Tough Times Ahead

What can a fan like me do when my favourite football club is in such a terrible situation? I can't help play for or manage the team. All I can do is keep supporting the team and not give up on them. I wonder how the fans of least succesful clubs feel?Those who actually support teams which will only be relegated in the next season?I guess I am feeling what they are feeling now.

Hopefully Liverpool will be able to come out of this tough situation not too damaged. But I got to admit it's unlikely Liverpool can qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League anymore. While the EPL title is still possible, but only if they beat Birmingham this gameweek.Sigh...it's depressing to see the team unravel this way.I can only hope that this is a case of it can only get worse before it gets better.

Finally An Affiliate

The ACCA exam results were released on Monday and I'm so glad I finally passed Paper P3.I can finally say that I'm professionally qualified and a ACCA affiliate.What's better is the relief I felt when I got my results.No more worrying about exams and studying.I can finally give 100% to my work and not have to balance study and work.I only have to worry about getting the right work-life balance.I haven't been getting any balance in that for the past 2 weeks.They've just been my busiest weeks thus far.I really can't wait for this engagement to end.While I appreciate that being on this engagement has taught me many things but at the same time,I've lost quite an amount of sleep and leisure time just to get that benefit.The senior-in-charge always says that no matter how sucky and engagement is,just know that it will end one day.Reminding myself of this has kept my morale at a reasonably high level.

Enough about work...it's bad enough that I spent 3/4 of my time over the past 2 weeks doing work.I'm not going to fill up my blog about work.Obviously,the best topic to fill my blog with is football.The English Premier League has began again and I have a very good feeling that this will be the season Liverpool brings home the EPL title.Liverpool still has Fantastic Torres and Captain Fantastic Gerrard.Now we've got Robbie Keane as well.I've always liked him and thinks he's a good player.I must admit that his partnership with Torres didn't turn out so well in the first match of the season but I believe they will soon get along very well.There's also Xabi Alonso who seems to have improved after all the rumours saying that he's leaving for Juventus.He almost scored another goal from the halfway-line in the first match.It was very close.If that had gone in,I would be even more certain that this is Liverpool's season.But then Chelsea looks very strong this season.But big names don't necessarily big on skills.A good example is David Beckham.I shall not elaborate further.I'm also continuing with the fantasy football competition with my fellow friends.I'm the only rose among the thorns in the fantasy league.And I'm also leading the table after the 1st match of the season.I only hope that I can stay up there for the rest of the season.Last time around,I was also on top in the beginning but started to slide down halfway through the season.Let's hope I can earn points more consistently this season and beat the guys.Haha.
Before the EPL started,the Olympics already began.China is definitely doing very well on home ground.They've lead the medals tally since day 1.So many good athletes.Malaysia only has one silver medal for now.I think that's all the country is getting from the Olympics.Lee Chong Wei could have got a gold medal for himself if he could play better against Lin Dan in the badminton finals.He just wasn't quick enough.Don't know how Lin Dan can move so quickly.Maybe he was a ping pong player before he became a badminton player.Haha.Besides badminton,I watched Yelena Isinbayeva pole vault to another new world record.That woman just can't stop breaking records...and they are all her own records.The competition is just miles behind her.She'd won the gold medal but still she continued to pole vault,just so she can break her own world record.5.5m is really high.I like her unique ritual before she makes her attempts.It's rather amusing when she hides under her blanket.Aside from that,I haven't been able to catch much of the games.Sometimes I still wish that I could lead the student life again...at least I don't have to attend classes everyday and I could skip them if I really wanted to.Work is more strict.There's no way I can skip work one day and not be noticed.But then when I think of the studying I have to do,I would feel my current life is still better.It's perfect when I get to go home at 5.30 pm.Like today.The only not busy day I've had for the past 2 weeks.But too bad for me it was raining heavily at that time and I couldn't get to my car.So I went shopping in 1 Utama instead.I spent a lot of money today.It's a way to celebrate my success.I haven't really had the time to have a real celebration.I really deserve a big present.I've been wanting to buy a new watch ever since my favourite Swatch watch suffered a broken strap.I tried ordering the same strap design to replace it but Swatch don't carry it anymore.I don't want to replace it with any other strap since it won't match with the dial design anymore.I've actually tried using super glue to fix the strap.It worked for a while and then it broke again.I don't think the super glue can be a long-term solution.That is why I need a new watch.Besides,now that I'm working,I don't want to wear plastic watches anymore...it doesn't go with my professional image.Haha.I've already got a target but just not sure if it'll be a good buy.Will definitely keep some funds for a new watch.That's all for this post.I'm too tired to think of what to type.

Department Trip

The recent Audit M department trip was fun. I'm glad I went. Even though I'm still tired from the trip, it was worth it. We went to Kuala Rompin,Pahang this year. The only crappy thing about the trip was the long journey.The journey there was not pleasant at all.Somehow the travel agent managed to make a mess of the transport arrangements as he got bus drivers who didn't know the way to our destination and got lost along the way.They even got lost on their way to come pick us up at the office in Bandar Utama.So we were late in setting off and naturally arrived very late at the Summerset Resort.We planned to arrive at 1 pm.We ended up arriving at 3 pm.Well,the bus I was on arrived another 30 minutes later as the bus' suspension broke at about 40km before reaching the resort.So we all had a jolly bumpy and slow ride for about 45 minutes till we reached the resort.That was the longest bus ride I had.I could have arrived in Australia by plane in 6 hours.
Anyway,we had some teambuilding activities after an hour of rest.I was appointed the Team Leader for my team.The activities were fun but I seriously feel the team members are not evenly placed among all teams.Some teams definitely have more athletic people in them,giving them an edge over the others since all the activities were very physical.But I still think the teambuilding activities weren't exactly what everyone was looking forward to in this trip.Most were thinking that they can get to relax and play at the beach and swimming pool all day and then party at night. And party we did on the first night and the second night.Whoever said accountants are boring people seriously need to change their opinion.We had a karaoke session and lots of alcohol was consumed that night.Later in the night,they started to dance.The whole place felt like a disco.For the first time in my life I drank so much.I drank until I felt dizzy but I wasn't drunk yet.LOL.I can still remember clearly what I did and I know I didn't say anything stupid.I drank Bailey's and Chivas Coke.Somehow they tasted better that night than what I remember.Needless to say,I fell asleep very easily that night.But then the deep sleep didn't last...I woke up at around 3.30 am after hearing voices from outside the room.Some of my colleagues actually partied until that time.
We had some more teambuilding activities early the next morning.The outcome of the activities is that we all got very wet as it was held on the beach.Needless to say,some people got wet unknowingly,i.e: some joker poured a bucket of water over the poor victim. I was one of them...if not I would have been the driest person there.haha.Anyway,the biggest revelation of the department trip was how the firm Partners behaved. They are all so businesslike in the office but when its time to have fun,they really let their hair down.They participated in every activity and chatted and drank with everyone.They just wanted to join in the fun and have fun with us.That was really nice.Some of the audit seniors got hold of our Head of Department and threw him into the sea.Haha.That was funny.We even played beach soccer.I must say it's very difficult to run with the ball on such sandy ground.Anyway,on the 2nd night,we all eased up on the hard liquor and drank beer instead.We all played this card game called Bluff.Needless to say,I suck at bluffing and got caught almost everytime I bluffed on my cards.Anyway,everyone slept pretty early on the 2nd night.I think everyone was really tired that night.Good thing the journey back to KL was shorter and not bumpy at all.But then a lot of people actually went on ML or EL the next day.Lazy bumps...actually,I would have gone on ML or EL if I actually had any leave days left.The medical leave only works if I get a doctor's letter.If I can't produce one,then I'll have to replace the ML with a normal annual leave.I used up most of it for my studies earlier.So ever since I got back from the department trip,I have not had a good rest yet.It's getting busy for me now...unlike 2 weeks ago when I had to LLB(look like busy).Haha.Well,it's time to get some sleep now.Really need it.Perhaps I'll have time next week to put up some of the photos taken during the trip.

I'm a Guitar Hero!

To be more correct,I should be a Guitar Heroine,since I'm a girl.But then to be even more correct...I'm only a Guitar Hero at Medium difficulty.I still can't get the hang of playing Hard difficulty in Guitar Hero 3.But now I've added Guitar Hero:Aerosmith to my PS3 games collection.All I can say is that non-fans of Aerosmith would not like this edition of Guitar Hero very much.Even a so-so fan like me don't exactly think the game is worth the RM 200 I paid for it because I expect it to be full of Aerosmith's songs...at least their greatest hits.Well,only some of their greatest hits are there...but the ones that I really like; Dude!Looks Like A Lady and Cryin' aren't in the game.But some of the non-Aerosmith songs are okay so far...maybe I'll find out some other nicer songs when I play more of the game.Graphicswise, this game is just so-so.But I like the fact that I'm playing as Joe Perry.Haha.Once I finish this game,there's Metal Gear Solid 4 waiting for me to play it.I've seen my brother playing the game and it's very similar to Splinter Cell...a game I once got addicted to in the past.But I feel MGS4 has more shooting involved than Splinter Cell...which makes Splinter Cell more preferable to MGS4.But then I haven't even tried out the latest Splinter Cell:Double Agent.That game got released at a very busy period of my life.Maybe I should go get the game now...should be much cheaper now that it's considered an old game.Overall,I'm glad I still have time to play PS3 even though I'm working full-time...which is an improvement compared to the time when I was a full-time student.

Life at KPMG has been pretty exciting lately.I participated in the Inter-departmental Games 2008(IDG 2008) in futsal ladies and pool.Futsal was fun...my team almost got 1st place...if only we had more practice.We only practised once and to finish 2nd is quite an achievement.Not to mention our strategy was only devised by one of our department's Partner on the spot before our matches.Haha.Too bad I didn't score any goals as I had to play as defender,which on the overall benefits my team more than if I had played as striker.But then I did some nifty skills to earn the nickname "Ronaldo" by the spectators.Of course I'm flattered but since I'm no fan of Christiano Ronaldo I told them not to call me that and that my favourite player is Steven Gerrard.Anyway, pool didn't go so well for me...I haven't played pool since I started work on Feb 18th.So obviously I was rusty and I only had 2 practice sessions before the competition day.Anyway,my opponent was very strong...I knew I was going to be in for a hard time the minute she started with the break.What made it worse is that the rules made us ladies play 8-ball game...which I'm not so familiar with as I usually play 9-ball game with my friends.Person to win 2 frames wins the tie...well,she won 2 in a row.All I could do is to make her work hard to win the game ...the balls just weren't in easy positions for me to pocket them.At least in the first frame,I lost by 1 ball but in the second,I think I lost by 5 balls.It sucks to lose but all I can do now is to start practising now and hope to do better in next year's IDG.I really enjoy playing pool...so I've got no complaints about practising often.Haha. The main purpose of the IDG is to prepared us for the Inter-Accounting Firms Games(IAFG) which has already started.It's like the Olympics of accounting firms and lots of reputation is at stake here.Every year, the only motivation to be Champion of IAFG is to enhance the firm's reputation and also to earn the bragging rights.I'm really looking forward to the IAFG...I've put my name in for futsal ladies again.I hope this time the team I'm in can become champion and not be runners-up again.

It turns out my PC monitor is not spoilt.It was just that the cable connecting to the graphics card was not attached properly...that's the reason why it was acting erractically.I was already looking at Samsung's 20-inch monitors and seriously considering getting one of them.I even looked at Dell's monitors.Well,guess I'll have to wait longer to get a LCD monitor.Not that it bothers me much...as long as the monitor does not strain my eyes when I look at it for long hours.Speaking of strain...the political strain in Malaysia is getting stronger by the day.March 8 was only the beginning of more drastic surprises to come.I think if I were to conduct a PESTEL analaysis of Malaysia...for the P:Political factor I would have to say that the political environment in Malaysia is unstable.I'm really glad I didn't vote in the March 8 elections (because I didn't register in time...hehe) because looking at the way things are unfolding,I would have regretted my choice either for choosing BN or PKR.I really hope things get sorted out soon.I've experienced first hand how a team can fall apart with ineffective leadership even though each person knows their responsibilities and a country with ineffective leadership will have worse effects than in a small unit like a team.

Revival

I know I've abandoned my blog for too long.So I'm officially reviving my blog.Initially I was feeling bored of blogging and that the blog had served its initial purpose,so there's no need for me to blog anymore.

But then lately I've got the blogging bug again and I do have a lot of views and experience to share too.Firstly, I am no longer just a student...I'm both working and studying now.Yes,it's a dampener to fail one of the papers at 48 marks,which is only 2 marks shy of the passing mark.But I know I can't wallow in despair as it's become ever more important for me to pass the paper in this coming June exam session.So I'm currently on my study leave and studying real hard.I must say I haven't missed studying one bit.I'll take work over study anytime.

I must say I like my job as an auditor in KPMG.Plenty of avenues for me to learn more and apply what I've learned in my work.However,there are some aspects of the work that I don't enjoy as much as the rest.It's something I can bear with so I don't think that will get to me.So far things are falling into place on the career side of my life.I just got confirmed this week and gone through the interim review.My performance manager thinks I've got potential so it's up to me to realise that potential.I was very pleased to hear that.She even gave me some valuable advice that I should really take up.I know I set very high expectations of myself sometimes and quite often I fall short of it and get very frustrated over it.I guess what she mentioned about not being too harsh on myself is important as being harsh will only make things worse and life would be very miserable that way.I totally agree as I do feel miserable being all frustrated and disappointed over my shortfalls.I've been trying to not be too harsh on myself but it'll take time to adjust that aspect of myself.

Although work has been tough at times...especially working till midnight on some days but my salary compensates that well.Now I've got some difficulties in controlling my spending.When I see the money in my bank account,I really feel like buying all the things I've been wanting to buy for a while now.But I know it's self-destruction to do that.So I've been planning to buy these things one at a time and not all at once.And I know a lot of these things that I want aren't exactly necessary,like a LCD monitor.My current monitor is perfectly fine...but being myself,I really want a LCD monitor and I've been wanting one for a very,very long time.So I've been secretly hoping for my current monitor to go conk so I can get a new one...and surprisingly,it's beginning to show some signs of erratic behaviour.Haha.It doesn't help that KPMG is now situated in Bandar Utama as 1-Utama is now the next door neighbour and I park there pretty often to take advantage of the cheaper parking rates.So I have to walk through the shopping mall to get to my car and it's so tempting to just go shopping for a while before I set for home.I've already spent quite an amount at Jusco since we moved in to BU,mostly on food items.I'm also thinking of investing my money so money can make more money but not sure what yet.I really hope I don't get obsessed over money.

Anyway,it's my birthday today and I really feel old at 23 years old.I guess it's because I'm feeling sleepy.I'm sure I'll feel a lot more positive when I wake up in the morning.

A New Year Is Coming

I can't believe time is passing by so fast.The Chinese New Year starts next week and a week after that,I'll begin work.I still feel like I'm back in Jan 1.Well,the CNY mood is definitely beginning to spread.My father has already put in the decorations at home and my mother is busy cleaning up the house and putting on new curtains and stuff like that.Soon she'll be telling me to put on the new bedsheet for my bed.I think I have to start planning what clothes I want to wear for the first few days of CNY now.The eve of CNY is on Feb 6th,which is next Wednesday.I hope there'll be nice dishes to eat.Am looking forward to the Shark Fin's Soup especially.Although it's cruel for the sharks when we eat this dish,but I think nowadays the restaurant only uses real shark's fin partially....most of it is synthetic shark's fin.So it ain't too bad of us to eat this dish and it's only once a year...people only get to eat it more than once a year only if there are many wedding dinners to attend in a year.Well,besides the famous soup dish,there are still other nice things to eat during Chinese New Year such as the prawn rolls, prawn crackers, fish crackers even and cookies.It is very difficult not to gain weight from all the eating during Chinese New Year.There will be family dinners from the eve till the 3rd day of CNY for my family.Then there's the usual visitations to other family members' houses in the early afternoons.It does get pretty tiring after a while.Well,it's a once a year celebration and not to mention the gambling.I hope my luck on the table will be better this year compared to the previous year.

I haven't posted any pictures of my rabbits for some time now.It's just that there are no interesting photos of them to be taken.My rabbits are still happy and alive and kicking,especially Mr.White.He still refuses to be carried.I think I can't change his attitude.He just despises being carried.At least he's not so anti-social anymore.Nowadays he runs over to me to get petted...but not always.Once in a while.However,Miss Brown is getting more responsive than ever...she likes to be carried around and petted.She runs out to me almost everytime I call her.What a sociable rabbit.It's funny how 2 of my rabbits can have totally opposing attitudes.Anyway,Mr.White fell into the pond again not too long ago.This time my mother carried him out of the pond.He's as smart as ever...knew how to keep his nose above the water so he can keep breathing.That week,he actually fell into the pond twice.The first time he managed to climb out of it by himself.I didn't see it but I can deduce from the water splashes on the rocks beside the pond and the hind parts of the rabbit being very wet that he managed to grab hold of the rock with his front paws and somehow climbed out of the water.Very smart indeed...but I don't know why he keeps falling into the pond.I'm beginning to think Mr.White falls into the pond on purpose just to get wet.He always stays calm whenever I give him a bath.The same cannot be said for Miss Brown.She hates getting wet and it's always a struggle to keep her calm whenever I give her a bath.But it's good that she's usually clean,unlike Mr.White.So in short,these rabbits are really total opposites not just in terms of their sex but also their attitudes. Mr.White thinks he's a panda now

Miss Brown resting in her favourite shady spot

Experienced Interviewee

I think I can be considered an experienced interviewee now that I've gone through 3 interviews.And another one is lined up on Monday.I must say I am getting pretty jaded with the whole process.But these are the Big4 accounting firms...I can't just pass up on the opportunity to be interviewed by them.After thinking long and hard,I think I'll join the audit line.It can provide more exposure in terms of experience and learning opportunities when compared to tax.I'll just save tax consultancy for the future.I think I'll just have to make a decision on which job offer to take up before the month ends.I don't want to drag it on too long...I'm getting rather bored staying at home though I must admit there is still a lot for me to do...mostly cleaning up tasks.It's just that I'm getting too lazy already and my brain is definitely going rusty.I can feel my brain churning very loudly every time I have to use it.If I wait too long to start work,I think I'll be a pretty useless employee.

I finally made the effort to tidy up my notes and textbooks from the previous semester on Friday.I've left them on my table untouched since Dec 12 when my exam ended.But I have not exactly put them away yet as I usually do for my notes in the previous semesters.That's because I'm not very confident of passing all 3 papers.No point in putting them away and then having to take them out again when my results turn out bad.But I am not saying I will fail all 3 papers.I'm just getting ready for the negative impact when it hits so I won't be so unprepared.Anyway,I've finally finished His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman.All 3 books,The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights),The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass,I think they are all equally good.Although it must be said that The Subtle Knife being a transitory book,it's got more to offer than just being the book that connects book 1 to book 3.A few crucial new characters were introduced in the book.Anyway,although the whole story has been fantastic,I don't like the ending just because it's a very sad ending.It's not just sad,it's VERY sad.Sure,in real life,we don't always get happy endings but this is a storybook.The author could have made up something less sad.But then I've read that Mr.Pullman himself is writing a new chapter for His Dark Materials.I wonder what would it be about now that Lyra and Will are back in their own worlds and there's no way to travel in between worlds anymore...maybe there'll be new characters.Anyway,I can understand now why some Christians dislike this trilogy.It goes against the most basic Christian teachings.I must say it's a very interesting view of Christianity in the books.A strong Christian will have to be very open-minded when reading the books or else they'll never get to the ending as they'll feel the whole thing is nonsensical.Anyway,I'd recommend His Dark Materials trilogy to anyone who's not a Christian.It's certainly a modern classic.Now I can't wait for the new book to be out.