Women

So much have been written on the topic of understanding "Women". Thousands of books have been dedicated to help men understand how women think, feel and react. Women are just so complex that most men are clueless about how their partners really feel and what they are actually thinking. I don't blame them. 

Being a woman, let me explain a little bit about my kind. 

Women are generally sensitive. We are rather prone to being hurt, either by words said or unsaid, actions done or omitted: especially by those whom we love. We have some sort of expectations of our partners (unfortunately the expectations are normally sky-high!). So, based on these expectations (that are often set subconsciously), we would expect certain things from our partners (although we never ever discuss these expectations with our partners). Of course, women would never want to tell their partners about their expectations as they feel that their men should know them well enough to know what they want! 

So, you would generally find women feeling hurt for something that is not done by her partner, although the guy had absolutely no idea about what it was that he was supposed to have done to avoid hurting her! (Get what I mean about men being clueless?)

Let me give you an example to illustrate this point: A woman would expect flowers on her birthday. (She would of course deny this if ever her man asked her if she would like flowers for her birthday). The man, being a man, would just either (1) Totally forget it was her birthday until the day itself (which is not unusual), then panic; or (2) Know it was her birthday but wouldn't buy her flowers since its such a waste of good money (dah la mahal, lepas 3 hari, bunga dah layu. Baik beli beras 3 kampit, boleh makan sebulan); or (3) Bring her to Parkson & ask her to choose her own birthday present (which he thinks is the most practical thing to do - better buy her something that she really needs right?).

Guys, you will definitely get your woman in an absolutely foul mood on her birthday (which is never a good thing) if ever any of the above scenario happens. She will sulk for days (women are rather good at this) & if you ask her "What's wrong?" - she will reply "Nothing's wrong". Ok, all you men out there, remember this: if ever your wife or girlfriend says that nothing's wrong, Something is definitely wrong! She will never admit to you that she's hurt unless if you draw it out of her gently (which will give you extra points, but it may take days of pujuk-memujuk). So, to avoid all the hassle, please get her some flowers (bunga petik from your garden pun takpe) & a small present (not a blender please). It doesn't need to be expensive. It just have to be thoughtful. She will be smiling for days & you will be pampered for weeks. 

Women just want to feel appreciated. She hates to be taken for granted. She wants to feel loved and be loved. She is so insecure about how her partner feels about her that she needs him to give her the reassurance every now & then by hearing him say the words "I love you". This may seem trivial to a man, but believe me, to a woman: it means the world.

After 15 years together, Zaharim has learnt so much about me (& I'm really complex, seriously). He would know immediately if something was wrong, just by looking into my eyes. He knows what pleases me, and displeases me. When I'm unusually quiet, he could differentiate whether I'm just deep in thought, or I'm hurting. He knows me too well. & I appreciate him for that.

I could write more about women, but maybe in future postings. In the meantime, good luck to all men in your journey to learn more about your partner. To all Sisters out there: Continue to perplex your men, but be kind to them. They really are trying to understand you better!

Footnote: Many of you may have read the famous bestseller "Men are from Mars & Women from Venus". I'd just like to recommend a lesser known book: "Men are like waffles & Women are like spaghetti". It's funny.  

FINALE

We finally reached the finale of our Program ICT last Saturday! It was a flurry of activities with students & teachers from 20 schools from all over Melaka joining us for the Final Program held at the Pusat Falak Al-Khawarizmi in Tanjung Bidara.

The most special part of the event was the Treasure Hunt! This Treasure Hunt is like no other - all clues were set in Google Earth & participants had to search across the world for clues and answers, all via the internet! It was Zaharim's idea (I wonder how he thinks of all these things!) & Azmin & Rizal spent weeks developing the clues & setting them in place. Thony came up with the most creative scoreboard; Azim designed whimsical clue vouchers, answer books & souvenirs for right answers (not to mention the cool orange t-shirt!); and Everyone had so much fun in the treasure hunt! Thanks also to Adlan for helping with updating the scoreboard!

The Final Quiz questions & concept were the joint effort of Thony & Hajar with the necessary assistance from Azura, Latipah, Shi Rou & Nana. They spent days verifying the questions & answers. It's no easy feat.

The closing ceremony was simple but meaningful for all the 20 schools (who each won the preliminary round in their own mukim) as they were presented with a DELL notebook each. We wrapped up the event with a montage (developed by Hasanah over 2 weeks!) & everyone came out of the auditorium beaming smiles. 

I would say that its a job well done by everyone! Thanks to the whole team at Danau Digital!

Working under pressure

Have you ever been forced to finish up a task within a short period of time? I think all of us may have had to experience this some time in their life. Could have been a 1000-word essay to be handed in the next day when you were in school, or an assignment given by your lecturer in university, or a task given by your boss with a dateline. Pressure, Pressure, Pressure...

I was in this situation just these last few days. Suddenly I had to draft so many agreements for 4 different clients. All of them gave me their instructions on Wednesday last week. The nature of all the agreements were different. The transactions were totally different. All of them wanted their agreement urgently. 2 words: kelam kabut!!

But don't you find that when you work under pressure, knowing you have a dateline, with the adrenaline rush, you usually produce your best work! I find this to be so true. Even as a student, it was the last minute assignments (written the night before the assignment is due) which gave >80%. Maybe its the way the brain works... My brain anyway... (Or maybe its my excuse for putting things right to the last minute!) :-) 

Well, I enjoy my work, seriously. I love drafting new agreements especially challenging ones. I'm now in the middle of drafting a Concession Agreement (extremely challenging) but the dateline is not fixed yet so I'm finding it so difficult to finish it... Sigh.. Must be my brain working against me... Help!!

Good luck to everyone who is working on a dateline! 

Happy Father's Day

It was Father's Day yesterday but Papa had soooo much work that we couldn't spend much time with him over the weekend! Zaharim was working throughout Saturday & Sunday & we only spent breakfast with him on Sunday. Sigh... (the hazards of being a business owner..)

Anyway, to pacify the kids, we went to watch "Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It was FANTASTIC!! Wish Papa could join us. The kids love all the Indiana series & we all voted that the latest Indiana is the BEST of them all. Can't believe that Harrison Ford is 60+. He was brilliant!

I baked a cake for Father's Day but the kids couldn't wait for Papa to come home before they launched at it as soon as it came out of the oven. So, tinggal half a cake when Papa came home! Sorry darling!

Happy Father's Day to the best Dad in the world! We love you, Papa!

Papa & da kids

A Weekend in Singapore

Cuti sekolah 2 minggu but we only had time to take our kids for a short trip, right on the last 3 days of the holiday - & since Papa & Mama had been working weekends for the past 3 months, we really must spend some quality time with the kids. So last weekend, we went to Singapore! The kids were thrilled!

We love going to Singapore & have taken our kids there many times. But this time, it was extra special because we were joined by Zaharim's staffs (who have been working 7-days a week for the past 3 months & Zaharim wanted to reward them).

It was the first trip to Singapore for all of them - Hasanah, Hajar, Azim, Azmin, Thony, Rizal, Sardi & Azura ("the Gang"). When we arrived on Friday, we went straight to the Science Centre. They have opened a new gallery called "The Climate Change" & the exhibits were interactive & really quite amazing. Anas & I wrote a virtual postcard to "Earth" & so did the others & our postcards were immediately projected on the screen with our pictures. Just wish that our National Science Centre in KL can be as good as this. After eating at MacDonalds, browsing around the galleries, testing exhibits, watching "Dinosaurs Alive" on the Omni-Theater & buying curious puzzles at the shop (including mood rings for everyone!), we went to Arab Street for a bite. We went straight back to the Hotel with the kids after dinner but the Gang went to do some shopping at the infamous Mustaffa Centre. Apparently banyak barang murah-murah (Eg: Racket badminton Yonex: 2 for SGD19.00). Boleh la test racket baru this Friday!

The Danau Team plus Anas (minus Sardi who was taking the pix)

On Saturday we went to Sentosa. Unfortunately, it rained :-( so we could only do indoor activities. Pergi naik cable-car from Harbourfront (Nice view - we could see the construction of the Casino & Universal Studios which is opening in 2010). Then to the 4D-Theater Magix showing "Pirates of the Carribean" which was fantastic! The kids, especially Adlan & Hakim, were laughing so loud!! Next, we went to the "Images of Singapore" which was tastefully done. The short multimedia presentation at the start was really full of surprises. The setting was very well thought out. Muzium Melaka people should go there & learn a few things.. After lunch at Deli France (jangan lupa dessert chocolate eclairs!), we went into the Merlion & learn a little bit of history. Hujan masih tak berhenti, so we had to call it a day in Sentosa...

Waiting for the show to start at Images of Singapore

Makan @ Deli France Merlion

Next on the agenda: ORCHARD ROAD!! Singapore is ON SALE!! Zaharim went back to the Hotel with the kids for a dip in the swimming pool while Mama did some shopping! Heehee.. Our Hotel is 8 minutes walk to Takashimaya, so you can imagine the temptation.. Nampaknya Hasanah shopping sakan jalan sampai ke Robinsons (kena kirim 2 bag in our van), Sardi pun boleh tahan (beli 6 jam tangan!), the "twins" Hajar & Azura banyak beli souvenirs, Azim (the Graphic Designer) tak banyak beli barang tapi baaaaanyaaak ambik gambar (everywhere with his camera), Thony beli jeans SGD10, Rizal beli spek hitam SGD1.90 & Azmin...? Hmm.. tak sempat tanya what he bought in Singapore..

Sunday came too soon & it was time to go back home. Of course, not before some last minute shopping. Went to Kinokuniya & Lego World. Bought some books for Adlan (including an Instruction Book for his computer games!), Indiana Jones Lego for Hakim & Anas, a Robotics Lego for Papa, some notebooks for Mama & Disney Princess Mystery Gift + Chocolate lollipops for Adlina.

The Gang went back to Melaka on the 3pm Bus. We drove back & before we reached the 2nd link in Tuas, the kids were already snoring...zzzz...

It was quite a memorable weekend. Good fun. Plenty of laughs & smiles. Warm, fuzzy feelings..

Footnote: More pictures will come soon.

RM2.70

Unbelievable. RM2.70 per liter. Petrol was only RM1.92 per liter yesterday. Increased by 40.6% overnight! What is Pak Lah thinking? And that is not all. The petrol price will be reviewed every month! It is expected to increase up to RM4.00 per liter by August 2008. This is just too outrageous! More than 100% increase in just 2 months!

Unfortunately we do not have a good public transport system. In Melaka, the taxies are not even fixed with meters! Buses are scarce & most of them are not even fit to be on the road! So, the Government's argument that our fuel price is the cheapest in the region thus giving them the excuse to reduce the subsidies cannot be substantiated: Comparing to Singapore - yes, their fuel price is higher BUT look at their public transport system: It is world class. The MRTs are highly efficient & the buses are frequent & always on time. Comparing to Thailand - yes, their fuel price is higher BUT they do not have Tolls in Thailand. Comparing to Brunei - No, their fuel price is MUCH lower than Malaysia. They produce oil too, just like Malaysia. Comparing to Indonesia - yes, their fuel price is higher & look what's happening there: most cars are grounded as the car owners can't even afford to buy petrol for their cars - Is this what the Government want for Malaysians?

Everyone's worry is this: Transportation costs will immediately rise, which means that all prices for goods & services will also increase. Semua harga akan naik, naik, naik... Already Pak Lah announced that the electricity rate will increase by 18% for households from July onwards... sigh... :-(

Last night we thought of filling up our cars for just one last time before the price increase. However, as expected, every other car owner in Malaysia were also scrambling to fill up. All petrol stations we passed by had massive queues creating traffic jams everywhere. So, we drove away & told ourselves that it is time to really get used to the fact that we are no longer living in the good old days.

Today, all Malaysians woke up to not just higher fuel price, but also to the realization that worse things will come in the next few months.

Brace yourselves everyone! Be more prudent in spending!

The Team Members of Messrs. Adillah A Nordin

Back (L-R): Longchek, Cherryl, Faizah

Front (L-R): Mas, Eyta, Faridah, me, Zurina, Hamidah

Introducing the team members of Messrs. Adillah A Nordin, advocates & solicitors.

We have Kak Midah, the Sifu of our Conveyancing Department who has been working for Apak since 1984; Kak Faridah, Apak's most efficient PA since 1984 and also the heavyweight of our Litigation Department; Eyta, the backbone of our Conveyancing Department who has been with us since 1992; Zurina, our learned Conveyancing Legal Assistant (my left wing) who has been with us since she chambered in 2003; Faizah, who is assisting in our Conveyancing Department and Mas, who is assisting in our Litigation Department; Pakcik Longchek takes care of other things like banking & posting (and more importantly - driving my kids around!) and of course Cherryl, the first person you meet as you enter our office (she brightens up the front desk).

Unfortunately when this picture was taken, Apak was in a meeting; Farah our learned Litigation Legal Assistant (my right wing) was also in a meeting at a client's office & Saad our Land Office Assistant was at the land office. So the team picture is not exactly complete.

Well, what I want to say is that these people are the other part of me, my second family. We have grown together since my Firm was set up in 2002. Like all other families, we sometimes have our arguments and frictions. We have our ups and downs. We have our fair share of hurts and disappointments. We have gone through many, many things.

But, above all, we know that we have each other and we can depend on each other. We have LOTS of good times together. We work together, laugh together and cry together. We are interdependent on one another not just for work, but also for other much more complex things which can't be explained or measured. It's the invisible tie that binds. We are a Team.

I am mighty proud of my team members. They really are my second family.

Adlan is 13

Adlan is officially a teenager today! Happy birthday darling! I can't believe how BIG you have grown!

Has it been 13 years already? I can still vividly remember early morning at 4am 13 years ago when I woke up thinking I needed to go to the bathroom urgently, but in actual fact my waterbag broke! Instead of waking Zaharim up immediately, I went straight to the Pregnancy book by Dr Miriam Stoppard to read and confirm what was happening to me. I laugh to myself thinking about it now! Adlan came 2 weeks early.

And now: He is taller than Mama. He is overtaking Papa any day now. His feet are bigger than Mama's and Papa's (Adlan wears size 10 shoes). He is 51kg (Not as heavy as Mama, but coming close..) and his waist is 31 inches.

Above all, we can depend on him to take care of his brothers & sister. Adlan has grown tremendously.

Can't believe how fast our kids have grown..