a beautiful quote

i found this on the net:

"Work like you don't need the money
Dance like no one is watching
Love like you've never been hurt
Sing as if no one is listening
And live every day as if it were your last"

learning

if it weren't for the recent turn of events, i wouldn't have:

1. learned to use photoshop (no kidding!!!)
2. learned to use illustrator(ditto!)
3. spent much time thinking about design
4. leaned about vimeo and the great movies that people out there are making
5. had time to design my own logo, blog heading and lots of other things
6. had time (and energy) to rediscover yoga
7. had time (and energy) to do workouts
8. discovered audio books library

i have to thank the people who have generously contributed tutorials on youtube for the first two items on my list. i have been enlightened because of them.  thank God for social media!  :)

something new

i learned how vehicle wraps are done. totally enlightening for someone so clueless about such things!  thanks youtube!

the heart of success by rob parsons

this is another book that i purchased in the latest big bag wolf's warehouse sale last year. this book keeps you grounded on what's REALLY important and how to be a human being in business.

the outcast by sadie jones

i bought this book in the last big bad wolf warehouse sale (last year).  it's a sad story about a boy who grew up in a small town being the outcast.  it is about perception that people have of each other and how they don't want to see things for what they are as the truth is often not pretty.  

podionovels

i just discovered this really great site for FREE podionovels.  

i'm currently listening to Shadowmagic by John Lenahan. give it a go, you might find a book on the site that you will enjoy.

the money secret by rob parsons

i purchased this book in the last big bad wolf sale (last year --- yup, i'm still plowing through my purchases from that sale and fishing out something to read from that lot when i feel like something of a certain genre to read).

it's a simple enough book to read about money management. 

reflections

there was a time when i used to be so nervous about work, not because i didn't know that i was good at it, but because the guy who owned the business was into looking for faults in all of us who worked there.  he would take a harmless comment from a student and misconstrue it and turn it into a witch hunt.

it's hard to relax, when you're constantly worrying that you're going to get into trouble just because a student doesn't like you and complains about you to him.  i have spent time worrying about things that i shouldn't even be thinking about.

i used to wonder why the only other staff who had been working there before i joined the company had only been there for a year longer than me.  "what happened to the rest", i wondered.  i saw a long list of phone numbers belonging to staff who used to work there (and who have since left) on the wall of his office.  many on the list, didn't last more than 6 months.

since i joined that place, i had seen many come and go and yes, true to form, many didn't last more than 6 months.  now, i know for a fact that if many people come and go and can't stick around for even 6 months, it's not them, it's the school that's making it impossible for them to work.  

the owner of the business, who in the beginning came across as a nice guy, started growing fangs by the day.  there were a lot of fault finding but never any real staff development was offered (which is strange for the trade that i am in).

he also cheated the customers --- something that i wasn't comfortable with.  they would sign up for a 6 month program and in the fourth month, the owner would inform the customer that they couldn't deliver the program as promised due to lack of student numbers for that level.  he would then go on to offer then a lesser program.  the customer has no choice but to accept what is offered as they have paid the school 6 months in advance when they signed up with the school.  

programs have also been known to be terminated mid session due to lack in student numbers.  

the owner engages the services of instructors based on their sex factor (yes, you read it right) and not on their ability to guide and facilitate learning.  he says that this is what the customers want.  word has it that in the evenings, he takes the sexy ones out for "drinks" (keep in mind that the man in question is 50 years old and comes with a wife and two kids).

here are a few things about the owner:

1. he doesn't come to work before lunch.

2. even when that happens, he leaves around 2pm for lunch.

3. his lunches are normally very long (usually more than an hour long).

4. he makes his appointments wait for him (and we're talking HOURS here and not minutes).

5. he is indecisive.

6. because he is indecisive, when he does finally get around to making a decision, he does it last minute which complicates the work situation as the session is already in progress and the students are not told ahead of time about the "new" rules of the game.

7. he comes in to work late to avoid having to deal with the students' complaints.

8. he doesn't know anything about the trade that he is in.

9. he holds grudges (you don't want to step on his tail!!!)

10. he micro manages when he should be macro managing.

11. he believes in working the teachers to the ground.

12. he makes teachers go in to work on saturdays (not half day but full day!) even when it is clear that there is nothing for them to do.

13. he has a thing for sweet sexy young things.

14. he takes very long tea breaks.

15. he often makes promises to the students which he doesn't deliver (100 contact hours have been reduced to a mere 30 contact hours).

16. when the students sign up with the school, they are not given a copy of the contract that they signed.

17. he is quick to blame the teachers when the students complain about the quality of teaching (and not the non-existent teacher development programs offered by the school).

18. he has favourites, his pets, who can do no wrong.

19. he just luurvveesss gossip.

20. he says things (not nice things) about you behind your back.

21. his meetings drag on and on and on for hours (no kidding).

22. his meetings have no agenda (which explains why they drag on for hours).

23. when he calls for a meeting, he is NEVER on time.

24. sometimes, staff have to wait for HOURS for him to appear.

carolyn 101 by carolyn kepcher

this is a book which i purchased in popular's warehouse clearance in ikano recently.  i bought this book for RM 3!  

it offers some pretty useful advice for the corporate world.

new moon by stephenie meyer

this is yet another book that i finished reading weeks ago but didn't update on my blog (which i am only doing so now!).

i found this book in the bookcrossing zone in 1-utama.  in fact, i found three of the books in stephanie meyer's twilight series (new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn) at the same time at the bookcrossing zone so i'm not complaining. :)  i haven't read all three books yet and they were on my wish list.  i guess, someone was listening to me!

casper the commuting cat by susan finden

casper waiting to alight the bus

casper with a bus driver

i haven't been chronicling the books that i've read recently and thought that i'd play catch up now.

i picked this up in the popular book sale in 1-utama.  casper is such an adorable cat!  he loves to travel on the bus --- something that the bus drivers knew but his owner didn't, until much later.  the thing about this cat is that he knew which bus to take and he would only ride on the first bus even though other buses would stop at the bus stop and get this, he queues up to get onto the bus!  the bus driver would say, "human, human, cat, human....." lol.  this book was written posthumously with much love.  casper is now in kitty heaven.  it's a must read if you're a cat lover.

earth hour

i observed earth hour.  i switched off all the lights.  for one hour, i sat in the dark and worked on my computer (does that count???).

candy pink

i just changed the background colour (also known as theme) of my email account.  it's now in  candy pink!!!  :)

enlightenment

i learned something new today --- RGB & CMYK.  i also learned a new word --- "gamut".  these are all new and interesting things for me.

learning

i am now learning to use photoshop and illustrator, two programmes that i have always wanted to learn but never got around to doing so.   now is the perfect time to learn.

i'm pleased to say that i am capable of a lot more than i thought i was.  thanks to the tutorials on youtube.com, i can now do some work using those programs!!!  

You Call the Shots by Cameron Johnson

i picked up this book at popular 1-utama's book clearance sale for 70% its original price.  i remember seeing cameron on oprah's show called the big give.

i found this book certainly easy to read and inspiring.  he made 50 million selling beanie babies at 12 years of age!  

certainly a recommended read (and that coming from me, someone who hardly reads any business books because i find that they are mostly difficult to read!).

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

i must admit that this is my first REAL Dean Koontz book.  okay, i know that i've just read a big little life also by Koontz but that was a memoir about his dog.

i have always associated Koontz's books with the more masculine gender thinking that it was more of a "boy's book", as i would refer to them.

i was pleasantly surprised that i actually enjoyed this book.  thanks mph (yup, it's another bookcrossing  find!)

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

i purchased this book in the latest big bad wolf warehouse sale.  it's also about how perception changes as you grow up and how you see relationships in your life in a different perspective.  

blessed

syukur alhamdulillah... i have Allah to thank over and over again... i still can't get over it  :)

ruin

strange how "messages" are sent to you and you need time to digest them.  now i get it --- for something new to happen, something has to end.  it's not a good feeling, it was unexpected, but i've got to keep my chin up and pray.