask or give advices if they really think that the thing is wrong. Why wait till the thing is done, then said 'I told you so'.
If you see a kid playing with matches and papers, why don't you just go tell the kid that how dangerous it is to be doing that. Or does it gives people satisfaction to go around telling others how bad that kid is and how the events will turn out if he keeps playing with those items. Or do they hope that by telling it to someone else, that someone else will talk to the child, instead? In the end, no one did, but instead the child was wondering about all the weird look people were giving him. You know how gossips starts: it begins with an innocent remark, told from one ear to another. And as words were passed on, things get twisted and the story became exaggerated and moved away from the original remark. And one day, the kid would just use the matches to please everyone's expectations on what he will do.
Cat knows..that is how life is. It's not an easy path and every test is expected to make you into a stronger person. Alas, it still hurts to hear or see words that insinuated on things that is not totally right. First reaction is to be angry. Second, came the sense of how unfair it is. And now, just to let it go. What's the use of getting upset. At least you'll have a clear picture and the time to think things out. Not changing cat's mind anymore.
To think of it, to accuse is always easy...The hard part is to be at the 'accused' person's seat.
Signing off,
Cat
You are right. There's no place anywhere for the soft-hearted people around here. This tiny bit of heart has been broken into even smaller pieces that no glue can put it back together.
Now this is the Law of the Jungle:
(as old and as true as the sky..)
And the Wolf that shall keep it, may prosper,
But the Wolf that shall break it must die..
For this is the law of the jungle:
Only the strongest and the fittest will survive..
Every man for himself..
To kill or be killed..
To eat or be eaten..
Signing off,
Cat is lost in a world that she could not understand. Silly, silly cat.. (small laugh)..
It has been a rather busy week. Cat was just going to sit down and breathe a fresh load of air, thankful that boss has not bugged cat the whole duration of the event. Then suddenly cat's boss came into the office.
Sigh..too good to be true. Might be that cat's focus on the "Law of Attraction" was too strong? Just a fleeting thought of him. Speaking of the devil..(pardon the pun) and voila..here he is.
"Cat, I'm going to move you to the office on the 3rd floor." said he.
"Oo.." said cat trying to stall for time.
"You are too isolated down here on your own. It will be good to have you at the same floor as the rest of the team so that you will be aware of all the changes & movements. This will also facilitate me to groom you to be my Assistant when the time comes. What do you say, cat?" continued boss, brimming with the 'good news'.
"When do you want me to move, boss?"said cat slowly.
"By end of this week. Your new office will be ready by then and it will be just opposite mine".
What can Cat say. Boss's words are an order, not really a suggestion. Deep breath..and count to 10. In a positive way..it's true what he said about being on track with all the movements upstairs. However, this will also mean..taking over some more of the other duties and attending more meetings plus Cat's own workload. It will mean staying more hours at the office and lesser time..
Let's put that thoughts away for the moment. No good worrying in advance on something that has not happened yet, kan. Still got a few more days. :) This is only to let you know that if cat is keeping silence these days, this would be the reason why. You might be busy too as the end of the year approaches. Who knows..maybe, you might not even notice that Cat has not logged in, might not even miss Cat.. (smile)Take good care of yourself..
Now, where is that list? Need to focus on clearing things, documents, files and getting cat's self ready for the changes. Anyone with big boxes and an extra pair of hands to lend to cat? :)
Signing off,
Cat
Listening to "Us against the World" -Westlife-
Last 2 weeks, there was an open house event at the orphanage. The board, sponsors and people from the nearby area has been invited to attend as the children would like to perform a play as a thank you to everyone before the school year ends.
The children on the stage were excited and look forward to entertain us with their best performance. Cat heard that they have been training a whole month for this. But half of the attendees were not even paying attention. Some were talking, others were already showing a bored face and looking at their watches as if they were wasting their time there and would prefer to be elsewhere.
Then one of the board director stood up and went to the stage.
'Could everyone just off their handphones and give only 30 minutes of your attention to these children. Not a week or a day but only 30 minutes. They have been practising practically every day in order to express their gratitude to all of us. We, who have enjoyed a lot in life, are only asked to sit and give 30 minutes of our time. That is all that is required. Is it too much to ask?'
Ooo..there are still heroes in this life. Cat was already standing and clapping her hands for that guy who has voiced out cat's mind before cat got the chance. The clapping was cut short as cat's friend was pulling cat's hand to make cat sit down. :) Ouch..
There were those with guilty faces and those like cat who was glad for the speech. There was a bit of a silence and the show continues with now everyone giving their full attention.
********************************
If we don't have time to listen to these children, what do we have time for?
We do need to slow down and remember what we really need. a sense of fulfillment, of happiness, of peace.
Maybe we are too occupied with ourselves (this includes cat). We are in a hurry to get home at night, so that we can go to bed, so that we can wake up early in the morning, so that we can go to work again ..etc..etc.. :) And we spend the weekend preparing the work for the next week.
Cat agree that we need to work hard sometimes to make end meets. But when we never stop to look at the sky, we lose our human side. We become mechanical.
In the old days, people work side by side with nature, using their hands producing something that they can touch and feel. They interact with neighbors to sell their products. Nowadays things are more abstract. We sit in front of a screen and does not connect it with real life.
Cat is as guilty as the next person. Cat hated waiting in line and would just like to rush from one place to another. Cat would sometimes get impatient when the service was slow regardless that it was a fresh new staff who was at her first job. Hmm.. :) but Cat is trying to change.
Maybe it's time to slow down a bit and give someone a break. Cat is going to pay more attention to what's happening around cat and spend some time getting to know her neighbors. :) Ah...Cat.. seems like you'll never graduate from this life's school.
Signing off,
Cat
When life’s problems seem overwhelming, look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself fortunate
From the start, every self help book that cat read was about forgetting the past hurt and to always be a positive thinker. They say that we should not dwell on our sadness as everyone have problems and each of them might be even worse than ours. So, we learn not to complaint and sweep all those unwanted and bad events under the carpet.
We shrug off life's trials and tribulations, convincing ourselves that they have made us stronger. Many people go through life with a broken piece inside them, masking the inner turmoil with routine, work and play. Most of the time, we may be completely unaware of this flaw in us because the broken piece does not make any sound: just a dead silence which might become a time bomb one day.
There's the case of the child abuse victim who does the same to his children; the college student who flips out with a fully loaded automatic rifle; the abused victim who can never seem to form any stable relationship; the guy at the service counter who starts shouting for no apparent reason and lastly the tortured soul who finally decides to end her life.
A Asohan seems to voice it out more accurately: There are so many broken people out there. Counselling can help if a person is aware enough to seek help. But in some cases counselling can only the dress the wounds so that the person can play a functional role in society and then hope that the wound will not reopen or fester. Even those who want to help will not be able to reach in that deeply to help the most tortured souls.
For those unthinking people who ignore the consequences of their misdeeds or falsely believe that they would be redeemed 'as time heals all wounds', think again. The damage that you have done to other people may be deeper and darker than you'd like to assume.
***********************************
'Have you ever seen a dog get hit by a car, but walk away? There's this impact and you know that something terrible has happened to that dog. But it still walks away and doesn't seem to realize the implications. It just walks on. But, you, you know that something terrible has happened inside this dog and it is now there, biding its time.' - Full Frontal movie-
Signing off,
Cat
Do knight in shining armor really exist? Or are they a fragment of someone's creative imagination that were passed on to others?
Same goes with the fact that there are no dragons, no witches, no fairy godmother.
Life is so much different than Disney's stories. Life, actually, is more like the original works of Hans Christian Anderson: The little mermaid didn't get the prince. Even when in the end, the mermaid decided not to kill the prince, she was turned into sea foam. The prince were happily married to the princess and did not even remember the mermaid. Sad but reality bites.
Could this Cat do that? Sacrificing her life for the happiness of another? To stand still and watch everyone continue with their daily lives as they normally did?
The answer is yes. If the world is as hard as Hans in his story telling tales told us, Cat would probably do what the mermaid did. She would put this heart of hers into a box. Lock it and keep it in a safe place where it won't fall to pieces every time the silence became heavier than any burden. Tears has never been known to solve anything. Just like throwing ashes into the wind.
If Chrissy can stick to her rigorous plan in changing her life, cat believes that cat also can stick to this plan of changing cat's emotional mindset.
Cat wants to be strong so that no one can hurt her or make her miserable ever again.
Let's make a pact, Chrissy. As long as you will not throw down the towel, cat will not give up also. Cat will try to start all over again but with a brand new diary.
This would be cat's own fight in keeping the spirit high and not letting anyone put cat's self esteem down that bottomless well again. Thank you Chrissy, for opening cat's eyes. Hugs and salute to you.
P/S: This does not mean that Cat do not need anyone. Of course, Cat will always need someone to standby her. A someone who would be proud of Cat each time Cat did something good or correct. Cat also need someone to help Cat gets up again each time she falls down. She knows that even the strongest person would breakdown and cry..sometimes.
Cat wants with all her heart to laugh out loud and be the reason that brings a smile to those close to her. Cat would want to hear someone's news and be there in case someone needs Cat. There won't be any pity, sorry or empty promises between us. Cat would only be glad to know that someone cares. The bruises and cuts are to be expected when riding a bike.
Cat used to say, 'If you will take care of me, I will take care of you too.'
But now, instead of that, Cat is saying 'I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.'
It's true what they said: the wheel of life does turn around. Cat had thought that the wheel is stuck and Cat will never see an example of 'retribution' on earth.
Cat knows..it's not good to wish something bad to others..but most of the time cat only sees the good gets trodden, trampled, bashed..that Cat wonders if the contrary does happen.
And today, Cat saw it. Really... M had an accident yesterday in which he was hospitalized-having broken ribs. Everyone was silent when they heard the news. Poker faces everywhere. Try as hard as Cat wanted to (God, please forgive Cat.., Cat is only able to find a tiny bit of sympathy inside cat. Guilty conscience prevailing, Cat and a friend gave a call to the hospital to ask about his state..and..oh..grr..he's still the same arrogant person. Oh, again, dear God, please forgive Cat for having bad thoughts (smile)
All that aside, Cat was thinking that..well, the wheel is still turning. And once it moves, it will continue to do so. There will be time when whatever bad things that you have done will get back to you. When? Only time can tell.
And, it makes Cat a little pensive and sad tonight. There will be a time when Cat too will have to grit her teeth and bear whatever comes onto Cat's way. Hmm..
For the time being, hoping that God will understand.
Still looking with shiny eyes and hoping for the best. No regrets...ever. But a heart wishing a wish and hoping that all will turn out well.
Thank you God. Cat is grateful for the everything and for the reminder.
Signing off,
Cat
Today, we went to the hospital to visit a friend who has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy. The baby was sleeping and had a look so pure and innocent that cat's heart just went to him. His eyes were closed, yet his tiny hands and legs moved slowly under the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him.
For the first time since these last few days, cat's heart lightened. Cat kissed the baby gently and closed cat's eyes. You know..that baby smell..the best smell in the whole world. And as cat's lips touched the baby's soft tender cheek, cat fell in love with him. A miracle...this feeling of love.
The mother was still lying on the movable bed. She looked tired but her face was glowing. "The baby is beautiful", cat told her. Suddenly, she picked him up and passed him to cat.."Would you like to hold him, cat? Ooo..Cat's eyes were big. Did she really said that? Yes, she's is still looking at cat and holding the sweet child.
Holding the small precious bundle, all the sadness left cat. How lucky his mother is. Understanding slowly came to cat. Life is worth having when you have someone to tend to and that someone needs you too. Without that bond, life would be empty. Motherhood is a special status that Allah has bestowed upon selected women. It is something that most women dream of achieving but not everyone of us is given such an honor.
Hugging the small baby delicately, Cat gave him a last kiss and returned him to the mother who's shining eyes never left the baby. Warmth came back to cat's cheeks. Oh, how cat wish that he was cat's. But it would not do any good in wishing and envying others.
God answers but in an indirect way. Trial and lessons to make the faith stronger..especially to those that is a bit slow like Cat. Typical of cat, isn't it..strong in theory but weak when it comes to actually doing it.
'God created you from one being and from that being He made it's mate. He created you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in three fold gloom.Such is Allah your Lord' (Az-Zumar 39:6)
Signing off,
Cat
The temperature continues to rise. Today, it's at 33°C and expected to reach till 35°C on Saturday. The weather forecast said that we were to expect occasional storms in the day.
For an occasional storm, it's really occasional: 7 minutes of heavy rain and it stops as sudden as it came. By the time you put on your slippers and open the main gate, getting a little bit drenched (as you were lazy to get an umbrella), the strong sun quickly comes out and let you dry again.
Even the water level of small river (hmm.. or maybe it's more like a very big ditch/drain) besides the area where cat lives, has dropped down drastically 1 1/2 meters from the normal level. That is how hot it is here.
The NST newspaper last Sunday reported that TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad) advised consumers to use electricity prudently even more so during this heatwave. On Feb 4, power demand stood at 14,384 megawatt and six days later the demand registered at 14,417 megawatt. (an increase of 33 megawatts in 6 days).
That is to be expected. The hotter it gets, the more you uses the fan and/aircond. And this weekend will surely shows a much higher increase in electricity usage as Malaysians are enjoying a long holiday period from this Friday till Sunday due to the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. Hoping (even if it's hopeless) that they will not be any black outs in Cat area again and again. Hot and in darkness: :( hated that..
The human temperature around here is also on the rise. More headaches with things to decide and basically a need to cut cat's self to 100 pieces in order to get all things done (Going back later and later . How do you prevent the heat from getting to the head? Sigh.. wish there is a good formula to it. Tempers so thin and feelings so fragile. Luckily cat does not have a license to drive :p.. who knows what this distracted cat might run over while driving? Hmm..Got to keep cool.. and cat still has not get her 'Sirap Bandung' or Ais Kacang yet..
Signing off,
Cat 23022010
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He: Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life!
She: I am ashamed of myself for ever choosing someone like you!
The shouts went on and on..a never ending litany of blaming each other. If only they would stop and think..
For whose sake is the argument really for? For themselves...or..for the child who has been hearing all the shouting while crying in the corner..?
Don't they realised that though they are husband and wife, they remained two different people. They will never have the same opinion on everything. If all they do is argue..without ever trying to understand each other, then they will only hurt themselves in the end.\
Sometimes, when you are too close to one another, you thought that you can see clearly where the problem lies. Alas, in reality, sometimes it's when you are closest that you cannot understand anything. You only feel your own hurt and see what he has done to hurt your feelings.
It's at times like this, you need to calm down and take a close look at one another.
Life ( by anonymous)
live life
at one point or another its time to move on
live life to the full before it’s all gone
never regret doing anything that you wanna do
life is too short so its entirely up to you
regret is not a nice thing to be playing on your mind
so go explore the globe and see what you can find
the big bad world is not as scary as you think
get in the ocean on a boat that's gonna sink
climb Mount Everest without any harness
hanging on for life from light through to darkness
jump out of a plane at 30 thousand feet..
don't be scared and accept defeat
don't be spending most of your life in bed
You'll get enough sleep when you die
----------------------------
Have you ever sometimes wish that you were someone else?
Wishing to be better, slimmer, smarter or funnier? Once in a while the thought will enter the head : To be wishing for things to be different from what they really were or for to be able to change the past or even to be someone else than you are.
Sometimes the response or the "look" you get from people made you want to live otherwise. When that happens, check yourself. Are you doing what you expect others want you to do or are you doing it because it's something you wanted to do.
The choice and responsibility for achieving success and happiness is our own. Change the mindset. Think of what those people are saying as a provocation. A little struggle, a little risk is necessary. Move away from the unhealthy environment, if you must. Then, do whatever is necessary to achieve whatever you want. Do it for your self and you'll find that you have more interest and better results. If you want to be slimmer, then go and put on a diet. Do Not grumble. People will only laugh at you. The world loves to make fun of other people's misery. Put on your smile, put cotton in your ears, tighten your belt and just do it. Just have to keep it your head to do it because you wanted it.
Easier said than done? Of course, writing this is easier than trying to actually do it. Sometimes you will be lucky to have someone to support this changes and stand by you through whatever waves that rocks the boat. Sometimes you would be all alone in making the changes. Sometimes, every 1 km, there's a stone wall blocking your way. Sit down and think. You have been hitting the wall with your knuckles and it's still standing there. Maybe the wall is there to tell you that it's a no entry area and you should think of taking another path. Time to look at things differently.
Cat has been there and cat can tell you it's not easy. Cat would have like, wish and hope that things are different.. Alas, that is certainly impossible.
Carpe Diem.
Signing off,
Cat
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Poison lettter, (in Malay, this is what we call 'surat layang'), is as nasty as it sounds. Letters sent out by anonymous people with the intention to upset, produce anger and sometimes fear also to the person who receive it.
To what purpose? God knows.. but bad intentions surely. Even now, there are still enough poison letters going around..(maybe..not so much as by paper..but also through sms and through the e-mail.
A friend recently showed Cat a poison pen letter that she received. It was short and barely a page long. It was rather the content of the letter that upsets her as it was a highly critical accusation against her. The sender was implying that Cat's friend is being 'over friendly' with boss in order to get her recent promotion. What nonsense. Everyone knows how hard she worked for it. And worse of all, the sender is certainly a coward in refusing to reveal his or her identity.
Some people would say that it's only words. However..it does matter if the accusation is untrue, it's what people believes. Of course, having someone tell you off in front of your face is not very pleasant either..but at least you do have an opportunity to defend yourself. It's the same thing as when someone said bad things or put a series of accusations on the comment at your blog and then goes to hide behind the name of 'Anonymous'. You don't have a name or a face to ask for further clarification. Gossips..do travel faster than Air Asia.
Some people would advise just to ignore the poison letter. Treat it as rubbish. But it is hard to do that at times. To the person, Cat would just like to recite a proverb : Some things that are fun to you, might be death to others. These are the stuff that contributed to broken marriages, friends turning into foes and careers hurt just because of a person's feelings of resentful, envy or discontent was voiced out by the wrong channel. Hmm.. sometimes it just baffles Cat.. what does a person really gets from all these?
Cat's teacher used to say that be careful of your words and what you write. Words are like prayers. Each words that you utter (be it good or bad) has an impact in deciding the success or failure for someone. And everything is like a ripple on the water when you throw a stone in it. The ripple becomes bigger and it might even reach you back. What goes around comes around.
Good night..sleep peacefully and hopefully your conscience will stay clear..
Cat was reading this motivation book (:p something to help keep the chin up and the smile as bright as the shining star) and the topic just caught the eye.
The article was saying that there is a time in life where you are at a junction or at a low period of your life. Someone saw something in you once..and gave you that first break. A break that has partly made it possible for you to be at where you are today.
It might be your father or mother, a thoughtful uncle, a perceptive teacher, a demanding boss, an appreciative partner or it's just someone who trusted you enough to dug deep down into his pocket and came up with the few bucks that you desperately needed.
Whoever it is, the person had had the kindness and the forethought to put his trust and confidence in you. Those are the 2 beautiful qualities that separated a human being from a beast.
The first step to do is in the next 24 hours, take 10 minutes to write a grateful note to the person who helped you. A thank you note that.. who knows is much needed.. to soothe that person's heart at the moment. A thank you note to let that person knows that his/her words or help is not wasted and it has changed someone's life.
But what if.. that person is no longer on this earth? How do you say thank you? How do you let him/her knows that he/she has changed your life? Well, that is why cat believes that a 'thank you' and 'i'm sorry' should be given immediately and not be kept till the time for it has expired. Throw away the ego.. life is short for those that really matters..
Secondly, why don't you take another 10 minutes to give someone else a break? Who knows? One day you yourself might get a nice letter. It could be one of the most gratifying messages that you have ever read.. a balm for the heart..
Lastly, write in your blog a thank you note for that someone..Maybe the letter would mean a lot to someone..
Hmm.. thinking of all those that has helped cat reach this stage in her life.. especially to you who has tendered more than a helping hand in a time where cat believes that life has no more meaning.. Thank you from the deep of cat's heart.
Signing off,
Cat
Has the weather always been this cold? Or has it been gradually changing..without cat noticing it? It was summer with flowers blooming everywhere the last time we met. Now, it seems like autumn. Words needed to be thought of first, before it can come out of the mouth. Smileys have now become an 'exclusive' item.. to be given out in moderation. No more spontaneous bantering or laughing.
Cat hates autumn.. as this is the transition period from summer to winter. One is always watching the weather forecast and looking up also at the sky.. wondering if it's going to stay chilly or whether it will snow tonight.
'I have to ask you a question. It's a good one so think about it. If two people just can't seem to get it together, when do you get to that point of enough is enough?'
-The Mexican movie-
Signing off,
Cat looking at the sky
One of my favorite photos taken by Mattijn Franssen A bit vampirish like. You can hardly get to see a picture of a cat with an abandoned castle in the background and on a gloomy night.. priceless.
Some people are afraid of such colors (black, dark blue green and grey) which are often associated with chaos, violence and madness.
I love it. In every one of us there is a dark side, hidden skeletons which we do not talk about. There are things that you do not share with others. And sometimes you just appreciate dark paintings or photos like the above which presents your feelings and moods perfectly at the right moment.
Ikin was asking why Cat loves looking at the moon so much? She said that the moon is so boring: not moving, not blinking. Just like the lights at home. She said that it would be better to look at the stars.
Well, Ikin, there's something that you should know.. Cat is ..a.. werewolf! :P
No lah, there's no such things as werewolves. They only exist in movies and story books. Cat does not even like meat. :p
In verity, Cat started to love looking at the moon when Cat was studying in France. It was not Dad who told Cat about the myth of the moon. No one actually did that. Cat loves to read story books and legends of all sorts, and in every tale, there's always the moon in it when the story reach the sad or scary part.
After Nancy, each one of us, the Malaysian students were required to choose what field of studies to pursuit. We were also asked to choose where we would like to be sent to from a list of areas that have the courses that we were interested in.
Trying to see if Cat can be independent or not, and desiring to be on her own, Cat agreed to go to Strasbourg, Capital of Europe. 4 hours on train to Paris and several more hours to the East of France. The smell of adventure.
There were times when the heart is heavy, Cat trying to act as if Cat doesn't care and nothing can touch her. Cat lives almost at the top of the building. It was a very small room with a bed, a reading table, a wardrobe and a small sink. Hardly any space to move around but the good part is that it has a big window.
The night sky in Strasbourg is different from the night sky here. Over there, the sky was so clear that you can hardly see the stars. But the moon would always be there, at the same spot and it seems so near that you feel as if you could touch it with your fingers. Sleeping with the window opened, Cat would empty her heart out, telling the moon her true feelings. And that is how the story goes..
Signing off,
Cat..
SEEING COLORS********
It's going to be the World Cup season soon (sooner than I can finish sneeze'ing' ..having flu today. (Can germs be transmitted through the net or through phone lines? Hmm..).
Well, this week let's post according to colors.. yes. Going to slot in the color themes as fast as I can because after these everyone will jam the net lines watching live and 'non live' telecasts of the World Cup. What's wrong with that? Well, nothing actually..only that the internet connection will be very sloooow... Can't people just watch the games at the 'mamak' stalls or cafes where there are big screens and fanatic fans screaming each time someone scores a goal.
Guess..it's really a big event: watching 2 teams fighting to get to kick a ball into the other team's goal. I am really not a sports fan. Anyone can see that.
If you think that the last Badminton Cup was bad, this is going to be worse. The tv even has the old refrain coming back : eat, sleep and dream FIFA World Cup (in Malay: Makan Bola, Tidur Bola dan minum Coca Cola') :p At the hotel, we are already in the midst of putting the final touches to the preparation for the World Cup. The posters are ready, the T-Shirts coming in, the sponsors are lined up, The 2 big LCD screens & speakers have been put up (imagine the sound/din it will make! Enough to wake up the dead!).
As the plans are still hush-hush matter (as good old boss was saying: We must keep the element of surprise to catch the competitors off guard!), I will only be able to show you the photos a few days before the actual event. :)
The FIFA World Cup 2010 will be held in South Africa. Countdown: 42 Days 9 hours 28 minutes and 10 seconds before the kick offs (11 June- 11 July 2010). :p (grin) We were all told to memorize this basic info. Sigh.. It will be a very busy month as the hotel is going to be full with Church groups and holiday vacationers (Singaporeans starts their school holiday from 28th May till 20 June 2010).
Malaysians will be joining in the fun as ours will start a week after that 5th June till 20th June 2010. Never mind, I got used already to the weird schedule... :) hoteliers work while everyone is enjoying the holidays.
Voila! That's the plan for month of May & June. Come what may, need to finish everything before next week before the hectic period starts. The World Cup 2010 song is not bad at all. Got a catchy tune to it. :p
Watch all the excitement of pre-FiFA at www.fifa.com/worldcup
Signing off,
Hana
Finally, the World Cup fever is finished :).
In conclusion, I now know that :
1) Spain is the winner :p (grin)
2) The last match was Spain vs Netherlands... :p
2) There was a story about a giant squid..oppss..Octopus.. named Paul:p
3) Also a story about a bird making predictions.. (lol)
4) Something about referees being sent home
5) Special menus created with weird names
6) Football players in Malaysian ads :)
Guess.. that's the whole lot of it.
Phew..That's one big event cat is glad it's finished and can now be slot into my filing cabinet. Feeling so out of place this 1 month.. :p where the conversation and attention was all on the World Cup. (Understandable that it's not every day that you get to watch the big event.. but still, I did get the feeling of being left out). I tried to keep track of the names of the players, the scores, the jersey numbers..alas, it's not easy when your mind keeps wandering to other things.. :)
Now that the football fever has gone, let's do a bit of post mortem. From my window, I would say that the winners are the restaurant owners, the mamak shops, Mc Donald's (who came out with all those special football snacks) and all the big hotels. The main attraction everywhere is places where there's big LCD screens and food.
It sounds easy to just mix and match some recipes based on the countries that's playing and put the names of the players on them. In reality, it's complicated. There's meeting almost everyday as we need to be more creative and faster than the competitors. How to attract crowd and get as much business in while the game is on. On our side, we have put 2 big LCD screen at our open air cafe..with 2 games going on simultaneously, and a big score board updated daily.
We decided not to create new dishes but to work with what we have on our hands: Marketing and Re-branding our top selling products. It does seems like I am boasting and talking too much on technicality this time... doesn't it? Please excuse me.. well..I am just pleased to be a part of the project and when it works..you would just want to share it with others. :)
One of the things we did (it was rather boss's idea :) ) was put flags of each team's countries on our nasi lemak cover. It was great! If you have 4 person sitting at a table and 3 of them order the nasi lemak and each supported different teams, you have colorful packages on the table. The person who ordered other item than the nasi lemak, will have a flag of his team put on the plate. Put them on the plain dark tablecloth, it looks fantastic. We did have a bit of a problem before we could get the nasi lemak idea on. There were a bit of a delay as some people with higher authority was against the idea. They say that it's not ethical to put country flags on food packaging as these will be thrown into dustbins later on. We had a debate and presented our reasons (it was only a few days before the big game). Luckily, we won :p
The not so good scenario: There was lots of betting going on. And looking at the crowd, it was not small amount that change hands. More than cat's salary for 6 months. There were lots of drunken guests..they must have lost quite a lot. There was a room that was spoilt..as the guest threw up all over the bed, on the carpet and all over himself.. It was a wonder that he was still alive..after a night lying in his own vomit. The maid who did the room was almost in tears as she cannot stand the smell.
Well, that's a bit of my part in this whole World Cup issue. Tired to the bones..but happy to see that it worked out fine and there's a whisper that there's going to be a big bonus for us.. :) Hope the rumors are true. :)
Hmm.. wonder if I should make a book and sell it to the producers of 'Hotel Mania'. :p hehehe... just joking.
