Dreams and Memories

GI-NG Boot Camp

10/14/2008 06:23:00 PM

Last week has been a really tiring and busy week which took up lots of energy. But at the same time, it was also very interesting and exciting. Especially with all the interesting people who came in from US, UK and Australia.

The main highlight of the week is that i I finally got to meet up with Nick Kent from UK and Roger Canann from the US. Both of which I had only been corresponding with through emails and Microsoft Office Communicator (MOC). To add in the fun and excitement, even Michelle Fottrell, a Business Deployment Manager for Global Functions also flew in to Cyberjaya in conjunction with the Boot Camp.

Seeing these people in person made me reflect how different i thought they would be. Each and everyone of them with very different but interesting and inspiring personalities. All coming from different parts of the globe but coming together to share knowledge, do team building and of course, get to know each other better as well. Of course the organised social events contribute a lot to it as well. :-)

Mexican Food, town outing, getting caught in the rain, and visiting Malacca, all rather common things things to do but absolutely enjoyable, and exciting when you have a right combination of people coming together to work and have fun.

Coming up soon will be Bowling + Team Dinner + Team photos (which is definitely lots of posing plus syiok sendiri time). Will be sharing the photos soon as I'm still waiting to get my hands on everybody else's photo collection.
One more week of Boot Camp to go!!
:-)

AUDREY

Daily

My workplace

10/05/2008 03:00:00 PM

(5) Comments

My team and I were relocated to new cubicles at another end of the office two weeks ago. Up till the very last day of relocation, I was still very reluctant to pack my computer and other belongings to move over to my team's new ' little corner '. It's actually one of the reasons why I was rather reluctant to move over as it really is in a corner. One quiet little corner which is isolated away from the other teams.

:-(

Had to say goodbye to my neighbour Kah Wai who has always been ever ready to assist me by proposing magical excel formulas to help ease my work load. Also, had to say goodbye to watching all the interesting catwalks and fashion parades by some of the ladies in office when they walk to the back pantry for water or coffee - especially Mermaid Lady who always has the most interesting attires. But the saddest part of all, is saying goodbye to the place itself. I spent my first four months working there and even to the point of sharing desks with Kah Wai and Malini during my on-boarding period. *sob sob*

Two weeks down the road at my new cubicle, I realised that my new place isn't so bad after all even though it is in an enclosed area. There are several benefits to sitting in a corner with no one behind me except for the ' Danger! ' cupboards. For one, there is significant;y less activity of people moving around, up and down the aisles looking for people or going for meetings. So as you can imagine, it is much quieter in the corner which indirectly also increases productivity due to the lack of distractions.

In some ways, my place is somewhat like a control tower as I have an overall view of who's in office, or sneaking out and even those trying to sneak up on me. Apart from that, I actually have a much wider space behind me compared to my previous cubicle and the temperature is just right at most times instead of the usual freezing i had to bear daily. Last but not least, my cubicle number (003) one of my lucky numbers.

The key learning point here would be that sometimes we have to take a chance, move out of our comfort zone and things we are familiar with. Things might actually turn out better than initially expected. :-)

My inherited laptop undergoing migration to Vista (Round 2) after testing was completed

Notes, reminders and inspirations on my board ( ^ _ ^ )

AUDREY

Daily

An Education on Locks

10/04/2008 09:13:00 PM

(4) Comments

A visit to the locksmith with my aunt today made me realize two very important things today

1. It is important to get a good lock which serves it's purpose

2. Locks are never one hundred percent theft proof - Regardless of whatever guarantees are provided

The locksmith had several sets of locks on display and also several already installed into wood pieces (as they would be when installed into doors)

One would originally think that those locks are actually very reliable and not easy to be picked or tampered with by the burglars. However, with a few tweaks and turns, some just a forceful jerk on the lock, and *ta-da* you're in the house.

Seriously, some of those big chunky heavy padlocks which cost approximately RM30-RM40 can easily be opened with an Allen Key. Imagine that!!. for the benefit of those who do not know what an Allen Key is, the definition of an Allen Key according to Wikipedia is as follows.

"A Tool used to drive screws and bolts that have hexagonal sockets in the head"

In other words, once you have an Allen Key which is the right size, it's the same as having a master key which can open all the padlocks. The worst part is, the owner won't even know that the padlock has been tampered with.

Conclusion, get the advice of a locksmith when fixing locks for your houses because they would know best which locks are the more feasible and practical ones. Also, avoid the big chunky heavy locks with the "U" shaped hook (especially the big ones) as those are one of the easiest to pick. He did recommend that we use the kind of locks which lock straight as shown in figure below.

This is because these kind of locks have a more narrow space access access when attached to the door latch. In this manner, the possibility of having the latch damaged to gain access is greatly minimized. Have a look and do take note on this. :-)

AUDREY

Daily

Dragon - i

10/04/2008 01:13:00 AM

(4) Comments

The name struck me as a rather weird name for a restaurant. but then again, I don't really mind much so long as the food and service of an eating place is good. Priority of course in placed on the food quality.

Notice the little pau drawing that's next to the Chinese writings. As you've probably guessed based on this, one of the famous specialty dishes at Dragon-i is of course the Shaghainese Meat Dumplings. These dumplings are also known as 'Xiao Lung Pau' (in mandarin) are a definite must have when at Dragon-i. Remember to puncture the skin to allow the steaming hot soup to seep out from the meat dumpling before sinking your teeth into this mouth watering delicacy though. Else you might end up with a 'burnt tongue'. Slices of ginger or a few dabs of vinegar can be included depending on individual preferences. the meat dumplings are as shown in figure below.

Shaghainese Meat Dumplings

Another must have which I had the opportunity to try is the Honey Glazed Smoked Duck which comes in a serving of four. Among the goodies which are served together on the platter are of course

i) Smoked Duck with Crispy Skin and Glazed with a coat of Honey.

ii) Boiled lotus seed

iii)Warm Roll

iv)Fried Bean Curd

v) Crunchy Cucumber

As shown below, the combination looks delicious and absolutely mouth watering.

Honey Glazed Smoked Duck

Last but not least is the 'La Mien' (in mandarin) which is somewhat similar to that of the Japanese 'Ramen'. These noodles are all freshly made by the chefs who display their incredible sills of 'La Mien' making behind the glass paneled kitchen which happens to be one of the Trademarks of Dragon-i. A wide range of 'La Mien' cooking combinations are offered ranging from Sichuan Style to Normal Soup Style or Fried Style. Each cooking style has and individual and unique taste to it and is bound to make you long for more. I personally recommend the 'La Mien' with vegetable wanton as it is still my favorite among the few that I've tried.

[*Apologize that I haven't been able to get a picture of the 'La Mien' - shall try to update when i do get a picture of it though.]

There is currently a wide chain of Dragon-i restaurants available which I will be including at the bottom of this post. Among the main trademarks that will hep you identify the shop would be the very Red background restaurant name board. (e.g. the very first picture of this post) and the line of the terracotta warriors which are used as part for the decor for each outlet. And i believe the best guide of all to help [any of you people who are interested to give it a try] would be the exact address of the other outlets

Midvalley Megamall

Cititel Lobby

tel +603 2282 0155

1 Utama Shpping Mall

Lot S313A, New Wing,

tel +603 27725 8822

Centrepoint Bandar Utama

G115, Bandar Utama

tel +603 7728 6866

The Curve

Lot 136 & 137

tel +603 7728 6888