Throughout my 10+ years of work, I’ve had the good fortune of having great colleagues. We all work well together, have great teamwork, and we back each other up when needed. We are also truthful and honest with each other, because in our line of work, time is of essence and it does not pay to lie or cover any mistakes because they will come and haunt you and bite you in your arse when you least expect it.

So after having all these years of wonderful teammates, I guess it’s karma that I have to deal with a colleague who displays the following traits :

• Thinks he’s a know-it-all
• Imposes his opinion on others when someone has a different view from him
• Tries to push off work i.e. if he can get away not doing it, he will
• Didn’t pay attention during a critical meeting, which resulted in me doing additional work and him doing an about-turn on his initial decision (I find this so unprofessional and a display of total lack of integrity)
• Complains about everything at work but never giving solutions
• Has criticisms about everything and is so darn condescending when he opens his mouth

I started getting annoyed with his attitude a few months after he joined our team but after that incident in the meeting, I’d just about had it with him. Now, I only talk to him when required and minimize my contact with him because once I decide that I don’t like someone, I don’t bother being nice to the person because I think it’s fake and pretentious. I realize that it may not be very professional but if I can get my work done effectively with minimal interaction with him, I think it’s fine.

And just to reinforce that I’m not overreacting, I’m not the only person who has gripes about this person.

I hope I have the sanity to not blow up at him one day, after another one of his endless complaints/criticisms about something or other.

Today I have come to a depressing conclusion that all for-profit companies are the same. Regardless of the “values” they claim to possess and preach, the management team hardly ever walks the talk.

I had initially thought that this company was different, that they at least have a bit of integrity when it comes to practising the values they preach. Unfortunately, naive (or rather, stupid) me got crushed today when the CEO blundered his way through a question on why the management team were given a fleet of new luxury non-hybrid cars when there are hybrid options available, seeing that “being green” seemed to be one of the big values this company preaches. Plus they totally avoided answering the main questions posed by employees and instead chose to answer the “safe” questions only. There were 90+ questions submitted, they answered only 3.

And our cost of living adjustment (COLA) to our salary this year is so pathetic, it’s insulting. The prices of almost everything has gone up. For example, my favorite pan mee at a coffee shop in Glenmarie used to cost RM4, now it costs RM4.50. Petrol prices are increasing, I’ve heard that it’s supposed to increase up to 15% this year. So, as usual, prices go up sky-high but there isn’t even a dent in our salary. Like, for me, after tax deduction, the adjustment is just enough to purchase just one additional tank of fuel per month.

I take back what I said about the company being in sync with my values. This has been proven to be untrue. The management team seems to be like a mini Malaysian govt — they squeeze their employees and vendors dry, and reap all the benefits for themselves and leave us to eat dust. If they’ve got a conscience, I don’t know how they sleep peacfully at night. I know what the hubs would say… “They sleep on 20,000-dollar beds”.

The management not walking their talk was one of the contributing factors of me leaving my previous firm because I cannot stand hypocrites and double standards. That’s where I’ve now come to a conclusion that all companies are the same and I either deal with it and accept it, or leave. Again. Which wouldn’t solve this problem because I would most likely come across the same thing at another organization.

Gawd, how disgusting.

NOTHING gets me as riled up as corporations taking advantage of consumers.

NOTHING gets me more upset than companies being blatantly dishonest and expecting us consumers to just suck it in.

My latest incident was with AirAsia this evening. My 2 friends and I were individually trying to book flights from KL to Siem Reap via the AirAsia website. After selecting the flight we wanted, entering all our personal and payment details, we proceed to submit our booking for payment processing. Audrey’s booking went through successfully, mine and Michelle’s came back with an error message that read something like “Error message : The requested flight may not be available, please check date/time…”

We haven’t encountered this before so we got a bit worried and decided to call their helpline. Now, apparently with AirAsia, their “free” helpline is completely automated so you don’t get to speak to a human. We knew an automated system woudn’t be able to help us with our problem. So reluctantly, I tried calling their supposedly Premium Customer Service Line, which charges RM1.95 per minute.

So I called the Premium Customer Service Line and sat through their entire automated sales pitch, which by then, was already about 2 mins into the call. Then I was kindly informed “All our operators are currently busy. Please hold.” Waited for another 2 mins but decided to hang up after that because that’s paying 8 bucks for freaking nothing (just listening to their stupid sales pitch and crappy music) and it didn’t seem like there was any customer service agent available to help me.

Went back to the web page and found out that my session had timed out. So I had to do the flight search all over again and found out that the price of the exact same flight had increased RM50!!! But we had no choice, we had to book this particular flight because Audrey had already gotten hers so we proceeded with the entire process and had to pay the additional fee.

Now, some might say that maybe that particular flight at the fare had reached its threshold, that’s why it didn’t allow us to proceed to purchase it at that price. But you know what? I really don’t care how the system is configured and what stupid rules it has in it. If your customer is already in the midst of the booking process, then you MUST honor the selected fare regardless!

I know, RM50 is not a terribly huge amount but really, I don’t care if it’s RM5 or RM500. It’s not the money that matters; it’s the principle. This is like a slap in the face and a sneer “Nyeh nyeh, you missed out on the lower fare. Now you have to pay the higher fare.” What the eff??!!!

Also, I noticed something on one of the pages during the booking process. So you can pay another fee (among their many many fees) to book your seats upfront. I’m not particular with my seats so I don’t need to book my seat now. In order to proceed with the booking, there are 2 buttons at the bottom of the page. One that says “Pick my seat” and another that reads “Continue without picking a seat” (refer to pic).

Let me ask : Would anyone with half a brain put white text on a light background? Hmmm… I wonder why they would do that. Go figure. And the steps in their booking process is riddled with similar things like these. There are soooooo many steps and so much fineprint to read that after a while, people just get fed up and take whatever they offer or don’t purchase at all. I haven’t used AA in a long time but I don’t remember it being this cumbersome to get a ticket when I last used it.

After this experience, I am NEVER going to fly with AirAsia again. Such a con job!!!! And I’m not the only one who’s had bad experience with AirAsia. From what I’ve read and feedback from my friends, seems like a lot of people have grievances with them. BAH!

~~~~~~~~~~

Another corporation that doesn’t honor their promises is the world’s worst local bank. At least, they didn’t honor the promise they made to me.

They sold me a credit card by promising that I could waive the RM50 govt fee as long as I made at least 5 transactions within the month. I did use it 5 times that month but they didn’t waive it. So I called up their customer service and told them that they should waive it. But no, apparently they cannot waive govt fees. I got really upset and infomed the agent that that was what the salesperson told me, but she insisted that she couldn’t waive the govt fee but will open a case for it and get back to me. As soon as she said that, I knew that it was a lost cause they won’t call me back and they won’t do anything about it. (Case in point : To-date, they have not called me to explain or straighten out the matter)

Again, the amount was not that big, also RM50. But like I said, it’s not the money, it’s the principle.

So I closed the current account that I had there (I had a significant amount kept in that bank) and canceled the credit card. I didn’t want to have anymore dealings with a bank who can’t keep its promises.

Seriously, if corporations cannot be honest and have at least some integrity, they don’t deserve to get any business at all. I know every corporation is out there to make a profit but seriously, where’s their integrity and dignity?

… if you break the rules, you must face the consequences.

The road which my workplace is on is a one-way road. However, some “bright” but lazy people (referring to some of my officemates,and perhaps employees of other companies in this area), decide that it is more convenient to go the wrong way (as a shortcut) to get out onto the main road rather than take the big circle in the right direction to get there.

Recently, there was an incident where one of our colleagues nearly got into a collision with a truck (there are a lot of container trucks using this road because we’re in an industrial area) because s/he brilliantly decided to go the wrong way on this one-way road.

So, our Health, Safety and Security dept decided to impose a ban on these people who endanger others’ lives by going the wrong direction; they won’t be allowed to park in any of our parking lots (means they have to park further and take a nice long walk to get to office). And they encouraged us to report those who commit this dangerous act.

So yesterday, as I was walking to get my car, I saw one driver coming out of our parking lot and boldly going the wrong direction. So I took down the car license no. and this morning, I sent in the report to inform the Health, Safety, and Security people.

When I offhandedly remarked to my boss what I did, he said “Wah, you reported a manager!” (he knows who drives the car I reported), I said “So?? I don’t care who you are; if there are rules, everyone needs to follow them, even if you are the CEO!” In fact, the higher up you are, the more you should lead by good example. Especially when it comes to things like road rules because you’re not only endangering your own life, but you’re also endangering others.

If you don’t value your life, fine. Go jump off a cliff or do something that doesn’t involve others because I, for one, value my life very much. And when I see people just blatantly beating traffic lights (the light is RED for gawd’s sake! It’s not even turning from amber to red!) or going the wrong way on a one-way road, it just makes me so angry. Who gives you the right to endanger MY life and other road users’ lives?! This is pure selfishness to the ultimate maximum.

“The Malays and bumiputeras do not want to be given only table scraps. We also want the main course of the economic stake,” said the veteran politician.

So says the Perkasa dude who seems to be completely off his rocker, based on the pictures that are published of him in the media. Seriously, have you seen pictures of him? He looks deranged!

First and foremost, I think the usage of the bumiputera term is grossly inaccurate because based on reports, it seems that the REAL bumiputeras have not been getting what they are entitled for. And personally, being Malay doesn’t automatically qualify one as bumiputera, if you go by the pure meaning of “sons of soil.”

And, if you want the main course, WORK for it! Isn’t it enough that so many ‘privileges’ have been and still are being handed to your people (since you want to play the race game) on a gold platter for years?

What? Scared that your ‘special privileges’ might be taken away? Scared to have to actually WORK to get what you want? Time to join the real world!

If you want something, you can bloody well put in the hard work to get it like the rest of the world and stop whining all the time! I’m so sick of reading/hearing about them crying and yelling whenever someone mentions anything about the NEP! Like, “Don’t you dare question the NEP because you are not Malay nor bumiputera.” *pukes and barfs* HALLO?! It is MY hard-earned tax money that is being used to support some of the likes of you lazy $#@%!!!

Gawd, sometimes I just feel like slapping these people.

Disclaimer : I’m totally aware that this doesn’t apply to ALL Malays. Unfortunately, the majority shouting the loudest seem to be coming from this incompetent bunch, and it doesn’t help that their voices are the ones being headlined in the news almost everyday.

UPDATE

Was relating this story to Mich during lunch and ranting, and she told me to let it go, he’s an arse. Why? Because he cancelled his MC gig at her friend’s event TWO hours before the event was to go on.

Cancelling TWO hours before the event?! How unprofessional is that?!
It doesn’t matter if there was a valid reason for cancelling; he should have gotten a replacement if he really couldn’t make it for a good reason. But no, Mich’s friend had to end up scrambling to look for another MC at that last hour.

~~~~~

Some time down the road, I’ll probably look back at this incident and reflect on the hilarity and absurdness of the whole situation but right now, I am downright incensed by it all.

At this year’s Malaysian Salsa Festival, I was assisting the Hubs to take some close-up shots of the performances. On the last night, we set up at our usual spot which was in the center back of the room together with James, slightly diagonal from the DJ/audio console.

So we were standing around there, waiting for the event to start (this was before doors were opened for people to take their seats). In strides this local celebrity who was MC-ing the event.

Almost from the start, he was barking orders at people…. “Where’s my mic? Where’s my mic?” I heard from where I was standing. I was thinking to myself “Wow, your parents didn’t teach you how to say ‘please’, is it?” James muttered “You mean you didn’t get the memo to bring your own mic?” LOL! So funny!

Then Local Diva went towards the stage and proceeded to test his mic(s). One of the first things he said was “Is this a bharatanatyam event? Welcome to Temple of Fine Arts” blah blah blah because a lot of the ground crew were Indian. I was thinking, and getting more annoyed at this point “Is this dude kidding? What the hell IS his problem?” He probably thought he was making a smart joke but unfortunately for him, no one was laughing. What a racist arse!

I was, at this point, standing with my back facing the stage because I was already annoyed by his diva-ness and lack of courtesy to the ground crew, and since I know the muka tahi I can have when I’m around people I don’t like, I thought it was best I didn’t show my face.

So there I was minding my own business and fiddling with the camera, not listening nor paying attention to what was going on around me coz it didn’t have anything to do with me and I couldn’t be bothered, when I caught some snippets of “…perempuan yang pegang kamera tu, dia orang Malaysia ke?” and in a condescending tone at that. It didn’t register to me immediately that he was talking about me so I still continued facing the back for a while then I turned around to face the stage (and Local Diva).

Here’s the exchange that happened next (I’m not proud of how I reacted but that was the only thing I could think of at that very moment).

Local Diva : Hey you, girl with the camera. Are you Malaysian? (in the same condescending tone he used earlier)
Me : What do you think? (in the most sarcastic tone I could muster coz the first thing that came to my mind was “Why is this silly man being so rude to me, I didn’t do anything and I have no idea what he’s talking about!)
Local Diva : I don’t know, there are so many internationals here. Why are you so snotty? Malaysians are polite people. (the nerve of this idiot! HE was racist and rude right from the beginning!)… *and he stalked off*
Me : *speechless* (coz I was really speechless, dunno how to react coz he was rude to me in the first place!)

I was fuming by then because not only had he insulted me, he had insulted me with his mic on in front of a whole bunch of people! I continued fuming throughout the night and it totally ruined my mood.

Much later, I learnt that while he was testing the mic, he was asking “Can you hear me” but no one responded to him. That was when he made the comment in Malay about the “perempuan pegang kamera”. I don’t know why he picked on me because there were so many other people there whom he could’ve pick on. Maybe because I had my back to him and him being a celebrity, my theory is that he can’t bear NOT having the full attention of every single person in the room. Or maybe coz I was the only female there who looked like a crew (perempuan pegang kamera ma) so he thought he could pick on a female?

Anyway, when I found out about this, I fumed even more because hello?! How the hell was I supposed to know you were talking to me, you imbecile?! I was not facing you and it wouldn’t have mattered if I were because the room was dark and I couldn’t see nuts, you didn’t specify “Hey camera person, can you please let me know if you can hear me” (I would’ve been willing to help if he had asked politely). Most of all, the audio people were in the room so why the hell didn’t they respond to his highness?! Instead, they just stood there, mute and acting dumb, while I had to take the rap. Argh!! Such incompetence!!

You know what, I was there as a full paying participant and helping a friend out by unofficially assisting to photograph their performance. I wasn’t there as a sound crew NOR did I sign up to get publicly insulted by some local diva aka former newscaster nincompoop.

In hindsight, I reacted rather than responded (we covered this during our teambuilding) and this part I’m not proud of but at that moment, I felt like I was being attacked so my defenses went up and unfortunately, I didn’t handle it as well as I’d like to have imagined. Note to self : Work on responding, not reacting.

Now I know which events to boycott because I know this imbecile will most likely to be invited to MC. Guilty by association, so too bad, I’m not attending any more events by this organizer. If this organizer chooses to get divas to MC their events, they better learn how to manage them.

In conclusion, this is the 2nd unintentional case study of myself that proves I will not “give face” to anyone, I don’t care if s/he is a celebrity or some titled person, if I find that the person is not behaving with integrity and doesn’t show common courtesy to others.

It also strengthens my perception of the rich and famous thus far i.e. they think they are all that just because they have money and fame and expect everyone else to serve them.

Took Nessa for her regular checkup today and found out that she might have borderline diabetes

Hope it’s just a bladder infection, which was what the vet confirmed, but will check again in 3 weeks after a course of antibiotics.

Poor Nessa, am praying hard she doesn’t have diabetes coz she’s been through enough. Sigh…

~~~~~

When I was paying for the meds, this man came in with a cat in a cage. He was telling the staff that it’s a stray cat that’s been around the back of his house for a year and he wants her to be put down coz she’s been bothering the neighbors.

According to the man, the cat was abandoned by her owners when they moved.

What’s really sad is that the cat is really pretty, quite similar to Trixie (my sis’ cat) in in color and fur. The man said she couldn’t get along with his cats and also he’s already got a number of cats at his house.

Every so often, I have to keep telling myself I can’t save them all because if I don’t, I’ll get consumed by guilt and probably drive myself insane. But it’s really heartbreaking to see such a pretty and healthy (I’m assuming, from her appearance) cat be put down thru no fault of her own.

I hope her previous owners, whoever and wherever they are, will burn in hell for just abandoning her like that, and now for getting her killed.

One of the headlines on Mkini today :

NTV7 : Govt denies Rosmah interference
(in relation to a recent incident where there were allegations that the PM’s wife had a hand in events leading up to a TV producer walking out.)

Like, duh! Who in the world with the right mind would admit something like this?! Of course the govt would deny this!

Give us a break and stop treating us like idiots! Such an insult to our intelligence.

Bah!

What’s wrong with the existing palace?

So the breakdown of the RM811 million (original cost in 2006 was apparently RM400 million. How come it has increased more than 100% since 2006? Some more no open tender!) are :

• RM650 million for main complex
• RM130 million for flyover from Jalan Dute
• RM32.5 million for upgrading access road from Jalan Changkat Semantan to Jalan Istana

Source : Mkini

Wow! That’s a lot of taxpayers’ money. Don’t they have more pressing/critical issues to address with this money? Like, building more schools and hospitals, upgrading public transportation, helping the hardcore poor?

This country has pea-brained leaders whose main priority is to line their own pockets and leave the rakyat eating dirt.

Oh wait, I have just stated the obvious.

Does he even know WHAT he is talking about?

I like this comment from a reader (although I think it’s an insult to compare cows with said idiot) :
Where has this idiot being all this while ? Does he not know his own [party's] way of managing the country thru racist quota, press muzzling,etc drive all the good people out of the country. Sometimes, its better to get a cow to be be minister. at least they are useful when dead.