absolut ginger

On weekend, I had an interesting (uhm.. maybe it’s rather annoying) encounter. I was at karaoke with my college friends when one of their friends whom I haven’t met decided to join us after that for shopping.

At first the friend wanted to join us in karaoke but, knowing her, my friend told me not to include her in the booking in case she didn’t turn up. My friend was right. This woman is very famous in not keeping her words. So, as we were finishing, she called my friend to ask if she could come to the karaoke session. We already paid our bills so we told her not to come and meet us outside instead.

So, we didn’t go for lunch as we already had our buffet lunch at karaoke. She ended buying a cinnamon bun and ate it while we shopped.

Since I haven’t had my coffee fix all morning, we decided to break for one. It’s better for this friend too since the salesgirls at every shop were staring at her eating a chocolate bun and worried that she might ended up dirtying the clothes on the rack. My good intentions led to her putting a foot in her mouth. Let’s call her Katak No. 2.

We were all talking about our past trips to Cambodia when she decided to be a wet blanket. When I said, I enjoyed my trip to Siem Reap, Katak No. 2 said, she and her friend were teased while they were in Pub Street by a bunch of tuk tuk drivers and it scared the shit out of her. So it’s good to be traveling with boys as they can protect you. (“Ya right! Bullshit!”) I told her, if you were traveling with me, you won’t have this problem coz nobody in his right mind would want to mess with me. Ms Pok was laughing her head off.

Then, we were talking about coming trips and we were excited about the variety of food, Katak No. 2 decided to butt in again. “Cannot eat so much. You will get very fat!” (Yah.. as if the food would make much difference when I am already more than overweight).

Sensing my annoyance, Katak No. 2 decided to erase what she said. “Oh yeah.. but traveling also, you walk a lot, so you can eat more coz you will burn it all away.”

Then, I was looking aloof coz I didn’t want to listen to her crap no more.

Katak No. 2 added, “But I think before the trip, we all should go on diet, so we can eat more during a trip and don’t have to feel guilty or grow fat after the trip.”

I showed my tulan face. To me, those people who worry about getting fat during holiday getaways should just sit home, watch travel channel, drink detoxifying lemon juice and eat grass.

It’s a lucky thing none of us invited her to join us for trips even she hinted rather violently that she would like to come.

I wonder why she wanted to join us for shopping that day. It was then, Ms Sure Win told me that, they met up the night before for dinner with a bunch of their college friends. Seeing most of them are married with children, one of the guys in the group teased her for being single. So suddenly, she was reminded that she’s getting older and desperate. She’s quite pleasant looking really. I guess must be either she’s too choosy or maybe she just couldn’t stop saying the word “fat”.

I think she probably feels sorry for herself for being single. She said she doesn’t like being reminded that she’s getting older and still single. I guess she should join the dating club and not coming to my group of friends to get “support”.

First of all, my group of friends does not feel sorry for ourselves. We are rather happy the way we are. Come what may and we always grab the bull by its horn. That’s how we see life. She obviously came to the wrong group. She must have thought that, all single ladies have self pity, but no. We feel just fine and dandy. Please bring your self pity and negative thoughts to someplace else, maybe to “Spinsters Anonymous”. Yeah! You can be president there if you like. Thank you very much.

I relate this conversation to my friend and he told me something liberating. He said, he too was hurried to find someone and settle down. He has this friend who is 34 and whenever someone pushes a girl to him, it’s like saying, “Hey! You two leftovers, please hook up!”

Men find this rather unchallenging to have a girl being thrown at him like some leftovers. Haha. So, we should be liberated from such thoughts. We should not have this leftover mindset. We all deserved what we think is right for ourselves ( I don’t want to say best coz it sounded rather egoistic!). Just because everyone is hooked up, doesn’t mean that we are pressured to do the same.

Who knows? Love ambushed the unsuspecting, often violently, just like accidents*. It’s never too early or too late to find love.

*Inverted saying (Accidents ambushed the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love) from Andrew Davidson in the Gargoyle. Check out this book! it’s rather interesting!

4 Comments | In: Bitch & Whine, Drama | | #
Posted by Gina

Perang Mulut

A friend shared with me her story in the office today. Her manager pushed her forehead when she accidentally caused her panic. Well, my friend is a very tiny girl who might even fly when the wind blows, so imagine. I was very furious. How can you use physical force to intimidate people, let alone in the office??

I told this friend that, if someone ever push me on the forehead or touch me for that matter, I’ll make sure that’s the last time he or she will be able to use his or her hand. She said, I am so ganas! Haha! Anyway, I don’t think anyone in their right minds would want to pick up a fight with me. They know very well that they will lose by sheer size alone. Haha! Normally, in office, so far, I’ll engaged in perang mulut if colleagues behaving moronically. The trick to win any argument hands down, is to listen to what the other person has to say first. Then when it’s your turn, use whatever evidence you have subtly. Best is, to use their own words against themselves. It’s akin to slapping themselves hard on the face without them even knowing and without provocation. I am pretty good at this. Haha!

Dead People Are Naïve

I was having this conversation about dead people with my mom over lunch just now. She said, an undertaker used to tell her, whenever she has problems dressing up a dead person because the body was too hard, she will trick the dead people by saying good things.

For instance, when my grandmother died a few years ago, she was dressing her but found it hard to clothe her. So she persuaded my dead grandma by saying, “Come on, let’s dress you up. You will wear very nice blouse so later you can go and meet the Buddha.” The body went relaxed automatically and made it easier for her to dress her!

The same happened to my cousin’s grandma. The daughters in  laws were trying to put on shoes for her but they didn’t fit because of her bloated feet. So, my aunt spoke to the dead and said, “Wah! This shoes cannot wear ah? Never mind, mother. I’ll throw this away and buy you a new pair!” My aunt threw away the shoes, then went to pick them up. This time, the shoes fit just nicely!

Believe it? You betcha!

Water bed

Last night as I was preparing myself to go to bed, I found my pillow and bolster were wet! Then my blanket was also wet! So was my comforter! I thought QQ must have slept here in the afternoon and peed on my bed! I was furious because I had to change my bed sheet and pillow cases in the middle of the night when I was so damn tired! Just when I was about to sleep, the neighbour’s house alarm was set off! It’s happening rather frequently that I thought of the story – the Boy Who Cried Wolf. I think nobody is going to give a shit if it happens every 2 nights and no one is going to render help if one day, the house is really being broken into.

Anyway, this morning, I discovered that, my “water” bed was due to leakage on my room’s ceiling. Apparently, there was a heavy rain in the afternoon yesterday and since I was in the office, I didn’t even notice. Poor QQ kena cursed for no reason!

4 Comments | In: Bitch & Whine, Random Notes | | #
Posted by Gina

I wrote about this ex boss here. Since I am a nice person (ahem!), I still keep in touch with her. About a month ago, she called me to offer me a job. Her immediate boss will be transferred to another department and would let her head her own department. So, she’s very excited to hire her own assistant. She asked me if I am interested to assist her again. I told her, why not? As long as the pay is good, I wouldn’t mind. She said she will let me know and the interview would just be a formality process. She wants me in the department. BADLY.

So, I had sleepless nights thinking of the impending new job.

What will happen to my current boss if I leave? Nobody is indispensable lah, please! Can he hire someone as efficient as me? Don’t flatter yourself! *Vomit* Oh, there go my long hours of sleep and jam-free journey to work! And I don’t even have to drive! You are just one bloody lazy pig! Ah, I will miss my mom’s cooking! Pig! Pig! Pig!

Then, right after my Guilin trip, she called. I haven’t really thought of moving yet. Then, she made me lose sleep for no reason.

“Sorry, I don’t think we can pay you. My company is now having cost cutting. We have to budget. So, I don’t think it’s fair to you.”

“It’s ok!” partly relieved that I don’t have to make decision. She had made it for me.

“So can you help me to find a staff?”

“Ok, I will forward details to my friends.”

“Thanks. I prefer somebody who is UNMARRIED.”

“…….” Speechless.

“SOMEONE LIKE YOU”

@#$%^&*&^%$###!!!!!!

“Why don’t you call our spinster colleague back in the finance institution??” Sarcastic.

“I don’t want her lah. I want someone younger. You know ah, unmarried people easier to deal with lah. No need to take leave because of children or husband. Later children sick lah this and that. I am also married so, I prefer somebody who is not married.”

“…..” fucking speechless.

“Then also someone who can stay back late after work one, don’t mind to stay back. Then, someone who doesn’t play politics. You know someone like you. I hate people who do office politics. If can ah, I sudah hire you lor! I really like you. You fit all  my requirements!”

“Oh yeah? I am the best employee ya? Thank you thank you! I am so honored!” – me thinking aloud. “Ok ok… I better go liao. No battery lah my phone.” Fucking pissed.

“OK thanks ya. You let me know okay if your friends are interested.”

“HELL YA!”

To the hell with her!

I simply don’t understand why she believes that unmarried people don’t have a life?? Being unmarried made a person less human is it? Is being unmarried a cardinal sin is it? That is why she can punish unmarried people by working them to death?

If a person is not allowed to go on leave, then please implement a job without annual leave lah! Or better still, go hire a robot lah! Don’t even need coffee or toilet breaks! Definitely won’t gossip also! Cilakak!

12 Comments | In: Bitch & Whine | | #
Posted by Gina

For the past few days, I have been asking and asked a lot of questions related to “Why?” it’s not negative things though…

Why #1

We were at karaoke and we sang a few numbers in Malay, bahasa jiwa bangsa. Why is it that we pronounce the now defunct bahasa baku in the songs? For example, instead of tiade, we pronounce tiada? Why is it that the word sounds good in baku during songs but not when we speak?

Why #2

A friend asked me to join her for new year’s celebration on 31st December at Desa Park City. She said, she hopes to celebrate it big this time to usher the new year and hope year 2010 is a better one. I asked her, why do you celebrate something that you don’t even know what’s going to happen? Maybe year 2010 isn’t going to be that great after all. I know I am being a wet blanket here.

Why #3

Why is it that we feel insecure whenever we forget to bring our handphones when we go out? More than 12 years ago, before I own my first handphone, everybody was on time to meeting friends in Sg. Wang or Central Market.  It was just fine and dandy. But not now.. even with handphones, people always give excuses to be late and sms each other to inform of their lateness… and sometimes didn’t even bother to show up.

Why #4

Why was the cinema not full with people watching Muallaf on Christmas’ morning? Late Yasmin Ahmad’s fans were too busy partying? I almost took a bus down to Singapore when it was announced that, it won’t be shown here in KL due to some censorship issue as well as… you know lah. Well, I managed to catch it on Christmas’ morning and enjoyed it.

7 Comments | In: Bitch & Whine, Contemplation | tags: yasmin ahmad. | #
Posted by Gina

I hate going for interviews. The butterflies in the stomach, the sleepless night the day before, need to do some grooming, wear high heels, etc. I am sure most of us have our own fair shares of interviews in our lifetime. Here, I am sharing with you the questions, some of them totally moronic, that I get in interviews.

Can you forge signatures?

This was the first time I went for interview in a small professional (actually, not professional at all if you read on) firm. The lady boss there asked me this question and I was in a state of shock. Apparently, the named secretary is not attached to the firm and he charges a few ringgit per signature. Little did this bugger know that, the lady boss is so much more cunning than he expected her to be. So, she asked me this question so that I could help her to save a few bucks whenever clients ask for a certified true copy.

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 (worse!) years’ time?

I bloody damn hate this question. It’s not that I am being interviewed for a RM10k job. I am merely applying for a lowly paid executive job. I hadn’t even graduated from my professional exams yet that time. The best part is, they have three-panel interviewers asking me a RM10k job question.

In my line of work, this is a trick question actually. If you mention to them, you wish to be a company secretary in 5 years’ time – then, your hiring boss will think that you are such a big threat and decided not to hire you for being over “ambitious”. If you mention that you hope to see yourself continue working here, they might think maybe you are lying or probably a non-performing staff because you are not ambitious enough. So, macam mana? Either way, you still lose.

Why do you want to change job?

I really don’t understand the purpose of this question. People who come for interviews have various reasons to change their job. To look for better prospects, for better pay (they will think you are materialistic), can’t stand the current workload (they will think you are lazy), have outgrown the current company (they will think you are overly ambitious), the current boss is a fucking moron (this is normally the case of changing a job), oh, just for fuck’s sake lah etc. I am sure not many people could handle an honest answer like – the current boss is a fucking moron – so, please don’t ask this stupid question.

My way of answering this is – to ask another question – why did your staff leave this company? Normally, that made them scramble for an answer, eyes darting up and down, side ways and eventually, shuts them up.

Your friend is so skinny. Doesn’t she eat?

Actually, I was warned before even going for this interview. I was warned that this boss is super pintai and might give me hard time if I were to take up the offer. I didn’t know how pintai the boss was till I came for the interview. It didn’t help either when the HR personnel sitting in for the interview was equally a douche bag who should be fired.

Yeah. I got this question when I was interviewing for a job in the company my friend is working in. Mind you. This is MY interview. I don’t see the point of you asking me this question. I was very offended and said, can you please ask questions related to my job and not the physical attributes of my friend? Then, I know I would not get the job. I didn’t want it either. I just want to know my net worth. The two goons went on and on and on sticking their noses into my friend’s secret diet regime. I should have shot them the answer, “Oh, she’s on a diet plan called anorexia nervosa. You should try it yourself sometime, you nosy bitches!”

Do you know so-and-so?

In this line of work, the world is very small. We seemed to bump into each other, unfortunately, some of them are enemies. In an interview, I could smell trouble when the financial controller asked me if I know this person, that person. I was well aware that she must have found out something unfavorable about me from this or that person that she mentioned about me.

The thing is, if you already heard “bad remarks” about me, you might as well save your time as well as mine and reject my application at the first place. It’s really despicable to put me up on a stage and stone me. Worse, she was not listening to both side stories and already found me guilty. Well, it’s karma really. I heard that, the department is forever changing staff. Who would want to work for people who never give anyone chances and one track minded. For the record, I didn’t do anything bad. I admit I am a rebellious person but I am not a rebel without a cause. I always uphold what is right, give you things to think about, ways to improve methods of working, and give 100% at work.

So, what horror stories you have for me, from your interviews?

8 Comments | In: Bitch & Whine, Drama, Humour | | #
Posted by Gina