Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Time Management Tips - The Management Graduate Perspective

I usually don't like to keep tabs of my tasks coz eventually I will have to prioritize each items and find out that everything is needed URGENTLY.

But I'm a (fill in the blank) management graduate, I'm supposed to do things in an organised way.

So I tried doing that, you know, at school they taught us it's called time management. Among others, plan & organise, set goals, prioritise, use a to do list, consider biological prime time, & delegate. Here's the consequences:

Plan & organise. 

Theoretically: Organise in a way that makes sense to you. If you need colour and pictures, use a lot on your calendar or planning book.

Practical: I'm a chaos by nature. I'm chaotic. Organising doesn't make sense to me. My calendar and organiser serves no purpose except to check when's the next public hols.

Set goals. 

Theoretically: Set goals which are specific, measurable, realistic and achievable. Your optimum goals are those which cause you to 'stretch' but not 'break' as you strive for achievement.

Practical: I tried doing this. Honest. At the end of the day, I want to accomplish three tasks and not more. But setting goals and deadlines do not see eye to eye. Deadlines will prevail at the end of the day. Some would argue, why not set goals to achieve deadlines? I tell you why. Because apparently out of nowhere, an unknown and impromptu deadline will jump out of nowhere to kungfu-kick all my beautifully-set goals and makes me jump up and run around to fulfill my obligation as cheap labor. (Note: If I'm paid based on my efforts, my salary would equal that of a CEO).

Prioritise. 

Theoretically: Use the 80-20 Rule. Identify the valuable 20 percent task. Once identified, prioritize time to concentrate your work on those items with the greatest reward. Flagging items with a deadline is another idea for helping you to stick to your priorities.

Practical: All my tasks fight each other to be at the top of my list. How's that?

Use a to-do list. 

Theoretically: Use a daily To Do list which is constructed either the last thing the previous day or first thing in the morning.

Practical: About the only thing I do daily. And the most useful :)

Consider biological prime time. 

Theoretically: The time of day when you are at your best.

Practical: My biological prime time requires me to still snuggle under my comfortable n warm comforter and only go to work around 8 p.m. coz that's when I am truly awake.

Delegate. 

Theoretically: Distribute tasks equally among co-workers. This would avoid pressure and fatigue.

Practical: There's only ME & MY BOSS. My boss does the delegating, I'm being delegated.

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Monday, November 22, 2004

Hari Ini Aku & Keje...

Hari ni aku rasa tak sihat plak. Badan sengal2, kepala pun rasa berat. Semalam dapat housemate baru. Student praktikal dari UM. Tua setahun dari aku. So panggil 'akak' le.

Tapi keje kena teruskan jugak pasal tak de orang nak buat keje2 nih kalau aku tak buat.

Aku ada meeting kena organize esok, so everyone has to know about it today. Minit meeting yang lepas kena make sure circulate sekali lagi coz mesti diaorang dah delete sebelum cuti raya nih. Agenda meeting kena buat. Serabut.

Petang nih committee project 3 ajak survey lokasi, pukul 3 ptg. Aku check schedule - 3 ptg ada agensi graphic design buat appointment ngan aku. So aku decline invitation diaorang. FA (finished artwork) dah hantar thru e-mail, tapi tak ikut spec yang aku kasi. Letih aa... Kena call dia balik habaq yg spec tu kena ikut betul2. Mintak dia kasi revised FA before 3 pm so we can meet ngan printed FA ready. Aku dah bosan ngan revised FA nih, sama cam diaorang bosan nak revise FA tuh. Banyak sangat kepala nak ikut, aku jugak yg susah (kan Didiz kan...)

Sabtu lepas bos besar suruh revamp website. Tu tak bersentuh lagi. Sibuk ngan media deadline. Ada satu lagi agensi yang aku nak kena kejar for FA diaorang plak.

So wat sapa2 yang tau bidang aku nih, biarlah diaorang tau. Sesapa yg tak tau, cukup la tau yg aku selalunya agak bz. Sebab tu bersyukur sesangat dah ada motor sendiri. Tak de la tensen sangat pasal pengangkutan. Kalau kena balik lambat, ada la transport sendiri. Tak macam dulu, housemate kena amik kat opis :p

Begitulah hari2 aku di sini... Huhu... Bila nak fly gi KL lagi nih? Rindu la kat orang tu ;)

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Friday, November 19, 2004

Bebaskan

Lepaskan
Biarkan ia terbang
Hingga ke langit maya
Andai itu bahagianya.

Leraikan
Biar berguguran tiap kelopak
Kalau tiap ikatan itu
Melayukan bunga di tangan.

Wahai kasih
Simpankan
Rindu di hati
Kasih di jiwa
Biar tidak terungkap
Kiranya amarahmu lebih agung dari kasihmu
Dan kepercayaan terhakis terhadap ikhlasku

Aku pinta
Biar gugur bunga di jambangan
Patah sayap jentayu menongkah langit
Walau sepi dari kalbu
Merekah mengharapkan kasihmu
Agar damai jiwaku
Dan terhapus duka keranamu

Kasih...
Bukan begini ertinya
Cinta.

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Thursday, November 18, 2004

Raya Holiday

First of all, it's really irritating that work has commenced and here I am, blogging as usual.

Tapi tak pe. Raya memang seronok. Apatah lagi sebab last year aku tak balik, so tahun ni kepulangan aku memang dinanti-nantikan. Sepupu-sepapat yang dulu kecik2 lagi, sekarang dah semakin tinggi. Ada dua orang dah masuk ke sekolah asrama, dan kelihatan lebih matang. Sepupu yang dulunya masih baby yang merah, sekarang dah pandai berlari. Waah, nampak sangat aku dah lama tak balik.

Sempat jugak berpuasa di kampung sehari sebelum raya. Aku jadi blank sekejap sebab selama ni masak untuk paling ramai pun lima enam orang, tetiba kena masak untuk lebih dari 30 orang sedara-mara yang berkumpul kat kampung tu. Paling senang dan ekonomi, masak tom yam la... hehe.

Tapi sehari sebelum raya memang sibuk. Mak aku tak sampai lagi. Jadi aku yang kena take over masak2 nih. Aku, sepupu aku n kakak aku kena potong 5 kg daging dan ayam. Adik2 n sepupu2 yang kecik tolong kupas bawang n halia. Sepupu lelaki menghidupkan api kat tepi rumah untuk panggang ikan, dan sorang lagi kena gi beli kelapa parut untuk buat kari daging. Memang macam nak wat kenduri! Malam tu sibuk la nak masak2. Letih, tapi seronok.

Pagi raya, lepas mandi, kaum adam semua gi masjid semayang raya. Kaum hawa potong kelupis (erk, korang tau tak bendalah ni?) n kek lapis yang bermacam jenis. Biskut raya n kekacang diletak dalam balang n dihidangkan di ruang tamu. Bila kaum lelaki balik, kitaorang duduk di ruang tamu, bersalam-salaman. Lepas tu, amik gambar family. Huhu, besarnya keluarga aku! Sepupu aku kena amik tiga snap gambar nak cantum jadi satu gambar besar :p

Lepas sesi fotografi, barulah naik ke atas untuk menjamu selera. Lepas tu, turun n berkonvoi ramai2 ke rumah Nek Usu dan Nek Wa (panggilan Wa ni untuk nenek paling tua atau sulung, atau kat sini orang panggil Long). Tinggal la dua tiga orang je nak layan tetamu. Tengahari baru balik. Begitulah suasana beraya family aku :)

Tapi malangnya tetiap raya mesti ada masalah bekalan air. Jadi tugas2 mencuci pinggan n memasak ni jadi leceh. Aku paling fed up sekali la bila air takde. Tapi nak wat lagu mana? Sabaq je la...

Manakala for the rest of the day, aku just dok kat dapur, tolong masak, cuci pinggan n hidang makanan. Kalau ada sesapa nak jumpa baru turun n tunjuk muka sekejap. Memang ramai gak la makcik2 yang nak jumpa. Maklum la, dah lama tak balik. Soalan standard ialah - 'Dah abis belajar ke? Keja ke sekarang? Kat mana?' Tak miss jugak soalan cepu emas - 'Dah ada...?' Yang tu aku biarkan tergantung je. Segan la nak jawab >blush< .

Lastly, sebelum balik ke Johor, aku sempat singgah beraya di rumah orang tu. Aku yang seperti biasa over-imaginative membayangkan yang menakutkan je. Tapi sebenarnya mak ayah dia ok je :p Nasib baik dulu aku selalu gak gi interview sebelum landing kerja nih, jadi tak de la tergagap sangat nak jawab soalan2 yang bertubi-tubi tu. Muahahah!! Pas tu, sesi fotografi bermula n sesi me'napow' kuih2 raya sebelum aku balik semula ke airport. Punyalah orang tu tak nak aku naik berat badan tapi macam tak cukup bekas je dia tapow kan kuih2 tu!

Jadi sekarang ni, sesi menyambung kerja2 sebelum cuti nih. >Sigh<

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Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Sweet Hallucination

As raya draws nearer, my memory of her serves me better.

In a strange way, I love her. In an unexplainable way, I am capable of loving someone without revealing the very emotion itself. I see respect as a way of showing love, I guess. And I've always respected her till today. She who had everything in her mortal life. My grandmother whom I loved and envied at the same time.

I called her like all Melanau grandchildren call their grandmother - Mak Yeng. When I was a mere child, I feared her. She could scold like anything, and being an easily intimidated child, I dreaded seeing her. She taught me to read Quran, and I learned hard and fervently so she would not scold me. She taught me to wash my own dishes. She scolded as she taught. And I learned well.

As I grew up and she grew frail, she became a more easy-going grandmother who likes to sit down with any of us and tell us of her younger days. It was entertaining to know how she met with grandfather (through arranged marriage), what was the fashion of the day, how did she go through Japanese occupancy, and all other stories she was fond of telling.

Then as time became troubled, and as I spent my teenage years trying to be strong and I then learned to keep my emotion to myself, she incessantly told me to be patient. That all will go well, and I should not concern myself with what is not to be concerned.

'Everything is fated. Let it be.' She explained.

But when she was suddenly taken away from me, I couldn't help but cry. Be it fate, be it anything, I have lost her.

2 years had passed. I still love her. I still pray that I will see her in my dreams. I missed her so. Miss the grandma who chatted about old nostalgia with me, who gave advices when everything around me is falling apart, miss every single thing about her. I love you. I love you, Mak Yeng. I do, I'm telling you now.

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