2 decent annual dinners in a row in the same month

I am not sure if it is a sign of age (mine, that is) or that I am lately genuinely blessed to be in the company of people who are intent on having a good time but this year, I decided to actually make an effort to show up for annual dinners and to my own surprise (after avoiding the past few years) ... I actually am entertained!

Tonight's event was that As Gee See and Eye We See combo ... small group of people but hey last year they had like 3 tables and this year was about 8 tables ... so it was good all around ... and people dressed up according to the theme ...

Sure the MC was overly gay saying that he is old and he is passing it to someone younger, handsomer and cuter! DUDE I KID YOU NOT! Then the younger man said he accepted all except the cute part. I don't know if the boy is gay but the old dude is so lady-boy that it is ICKEEEE! HAhahahahaha!

The karaokes turned out to be mostly duets ... which is nice when you think that none of them are properly rehearsed. You even have people who didn't work in the same office gamely going on stage. The only downer was that for once I am lucky and got one of the top 5 prizes. Why downer? Well, it was a stay at Ivory! And as I am already staying in-house all year round .... ugh ... I gave it away even though it is valued at nearly RM2k. I would have loved to get the shopping vouchers even at RM200. Hahaha!

Aside from that, tonight was great for me to be able to get my intention to move message across. I was with the Yap-ster. And he immediately made an appointment to see me and asked if he can recruit me as his consultant to expand his business model. To which I am naturally more than delighted. Then I talked to the Dan-ster and he was genuinely stunned and said I should work out a deal with them as they needed someone of my ability

So all in? It was a good night

Keeping fingers crossed and praying very hard!

Invasion of the Were-Pig and the non-kung fu master

You know that there are bad days and then worse days? And it is usually human beings that make it so. As if my days were not bad enough, to be surrounded by fake-rs .... makes it a hundred times worse! I kid you not!

The morning started off a-okay ... with the WP agreeing to the usual meal outside ... and to my utter surprise, the other half didn't show up. Apparently she had to go to work. So does that mean she acknowledges that he, in truth, doesn't have any work? Hahahaha! So we were there for an hour. He tried to share with me updates on the 2 visitors that came last week. And I cautioned him to always verify the facts. After all, doesn't he ever learn?

Whenever anyone says anything, all he cares about is the reputation of the other fellow and how grand the message is. Imagine, the first chap is merely architect/ luxury car enthusiast who claims that in Malaysia there is a shortage of racing circuit! Malaysia! How many luxury car owners are there? How many enjoys taking their cars out for a spin at the same spot all year round? Come on! Give me a break. And the guy claims that the SIC is busy all year round that makes no sense. I didn't want to point out to him that if it is so busy, why does it offer guests a chance to use the facilities for a small fee??? All this guy wants is to say he has our land and the branding support then he will try to hook in an investor. If he can, he makes several million! So naturally he will say good things, right?

Ughhhhh - WP!

Then he talks about this college coming here and that now they  may want to build some sort of academic city. Really? How many years have all the colleges say that? More than 10. Looking at what happened in the end? And what about this group that came last year? I asked him and he said there were not any.Yeah,right. I was with his missus and the kung-fu master who were more interested in striking a deal with the group to buy some studios for themselves to make good return income streams instead of pimping our land. Sigh!

As if that was not bad enough, then he asked me about what I am doing. I really didn't want to tell him but he kept on pushing ... I mean I have so much to do for my small pay ... and really it is not my job!

Now that is only the foundation. In the evening, when I was trying to get information for a meet-up between an investor and the directors, the directors said that the WP had in front of them actually briefed them about my projects and said that he will coordinate for the rest of the info. Can you beat that? But then he will not know how to give info. And at night, he and the kung-fu guy came to see me and discuss this and other matters as well!

ARGH!

I really want to type out the entire scenario here but to do so would take pages and pages and pages. In short, both are not involved in the deals but want to show that they are involved. One will get involved (WP) without knowing shit about shit and talk big but will not make any sort of decision while the other (faker kung-fu) will just try to sound smart and knowledgeable without any sort of commitment whatsoever so that nothing will move until all investors get pissed off and marched off

ARGH!

I am so glad that in the morning when WP shared potential new office in head office, I shut him down and said I am not interested since my work here is based so far away and I just bought a new house. Dude - I don't have your ego to be seen. I can let people judge me based on my  actions. That is sufficient. Hahaha! And I reminded him that it is Feb and we will need to discuss about my future direction and the fact that I do not want to be an employee but a consultant. I used the reasoning of my artwork as an excuse! Hehehe!

First Illness of 2013

There is a first for everything ...  and this is mine for illness ... on 22nd, I woke up with a headache ... this then progressed to slight itchiness of the throat ... and this morning?

I have the flu ... I didn't sleep well last night ... and of all days to happen ... today when I am off ... and tomorrow I am going to Singapore! Sigh! So let's do the listing, shall we?

1. Block and/ or runny nose
2. Sore throat
3. Bit of phlegm
4. Headache on top
5. Pain on left ear
6. Pain on right nostril
7. Fever

Yup, that covers everything! So I bought antibiotics, sore throat medication and panadol! I had 1000mg of vitamin C and drinking lots of water. I basically didn't do much work since I am on annual leave but still spent half a day in the office rushing to check in my airline tickets and then just now?

Bomb 1 - received a message from SG that tomorrow's appointment has been cancelled but if I want to, can meet him to discuss details of the assignment. Well, since I have booked flights and what-not, I figured better than to book a new flight, cab, etc

Bomb 2 - received email from CH that his idea to go into business is he wants to take the franchise he likes, and we have to find investors?!?!?! I thought he is the investor. He owns companies for goodness' sakes. So I will listen to what he has to say in  Feb and leave it at that. Looks like I have to be very careful here otherwise I might get eaten up and left with nothing

ARGH!

MB = Marrybrown = Worst Fast Food Ever

I really wanted to sleep in but you know me by now ... woke up and watch some TV AFC goodness ... after that, decided to go out  for a walk along the beach and had a brilliant breakfast! I always loved the food at Adnan &Tara's Phuket Sala ... Restaurant ...

After that, it was time for a gooooood massage and finally I had one decent massage ... about the only downer is that I had to force myself to stay awake ... I was so tempted to just sleep but it would have been embarassing ... for me, that is ... I know plenty of people sleep through their massages

After that? We had a nice chat on the business angle before we said bye-bye and headed off to the airport. I was surprised by the service. Again, there was an airport rep following us all the way inside! So that was a great touch. Had a Dairy Queen ice cream and practically controlled my stomach ... as I kept feeling like I needed to go to the toilet ... 2 hours of that!

Then came horror time ... Marrybrown ... I was surprised that NB and Wish-Man wanted to have lunch at 4:00pm ... so I joined them ... first up, salty watery soup ... rice that was flavorless and so sticky it felt like pulut or Japanese rice ... chicken was okay but the Thai sauce was odd ... sigh!

Last time I had it in Middle East, I didn't like it.

Last time I had it in Langkawi, I didn't like it.

Last time I had it in Johor Baru, I didn't like it.

This is Malaysia for goodness' sake. What's so difficult about nasi ayam? UGH!!!

Aside from the above, everything else went fine. Quiet night, reading and gaming. So here's to tomorrow!

THB14,000 for cab ride for 1 day ... are you f-ing me?

What a great morning it was! Waking up with no headaches inspite of the alcohol, lack of sleep, lack of water and feeling just great! So I went down and had a nice breakfast. Then a wee bit of shopping at the deli before checking out

Then comes the fun part

There were 2 counters with 2 guests ... and I waited more than 10 minutes before it was my turn. Wish and NB came down at that time and we got our bills. We thought it would be minimal only to be stunned that they had randomly posted our transport bills. Dude we shared 1 van from airport to office to hotel and now going to airport. Their rates are 6 times that of an inflated cab or 7 to 8 times a metered taxi. I ask you, is that reasonable?!?!?!?!

The flight to Phuket was uneventful. NB shared his last vacation in Phuket with the Mrs. When we landed, we were even joking if we should avoid the airport rep waiting for us so that we will not be fleeced anymore! Hah!

In the end, we decided not to. The journey was pleasant and short and we arrived at the resort. Rooms were not ready but the number 2 was around and he greeted us and took us on a tour. And I got a nice view of his "package". So cute he is though not the face or hands. Those are average - not bad but nothing to  shout about but he certainly looked good in those trousers. Hahahahahaha!

Next, we went over to the vacation club and had a good time with the DOS. He was certainly a very enthusiastic gentleman. He even told us how he ended up in this line from an Engineering background.

Finally when all is said and done, we went to the coffee house ... and this time I was disappointed ... the guys didn't do proper ordering and we had horrible fried rice only. Sigh!

The night was great though. I told them bye-bye and went off to see Mer-Man and Sim-Gal and they took me to this really awesome seafood place packed with locals and foreigners by a jetty! We had ... 2 steamed Otak and 2 baked Otak followed by mushroom and mixed veggies stir-fry. A plate of spicy fried rice followed by broad koay teow. A big red snapper and gigantic shrimp deep fried and all in for?  THB1,000 only!

Now that closed this night perfectly!

Deal Day #1 ... Bangkok Ho!

Yes, I am going to make an announcement here .... right here ... on this, my blog or e-diary or whatever you want to call it ... I am in the midst of trying to work out a transition plan for myself to go do my own business i.e. going independent. Will test it for a year to see if I can taste success or go bust!

What is success? Success is of course doing the things I like and making a living out of it. Success if while making a living, I do not suffer my family and friends. Success means having the time for my health and indulging in my hobby. And success means finding time to go for classes so I can be baptized!

After last Christmas, church services and all that, this year, I want to do right. So I am waiting for my first incentive and will pay 10% to a worthwhile charity be it a church or some others like perhaps orphanage

Anyway, back to the topic at hand ... today I rushed to the airport trying for the first time our own in-house taxi service ... not bad ... room for improvement though ... and then it was time to meet Wish-Man and his compatriot, the Near-Bald. They are a unique pair. W is Dad Indian while Mom Chinese while NB is Indian married to a Malay lady. Cool, right?

The plane was uneventful but the first sign of fun was when we went into the van and got caught up in a jam ... W had to exit van and peed at the roadside! Hehehe! I kid you not. Of course we are honorable enough not to take a pic and post it online

Meeting was pretty good actually. Shell presented and answered all their questions. Then we had Pizza Co pizza with chicken drummettes. I met up with the ID boss and it was back to the hotel. At the hotel, too bad C-Woman was out of town. It felt kind of average this time around but glad the 2 of them had a good time

After a walk through, we exited and went to Sat-horn for a nice dinner at the Italian.We started off with drinks at the lounge (outdoor) and enjoyed an amazing view of the city. I had my first red wine in a loooooooooong while. To my utter surprise, I mentioned Jim-bar-ran and we could close an arrangement after some talk potentially even they contributing 100% capital. If we talk an average of USD350k per unit, then we are talking potentially USD35 to 50m project here! Hehehe!

Damn where's my reward, boss?

After that, the cute Italian restaurant manager came to serve us dinner. They brought out all sorts of dishes for sharing and I did the house cocktail followed by 2 more rounds of red wine. The food ... ummm ... I know it was expensive. Hah! We had huge scallops to start with asparagus and some bread with toppings ... aside from the bread basket

Then came pasta with lobster and 2 types of Italian porridge (risotto) ... followed by a lamb dish with loads of condiments and a fish dish which no one could be bothered any more

The wind was so strong towards the end that we had place mats flying from another table to ours ... and glass shattering!

I was so tempted to overeat when I reached our hotel but ... decided against it. I weighed my self and was between 89-90 kg which was brilliant!

So all in, a great day!

Budget 2013 ... and a disunited front ...

The morning started off well ... had a bit of a jawing session with MishMan, Winery and the Robber ... and I was stunned how well they enjoyed the roti canai and curry noodles ... so I thought everything sounded good and well ...

And then we hit SEE AND EYE ... and started the P&L followed by the budget ... and that's when the fun starts ... can you imagine presenting numbers, presenting explanations and then your Gee Am objecting to his own team's presentation? I mean, what the heck was that, right? Then he objected to his own head office's answers as well and showing everyone that he is deliberately going against everything and everyone ...

So are you surprised that at the end of it all, he was invited to a private chat with the Robber?

Not us

As for the rest of us, I was asked to continue sitting in on the meeting ... which was a pain because really, I have no interest in what they have to say because it is the same old, same old ... imagine doing a business where for every sale you earn, the loss is 50 cents ... and then they cheered because now the sale has hit a new record of RM3 million ... hello! That's now RM1.5 million losses a month ... why are people happy to make losses?

After that, more bad news as the Danny Boy tried to make light of the case he is handling as basically they are now looking at worst case scenario ... again ... DUDE! Last year, there were handclaps in Jul or Aug ... when these people announced their sales initiatives ... I was surfing the internet to learn more and was less than impressed ... I mean come on guys ... why do you all not believe in being prepared? Taking the initiative? Why do you always want to be reactive? And say things like "on hindsight"?

So sad ... then the Werepig whispered to me that the Chinaman is having a change of hearts as apparently the local CEO that he hired is introducing a new deal ... again I wanna grab someone by the shoulders and shake them hard ... DUDE ... when they appointed this guy, you were all over him like he is your new best friend ... visiting him, listening to his sob story about how his boss is slow to react and that he may decide to move on if the Chinaman doesn't make a decision ... when the truth is this guy probably advise the Chinaman to slow down while he looks for another deal for the Chinaman ... I sure hope Werepig can close the deal ... otherwise how sad cos the Gunn Master brought this guy to Malaysia ... they feted him and even gave him a tour of the city and what-not and kept putting him on a pedestal and even take him to new deals in China ... and now look!

And finally they tried to pull a fast one by dragging me to the front of the room and asking me about the deals I have to maybe do a contingency for the company ... wei that is so unfair as that is so early a stage ... so much to be done still

Ah well ...

The only light is when I decided to follow Pak H to the airport ... and got some update on the licensing for our Nail Hotel and the construction and the payment ... yes they will pay me!

Is RM100 million deal no longer important?

I am not going to say much except WTF?!?!?! They challenged me last week after the chairman's keynote speech, right? On Friday, I closed an offer of min 51% up to 85% offer which means potentially up to RM100 million for an investment deal i.e. I have the investment partner found, with the money, agreeing to the concepts and what-not

All that remains is for my bosses to activate the land that they said they have

And until now, after my email has gone out ... has been total silence ... I mean WTF?!?!?! They have been hounding for deals ... supposedly ... now that I brought in one why are they not responding?

I tell you ... working with these people ... drives me up the wall