OMG....! Extended Maternity Leave

Found out today that the company that I work for, has revised some of the leave policies.
One of them is the maternity leave policy. Extended maternity leave...warghh!! Bestnya...bestnya!
Wuih..rasa macam nak menari2 je baca that intranet announcement.

I am sooo glad with the additional 30 days maternity leave, on half pay pun kira ok what. Previously, I've always topped up my 60 days maternity leave with annual leave, just to get roughly 3 months maternity. Time2 tu, berangan je laaa nak dapat longer maternity leave. But it's happening...yeyyy. At least those mommies can have more quality time with their newborn. Penting tu. Bak kata one of the juniors, 'Let's get pregnant!' Hahahaha.
Takde la pun nak get pregnant kan. Umur pun dah masuk 4series. But it's a good indicator that company is adapting and getting more flexible. Cue : Work from home option ke, Part-time employment ke, Compressed hours and less days per week ke. Doa je laaa.
The other two revision (fexible leave & compassionate leave) pun very useful. Although I think the compassionate leave tu...errr...2 hari je? Tapi tak pe lah, kecil tapak tangan, nyiru kami tadahkan. Kena bersyukur.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cool Morning, Cool Clouds

Went for a morning brisk walk yesterday. It was not so sunny, overcast by white clouds. Was a bit quiet, ramai orang bangun lambat kut, taking advantage of the public holiday.

And the clouds were something else.

Selalunya kalau berlari/ berjalan, dok pandang depan or tgk slightly downward. Not this time.

Macam tak real je...hahaha

The year of 2014. Was it spent wisely?

I’m always pensive during year-end. Thinking about how time flies, how it seems to fly faster and faster. Can it not move slower? Hey time, can you please slow down?

A colleague confided that she sorts of trying to ignore each New Year. Entering my 4 series now, I do feel that I’m running out of time. Running out of time to do what?

More responsibility. Kids are growing, parents are ageing. More attention has to be given to them. At work, more accountability. New executives to coach and mentor. Always complaining that I need more time to complete my assignments. 

I guess I feel that I’m running out of time for myself. But surely god has given us enough time? So, it boils down to how wisely I will use my time.

Quoting from the movie Interstellar ‘We have to think about time as a resource..’, that’s it. My new year’s resolve. Treat time as a resource. Now, I have 2015, 365 days kalau umur panjang. Spend it wisely..ok?

"Demi Masa! Sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian; Kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh dan mereka pula berpesan-pesan dengan kebenaran serta berpesan-pesan dengan kesabaran."

(Surah Al-Asr,Ayat 1-3)

Gunung Ku Daki, Sungai Ku Redah

Dear God, thank you for making this trip a reality! Despite the worrying discomfort in my plantar fascia, throbbing sensation in my big toe joint and stiff Achilles tendon every morning. I was so worried about my kaki yang tak berapa best nih...macam2 teknologi diguna-pakai - Kinesio taping to manage the plantar & toe joint pain/discomfort, compression pants and compression socks to manage legs/hips fatigue, Achilles tendon pain and general foot pain.
Pills for AMS (thank you Zack!) and panadol for general headache. Gatorade for hydration, dates/ whittaker (nyum!) chocolate/ snickers/kitkat for fuelling.
Pole...oh pole....you were my third leg, without you, I would not reach the mountain top and kaki gunung.

There were 32 people in our group (Danz Travel agency). Originally there were 10 people opting for Timpohon trail and 22 opting for Mesilau. Last minute rearrangement, the number dropped to 6 pax. The rest switched to Mesilau trail. I was adamant to stick with Timpohon, less KM please!
I was really selllowww, was seriously worried that I would tear my plantar fascia. Tapi gatal nak proceed with the climb arr..ar..arr. Terima kasih lah hubby for being patient and committedly followed my slow lead. How slow? It was 8 hours from Timpohon to Laban Rata rest house during the ascent (830am from Timpohon, arrived at 420pm).

About 420pm. Hubby was happy. Last year he arrived at Laban Rata around 8pm via Mesilau.

Next day, it was 6 hours ascent from Gunting Lagadan hut to Low's Peak. If mood was jovial at Timpohon yesterday, it was a bit sombre that morning. Sombre sebab risau or mamai tak cukup tido? Made our move around 220am and summited at 820am. By that time, there were only me, hubby and 2 guides. The summit was practically ours. The guides, became our personal guides. Only 5 of us (out of 32) did not summit although all managed to reach Sayat2, the last shelter before the peak.

Muka happy, journey baru jee half done :D. Got another half on the way down.

Descent was even slower. From the summit, we reached Laban Rata around 2pm. Had a quick 15 mins lunch (thanks to the earlier fellow hikers, they put aside our lunch). Pak Azuan (our guide) hastened us to make our move coz it was already very late. Even pesan to bring along head lamp and poncho coz we'll be arriving at night & it might rain. I was sooo tired and got some dizzy spells already. I was spooning meehoon into my mouth (head hanging low) when Pak Wan asked about our weight...aiyoh...he was already thinking about carrying us ooo...
6KM descent from Laban Rata to Timpohon was the toughest part I tell you. Sleepy, tired, muscle fatigue, joint pain. Last 2KM, my balance was already a bit off. Shaky knees were not helping at all. After 21 hours, we reached Timpohon almost midnight (220am - 1120pm)...eheheheh...
Oh yes, I did it. I did it my waaaaayyy (slowly but surely).
We checked into Marina Court 3-room apartment in KK around 2am, had to ring sleeping fellow hikers to open the apartment door for us. Byk kali call hahahaha... Kesian,,,masing2 dah pengsan, tido nyenak tak hengat dunia. Nasib baik member akhirnya terjaga. Kalau tidak, tido kat koridor lerrr.

Sabah State Railway - Sini je boleh buang tabiat macam ni

430am we were already up for next adventure. Whitewater rafting at Sungai Padas. Tak cukup tido tapi excited. Body ache OMG....hate stairs...hate stairs. But we helped each other laughingly going up/down any stairs, getting in/out of van.

If climbing Kinabalu was filled with sense of accomplishment, rafting was thrilling and exciting. Climbing Mount Kinabalu was in my bucket list. Checked, done, what's next in the list, nope, not doing it again. But white water rafting, is something I can do again in future. Syiokkk ooo.
Hah...what a great journey. Cool places, cool companions.

First Experience Watching a Football Match Live

Love it! Hahahaha!
Hubby is a football fan and I am not. However, I do include 'watching a live football match in a stadium' in my bucket list. So when Malaysia went into semi-final for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014, I decided, hey, I can put a check mark beside this particular bucket list.
Hubby got tix for both of us and off we went to Stadium Shah Alam on 7th Dec, naik moto haaaa. Siap beli helmet for me ptg tu, coz hubby only has his helmet.

Nasib baik dalam byk2 running tees, ada yg kaler kuning

I was there mainly to experience the atmosphere of a live football game. What an experience! And drama! Malaysia scored only once that night but the roar...my goodness. I dunno how high is the decibles...it was deafening allright. 120dB? 150dB? When Safiq Rahim scored (nice kick!), everybody cheered, roared and I planted my hands on my ears, laughing.

Cards formation (harimau mata merah) by the Ultras when Malaysian players walked into the stadium

Special appreciation to Ultras Malaya. These bunch of energetic people..they chanted non-stop, they even moved, swayed, jumped in sync (except when Vietnam scored hahaha! terpaku gitu).
With Malaysia going into the final (YEYYY!), I am sooo going to the watch the Harimau Malaya plays against Thai, LIVE this 20th Dec.
Now...I just need to buy the ticket. ehehehe. And check if I have any running tees in blue/red.

A pile of books

Saw this pile on my office desk this morning...

My favourite non-fiction writer.

Gahhhh!! Went into ecstasy mode sekejap hahahah. I felt a bit sad actually parting with Blink, such a pleasant reading experience. Soo, having this pile of Malcolm Gladwell's book...over-dosed laaa.
Thanks to an office mate, who's lending his books to me.
Nak setat yang mana satu ni...?
And it's Friday...cloud nine..

A surprising page turner -BLINK-

This is the first time ever, I read a non-fiction book and found it sooo engrossing! Quiet a number of my colleagues have read this book and even read this writer's other books. Kita baru nak baca akakaka..

It says that we have 2 minds actually - unconscious and conscious. It also teaches to trust your snap judgement and when to use it properly.
I cannot help thinking about my two seniors and their frequent clash of opinions. No wonder lah, one is keen to use unconscious judgement and the other being very organized, prefer to present her case using conscious judgement.
Why not marry both minds, takyah gaduh2, make them sekepala eh?