Last night was the most horrible jam on my way home. I was carpooling with my friend and he has this habit of getting very, very annony when it's jamm after work. Though out the 1.5 hours journey, he was cursing under his breath and sound. It was a difficult journey because it make me felt as if it was my fault. But the circumstance is beyond my control. I wish I could predict the traffic report, but one knows it's wishful thinking.
So after the 'torture' journey having to sit beside him, I decided to cook Ayam Masak Merah last night. I defrosted the chicken which I bought about a month ago. Took out my recipe book and followed the steps. I found that it wasn't that difficult and the ingredients are fairly easy to prepared. The part I don't like to having to fried the chicken first. I don't know how to deep fried. Yeah, all my friends will laugh at me because they say deep fry is the easiest. Is It? I don't think so because the oil will splatter all over the place and I'm worried it will splater to my hands. Ooch! So, I improvised. I mixed the chicken with the pre-mix 'Tepung Goreng' and I only add about 4 table spoon of EVOO. After the fire heated up, I cover the pan. This minimise the oil splattering and dirty the kitchen. However, my attempt didn't work too well as I was having trouble trying to turn the chicken.
After the chicken was cooked and put aside, I put in the ingredients and add the chicken back. After about 15 minutes,it was done. MY first thought was, the look and feel seem the same as the one I get from the restaurant and economic rice store. However, once I tasted it, it taste the same :-) yippy!! But then again, after a few seconds, I found out that it's too spicy :-( I must have put too much chillie powder. I still have some of it in the fridge and will finish it tonight. Maybe I should add in some sugar when I re-heat it.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
New Hobby
Of late, I have been learning new recipes from cook books. I bought a number of cook books since the past few years but I never have the time to try anything. Most of the cook books was bought using the vouchers I redeemed though my credit cards. Since I don't seem to be able to accumulate the points required to redeem one of those fancy items, I can only go for vouchers. I love books, so undoubtly I will go for MPH, Borders or Popular vouchers.
I find that whenever I cook, I don't think about company and work. It's quite therapeutic and I was able to de-stress better. For the past few months, I couldn't sleep properly. No, I don't think I have insomia but I only fell asleep after 4-5am. Everytime I sleeps, my head keeps playing events from the office. Work to be done, oustanding work or overdue deadline. With cooking, I feel better and I can cook for my bf and sis. They are my tester :-) Sometimes, my recipe didn't turn out right during first try. So I will cook the same dish a few times to perfectionise it. There were a few times I have to throw away the dish I cooked because it's beyond repair. Mostly is too salty or weird taste.
I find that whenever I cook, I don't think about company and work. It's quite therapeutic and I was able to de-stress better. For the past few months, I couldn't sleep properly. No, I don't think I have insomia but I only fell asleep after 4-5am. Everytime I sleeps, my head keeps playing events from the office. Work to be done, oustanding work or overdue deadline. With cooking, I feel better and I can cook for my bf and sis. They are my tester :-) Sometimes, my recipe didn't turn out right during first try. So I will cook the same dish a few times to perfectionise it. There were a few times I have to throw away the dish I cooked because it's beyond repair. Mostly is too salty or weird taste.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Spliting emotions
After few months working for an Singapore based company, I'm beginning to doubt if this is the right company environment for me. I've never felt like dragging myself to work every morning in any of my previous company, no matter how though or how crazt the office politic is. But here, I'm dragging myself to work every morning. I have been going to work with a heavy heart and it's getting worse by the days. Never in my career life I felt this low. Not even when I had to work till 7am, or re-do the production over-night just before the deadline, or when I get salary every 2 months, or when the time all the so-call 'senior' management wanted to outcast me. Never back then. I still look forward to work every morning, I enjoy the challenges, the drives. I was still very happy and love my work.
It's all different now. Never have I been blame and shout at so much for the things I didn't even understand, things that I've tried my very best. I've been blame for impossible. Previously, when I was in a situation where I aither sink or swim, I swam. Now, I can't swim, it's just sinking all the way down.
When I wanted to recruited candidates, I wasn't given the budget or choices of head hunters. I had to look in jobstreet. As if I have a lot of time to spare during working hours. When candidates rejected the interview or didn't show up for interview, I was blame for ineffiency, bad planning, not doing my job. I wonder if anyone of you tried to find candidates in jobstreet database. It takes hours and days. Then, we have a lot of holidays during year ends till March. Deadline of the delivery wasn't take these into account. I have to force my staff to work and I personally felt uneasy. Holidays and weekends are for family, regardless of what kind of economic situation we are in. We didn't sell our souls to the company. I didn't buy 24/7 of my staff life. They need life, I need life. With just 3 months operations, my staff has accumulated 10 days off-in-lieu!
In all previous companies, I was able to find solutions for near impossible projects. However, it's really not possible here. It's impossible to build an comprehensive database from scratch in 1 month. It's impossible to QC and ensure data accuracy in a month. It's not advisable to re-do and make-do with what we have due to time. This create double work for everyone when we should be moving forward or further enhance our data. Unfortunately, this is how the company operates. Kia-su and Kia-si to the extreme.
With the impossible deadline, and impposible situation, I wasn't allow to give allowance to motivate staff or show appreciation for their commitment. I wasn't allow to pay a better salary to pull the candidates over to our company. As a pioneer, I believe that staff should be given extra as they have more work to do, to accomplished until we stablised. My hands are tied. Every suggestion was not heard. When I say A,B,C, my boss heard it as 1,2,3 or didn't listen at all. I wonder how other handle the situation. I'm getting very, very tired. I'm holding on for my staff. I'm being strong for my staff. The current economic situation didn't help. MY penniless bank account doesn't help. Or I would have made my decision to further studies.
It's all different now. Never have I been blame and shout at so much for the things I didn't even understand, things that I've tried my very best. I've been blame for impossible. Previously, when I was in a situation where I aither sink or swim, I swam. Now, I can't swim, it's just sinking all the way down.
When I wanted to recruited candidates, I wasn't given the budget or choices of head hunters. I had to look in jobstreet. As if I have a lot of time to spare during working hours. When candidates rejected the interview or didn't show up for interview, I was blame for ineffiency, bad planning, not doing my job. I wonder if anyone of you tried to find candidates in jobstreet database. It takes hours and days. Then, we have a lot of holidays during year ends till March. Deadline of the delivery wasn't take these into account. I have to force my staff to work and I personally felt uneasy. Holidays and weekends are for family, regardless of what kind of economic situation we are in. We didn't sell our souls to the company. I didn't buy 24/7 of my staff life. They need life, I need life. With just 3 months operations, my staff has accumulated 10 days off-in-lieu!
In all previous companies, I was able to find solutions for near impossible projects. However, it's really not possible here. It's impossible to build an comprehensive database from scratch in 1 month. It's impossible to QC and ensure data accuracy in a month. It's not advisable to re-do and make-do with what we have due to time. This create double work for everyone when we should be moving forward or further enhance our data. Unfortunately, this is how the company operates. Kia-su and Kia-si to the extreme.
With the impossible deadline, and impposible situation, I wasn't allow to give allowance to motivate staff or show appreciation for their commitment. I wasn't allow to pay a better salary to pull the candidates over to our company. As a pioneer, I believe that staff should be given extra as they have more work to do, to accomplished until we stablised. My hands are tied. Every suggestion was not heard. When I say A,B,C, my boss heard it as 1,2,3 or didn't listen at all. I wonder how other handle the situation. I'm getting very, very tired. I'm holding on for my staff. I'm being strong for my staff. The current economic situation didn't help. MY penniless bank account doesn't help. Or I would have made my decision to further studies.