Graduating
August 11, 2009
*Long post. Took a couple days to write. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.*
Alas, I will be graduating on Saturday…
I found out last week and when I saw the email with the subject of “Konvokesyen 2009” my heart stopped for a few seconds and then it started to beat faster and faster as I read through the contents of the email. I couldn’t believe it. In fact, I still sit here and wonder if this is all a dream and that at any given time I will wake up and it would have all been my mind playing tricks on me.
This is a short version of my experience…
In December 2005, I signed up for a Masters Degree while Rob was here visiting. After he left, it took me quite a while to get off my ass and started my research. It was supposed to be a 2 year ordeal program and I was scheduled to graduate by 2008. In the span of a couple years, I have re-written and edited draft after draft of my six-chapter thesis.
The process goes like this. I finish a chapter, email it to my supervisor. He then takes about a month or sometimes up to 3 months to read and then email me his feedback on what edits/corrections to be made while I worked on the subsequent chapter. Initially it was a challenge I enjoyed. I secretly enjoyed the fact that I was acquiring all this knowledge about my area of study even though sometimes it didn’t fit in my thesis.
I learned about things from Marxism to Chinese history, from theories of dialectic materialism to revisionism, read texts written from the 18th and 19th century and many more. All this would not have been possible had I not taken up this Masters Degree.
In 2008, I was denied graduation  because the process was lengthy and required more time. I now assume that my supervisor thought I wasn’t ready to bring my thesis to a panel that would accept it and let me graduate. I was devastated. Nonetheless, 2008 turned into a good year when I was able to spend 5 and a half weeks with Rob.
He knew I was sad about not graduating and so he suggested I go over for summer during July-August. I knew that he wanted to get me away from being at home around graduation time (which is always in August). For that, I am thankful. The entire time I was there with him, I didn’t think much about graduation. I wholeheartedly had one of the best 5 and a half weeks of my life there.
I came back home with renewed determination, hope and faith. I was refreshed and I knew I was going to finish what I started. I worked hard because I was determined to graduate in August 2009.
Fast forward to the last couple months…
Even though I had personal issues to deal with, I still managed to keep myself focused. I was in constant contact with my thesis supervisor and he assured me over and over again that I would make it to graduation this year. I, on the other hand, was sceptical at first but after so much assurance from him, I was sure I was going to graduate this year. I would cordially say I am graduating this year when family and/or friends enquire about my studies.
Anyway, after 4 drafts on each chapter later, I submitted my final draft for evaluation in early June as instructed by my supervisor. In fact, my supervisor mentioned that he was going to push the university to publish my thesis as a book.
My jaw dropped when he brought this up to me. ME? An author of a book? Crazy, isn’t it? I was ecstatic(!) yet somehow didn’t think to announce it to the world because I’ve begun my journey down cynicism and wondered if it would ever happen. Nonetheless, Rob and I had fun with the whole author thing as he commented that if the book sold great (not that it would)Â I would be his sugarmama. =))
Meanwhile, because of bureaucracy and incompetence, my thesis was not read by any of the examiners until a week later. My supervisor literally had to jump in and personally forwarded my thesis to both internal and external examiners for evaluation.
Two weeks later, I gotten my evaluation. Both passed me BUT the external examiner me requested that I added parts here and there to make the thesis more comprehensive. The internal examiner was more critical on my referencing style and requested that I cite my sources more frequently. I understand that to a certain extent. What pissed me off was that after every paragraph he drew a line and wrote “Source?” on it. Now my gripe was (and still is), “Does he expect a source after EVERY sentence?” You know what, I don’t think I should get into that now. It would make this an even longer post.
Once again, I met up with my supervisor and showed him the evaluation I got from the examiners. He then proceeded to tell me that since there was THAT much to clean up and edit, I should consider the fact that I won’t make it to graduation this year. Apparently he didn’t expect this magnitude of a feedback. I then asked “If I get this done in a week, what are the odds of graduating?” He answered “I can’t promise anything. You can try but I can’t promise anything. Don’t kill yourself over it. Just take your time and do what you need to.” To which I just said “I don’t care if I don’t graduate anymore. I want to get this done and over with. I want to get on with my life.”
At that point I was so angry and I channelled it into more determination. I wanted to finish the damn thesis within a week, submit it for final evaluation and get it out of my life once and for all. For a week I slept an average of 4-5 hours every night and worked really hard on it. To my amazement I really did finish all the necessary edits in 6 days. I submitted what I hoped would be my FINAL copy and waited.
I had no expectations. During the 6 days I worked on it, I pretty much had the thought of not graduating implanted in my head. I dealt with it, albeit not so well, but I did. I braved myself to face the many people who had expected me to graduate this year and started hinting the news of not graduating.
To my surprise I will be graduating this coming Saturday as I mentioned earlier. The first person I told was Rob and later that day I told my parents.  Aside from them, I didn’t tell anyone about it until a few days later. I was scared that someone was going to call me up and said it was all a mistake on their part, that the email was not intended for me. That goes to show just how much of an impact the journey of writing this thesis had on me.
I don’t know if I can blame entirely the university for this but it really has not been the experience I hoped it to be. From denying my right to JUST apply for a scholarship to rude staff, from incompetence and lack of research material, I pretty much backhanded the university when I did a survey conducted by the Ministry of Higher Education.
This has been a long journey, with much blood, sweat and tears. Mostly a lot of tears, to be completely honest.
I am relieved that I will be graduating but I am indifferent about it. I don’t really feel like celebrating, mainly because I am still in fear, fearing that it will all come crashing down again. It feels like a defeated victory. Mostly I am just glad for the people who are happy for me because they deserve it.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is true but how does one define “stronger” in this sense? Am I stronger now? Yes, to a certain extent. I am stronger in the sense that I am more cynical.  That is the strength that I have acquired from taking on this degree. Even though I am looking at the graduation gown hanging on my door, I am still questioning whether this is really happening? I still have my doubts and I am questioning my faith in some things.
Perhaps ten years from now I will look back and smile and think about what a great challenge this was and how it affected my life.
For now, I am done with school. I want to get on with my life.
Protected: Stand up (Part 1)
May 30, 2009
Have you ever…?
March 17, 2009
Have you ever reach a point of desperation that you see no way out?
Have you ever felt so helpless that it feels like nothing you do will make it better?
Have you ever been in a situation that feels like everything and/or everyone is against you?
Have you ever felt anger that is so intense that you can’t stop crying?
Have you ever been so disappointed that you wish you could disappear?
Have you ever been so frustrated that you grip your hand into a fist so tight your fingernails dig into your skin, leaving marks?
Have you ever felt so betrayed that you question your self worth?
Have you ever been so sick and tired of everything and/or everyone around you that you wish you could pack your bags and leave?
Have you ever felt that regardless what you do nothing ever changes?
My 20 hours of f(l)ame
February 14, 2009
Some time ago, I was flamed in a forum. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because the fact that I own a blog? I don’t know.
Some bitter fool posted my picture (a very unflattering one at that) from my blog and copy pasted my profile section and called the thread “Shin chan”, thinking it was so funny or smart or witty…you get my drift. This person initiated this thread and waited for other people to start commenting.
How did I know this? My Statcounter showed massive high hits for that day and I checked. The hits mostly came from the forum, from that specific thread. As I read through the comments, I couldn’t help but chuckle. That was my initial reaction. I thought it was hilarious because here I am, a nobody in the so-called blogging world, was getting called names and insulted. In fact, some didn’t make sense at all. Let me give you some examples:
-unpossible! “A CLueLeSs PeRSoN’s LaiR” 3 words out of 4 say “NO!!!!”
-what shit is this? fat gal blog u also visit.
-owh shit
-lamely
-owhhh – 9000 for good looks.
-i shuddered, and cried.
Anyway a report was made and the thread was deleted in 5-10 minutes. Kudos to the moderators at Lowyat.net forums for their promptness in responding to the issue. The whole thing started at like 4pm and was taken down by noon the next day.
So why am I only blogging about it now? Well, aside from the free time I have lately, I don’t have much reasons. And since it’s Valentine’s day and all, I figured I would “share the love”. I’m not trying to point out that I was victimized or anything (although I was :P), I just don’t understand it.
I am sarcastic. I embrace it. I tell many MANY people I am sarcastic. Yes I am fat, I am pleasantly plump, I am overweight, bla bla bla…so what? I already know all that. I’m so ugly I made you shuddered and cried? That’s pretty talented if you ask me. I could be rich and have a show in Vegas by now.
It is mean to insult people but it doesn’t bother me that much. What bothers me is the reason behind it.
ANYWAY…
It got me thinking why would people do such a thing. Okay, if you dislike me so much, drop me an email, leave me a message on Meebo. Tell me what’s your beef or the easiest thing to do is NOT read my blog. Why be such a coward and “anonymous” and throw insults at me. I’m not even some popular blogger. I dislike some people in the blogging world but I don’t go around flaming them in forums or my blog. I don’t talk publicly about them in my blog. In fact, I don’t talk bad about people I personally don’t know in real life in my blog.
I may not be some “famous” blogger with a hate-site but in a way I can understand how it feels to be treated that way. In fact, what I went through was almost nothing compared to what they face in a daily basis. I will admit I do read those blogs sometimes and discuss it with my friends. That’s just about the extent of it.
I’m not saying that it’s wrong for people to point out the wrong doings of others. Believe me, I’m a firm believer of finding out the truth. However, I think there should be a line between the core truth and pure childish insensitive truth. For example, calling me fat. Yes, it is the truth. It is also childish and insensitive. The truth is I have bad eating habits. Hence I am fat. That is the core truth.
I don’t mean to preach like I’m some saint. I’ve said time and time again that I’m no angel. I’ve done bad evil things during the course of my life. I talk bad about people, I gossip about people, I lust for evil greasy food, heck I even make childish insensitive comments about people. I don’t, however, dedicate my life to making fun of other people so that I can feel good about myself. I’m not that pathetic nor am I that bitter.
I don’t mean to ramble so much but this is after all a space for me to express myself. My apologies for rambling so much but if it bothers you that much and you’re smart enough, you should’ve closed the window by now. *smirk*
P/S: I have an idea on who “flamed” me, so if you’re reading this, GET A LIFE and stay outta mine. Thanks.
My foundation
December 17, 2008
Disclaimer: Blabbering ahead
Lately I’ve felt as if humans have lost their sense of goodness. With all the bad things happening, sometimes it’s quite depressing to see and worse, feel, especially when you’re in that situation itself.
I have to sadly say that I have lost faith on many people. It really is a sad thing to admit but at the same time it’s something I can not ignore. Maybe I’m becoming more of a cynic every day. People who know me personally know that I’m a pretty straightforward person. But I don’t always say what I think.
At times it’s hard to decide what to say to some people. It’s like what they’re doing is wrong and I would love to do nothing more than to give them a piece of my mind. More often than not, I don’t. I keep it to myself. Why? Because another part of me is thinking it’s none of my business. It’s not my place to be judgemental. But then again, if I don’t say anything these people will keep repeating what they’re doing wrong, and thereby hurting people around them.
It’s not like I always have to be right or that I’m being self-righteous. It’s about the principle. I play by the rules so to speak, while others get away with their wrong doings because nobody bothers to say something or because they too, are like that. In the end, guess who looks like the “evil” one? 
This is where there is a clash inside my head. I know, it sounds really bad, like I’m schizophrenic or something. It’s basically like there are two personalities in me, clashing with each other, fighting their way into my mind, thereby controlling my actions and whatnot. Most of the time I keep my mouth shut and be polite and civil, even to people I truly dislike. Many times I resent myself for that. I resent not standing up, not just for myself, but the general principle of goodness. Many times I wish to give up on these people. Many times I shrug it off like it’s no big deal but deep down, it bothers me.
Just because I bite my tongue or don’t say anything, doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on. My gut feeling is rarely wrong and that’s why I always trust my gut feeling, my instinct. Plus, people like to talk and many times something slips outta their mouths. So if you think you’re so smart and I can’t figure it out, think again.
I’m not saying I’m an angel and never talk about people, we all do and I’m no exception. However, I don’t go around spreading half-truths or half-lies (however you want to see it) to make myself look good. That is very unethical and cowardly.
You’re probably thinking why not just cut ties with these people. My response to that is, I still hope. I am nostalgic of what was once a real (at least for me) friendship. At the end of the day though, I always hold on to that glimmer of hope that some day these people will be better. I don’t expect them to change, at least not for me. I just hope that they will stop destroying the relationships around them, particularly relations with me.
I’m not saying I’m oh-so-great with deeply rooted values or anything like that. I’m nowhere near perfect. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and in most cases I’ve made my peace. It’s just depressing how some people are. It’s times like this that I’m not very sure what to do or say. Again, two personalities are clashing in my mind. Which one do I listen to? My foundation feels pretty shakey right now.
I do know that I can’t change who I truly am inside, in terms of personality and whatnot, and I refuse to change my principles to cater to others especially when they are not worth it. I end this post with something Rob wrote a couple years ago for our Digital Soulmates blog. It basically discusses a lot of thing that I’ve been feeling.
“Everything from the simplest friendship, to a life long marriage, needs a solid foundation to work. It’s like building a house, you just can’t do it without a good foundation to build on. In a relationship, any relationship, from friendship on up to life long love, you need the fundamental elements.
I’m not talking about superficial things. The fundamental elements of a relationship is not “wow, she’s cute” or “he looks hot in those jeans”. The foundation begins with you. Ok, so you think someone is attractive, great, how much do you know about them? How much do you know about yourself? Are you the kind of person that you can believe in? Do you have solid fundamental values & ethics that guide you in life? Are those values & ethics morally correct? Does it make sense to have those values, does common sense back your ethics up?
Some people don’t have deeply rooted values ðics. Some people don’t have core beliefs. Some people live a reactionary lifestyle, adopting and forsaking values & beliefs when it’s convenient to them, or helps them fit in with who they are with at the time. Too many people don’t know who they are inside. How can you share your life honestly, if you don’t know what you believe in? We all have different friends, with different interests and so on. If someone tells one friend that they believe in something, and then tells a different friend something completely to the opposite… then neither is true, and that person has lied to both friends.
Trying to gain the acceptance of others by faking to be someone you are not, is not honest. It’s not honest to you or them. Trying to be popular by claiming certain values or beliefs that you don’t truly believe in, is fake, and when those beliefs are tested, your weak foundation crumbles. Honesty, or at least simple truth, is a major part of the foundation of relationships. Without the foundation of honesty, there is nothing on which to build the trust.”
Today
November 8, 2008
Today started out like any other day. I woke up in haze and stumbled to the bathroom to wash up. As I wake up slowly from the cold water in my face, I realised something. Today, twenty six years ago I was brought into this world. I checked my phone and found several unread messages, from friends and family wishing me well. I thank you all.
This past year has been such a test for me. Going through a rollercoaster of emotions, I’ve learned a few things.
I have said this time and time again but I have no idea why I keep repeating my mistakes. I don’t know why I put myself in such a vulnerable position for disappointment and sometimes hurt. I learned (once again) that some people really aren’t worth my time or effort. I learned that even though I try not to judge people, they so easily judge me anyway. I learned that being nice doesn’t always pay and in my case, it hasn’t paid in a while.
I learned that even though my mouth may say the meanest things to and about some people, I know deep in my heart I do not mean it. At times I resent myself because I get so pissed off that I can not be mean or nasty to the people who mistreat me. I’m not saying I’m an angel and I’m oh-so-nice. It’s kinda like wanting so bad to run that dumb motorcyclist over because he/she is doing 20km/h in the middle of the road but knowing damn well I wouldn’t do it.
I learned failure the hard way. Not graduating this year was one of the hardest things I had to endure. Not only did it affect my confidence, it affected me emotionally and spiritually as a whole. At the same time I learned how to get up on my own. I learned that I can be strong after all. I learned that I am not a quitter.
On a lighter side, I learned that chicken, when steamed, tastes so much better when there are some ginger. It tastes even better with ginger AND garlic. 
I learned that no matter what, my love for Rob will never change. I learned that our love grows stronger with each bump we face in our relationship journey. I realized just how much stronger our love is after my return from Chicago. I realized that it doesn’t matter where we “end up” one day because what matters most is that we’re together. I learned that love conquers all, as cliche as it sounds, it is true, at least for me.
I learned that I have already started my journey down cynicism. I am no longer that interested in celebrating my birthday, not because I fear getting old or anything like that. It’s because if you think about it, it’s really not at all that important. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the wishes and dinners. It’s nice to know that I am in the minds of people. What I’m trying to say is, I no longer take my birthday as a special day that needs celebrating. I don’t feel the need to have all my “friends” remember my birthday. I don’t feel the need to make a list of who remembered or who forgotten. In other parts of the world, it’s just an ordinary day and for those who are unfortunate, it’s a day of death.
I am thankful, however, to be able to say that today I lived for 26 years. As I am about to continue my journey to the second quarter century of my life, I have learnt many things with regards to this life.
Today, I turn 26. Today, after all that I learned this year, I am still looking for my purpose.
Arghh
September 6, 2008
I woke up yesterday with a big (literally) shocker. It hurt to blink and I felt this intense pressure on my eyelid. My left eye was swollen, as if I had been punched. A closer look in the mirror, I realized that it was the eyelid that was puffy. It was so swollen that it even spooked me out. I rushed to the doctor’s. Apparently I have an infection under my eyelid. Oh what fun! *roll eyes*
Not only do I feel crappy now, I still miss Rob like crazy. 🙁
It feels different waking up to this room. I miss the place we stayed at. I miss the carpeted floor. I miss how close the bathroom was. I miss looking at the paintings in the room. I miss looking out the window. I even miss that ugly maroon red comforter on the bed.
The meds are kicking in, off to bed I go.
MFM – the verdict
July 15, 2008
As mentioned in my previous post, I was contacted by MFM’s Marketing Executive for a complimentary meal at MFM. I wasn’t expecting it either. I was impressed and surprised. I give two thumbs up to Ryan Poh, the marketing executive.
So, last Friday I went to MFM at The Spring for my complimentary meal. Needless to say the service there was hell of a lot better than the one at Boulevard. Then again, since they knew I was coming for my free meal, I’m sure they all stepped up and made sure I was impressed.
Upon reaching MFM, I saw the waiters and waitresses signalling each other. Apparently they had an idea who I was. LOL The one THING that I didn’t enjoy seeing there was the dumb supervisor from Boulevard. I have no idea why she was there. Perhaps just a coinsidence in rotation? Regardless, I ignored her.
The food was good and the service was pleasant. To be completely honest, I wasn’t that into the food because I’m getting sick of the food there. We had 3 soups, 3 mains, 1 appetizer and 3 drinks, which was exactly what Ryan offered me. I had wanted to order dessert but figured I would wait until I finish my meal.
Anyway, we had three Seafood Chowder. My dad and I had the Flaming Platter, and mom ordered some Baked Cod Fish of sorts. I ordered the highest priced appetizer which was the Sizzling Louisiana Pranws. As for drinks dad had Coke, mom ordered Hot Chocolate and yours truly ordered the most expensive drink in the menu, a smoothie of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with peanut butter. It was very rich and it ruined my diet, but I didn’t care. It was FREE! EVERYTHING was free!
The restaurant manager (whom I later found out) Ismail Izni, is also the manager for BOTH MFMs in Kuching. Apparently he was away in KL during my disastrous dinner at Boulevard. He introduced himself and gave us his card, apologising a couple times about what had happened. He was polite and nice and came by a few times to ask if everything was ok and whatnot. He offered dessert but we declined because one, we were stuffed(!) and two, it wasn’t part of the deal offered by Ryan so I didn’t want to be seen as taking advantage of the situation, although by now it is pretty obvious I did. HAHAHA
I told the manager about what had happened in case he wasn’t fully aware of the situation at Boulevard (I doubt he read my blog). I was right. I told him about the ridiculously stupid waiter who said there was no ice water. His eyes got so huge and his jaw almost hit the floor.
One thing did urk me but I decided not to make a big fuss over it. My dad asked for tomato ketchup and the waitress never brought any. *sigh* I guess that’s the standard of service MFM provides. What to do, what to do.
The total value of our meal that night was almost RM200. LOL We didn’t pay a single cent. Before we left for MFM I told my parents to order because let’s face it, it’s my perogative. 😀
So, my overall verdict is:
Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Will I be going back to MFM? Well, not anytime soon.
P/S: I think it’s very sad and pathetic that they were all polite and “efficient” and whatnot AFTER I bitch and complained. Goes to show how much they value their customers.
MFM Boulevard can go to hell
July 1, 2008
Disclaimer: Very long post ahead. Don’t read if you’re not in the mood for my bitchy complaints
I swear, the idiots are out on a roll this past week. I seem to keep bumping into them!
I had the most horrendous experience in any restaurant ever in my entire life. Not only was the food not up to par to standards but the service was just ridiculously abysmal.
My dad had received an SMS from Maxis, offering a free starter/appetizer with two orders of mains, a few days prior. Not a bad deal, we thought. So we went to MFM Boulevard for dinner over the weekend. The SMS also reminded that we show it to staff before ordering.
The waiter that took our order was indeed, for the lack of other words, STUPID beyond explanation. That was the day I discovered that talking to a waiter that is as dumb as a brick can be quite stressful, if that gives you an idea how DUMB and ASSININE and HOPELESS he was! I will let you be the judge and tell me if I am wrong. This is the conversation that took place, as far as I can remember it.
Shin: *shows SMS* I would like to use this
Waiter: Ok. You must order 2 main course to get free starter
S: Yeah sure, there are 3 of us so we’ll be ordering 3 main courses
W: No, you have to order 2 main course
S: Yes I know, we are ordering 3 so it’s ok
W: ……
(At this point I realized English wasn’t his strongest suit, so fine I’ll speak in Malay.)
S: I nak pakai SMS ni boleh tak??? *shows SMS*
W: Ya kenak order dua main course
S: Yalah saya tahu, sini 3 orang
W: Ahhh ya order 2 main course lah.
S: *inside my head going OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* 
W: ….
Guess what I ended up doing? I ordered 2 main courses, chose my starter THEN ordered another main course. What did this idiot say to that? Nothing. Then came to ordering drinks…
Mom: Warm water
W: Ok
S: Ice lemon tea please
W: Ok
Dad: Ice water
W: No ice water
S: What?!?! You don’t have ice water?!?!?!?
W: No
S: You tak ada ice water?!?!?!?! (You don’t have ice water???)
W: Tak ada (No we do not)
S: You ada air tak? (Do you have water?)
W: Ya (Yes)
S: You ada ais tak? (Do you have ice?)
W: Ada (We do)
S: YOU LETAK ITU AIS DALAM AIR BUKAN ICE WATER KAH?? (If you put the ice in the water, isn’t that ice water?!?!?!?)
W: Oh you mahu macam itu kah? (Oh you want it like that?)
S: Yalah ice water bah! (Yes! That’s ice water!) 
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right??? Holy shit how can anybody be that stupid???? 
While waiting for our food, I was telling my mom that the starter is going to be really small, considering it’s free. That’s always the way with free stuff. Our drinks came, and like magic my mom’s warm water became the ice-water-that-they-do-not-have. %#!%!%!# IDIOT!!
Then came my main course, proudly called in the menu “Creamy Seafood Pastaâ€. I was not impressed. It was hardly creamy, looked dried as hell but I figured I’d give it a try. I took a bite and the pasta was hard, like it wasn’t cooked enough. I thought, “It’s ok, I’m sure not the whole plate will be like thatâ€. I forked around the pasta, trying to get to the bottom of the plate in SEARCH of some “creamy†sauce. Imagine my horror when I felt something harder on the bottom. I lifted my fork up and saw a few pieces of pasta stuck together, BROWN. It was BURNT! How do you burn pasta??? You cook it in boiling water, take it out and mix it with the sauce right?? Then how the FCUK can ANYONE burn pasta????
I waved the supervisor/manager down, I’m not sure but I am more likely to consider her a supervisor because she was almost as stupid as the waiter that took our order. This is what I said:
S: Is this your CREAMY Seafood Pasta? *while showing the burnt pasta*
Supervisor: Yes
S: *holds up fork more* This is burnt
Supervisor: Oh…..ok….
S: So you serve BURNT pasta to your customers????
Supervisor: Oh oh, I will change a new one for you
S: THANK YOU 
She takes my plate back to the kitchen, whether she spit on my meal after that I do not know. I try not to think about it. She came back with a bowl of “complimentary†soup as an apology. Fine, I thought. I won’t make a fuss. A couple minutes later, the appetizer came to the table. I then told my parents that I was impressed because it was a full size portion appetizer, even though it was free. Oh how stupid of me to be impressed.
Our food came. My pasta was 10,000 times better! It actually had SAUCE and it was CREAMY! WOW!!! BRAVO! 
When we were done eating I asked for the bill and also showed another waitress that I have the MFM sticker which entitles me to a 10% discount on the bill. She gets the bill and brings it over. I looked at the total. It was about RM100. I skimmed up the total, I was not given my 10% discount. I asked her.
S: You did not give me the discount did you?
Waitress: No not yet
S: What do you mean not yet?
Ws: Ya later I will give you discount
S: I don’t understand
Ws: Ya ya
(Another one that doesn’t speak English! I spoke Malay agian)
S: You tak bagi discount kan? (You did not give me discount?)
Ws: Oh tak, nantilah. (Oh no, later)
S: Apa nanti???? (What later???)
Ws: Tadi tak sempat key in, nanti saya datang balik dengan change sekali (We haven’t had the chance to key in the register. I’ll come back with your change later)
S: Apa??? Then sekarang I kenak bayar berapa??? (What? Then how much am I suppose to pay you now?)
Ws: Oh you nak discount tu sekarang lah?
S: YALAH! YOU TAK DISCOUNT MACAM MANA I TAHU BERAPA NAK BAYAR?????? (If you don’t give me the discounted price, how do I know how much to pay???)
Ws: Oh ok
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She scurries off like a drunken rat and comes back with the bill again. It was about RM90. I noticed that I was given the discount but my dad mentioned that it was still a bit pricey. He then gave me the lecture about checking the bill carefully before paying. My mentally was, if they screwed up the bill, they will have to fix it. Sure enough when she came back with my change and I checked the bill, we were CHARGED for the appetizer! I asked for the manager and a different girl came. This so-called manager is another idiot. Your staff screws up our order and bill. She could’ve given us a free voucher or free dessert or anything at all. At least make us feel like she was really sorry and appreciate our business. But nothing. She just fixed the bill and gave more money back.
I don’t even remember whether or not she apologized for the mistake. All I remember her telling me was that the person who took the order DID NOT TELL THEM I SHOWED HIM THE SMS FOR A FREE APPETIZER. No wonder it was a full serving portion!
I really like to know how these people were trained. Seriously, if they can’t speak English at the very basic how can they be hired in this line of work? At this point I can’t even see the waiter and waitress being able to handle working at a roadside stall, let alone a restaurant that serves WESTERN FOOD! I’m so pissed thinking about it now that I want to slap the BAGEEZUS outta them! Since when dining out had to be this stressful?
I am still in disbelief. I was dumbfounded that this was the standard of service MFM gives to customers. We left without making a fuss because, to be completely brutally honest and offensive, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This is how they were trained or so it seems, and this is how they will continue to be like. I won’t be surprised if this branch shuts down some time this year. I’m certainly not going there again.
P/S I did not have my camera and so did not take pictures of my food. If I had my camera I would’ve taken a picture and sent it to MFM corporate. I also did not get the names of the idiots working there because, to be politically incorrect and offensive, they are ALL the same.
LDR – What’s so wrong about it?
June 30, 2008
I had dinner with a couple (out of town) cousins and uncle and “aunt” last night. They came over to the house after dinner for a little while. Somehow the topic of conversation with the cousins (they’re sisters) came to my visit to the States next month. I was never close with them (Let’s call them A and B) nor do I care much for them (to be brutally honest).
Anyway, when asked about where I would be staying, I told them Chicago. Of course they asked why. I answered “Because my boyfriend is there.” So questions arose and I explained to them that Rob and I are in a long distance relationship (LDRs) and we met online etc. I could see a change of facial expression on A’s face (although she was trying to hide it) when I explained while B had a better “fake-receptive” look.
Initially when I told them my boyfriend is in Chicago, B looked all shocked and asked “You’re boyfriend is in Chicago and you’re HERE?” I also got questioned about his “race” to which I said, “Yes he is an angmo (white)”. Funny coming from them considering B is married to an angmo from Texas. A then questioned his age and his work etc, being all curious I suppose but it gets better….
The stupidest question was A asking me “So do you like him? Really like him?” I was stunned, I was dumbfounded that someone could ask me that question. Speechless, I stupidly just said “Yeah” and walked away. I seriously became dumb because someone actually asked me a question THAT dumb. I was DUMBIFIED. Hello??? She went to Law school for GOD’S SAKE. Thank GOD she isn’t practising law. Oh I wonder why. La Di Da…
Anyway, I wanted to kick myself a minute later when I realized what had happened. Why didn’t I say something back? I wanted to say “BITCH, he’s my boyfriend, of course I fcuking like him. I LOVE HIMâ€. *sigh* I can be so clueless sometimes.
So this brings me to this post. What’s so wrong about LDRs? Normally I don’t give a rat’s ass what people think about me but after this long, I really need to vent out the frustrations on the narrow-minded people I’ve come across. It’s ok if you’re skeptical but it’s not ok when you’re skeptical AND have a self-righteous attitude. Not all LDRs are foolish, superficial, artificial, fake, untrue, fantasy-like etc.
Some people don’t believe that LDRs will work simply because of the distance. Some people don’t trust their partner being on the other side of the world. Then again, how many times have you heard of people cheating while living under the same roof with their partner? Just because you don’t see your partner face to face on a daily basis does not mean they are cheating or lying to you.
Some people crave for the physical intimacy and I don’t mean just sex. The hugging, kissing, cuddling, snuggling etc. Yes, some couples have pre-marital sex, some hold out until marriage. It’s their choice. It’s their life. For me, physical intimacy isn’t as important as compared to spiritual connection between two people. Of course I would be lying if I said I didn’t yearn from the physical closeness with my soulmate. I want to be able to hug him when he’s having a bad day. I want to be able to kiss him goodnight. I want to be able to hold his hands. I can’t right now but I know we have something more than that. Something better that nothing can replace. We have a connection. Our souls connected in many levels. That is what a soulmate is.
I told Rob about it today and he and I laughed it off by coming up with some seriously sarcastic (Hah! The irony!) comebacks that I should have said to A’s question; “So do you like him? Really like him?” Here are the top 5 answers:
5) Like him? Who are you kidding? No way!
4) No, I don’t really like him. He’s just my BOYFRIEND for fun. *roll eyes*
3) It’s just my life-long dream to have an ang mo boyfriend. So why not?
2) Nah, don’t like him that much. I just like to travel half way around the world to see someone I don’t like JUST for fun.
And THE best answer I could’ve gave to her was….
Drumroll please…
1) No, he’s an ass. I just fly over there for the SEX. (For the SHOCK [!] factor) or in Rob’s sarcastic words “No I don’t really like her. I just wanna DOINK her”
I understand that some people do not understand LDRs. I understand that some people are skeptical about it. I understand some people just don’t get it but sometimes I just can’t help but take some offense to their reactions and words. Nothing is impossible in this day of age. Even a man can now give birth nowadays! So PLEASE be a bit open minded.
P/S: I may have been overly sensitive towards their reaction but after so long and the many “looks” I get from people when I tell them I am in a LDR, can you blame me?