A day for contemplation

Got to meet Andrew Matthews, the author of Being Happy, at Kinokuniya KLCC on Sunday. Bought his new book, Happiness Now and got his autograph too.

Here are some shots:

Every quarter, my company holds a tea-talk session that provides the opportunity for management to share with all employees on the company's overall performance, key initiatives' progresses or whatever business issues that are deemed necessarily important for everyone to know.

On a recent tea-talk, in one of the presentation segments, my MD/CEO presented our Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS) results and apparently we fared quite well as a whole for an organization. There were a few isolated surprises in the results which the big boss shared light-heartedly with everyone. However, the interesting part was in the conclusion and my big boss actually called a HR executive from the floor to confirm this - that every single employee is accountable for his or her own career success. The message was clear. HR will not be responsible in determining any individual employee's career path.

Like hello, don't we all know that already? For any employee who has a fiery ambition to climb the corporate ladder, would he or she leave his or her career destiny solely in the hands of the HR Department? I think not.

In hindsight, I should have stood up in front of the 300-strong crowd of non-executives, junior executives, senior executives, managers, senior managers, general managers and the big boss himself (the tea-talk's format is a forum for employees to voice out their opinions isn't it?) and questioned HR about the relevance of the statement made by big boss. Instead of HR supporting big boss' foregone conclusion that we should manage our own career, HR should have highlighted to us what kind of strategic role can HR play in assisting us in making the right career moves. What sort of consulting services are provided? Is there a strategic human resource framework that would allow the employees to make informed decisions on the choices that are available in the organzation's career hierarchy? I mean, isn't HR supposed to be more than just an administrative center to manage our payroll, benefits and retirement?

Of course, if I had actually stood up then, I would have make a hero of myself. Consequence is, my employee file that is currently in one of the HR's file cabinet may not be so secure anymore if I actually said what I thought now in hindsight.

Sigh, thank goodness it's all in hindsight... hahaha.

For those who are interested in Human Resources as a career, here's an interesting article.

Roughly three weeks ago, I had the good fortune of standing in for a colleague of mine to cover for a particular TV coverage for a restaurant in USJ 11, Subang Jaya. I was actually quite apprehensive at first about the assignment since I have no journalistic experience before this - even more so when it comes to describing gourmet food. That morning, I prepped myself with enough intelligent questions that I would ask. I can at least sound professional, right?

Anyway, I arrived at the place early at 5:00PM sharp so that I can interview the owner without interrupting his busy schedule that would begin around 6:00PM.


Dine Out at USJ 11, Subang Jaya

Mr Gilbert Chin, the restaurant owner, turns out to be quite a friendly guy. He was a former accountant and interior designer but I guess he knew his destiny was to run a business where he could socialize with people from all walks of life. I immediately took a liking to him as my interview with him went on smoothly. We talked not only about the specialities offered by his restaurant but also on philosophy and life.

I love the nostalgic ambience of the restaurant. For old timers, this is definitely the place to relive the past of the 60s and 70s. I wasn't born yet, but I sure can feel the excitement for those people who lived through that era.









By 7:00PM, the TV crew arrived and my interview session ended. Mr Gilbert excused himself as he went about entertaining the entertainers. Props were setup and faces were powdered. Very tiring business, the media industry.

Maria Tengku Sabri from TV3's Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan was around...





What, Chinese restaurant also can interview, meh? Well, here's the surprise for you. It's absolutely pork-free. Of course, I got to try out some of the delicacies myself - that's why we are all here in the first place. I have to tell you this - it's absolutely heavenly.


Butter Prawns


Mongolian Chicken


Crispy Choy Sam


Steamed Tilapia

I like them all, I am not even sure which is my favourite.


There's even FREE King's ice-cream too. Take as much as you can... :-b

Well, I ended up having my good friend write an article about the restaurant after I brought him there for dinner. Honestly, my limited variety of gourmet adjectives will not do justice to the excellent offerings available at Dine Out. Here's a map for those who are interested try this place out. Trust me, it's good... :-)



Note to self: Two persons birthday are coming. Shall celebrate another year of bachelorhood with a fine feast at Dine Out.

Related links:

• Dine Out, Dine Well (NST Article)

Gosh, the haze is back again.

Packed to go back early but was surprised to find that I couldn't see anything at all outside my office windows. Just one large white gray expanse into nothingness.

Here's some shots...


Ambank (picture taken at 5:47pm)


K Avenue (picture taken at 5:47pm)


KLCC Convention Centre (picture taken at 5:51pm)


KLCC Park (picture taken at 5:51pm)


Public Bank (picture taken at 5:54pm)


Public Bank and Sun (picture taken at 5:55pm)

Now I am stuck in the office. Am thinking of going down to KLCC and do some shopping instead.