Monday, August 28, 2006

Austen Character.. hmm...

You scored as Emma Woodhouse.
Emma is possibly one of the most loyal characters of Austen, always wanting better for those around her and doing all she possibly can to make it happen.
Her motives sometimes get in the way of her good intentions and her own opinions can end up ruling her actions, but she has a good heart. She loves to be social and is welcoming to most, unless they are too silly to tolerate. While she sometimes changes her behavior to make others feel comfortable, she knows who she is and is always
bettering herself.


Which Jane Austen Character are You?
(For Females) Long Quiz!!!
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Thursday, August 24, 2006

Cheat, Or Not?

I had just finished a visit to PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) for an assignment when I encountered a curious, new experience. Upon reaching the entrance of KL Sentral, a man approached me, asking, [The conversation hereafter shall be a translation of the actual one carried out in Mandarin] "Miss, do you understand Mandarin?"

He was dressed in a dark blue shirt with a red collar, and black trousers. He had short, something like crew cut hair. His face was quite large, with fairly big, alert eyes, and thick eyebrows. He even had a little belly. I would venture him to be around early to mid-30s. He was carrying a briefcase.

He asked me to listen to him for a while, and after that I could leave if I couldn't help. He introduced that he was from China and was asking me since I was Chinese as well. I guess I must have looked kinda wary and even nervous (this is my first such encounter) that he said, "You don't have to be so afraid, I'm not a bad person." I tried to ease up a bit, but still felt bit uneasy.

He described that he had run into some difficulties, and that his "lao zhong" (boss) who was supposed to be here today informed him that he could only come tomorrow. Then, he stated his motive - that he currently had no money on him, and asked if I could spare him some money to get food. Well... I was on my guard now, 'cos he certainly looked pretty decent and not the kind who would be starving just dut to the lack of one meal.

He said he would return me the money tomorrow, and that "the amount is not important, but we can become friends." I wasn't sure if to believe him, so I asked, "How are you going to return the money to me?" He said, "Leave me with your handphone number, and give me a chance to repay you." Ha! My instincts strongly warned against this. He took out his handphone from his pocket, red in colour.

He persisted in saying that he would soon return my money, especially when his "lao ba" (father) came tomorrow. Strange, how come it was "lao ba" now? Thought he mentioned "lao zhong"? When I still made no reaction except to smile uncomfortably, he said, "Miss, you still don't believe me?? Leave me with your handphone number and give me a chance to repay you. I'm not a person who lacks money, just that I ran into some difficulties currently. The amount (money) is not important, but we can be friends."

I asked again, "How can you totally not have any money with you?" At this point, he became slightly abashed and said, "Frankly, though I feel ashamed to tell you, but I lost all my money in Genting last night.." My uneasiness radar was increasing... a gambler now?

He continued in his ramblings, "If you have the chance to come to Beijing in 2008 for the Olympics, you can call me up. Come together with your family, and all you expenses, air ticket, will be paid by me." This was sounding a bit overboard now, isn't it? He now emphasized on how we could be friends, saying things like "We're all Chinese, all descendants of the dragon - long de chuan ren." I suddenly felt like saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm a Christian."

*Sigh* I so didn't know how to handle the situation, and whether to believe him or not. What's more, I was alone, with no one to consult. Finally, I decided that I couldn't risk giving him my handphone number, or the money, even the RM 10 he suggested.

I said I had to leave. He made one more final attempt before giving up and letting me off. I breathed in relief...

*So what do you think? A cheat, or not?

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Soon to End

I'm in the second last week of my practical training already... Hahaha... I'm having mixed feelings though; not sure if I'm glad to have a break from working, or worried that I'll still face so many difficulties in my studies later... Well, nothing I can do about that, but just to wait and see.

My training has made me learn so many things, not only in expanding my very limited knowledge of architecture, but even more in life and living. During the course that I have been in this company, I have witnessed so much that would usually happen within a longer duration of time:

- My company has split into two smaller companies, with 2 bosses leaving to set up their company independently.
- Due to that, lots of furniture, computers (with valuable softwares), people and office equipments has been moved leaving the office half empty and full of cleaning to do.
- A colleague who was pregnant for 3 months getting a miscarriage due to all the stress.
- Another male colleague who left after a trainee reported to the police for harassment.
- The departure and resignation of approx. 10+ people (including those who left to the other company)
- Hence the employment of new architects, 3 of which one only stayed for 3 days (she was a fresh grad though - assistant architect).

Seemingly unconcerned with me, yet having to go along with these ups and downs, inevitably makes me really quite burnt out physically and mentally. But, when I mention this, most people would say, "Next time you'd be stronger."

If one would ask if I gained anything from this industrial training, I would answer in the affirmative, maybe not the knowledge I was seeking, but the experiences that came knocking.