I knew it (insert cynical laugh here)...
Had a quick discussion with my boss right before we left the office last night... well, she said it's just a comment on my writeup, not yet a proper discussion...
But anyway... from the onset I could already get a sense of how she's going to do the appraisal...
I think I'm already immune to this by now, having 'suffered' the same way twice now... so the third time's not gonna break my spirit, would it?
All I know is.... as a superior, whatever you do, you should be fair to those who work with you, regardless of what the final outcome is. Rate people accordingly based on the results against the agreed standards, that's all.... please don't give excuses etc etc... don't say 'In the future, it'll be easier for you to get excellent ratings in your new position' - are you then saying it's hard for me to get it now, despite what I've achieved? Oh yea, that's right... you did say that... silly me... I can already see what's gonna take place, but time will show whether my hunch was right or wrong.
Never mind... I know what I've done, I know the efforts I've made... my rezeki is in the hands of a Higher Power...
I have always given my own staff their due recognition... insya-Allah I'll never forget to do that, despite whatever other people do to me...
Hai... camana la agaknya the actual discussion will be like?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
That time of year...
Yes people, it's performance appraisal time!
For the third time in my working life (sedihnye... 3 kali je baru), I feel pretty good about my performance... kalau ikutkan my results against the agreed standards, I think I've exceeded quite a bit of them. Siap mintak Hubby's opinion as an outsider lagi hehehe...
However, I'm not keen to sit down with my superior and discuss my results... bukan apa, I can still remember what happened last year. I didn't do too badly, but somehow coming out from the discussion, it seems that even though what I delivered matched the agreed standards, she still felt it wasn't enough to give me a better than average rating... to me, that shouldn't be the issue, kan? Cos the standards were already agreed upon up front at the beginning of the financial year, so the appraisal should be based on those standards... but being me, jenis yang tak suka nak tegang-tegang leher defend diri sendiri, malas nak argue... I mean, the superior should know la what his/her subordinate has done throughout the year. Results pun I dah tulis sendiri, you be the judge la whether my self-rating is correct or not kan... at the end of the day, it's actually the ownership of the superior to decide on a fair rating and to defend the given rating to the committee... if you gave me anything less than what I deserve, Akhirat nanti jawab aje le...
So this year... my superior may change and do the review differently, but I dare not hope she has... cos if she hasn't, and it's gonna be the same thing all over again, then it's gonna be a meaningless exercise. It's not that I'm dying to get an excellent rating (I know the process... so many other people and factors come into play), but recognition from my immediate superior, if no one else, would definitely be a morale booster... otherwise, memang le buat keje tertonggang-terbalik semata-mata...
Oh well... we'll see how things go within the next few weeks... the submission deadline is looming... I'm soooo tempted to just submit my form and let my boss edit sendiri anything yang dia nak tukar kemudian...
For the third time in my working life (sedihnye... 3 kali je baru), I feel pretty good about my performance... kalau ikutkan my results against the agreed standards, I think I've exceeded quite a bit of them. Siap mintak Hubby's opinion as an outsider lagi hehehe...
However, I'm not keen to sit down with my superior and discuss my results... bukan apa, I can still remember what happened last year. I didn't do too badly, but somehow coming out from the discussion, it seems that even though what I delivered matched the agreed standards, she still felt it wasn't enough to give me a better than average rating... to me, that shouldn't be the issue, kan? Cos the standards were already agreed upon up front at the beginning of the financial year, so the appraisal should be based on those standards... but being me, jenis yang tak suka nak tegang-tegang leher defend diri sendiri, malas nak argue... I mean, the superior should know la what his/her subordinate has done throughout the year. Results pun I dah tulis sendiri, you be the judge la whether my self-rating is correct or not kan... at the end of the day, it's actually the ownership of the superior to decide on a fair rating and to defend the given rating to the committee... if you gave me anything less than what I deserve, Akhirat nanti jawab aje le...
So this year... my superior may change and do the review differently, but I dare not hope she has... cos if she hasn't, and it's gonna be the same thing all over again, then it's gonna be a meaningless exercise. It's not that I'm dying to get an excellent rating (I know the process... so many other people and factors come into play), but recognition from my immediate superior, if no one else, would definitely be a morale booster... otherwise, memang le buat keje tertonggang-terbalik semata-mata...
Oh well... we'll see how things go within the next few weeks... the submission deadline is looming... I'm soooo tempted to just submit my form and let my boss edit sendiri anything yang dia nak tukar kemudian...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday expedition - Part 2
Did I say over? Hehehe... no no no... only over for me folks, not for other people!
After work, Hubby and I rushed to 1Utama to find a birthday present for Adik (yea... last minute, I know, but hey, it wasn't for a lack of trying tau!) We wanted to get him a toy, since between Kakak & Adik they've already got lots of nice books, but we're no good with toys... If you want me to find books as presents, consider it done! But toys are another matter altogether... I'm a bit picky when it comes to toys... I want them to be educational, but at the same time, fun and ageless, you know? So takde la abis season, tak usik lagi dah...
So, that explains why on the eve of his birthday, the luckless parents were still searching for something suitable... di Jusco dah tengok, Toys-R-Us KLCC pun dah tawaf... in the end we went back to 1Utama's Toys-R-Us, baru la jumpa! Got a little something for Kakak as well, so that she won't feel left out (Atok & Opah actually got them identical race cars, ok, supaya tak gaduh! Untungnye Kakak yang tak celebrate birthday lagi tu...). Hubby kindly picked up the tab for these...
Going to Toys-R-Us meant we went through Jusco on the kids' floor... saw a bunch of pajamas and t-shirts, and thought of Kakak's baju tidur yang dah senteng kakinya... bile dah nampak, apa lagi, amik je la terus kan? So we did... grabbed a bunch of cute pajamas (some were even on sale!), 3 pairs of leggings/pants for school, 4 new t-shirts for school, and a few kiddie suits for Adik as well... Yang ni I pulak la tanggung... for a total of 19 pieces, the cost wasn't too bad tau! That's why I love shopping at Jusco hehehe... boleh guna debit card lagi, kurang hutang plastik makcik...
Bile dah sampai rumah, rasa macam we went a little overboard pulak with the focus on Kakak... she ended up with lots of PJs, but Adik still needed a few more (which we didn't get!) Luckily some of Kakak's PJs can be handed down to Adik, so for the time being pakai je la dulu ye dik... itu pun mama dah pilih yang tak nampak girly sangat heheh...
And now, that was definitely the end of my shopping expedition for the day... until next time! :)
After work, Hubby and I rushed to 1Utama to find a birthday present for Adik (yea... last minute, I know, but hey, it wasn't for a lack of trying tau!) We wanted to get him a toy, since between Kakak & Adik they've already got lots of nice books, but we're no good with toys... If you want me to find books as presents, consider it done! But toys are another matter altogether... I'm a bit picky when it comes to toys... I want them to be educational, but at the same time, fun and ageless, you know? So takde la abis season, tak usik lagi dah...
So, that explains why on the eve of his birthday, the luckless parents were still searching for something suitable... di Jusco dah tengok, Toys-R-Us KLCC pun dah tawaf... in the end we went back to 1Utama's Toys-R-Us, baru la jumpa! Got a little something for Kakak as well, so that she won't feel left out (Atok & Opah actually got them identical race cars, ok, supaya tak gaduh! Untungnye Kakak yang tak celebrate birthday lagi tu...). Hubby kindly picked up the tab for these...
Going to Toys-R-Us meant we went through Jusco on the kids' floor... saw a bunch of pajamas and t-shirts, and thought of Kakak's baju tidur yang dah senteng kakinya... bile dah nampak, apa lagi, amik je la terus kan? So we did... grabbed a bunch of cute pajamas (some were even on sale!), 3 pairs of leggings/pants for school, 4 new t-shirts for school, and a few kiddie suits for Adik as well... Yang ni I pulak la tanggung... for a total of 19 pieces, the cost wasn't too bad tau! That's why I love shopping at Jusco hehehe... boleh guna debit card lagi, kurang hutang plastik makcik...
Bile dah sampai rumah, rasa macam we went a little overboard pulak with the focus on Kakak... she ended up with lots of PJs, but Adik still needed a few more (which we didn't get!) Luckily some of Kakak's PJs can be handed down to Adik, so for the time being pakai je la dulu ye dik... itu pun mama dah pilih yang tak nampak girly sangat heheh...
And now, that was definitely the end of my shopping expedition for the day... until next time! :)
Friday expedition, Part 1
Has anyone ever tried one of those skin analysis things that the cosmetics/skincare companies' booths often have?
I've often wanted to do that, at least for the sake of finding out the 'true' condition of my skin. Last year, as I regretfully realize that I was approaching my 'tiga-puluh-sen' years, I noticed my skin was beginning to show some signs of needing more special care. When I was studying in the States, I used Clinique for my moisturizing needs (especially perfect for the Midwestern winters, I tell you!), but found it to be too rich for use here, so I switched to Oil of Olay. For years I've been happily relying on Oil of Olay for my skincare, but I realized at that point that it was no longer adequate for me. So I started using Biotherm, the Biosource and Aquasource line plus Source Therapie for normal/combination skin... I did that without trying out the skin analysis thingie though, so kire main agak-agak aje la keadaan kulit sendiri....
This year, after more than 8 months of using Biotherm and needing a fresh supply, the promotion booth set up near the KLCC lift area was extremely inviting hehehe... I figured this was as good a time as any to check out my skin condition after months of using the products. Yesterday being a Friday, I'd already surveyed the display setup while on the usual Friday ronda-ronda with my friend, so on the way back from work, I stopped by and did the analysis... and the result?
My skin was not that dry (which I already knew by now hehehe), but apparently the range I was using is no longer that suitable for me!!! I need something that will provide me with increased moisture, so that the elasticity is increased... The recommendation? The Age Fitness range!
I had visions of that meaning I have old skin (oh no!!) but the consultant assured me that's not the case (yet!) But the analysis did highlight the area I've been neglecting (my eyes.... it was THAT obvious on the machine wooo..... got wrinkles, augh!), so she recommended the eye serum as well. Luckily for cleansing purposes, the Biosource range is still OK for me to use...
All in all, my supposed 'supply top-up' came up to quite a hefty sum.... huwaaaa!!! But this being the Isetan sale period, I did get the pretty white handbag and the miniatures as gifts, plus a few other extras... plus Isetan vouchers for each RM100 spent on cosmetics. So, not too bad la kan?
Tu la... masa memuda dulu (beberapa tahun dahulu aje le hehehe... am still young ok!) malas nak jaga kulit muka... nak cleanse pun punye la seksa, lagi la nak guna toner la, serum la... tahu letak moisturizer aje! Nasib jenis jarang pakai makeup... kalau tak sure lagi teruk muka kot! Now I'm paying for those years of neglect... huwaaaa!!!
And so, my shopping expedition for the day was over...
Hariz is 2!
Our handsome boy is now 2 years old... Happy Birthday Adik!
Among the things that I pray for on this day....
1) May our cute, adorable, active, cheeky boy continue to be the fantastic person that you are
2) May you grow up to be a good, God-fearing, well-mannered man, who treats everyone the way they should be treated
3) May you always be Mama's boy! Heheheh... any girl hoping to be with this man, watch out! You gotta win me over first beb...:p
4) May you find your life's purpose as you go on this wonderful journey
Mama, Abah & Kakak love you!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Kutu oh Kutu...
Do you do Kutu?
We do! I say we, meaning my colleagues and I who are all bag-crazy hehehe...
It started in January... a group of us yang memang kaki handbag were just talking about the state of our finances in relation to our constant desire for bags and more bags. Someone suggested we start a kutu (for those not familiar with the term, it's basically a mutual fund collected from all the members on a monthly basis, for a certain amount of money. The duration of the kutu depends on the number of people involved, plus the sum we wish to get per person. Some of the rules may vary according to the group).
So anyway, after mulling over the idea, 5 of us agreed on the proposal. The kutu started in Jan 2009, and will run till at least June 2009 when all the members have received their share (yea, i know... 5 people, but 6 months? Two of the ladies decided to band together and pitch in another share, so technically they get the money twice. Genius, no? Hehehe...)
And I was lucky recipient No. 2!!!! Whooohooo!!! So I got my cut last week, bile gaji dah masuk, and I spent an enjoyable week thinking of what I'd like to do with the money. The stress I was feeling at work more than fuelled my shopping intent, as a means to relieve my tension.
And the result? Tadaaaaaa!!!!
Behold my latest acquisition!!! The Parker Op Art Convertible Hippie, but in Khaki/Brown (seen here is Light Khaki/Sand - apparently the brown is not available on coach.com, but is here in the KL boutique). Gorgeous, just gorgeous! At first my friend and I spent a delightful hour browsing the Radley bags on sale at Isetan last Friday, but before I made my final selection, I just had to go and see if the boutique had put up the latest Spring collection for display. And it had! So my kutu's fate was sealed.... and to be strictly honest, I had to top it up a bit... hehehe...
If some people feel we are wasting our money during these hard times, that's entirely their opinion. Our rationale for doing this stems from the fact that it's actually a form of forced savings, since we'll have to fork out the money every month, and at the end of the day we've got the lump sum for us to do as we wish. We may or may not buy a handbag as originally intended, but if we do, at least it's from money we've saved over that period. And if we don't save it pun, it'll sure flow out of our wallets for other purposes without us noticing.... sob, sob...
Lest anyone else thinks we're spendthrifts, just for the record we've already paid off all our monthly obligations, put aside the necessary funds for savings, and have some money left over for our daily expenses... we're not mindless shopaholics, ok?
Sigh... Honestly, the high from that single purchase will be enough to sustain me through some tricky situations anticipated this month.... reliving the experience - bliss!
We do! I say we, meaning my colleagues and I who are all bag-crazy hehehe...
It started in January... a group of us yang memang kaki handbag were just talking about the state of our finances in relation to our constant desire for bags and more bags. Someone suggested we start a kutu (for those not familiar with the term, it's basically a mutual fund collected from all the members on a monthly basis, for a certain amount of money. The duration of the kutu depends on the number of people involved, plus the sum we wish to get per person. Some of the rules may vary according to the group).
So anyway, after mulling over the idea, 5 of us agreed on the proposal. The kutu started in Jan 2009, and will run till at least June 2009 when all the members have received their share (yea, i know... 5 people, but 6 months? Two of the ladies decided to band together and pitch in another share, so technically they get the money twice. Genius, no? Hehehe...)
And I was lucky recipient No. 2!!!! Whooohooo!!! So I got my cut last week, bile gaji dah masuk, and I spent an enjoyable week thinking of what I'd like to do with the money. The stress I was feeling at work more than fuelled my shopping intent, as a means to relieve my tension.
And the result? Tadaaaaaa!!!!
Behold my latest acquisition!!! The Parker Op Art Convertible Hippie, but in Khaki/Brown (seen here is Light Khaki/Sand - apparently the brown is not available on coach.com, but is here in the KL boutique). Gorgeous, just gorgeous! At first my friend and I spent a delightful hour browsing the Radley bags on sale at Isetan last Friday, but before I made my final selection, I just had to go and see if the boutique had put up the latest Spring collection for display. And it had! So my kutu's fate was sealed.... and to be strictly honest, I had to top it up a bit... hehehe...
If some people feel we are wasting our money during these hard times, that's entirely their opinion. Our rationale for doing this stems from the fact that it's actually a form of forced savings, since we'll have to fork out the money every month, and at the end of the day we've got the lump sum for us to do as we wish. We may or may not buy a handbag as originally intended, but if we do, at least it's from money we've saved over that period. And if we don't save it pun, it'll sure flow out of our wallets for other purposes without us noticing.... sob, sob...
Lest anyone else thinks we're spendthrifts, just for the record we've already paid off all our monthly obligations, put aside the necessary funds for savings, and have some money left over for our daily expenses... we're not mindless shopaholics, ok?
Sigh... Honestly, the high from that single purchase will be enough to sustain me through some tricky situations anticipated this month.... reliving the experience - bliss!
Potluck Party Ooh La La
Just hosted a potluck gathering at our place yesterday...
For the first time ever, we had a big bunch of people over (all Hubby's siblings, plus families, plus my parents-in-law), and man, was the house packed!
In Seremban, my in-laws' big house provided plenty of space for the kids to run around and play to their hearts' content, without disturbing the grown-ups' conversation. Yesterday, no such luck!
Earlier in the evening, the bigger kids went down to the pool, supervised by Hubby, his brother and his wife. Everyone then came back up to enjoy the potluck spread. We had sate & fried mihun, rendang & puding cendol (courtesy of my mum-in-law), nasi Arab, KFC, cakes and fruits galore, thanks to my bros & sis-in-laws. We the hosts provided the drinks and disposable ware hehehe... We were all pretty stuffed by the time the conversation turned serious.
We were discussing the family's plans for a group holiday this year. The last time we had such a trip was almost 3 years ago, so it was high time for another one. The general consensus is to have an outdoorsy holiday, to give the kids the experience of being in the great outdoors, sometime in Nov or Dec. It can't be any earlier, cos 2 of my sis-in-laws are delivering babies in April & June, and some of the kids have major exams coming up. So in the end, 1st choice was Eagle Ranch, PD... if that's a no-go, then someplace similar to that la yang kena dicari... As per our tradition, we'll be buying gifts for the kids, so guess who volunteered for that job??? :)
Anyhow, during this discussion, we had to put up with the kiddies watching TV just a few feet away... the hubbub, omigod! Kalah riuh sekampung! Hehehe... nak halau suruh main tempat lain, takde tempat dah! The rooms are all filled with things, so no room to play in as well. So the adults had to manage the discussion as best as we could. Nasib baik none of the neighbors complained heheh...
After the fun and frolic, spent this morning vacuuming and mopping (well, Hubby did the vacuuming heheh... thank you baby) up the mess, and after a spot of ironing, finally I could sit down to do some office work (and surf the web, obviously :p)
Feel like unwinding with a spot of window (or actual?) shopping later today.... and Hubby said yes! :) Whoooppeee!!!!
For the first time ever, we had a big bunch of people over (all Hubby's siblings, plus families, plus my parents-in-law), and man, was the house packed!
In Seremban, my in-laws' big house provided plenty of space for the kids to run around and play to their hearts' content, without disturbing the grown-ups' conversation. Yesterday, no such luck!
Earlier in the evening, the bigger kids went down to the pool, supervised by Hubby, his brother and his wife. Everyone then came back up to enjoy the potluck spread. We had sate & fried mihun, rendang & puding cendol (courtesy of my mum-in-law), nasi Arab, KFC, cakes and fruits galore, thanks to my bros & sis-in-laws. We the hosts provided the drinks and disposable ware hehehe... We were all pretty stuffed by the time the conversation turned serious.
We were discussing the family's plans for a group holiday this year. The last time we had such a trip was almost 3 years ago, so it was high time for another one. The general consensus is to have an outdoorsy holiday, to give the kids the experience of being in the great outdoors, sometime in Nov or Dec. It can't be any earlier, cos 2 of my sis-in-laws are delivering babies in April & June, and some of the kids have major exams coming up. So in the end, 1st choice was Eagle Ranch, PD... if that's a no-go, then someplace similar to that la yang kena dicari... As per our tradition, we'll be buying gifts for the kids, so guess who volunteered for that job??? :)
Anyhow, during this discussion, we had to put up with the kiddies watching TV just a few feet away... the hubbub, omigod! Kalah riuh sekampung! Hehehe... nak halau suruh main tempat lain, takde tempat dah! The rooms are all filled with things, so no room to play in as well. So the adults had to manage the discussion as best as we could. Nasib baik none of the neighbors complained heheh...
After the fun and frolic, spent this morning vacuuming and mopping (well, Hubby did the vacuuming heheh... thank you baby) up the mess, and after a spot of ironing, finally I could sit down to do some office work (and surf the web, obviously :p)
Feel like unwinding with a spot of window (or actual?) shopping later today.... and Hubby said yes! :) Whoooppeee!!!!
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