Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Calling - not the band ye!

Coming back to work after a week long holiday has somewhat taken it's toll on me.. And I don't mean tol LDP yang naik jadi RM1.60 tu ye..

Yesterday was mostly spent 'fighting' to stay awake.. nak taip pun malas.. hehe..
Today I have to start picking up things as from tomorrow I have to make a "preview" at my new place.. I'll be attenting a meeting (quarterly business meeting or something like that) and on 1st and 2nd March is their residential trainging.. Man, am I nervous!!

So for today, I'll be sharing with you a Japanese song that was released as a single on 9th July 1997 (6 months prior to my arrival) by a rock band/duo named B'z (pronounce as beez, not busy).. If I remember correctly, it was tied up with a drama at that time..
and BTW, I've heard people say when I sing B'z numbers, I sound very much like Koshi Inaba (the singer).. :P

Actually I just downloaded the song last Saturday.. I had in my MD but I haven't been listening to it since a few years back..
Now this song I consider as my forte.. had several memorable moments of it, and one was winning a karaoke contest at my hostel's annual dinner during my 1st year in Japan.. :)

I'm posting the romanized version here and did my own translation (self interpretation that is).. it may be a bit off, but nevertheless.. Enjoy..


Calling
by
B'z

Kono koe ga kikoerukai [Can you hear my voice?]
Wow wow wow ...
Imanara kikoerukai [Can you hear me now?]
Douka kurushimanaide [Please don't be too harsh on yourself]

Atto iuma jikann wa tsunori nanimo mienaku narisou [Time passes by so fast, I can barely see anything]
Machi no iro mo kawari tsuzukeru naka de [as the scenary keeps on changing]
Nanndaka ima mo issho ni iru [we're still together]

Nanika ga kokoro o tsunaide iru [Something is keeping our hearts together]
Itsudemo kini siteiru [I've always noticed it]
Tsuyoi jishaku ni hippararete iru youni [like to strong magnets pulling each other together]
Kiga tsukeba mujaki ni warai au [as we realized it, we laughed innocently]

Hitotsu hitotsu to mado ni akari tomoru [one by one, the light hits the window]

Kimi ga irunara modotte koyou
itsudemo kono basho ni
[If you are there, I'll always return to this place]
Kegare naki omoi ga bokura o yonnderu [Clear memories are calling us]
I can hear the calling

Doredake hanare kao ga mienakutemo [No matter how far apart, even if we don't see each other]
tagai ni wasurenai nowa [We'll never forget]
Hitsuyou toshi hitsuyou to sarete iru koto [needing and being needed]
Sore ga subete hokaniwa nani mo nai [and that is all, nothing more]

Kimi to irutoki boku wa boku ni nareru [When you are there, I can be myself]
Souyuu ki ga suru [That is how I feel]
Kotoba yori hayaku wakariaeru [Understanding each other faster than words could describe]
Kagayaku shunnkann azayaka ni [The glow is so bright]
Imamade mo korekara mo yakusoku nado
suru koto wa nai darou
[like before, and from now on there shall be no promises]
Darenimo mane dekinai onaji yume wo miyou [Let's share the same dreams, not surpassed by others]
Can you hear the calling

Kono koe ga kikoerukai [Can you hear my voice?]
Wow wow wow ...
Imanara kikoerukai
[Can you hear me now?]
Douka kurushimanaide [Please don't be too harsh on yourself]
wow wow wow wow....

Friday, February 16, 2007

Off for the week..

From tomorrow onwards I'm on leave for the whole week.. so, to my buddies that will be celebrating the New Lunar Year, I wish you all..
新年快乐!

as for the others..
Happy Holidays!

and never the less..
Always be careful when travelling.. 安全第一 
;)

See you on the flipside!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Countdown to Extinction

Extinction from my current company that is.. :)

Well, I have officially submitted my resignation as of 2.30pm today..
One month notice should bring my last day to 14th March 2007, but due to the fact that I still have a few days of my annual leave left, my days as an 'Engineer at a Japanese company' might go by faster than expected..

People say good things come to an end.. but I'll take this as a step closer towards achieving my dreams.. like I always say, "Dreams are ment to be chased".. ;)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

A reason to celebrate?

Today is February 14th.. some people may see it as a day to celebrate what they wish to celebrate.. birthday, anniversary, whatever special occasion that may coincidently fall on this day.. love related or not.. sweet or even bitter memories.. as much as you may not want to acknowledge the day, it is part of the calender and you still have to bare every 86,400 seconds of it.. :)

I didn't have anything to celebrate for today up until around 9.58am.. that was when I called the company which I went for an interview twice with to confirm about some details of the 3rd session.. Yes, they have 3 stages and mind you, the 3rd stage is a practical test where I'd have to do selling role-play, presentation, financial analysis and write a report - all within a 2 hour time frame! Gila betul (and I do mean that in a positive way).. I mean.. you know the company is 'special' when they have the candidates going through such process to be part of them.. :P
Anyway, as I was ready to hang up, the Director (yup, I called her personal line) said that eventhough I haven't gone through the 3rd stage, they are really interested in hiring me and ready to send me an offer letter.. Walauwei, did I really impress them that much?? hehe..

Of course I'm greatful to God (Al-hamdulillah) and I am very much flattered.. but, this is really putting me on the spot.. the pressure is really ON for me to perform at the 3rd interview/test.. I'm sure they have high expectations.. and also not to forget, I have to rush through resigning from my current job.. as I had written in my previous post, I expected myself to submit my resignation letter on the last week of this month.. now it has suddenly moved up by 2 weeks! Pressure or what?? :P

Monday, February 12, 2007

Keras kepala

I don't mean keras kepala as in stubborn.. but I think I really have a hard head (skull) .. though I never did try to prove it by crushing aluminium cans with my forehead or anything like that.. :P

Yesterday as I was installing a light bulb under my staircase and hit my head twice on the stair beam.. Later in the day, I was checking my cousin's mountain bike's front tyre when the bike fell on me and the handle hit my head!! I figure that was the hardest object to hit my head so far..

It kinda reminded me of my classmate when I was in UK.. this 'butthead' somehow thought it would be funny to headbutt me.. so he came out of nowhere and POWW!! I was more suprised rather than anything else.. and he had actually fell down after that and was rubbing his head in pain.. it seems that the joke was on him.. hehe.. Anyway, half of the kids around me was shocked that I didn't seem to have any reaction to being hedbutted, they said the sound was pretty loud.. :P

I'm not saying I have any superhuman powers or anything.. besides, what good does having an extra hard head bring anyway? You still need to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike.. hehe.. Ohh.. and if you were wondering.. Yes, my head still does hurt, though not swollen.. and I seem to be abit blurry & forgetfull today.. I hope it's just a temporary effect.. I got an important interview tomorrow and I can't affort to be blunt.. ;)

Friday, February 09, 2007

Newbies

I have been working on a few other blogs lately.. Bukan apa, just wanted to segregate what I want to write about.. ;)
But don't worry, I won't neglect this one.. this is like the mothership.. the core.. the base of my operation.. this is where I generate my ideas.. besides, how can you ever forget your 1st.... right? ;)

So guys, behold.. my new passion.. and keep in mind, this is only one of many more to come..




P/S: In case you didn't noticed, the link has been added at the sidebar..

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Time flys

Time flys, period.. regardless if you're having fun or not, it really goes by so fast.. That's why in the Al-Quran it says "Demi masa, sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian".. don't worry, I'm not going to preach you guys here.. ;)

I was flipping through my table calendar just now and noticed that if I were to resign and having to give a one month notice, I'd probably start my new job on 2nd April 2007.. Ironically, I started this job on a same Monday, 2nd April 2001.. 6 years ago.. great way to come full-cirle, huh?

6 years.. now that is actually the longest time I had ever spent with the same group of people I consider as friends.. I had actually miss my first few months of primary school and I had missed the last couple of months too.. so my primary school was not a full 6 years.. and considering students had moved between classes, I really didn't spend that much time with the same bunch..

Then there was high school.. I was in Johor, Batu Pahat during most of my Form 1 year before I moved to KL.. and again because of PMR, I lost more than half of my classmates.. Although I still consider my Form 5 classmates as the tightest lot, we never did hang out much after SPM..

Next was my Japan preparation course.. that was for 2 years.. didn't really clicked with many of my coursemates because I was the only guy that actually dropped from 1st class to 2nd to 3rd to 4th in my 1st year and miraculously bounced back and spent my whole 2nd year in the 1st class.. not bragging here, ok? :P

Then I was in Japan for 3 years.. best experience ever but couldn't beat the distance and only managed to keep in touch with a handful of my buddies after I came back to Malaysia..

So, that was it.. my officemates are currently the longest surviving group of friends that I have.. sure, many left the company along the way but still most of my pals are still here..

And as I look back, the changes I went through during my stay here were some of the highlights of my life so far.. sent back to Japan for training and able to meet up with my friends.. bought my 1st handphone.. bought my 1st car (and a sporty one too).. got promoted.. got engaged.. got married.. got my 1st child.. wrote my 1st book.. had my 1st operation.. countless sweet and bitter memories that made me a whole lot wiser.. :)

Iye le, kalau budak Darjah 1 tu, dah masuk sekolah menengah dah <-- which is actually where my niece is at the moment, Form 1.. hehe..
Ohh and FYI, 2nd interview is next Tuesday.. ;)

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

I think I'm ready now..

Finally I guess I'm ready to make the 'move'.. Now "I think" or "I guess" may not sound convincing, but if you know me well, that's as good as it gets.. hehe..

So, it seems 2007 will turn out to be a "new begining" for me after all.. just have to wait for the 2nd interview date.. ;)

Monday, February 05, 2007

Life is ironic..

A wise sensei once said to me..
"When you enter the world of employment, you'll face 2 types of co-workers..
1, Those who you can work well with but are not your friends..
2, Those who you consider as your friends with but can't work together with..
"

I didn't want to believe this as I have faith that I could work well with and be friends with my colleagues.. and I thought those I call "friends from the office" are truly those I can rely on 24-7.. but after being employed for almost 6 years, I finally see it.. it's true, there are only 2 types of "office mates"..

I was "temporary transferred" to a different group since the last few weeks.. Usually in a Japanese company such moves can be considered as a sign that you are no longer of use to the company.. it was common in the Japanese business culture to move around people to pressure them to quit willingly instead of firing them.. I once heard a story that this guy was transferred from one place to another until he ended up with no desk at the office and was told to just read the newspaper.. Lucky (or unlucky) that was not my case (I won't mind being asked to read the papers all day.. hehe).. I was transferred to my department's "All-Stars" group.. I call them the All-Stars because they are doing jobs that are the heart of this company.. their sweat go into the product that we produce.. not to mention they are the top-ranked bonus earners every year and the Japanese bosses are really dependent on them.. a few of them had sent their resignation letter before but the Japanese bosses actually made counter-offers to persuade them to stay on.. they were promoted soon after.. :P

I had always considered myself as the "golden rookie" in my group.. I know I had done well over the years - I did it on purpose, it was my mask.. ;)
but I never considered myself to be as good as one of the "All-Stars".. I know where I stand, I belong to a support group and as good as I may be, I'd never be in the "starting eleven" of the company.. a doomed fate for any support group member.. :P

Due to the nature of my job (being in a support group) I also play the 'joker' card.. I get myself involved in company related activities usually as a committee member.. annual dinners, outings, whatever.. usually my name will pop-up.. I don't mind doing it as I see it as an opportunity to make a change in what others only complain and do nothing about..
A 'wacko' sensei once said "if you want to make this world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change".. ;)

Being 'active' has somewhat made me popular (in a good and bad way - save that for another entry).. it also helped me to make quite a bunch friends from every all ranks.. including the "All-Stars".. I'd hang out with them, chat about non-work related things and I figured that they were OK with me.. until my "temporary transfer"..

Another wise sensei said "Sarang tebuan jangan jolok".. I guess the Japanese boss that came up with the idea of putting me "on loan" to the "All-Stars" group had never watched P. Ramlee movies, because he certainly did jolok the sarang tebuan.. and now my life (in the office) is a mess.. I was put incharge of things that was totally out of my capability and knowledge.. right smack in the middle of the action.. It was like getting an acceptance letter to the military collage and sent straight to Iraq.. THAT bad.. :P
at first I thought I'd just take up the challenge, might just earn me something good in the future.. besides, I was in good terms with the "All-Stars", we're cool....... NOT!!
It seems that people can change within a split second when it comes to work and ranks.. I soon found that I was alone.. my 'former' groups shut me out of any jobs that could bring me back, while my 'new' group just let off to cross the high wire without a safety net..
I guess that's life.. I always dreamt to fly but and right now, on the high wire trying to balance myself.. I just feel like jumping.. Isn't it ironic?

-- spoiler alert --

Talking about ironic.. I finally got to see the ending to Janji Joni yesterday..
It took me over a year to see the ending because of an 'interruption' when I first saw it.. I kinda merajuk and never bothered to find out the ending.. and yesterday (after forgetting the channel and time slot), I saw it at about the same point where I left off.. It seems that in the movie, Joni did failed to deliver the 2nd reel of film and the viewers left the cinema without getting to see the ending of the movie.. Ironic huh?..

Ohh.. and by the way, the girl's name was Angelique.. she did waited for Joni and did saw the ending of the movie together with him.. Voni could only wished she had met Joni earlier..

and guess what?.. You belong to me was used as a BGM in that movie!

Saturday, February 03, 2007

What happened to January??

I seemed to have skipped a good 2 weeks of my life.. and its all because of this crapy Japanese boss.. >:[

I won't go into details as it sucks just thinking about it..
Anyway, I got some uplifting news yesterday.. I take it as a sign that February would turn out better.. see how la..

I guess this calls for a song..

You Belong to Me
originally by
Sue Thompson

See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me.

See the marketplace in old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
But remember when a dream appears
You belong to me.

Ill be so alone without you
Maybe youll be lonesome too---and blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
Watch the jungle when its wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me



Heard Mr Sherman Pore sang it on American Idol's LA Audition and it went straight to my heart.. weird..