Of Waves & Ripples

The past weeks have been super busy times in my division. In the last 4 months, a flood of projects came in resulting in the team having to clock overtime week after week (even on weekends when the need arises).

It's a good thing actually, from a business perspective. It must mean we're doing something right, to have clients wanting to work with us. On the other hand, it also meant a lot of late nights for some of my team members, due to the limited number of resources to do that many projects concurrently. Some are already feeling the burn, but are persevering. Fortunately we've managed to get a few extra helping hands along the way, hopefully in the next coming weeks, the load will ease off to some of the new members, and everyone can take a breather or two.

The recent slog has also taught most of us just how much we can achieve, if we are willing to make some sacrifices when required. It also taught us some valuable lessons about being efficient and really pushing ourselves to new levels, to be better at what we do and make the most out of the tough situation, and come out stronger.

Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to be on the same boat. I received a resignation letter this week, and had a private conversation with the said person, together with my General Manager. You see, about 1.5 months ago, I made the decision to put this team member to work with the team of developers, as they could use the extra helping hand due to the influx of integration projects. I saw the window of opportunity for her, which with help her grow further into her role and also build her skill sets to new heights. The learning curb was going to be steep I said, but if she pulled through, the results and achievement would far outweigh the hardship. And I had faith in her because she had shown her potential to me before. So I asked, if she was keen to take the new responsibility and challenge. She said yes.

When she started with the new challenge, it was a struggle at first. Despite the shortcomings at one point, she managed to pull through. Made me proud actually. Then she fumbled. A few days later, she hands in her letter, citing the pressure and fast pace of the job is just too much to bear and she wants out. This new responsibility and challenge made her realize she doesn't want to do this after all.

The decision was made after she went through 1.5 months of hard work. From my perspective, she lacked the understanding and logic to be efficient in her role, hence the many late nights she had to endure in order to deliver work and meet deadlines. I posed a question to her then, perhaps it was a question she didn't really expect to be asked. My question to her was: Had I not put you up to this challenge, and you just went on doing what you were previously doing, menial tasks... Would you have thought of resigning? Her reply was a NO.

So I gathered that, she was contented and complacent in her current responsibility, even if it meant doing the same tasks time and again. And after being thrown into the deeper end, she realized she couldn't keep up and would rather throw in the towel than to push herself further.

I guess not everyone wants to grow and be better, even when the chance is given to you. Perhaps some prefer to just stay at the same spot, do the same things, think only so much, and grow only that much. I wouldn't really know...

As far as I'm concern, had I not see the potential in her, I wouldn't have even thought of giving her the opportunity to dabble in this new challenge. Makes me wonder if I had failed her, or am I expecting too much from a person?

I hope my question to her made her realize that her decision to leave was made purely out of the 1.5 months of hardship she had to endure to come out better and stronger. And if all it took was 1.5 months of tough shit to make her realize she's not cut out for hard work, or not willing to do hard work, then she should seriously take a good look at herself and her attitude towards life. Because life is hard as we know it, and there's only so many times you can run. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours, with hopes she will find inner strength and be brave.

Life is like a huge wave sometimes. You either ride with it to stay afloat, or you sink to the bottom.

Gossips
Everyone gossips. No matter how much you try to deny it, everyone is guilty of it. Men, women, children, bet you even your pets gossip.

I gossip too. I'm only human. The only difference between a regular gossiper and a full blown gossip monger is... The regular gossiper would know when to stop and get on with life, while the full blown version thrives on more gossip, and sometimes even fuel existing gossips to add to the drama.

I consider myself a regular gossiper. Yes I do listen and indulge in them from time to time, but I'm put off when there's too much of it flying around. My life doesn't revolve around gossips alone, and my life is definitely more exciting then sitting around texting/Whatsapping on my phone with more gossips. And when there's too much, I rather not get involve or know about them. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

Being pulled into gossips can be scary. You don't know how deep a depth you might end up in. And the worse thing is, sometimes gossips can change your personality. You might become so consumed with it, that it might just change your character.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's totally bad to gossip, heck I gossip sometimes, guilty of the act. All I'm saying is don't let it control or change you. And don't indulge in it for the sake of being part of the click. Some gossips are baseless, and worse if you fuel them for the sake of being petty.

Fig & Olive, Sunway Pyramid

Hubby and I paid a visit to Sunway Pyramid recently. We don't usually make our way there because the traffic over there is kinda bad, plus the layout of the mall itself is kinda confusing. The only time we really go there is probably because I'm bored walking the same malls over on this side of town and needed to see something new, heh!

Plus it wasn't a good idea to head to MidValley on a weekday public holiday.

So as we were window shopping, we decided to have an early lunch and was browsing through the many eateries available. We walked into the Marakesh section and stumbled upon Fig & Olive. Checked out their menu and decided let's give this place a shot. The alluring food photography also played a deciding factor :)

Fig & Olive serves Mediterranean style dishes, and by its name, you find olives in their dishes. As we were browsing the menu, I came across the Grande Figo Grill Seafood platter for two, and suggested it to hubby. Served with rice, a good mix of seafood, what better way to fuel our empty tummies, right?

Grande Figo Grill Seafood for two, RM 49.90+

Here's what the platter looks like. Looks awesome eh? Two bowls of rice and seafood mix of prawns, squid, fish and green mussels.

A closer look at the Grande Figo Grill Seafood for two.

The rice was very fragrant and satisfying. For a moment there, it felt like I was having briyani rice, with the lingering spices such as bunga cengkih and tumeric. The seafood was good too, and the portions were definitely enough for two. I particular liked the fish, grilled to perfection and juicy to the bite. The squid was good too, not overcooked. The only downside of this dish we found it a tad salty. So if you're planning to order this dish, tell them to go easy with the salt.

While we were eating, we also noticed there wasn't much crowd patronizing the restaurant. Perhaps it was a weekday thing, despite being a public holiday for Selangor. The whole time we were there, there were only 4 tables. We were the last ones to leave that afternoon.

Would we go back there? Definitely, provided they don't close down the next time we decide to make our way to Sunway Pyramid.

Kitteh

Wide eye kitteh.

Whatcha lookin' at?

The silly cat tried to swipe my left hand after I took this picture. Grumpy sial~

JTean @ SS2 Mall
To be honest, I've only been to SS2 mall a handful of times. The mall's layout is not exactly appealing, it lacks a strong anchor tenant to attract the crowd, and the choice of F&B outlets is still pretty limited. So when some of my colleagues mentioned that you can now find pork burger in the mall, I was like... "Really? Where and how much?"

The first time I saw JTean's pork burger, was their oblong pork burger, priced at about RM17++. A colleague had helped another colleague to tapau lunch back, and it was that oblong pork burger.

It's not your ordinary pork burger. Instead of using the usual burger bun, it was the mantao bun, the same buns served when you order chilli crabs. The exterior is fried until golden brown, and yet the interior is fluffy and soft. And I was told there's a smaller pork burger version available.

So one fine day (actually it was on Saturday 9th July, BERSIH 2.0 day), hubby and I made our way to JTean for some lunch. My eyes caught sight of the pork burger in the menu, along with many other pork dishes. Pork ribs, pork knuckles, BKT, you name it. We settled for a bowl of pork belly BKT, a portion of curry pork ribs and 2 servings of rice.

JTean curry pork ribs.

The curry pork ribs were awesome. Tender, succulent, full of flavour, and best of all not too spicy. The pork belly BKT was pretty good too, with the soup being quite aromatic and herbal-ish. Needless to say, we left JTean with a happy tummy :)

JTean pork belly BKT.

2 days later, I was back there with my colleagues for lunch. And this time, I ordered the smaller version of the pork burger, RM7.90++ (the oblong pork burger is way too much for me to handle). It doesn't come with the mantao, instead it is served with a normal burger bun and the side of potato wedges.

JTean pork burger.

The pork burger patty was pretty interesting. Tender and juicy, you can catch a hint of herbs in the pork patty. Also, the tangy sauce and onions goes very well with the whole burger experience. If you're looking for a quick bite, this burger should suit you. If you're looking for something more filling, go for the oblong pork burger.

I would go back to JTean and try out some of their other dishes, like the deep fried pork knuckle and the pork ribs *yums*.

Shape Nite Run 2011
30th July 2011, Putrajaya
I was all geared up for the night run. It was our second time participating in this run, and I had been gearing up for it for a few months, all excited and bubbly.

I wanted to see if I could do a better time as compared to last year, my first year. Last year, I managed to completed all 12.3KM in under 2 hours. 1hour 55mins to be exact. Not the greatest of time I know, it was my first ever run in my life, so cut me some slack :P I walked more than I ran because the distance was really far, but I had fun.

So there we were, Putrajaya Precinct 3. Hearts were racing, everyone excited and just can't wait for the air horn to blow to mark the beginning of the run. And then we heard the air horn. Let's go!

I had a good start, pacing myself as I ran. Didn't want to go too fast too soon you know. People were running by me, I was running by people. When it came to the 3rd KM, I sensed something was not right on my right knee. It was beginning to stiff up! WTF?! Of all day and time?!?I slowed down to a jog, and slowed down to brisk walk. There was pain in my right knee. FUCK....

I walked for a few hundred metres, hoping to walk the pain away. Then I started a slow jog again, to see if I could reach the 4th KM. I figured if my knee was ok by then, I can start a slow run and see how far I could go. Alas the knee wasn't going to give me that chance that night. The pain was getting more intense even as I jog. It was obvious I won't be able to run/jog as I had hoped for that night. Deep down in my heart, I was crying.

T_T

I made the call to brisk walk that night, all the way to the finishing line. I knew I couldn't stop, because the moment I stop, my right leg would stiffen, the pain would hit me, and I would have to hitch a ride with the ambulance back to the finishing line. So many times I had wanted to just stop and flag down the ambulance, but a stubborn kiasu part of me didn't let me cave into the request. I brisked walked my way, from the 4th KM onwards, all the way till the last KM.

I was beating myself up quite badly, disappointed with my poor performance. Something wasn't right, my knee was weak. I didn't feel good at all. I wanted to see my improvement this year, but alas, it wasn't meant to be for this year. I relegated to brisk walking due to the pain (hoping the adrenalin would mask the pain until the run is over). When I reached the last turn, I saw the finishing line, and I told myself to do a slow jog. Even then, my knee was telling me PAIN PAIN PAIN. I was between jogging and limping.

I crossed the line and heard hubby calling my name. I was so upset I almost cried that night. My mood was foul, I didn't want to speak to anyone, I just wanted to go home. And to add salt to injury, I dropped my iPod shuffle in the midst of the queue to collect the goodie bags and snacks.

Double whammy for the night.

I was limping the rest of the night, and the next day. Knee was stiff as hell. Did some research and found it may be runner's knee injury. I don't consider myself a runner, more of an amateur, but I guess I could be suffering from this injury now :/ The last time I had a stiff knee was after the Malakoff run held in December 2010, and that was a day after the run too (possibly because of the terrain route too). This time around, my knee just couldn't take the run after the 3rd KM, on a flat terrain. Sad.

When the timing results were out, I still managed to complete all 12.3KM is under 2 hours, 1hour 57mins. Ok I guess, wasn't really too happy with my overall performance that night. Better luck next year i guess. Now I'm reading up on ways to strengthen my thighs and lower back, to protect the knee.

Sigh~