.: Don't Be So Twilight :.

"Kevin, don't be so twilight!" -Tammie-

Twilight = irritating and annoying

(my cousins & I have collectively agreed after watchin reruns of MTV Movie Award 2009 that Twilight is really overrated and is jus plain annoying & irritating)

.: To Smart To Fail : Donald R. :.

I enjoyed this article forwarded by my CFO today that I have to share with all of you.

Entitled Too Smart To Fail, it's about the role of a CEO then, and the role of a CEO now.

Really interesting, witty and well written! Not the typical dry ol financial articles you norm read (or try to read for my case -I just can't stand reading boring articles *and I still call myself an Accountant* tsk!)

.: Tolerance :.

I noticed that nowadays, I have less tolerance for the things that I should not bother tolerating with and have more tolerance for the things that I should be.

I am getting old mature aren’t I?

.: The ANAL Analyst :.

Be warned, this is a ranting post.

You know the gullible “friend” I was talking about? If you don’t read a few post back (I’m not gonna link anything).

After today’s incident, whatever lil guilt I have left completely vaporized after the way she, a member of a professional body mind you, coerced me into disclosing confidential information about the company I worked with; which tantamount to INSIDER TRADING!

And it is not some petty crime like stealing packets of coffee or tea from the pantry (which I don’t ok, I was just quoting an example). She is asking me to reveal information that has not been released to the public.

First and foremost, I am bonded by my employment contract as to not reveal any confidential and sensitive info about the company I work for. And secondly, my professional bodies (which sad to say that she shares the same with me on one of them) strictly prohibit this as well. The punishment for such crime is losing your job, your membership as well as your dignity. That is how serious this crime is!

Now you tell me, do you think I would be so damn stupid to be disclosing any info to a ‘friend’, who happens to be an analyst and is writing a report on my company’s stock?

Even if it’s for her personal, private gain, such actions already tantamount to insider trading. Yet alone for a (very likely) analyst report that she is going to write?

When she first asked me if my company is doing any corporate exercise that is causing the share price to shoot up, I said to her that I could not release such info to her. I did not explain to her for I thought that she ought to know why I could not. And no, I wasn’t at all angry at her at this stage.

Then today, I emailed her to ask her for her opinion on Maxis’s IPO and whether it’s worth subscribing to it.

She did not reply my email, so thinking that she may have been busy, I followed up with a call after lunch.

Her immediate response was “You did not share with me any info about your company also…”

I was actually shocked and taken aback by her statement, hence I immediately replied in a very direct manner “Don’t you know that I am ethically not allowed to release such info? It insider trading you know!”

To which she gave a really stupid, stupid reply of “Give as a friend-friend info la”

OMG! How dare she say “friend-friend info” to me?

Hello?!!?

What on earth did they teach you in ACCA* & CFA*?

That “friend-friend info” is okay?

Do you think I am stupid enough to jeopardize my career & life and release “friend-friend info”?

She may be the STUPID one. But the world has only one place for a person of that title!

Isk!

Talk about being an ANALyst!

* Not intending to offend anyone representing this professional bodies, for I am very sure that most of the members carries themselves professionally in their conducts.

.: T - I - Double Guh - Er :.

Congratulations to my dear Tigger~

She is now officially goin to fly off to greener pastures – down in Miri

(or should I say blacker oil blots?)

Goin to be deeply missed, but I know that we will still keep in touch via crazy, silly, topicless emails!

*big hugz*

.: Fit In Their Shoes? :.

I was on the phone with my ex-colleague from Singapore. It saddens me so to hear that there are a lot of children suicidal cases in Singapore, especially of late.

Tho we always look up to the Singapore’s education system, I guess no system is perfect. And this is the price to pay for high standard set in schools. It’s really quite sad, as I feel that some of this kids as they go from school to tuitions back to back every day, just to obtain the top positions in school exams. What about their childhood? Are good grades and top scores a substitute for fun and enjoyment?

Speaking from experience, I was brought up in a family where educations and strongly emphasized. The most popular topic is what who and who scored in their finals/UPSR/PMR/SPM/STPM, etc. I am lucky in the sense that I am the eldest among my cousin, so the pressure of having to meet pre-set benchmarked was not there. However, this does not preclude my parents from conveniently highlighting to me the achievement’s of so-and-so’s daughters or sons who *takes a deep breath* scores straight As, got a scholarship to Singapore, get a high paying job in UK, wrote a book, gave talks/seminars, earns xx amounts (it amazes me what P&C things my mom can find out bout other people, which makes me wonder bout my P&C things she might have revealed to others). It can be quite pressuring at times. To fit into the many shoes of others. Sometimes I feel that I have disappointed my parents greatly. And sometimes when I see my brother struggle, I pity him, coz he tries so hard to fit into mine.

Sigh, but you’ll never really understand the mindset of a parent until you become one yourself. I guess my perception of things will change then (if I ever be a parent). But till then, I guess I can only mindlessly ramble about it.

.: Recipe : Oreo Cheesecake :.

Non Bake Oreo Cheesecake recipe

The original Oreo Cheesecake recipe was from here, but after reading the comments column, I decided to cut down on the cheese and sugar. And since I have no idea where to get Cool Whip, I substitute that with whipped cream.

It’s really so simple to make, and was a real big hit among my colleagues. Here it goes!

3 packets of Oreo
10 grams butter
2 ½ packets (8oz each) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 packet (8oz) of whipping cream
100 grams of brown sugar *
200 ml of milk
A dash of vanilla essence


Mash 1 ½ packets of Oreo (together with it’s center cream) together with melted butter. Spread it over a baking tray and leave in fridge to chill for 30 minutes (or by the time you finish prepared the topping)

For the topping, take the chilled whipping cream and beat til light and fluffy (you need not use a mixer for this; I did mine with my hands – a good upper arm toning exercise). Add in the thawed cream cheese, milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Mix evenly.

Crumble the remaining Oreo into the mixing bowl and give it a quick stir. Pour mixture into the Oreo crust baking tray and leave it to chill for another 3 hours or so.

* If you don’t have brown sugar, you may use white sugar, but try to cut down to about 70 grams. I actually have feedback from some people saying that it is NOT sweet enough, but then again, I too have another group saying that it is just nice. So I guess it really depends. Alternatively, you can just use Oreo (minus the center cream) and hence add more sugar to the cream cheese mixture. But I personally think it’s a waste to throw the center cream.

There are variations that you may wanna try; use mint Oreo, add in peanut butter or peanuts, add chocolate chips/chunks… the list is endless. Just use a lil bit of creativity and you will have a cheesecake you can call your own! :)

.: Tropicana Mall - Borders :.

Was at Tropicana Mall Borders on Saturday night as JC and I decided to take a lil stroll after dinner. Tropicana Mall is only a stone-throw away from my house, in fact walking to the mall would be much faster than driving there (and much cheaper too!)

So I immediately head to the culinary sections whereas JC (as always) headed to the *yawn* boring ol Finance section *yawns again*

I was looking for a recipe for Portugese grilled fish (ikan bakar Portugis), inspired after having the same for dinner at Oasis, Midvalley to watch Law Abiding Citizen. I manage to only get one recipe, which has a similar chili paste to what I used in my Nyonya Laksa.

So let’s just see how it turns out.

Oh yes, my Oreo Cheesecake recipe coming up! :)

.: Supermodel :.

Was talking to Uncle Albert today, and the topic of Amber Chia & Singapore's Miss World came up.

And Uncle Albert made a comment that "Ah, girls that are damn pretty have no brains wan la!"

To which I quickly retort "Nolar Uncle Albert. Look at me, I got alot of brains what!"

He looked at me as I laughed and started laughing out loud too.

Uncle Albert later shared with JC and Keith and they had a good laugh too.

Fine, so I know (from the 'no comment' statement that Uncle Albert made after he manage to find his breath from almost choking from laughing out loud) I am no supermodel.

But at least I have a brain.

Or some sort like that. *laughs*

.: Conversation With Rachel :.

Rachel : Hello?
Kath : Hello Rachel, what are you doing? *in English*
Rachel : Watching telly. *in English*
Kath : What show are you watching? *in English*
Rachel : I dunno *in English*
Kath : Where is Tammie jie jie? *in mandarin*
Rachel : Here, eating *in mandarin*
Kath : Where is Kevin kor kor? *in mandarin*
Rachel : Out with Daddy *in mandarin*
Kath : Oh, where did they went? *in mandarin*
Rachel : To Jusco or Tesco. I dunno. *in mandarin*
Kath : And they went there to buy? *in mandarin*
Rachel : I dunno *in mandarin*
Kath : Coz they are not buying your things, that's why you dunno? *in mandarin*
Rachel : *laughs*
Kath : Ok, call your jie jie I talk to her! *in English*

Tammie : Hello?
Kath : Did you know who was Rach talking to?
Tammie : Yeah, I knew it was you!
Kath : And how did you know that?
Tammie : Coz it's only you who talks to Rach in English and can talk to her for so long! *laughs*
Kath : Oh...okay.... *laughs*

Rachel is my 6 year old cousin. Sometimes, I just forget that she's already 6, and I still treat her like she's 3! :)

.: A Month's Mark, And Counting :.

It’s exactly a month here in my new company!
*Happy Work Monthiversary*

Things have been pretty okay. Of course there’s much to learn, being in a banking and insurance industry.

All the new lingo and abbreviation…. Sigh. If you walk pass by me at work, and see me squinting my eyes at the computer screen, it’s not because my eyesight is deteriorating, but rather, it’s my lil brain tryin to figure out what is the reports given to me are all about.

I am learning how to analyze the results of my Group. Well, contrary to what many believe, an accountant’s job is NOT number crunching. Anyone (well almost anyone) can crunch up numbers and add it across (a comment from my ex-colleague that made me so pissed, coz she thinks that is what a Group Accountant does!). It’s the interpretation of what the numbers are telling. Sometimes, reading the numbers is as exciting as reading a good book. Seriously! But after a while, if you keep reading the same storyline, you will get bored of it eventually.

Which is why I continuously and eagerly seek new challenges and opportunities to learn. Well, it’s true that I have to go through a steep learning curve, burn more midnight oil, have sleepless nights thinking of solutions, etc but I do love to learn and I love seeking new challenges (tho I complain a lot about it too).

And the bonus – a faster climb up the corporate ladder! :)

.: Got Boobies? :.

Tho I am a girl, I am no big fan of the colour pink.

But if you look at the top right of my blogspace, you would see a pink ribbon running across it, that says "Got Boobies?"

Well, I would bear with this strip of pink as it is for a good cause.

If you have not read my earlier blog bout what you need to do to safeguard your assets, albeit your boobs, well, you should.

I, for one am a very sceptical person (it has to do with my auditing background), hence to convince you, let the statistics below do all the talking.

Breast cancer is the SECOND most common cancer among women.

Breast cancer is the SECOND leading cause of death in women.

80% - 85% of breast cancer cases happen in women with NO FAMILY HISTORY of breast cancer.

The chances of women getting breast cancer is
1 in 2,000 from age 20 to age 30
1 in 229 from age 30 to age 39
1 in 68 from age 40 to age 49
1 in 37 from age 50 to age 59
1 in 26 from age 60 to age 69
1 in 8 from after the age of 70

And because of this incident rate, in the year 2010, 1.5 million people will be told they have breast cancer!

Now, before all this facts and numbers scare you, here's something that should comfort you - 89% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are still alive 5 years after their diagnosis!

89%... that's a GREAT ODD!

Now of course, the key is none other than EARLY DETECTION!

In a nutshell : GOT BOOBIES? THEN YOU SHOULD CHECK 'EM!

Alicewonders.com (a online blogshop) has listed out the THREE STEPS on how to do a breast self-examination!

And guess what? By just posting a blog entry about this Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, Alicewonders.com has generously contributed RM1,000 worth of prizes (SIX limited collection bags and 24 pursehooks *hyperventilates with excitement*).

Wanna know more bout your chance to win some freebies? Click on to Alicewonders.com. Four easy peasy steps.

Also, for every purchase of Pink Ribbon products at Alicewonders.com RM10 - RM15 will be donated to NCSM.

So come on and do your part.




It takes every small drop of water to form an ocean.

Spread the Got Boobies? campaign, one person (two boobies) at a time.

.: I've Done My Small Bit... Have You?"

Breast! Boobs! Jugs! Bazooms! Bosom! Melons! Twins!
You can call 'em whatever you wanna call 'em.

But whatever it is girls, they are your assets.

Now don't you wanna do what you need to do to safeguard 'em?

It's actually very simple really. All one need to do is to do regular (I suggest monthly) self examination!

Who else should know your breast well but you yourself?

The purpose of this examination is to identify and any irregularity of your breast (i.e. change in shape, lumps, bumps, etc) as early as possible. Sometimes, it may be nothing! But sometimes, it may be something. And I rather not take that chance.

So ladies, do yourselves this favour!

And... share this reminder with your friends!

In conjunction with The Luxurious Fashionista's The Pink Ribbon & The Rubi Competition!

.: Law Abiding Citizen :.

The man who has lost everything.....

... is capable of anything!

It is me or is Gerard Butler on a roll?

Three movies this so far; The Ugly Truth (comedy/romance), Gamer (action/sci-fi/thriller) & Law Abiding Citizen(drama/thriller).

I must say I thoroughly enjoy Law Abiding Citizen, as much as I have enjoyed The Ugly Truth.

Gerard has really displayed his talents and ability to act in different roles.

*warning : may contain spoilers*

Law Abiding Citizen started off with Clyde whose wife and young daughter was mercilessly murdered right in front of him during a burglary.

And due to a loophole in the justice system, when the killer (Darby) was caught, he got a away with third-degree murder in exchange for having to testify against his accomplice; who was framed for he did not commit the murder.

Nick (Jamie Foxx) was the prosecutor at that time, and, against Clyde's will, accepted this settlement and did not pursuit further in court.

Ten years later, Darby was found brutally murdered (and when I say brutally, I mean, brutally). It's almost like a scene from Final Destination!

Clyde was caught, admitted guilt and was put away in prison.

But.... one by one, the people who are involved in the trial was murdered.

First - the executor.

Next - the judge.

And it went on and on.

All this while Clyde was still behind prison. And Clyde cooly admit that he is orchestrating all this and threaten Nick that he will continue to kill more until the flawed justice system is fixed..

Well, Nick did all he could to outwit the Clyde (whom we discover was a secret "Think Tank" agent for the government, hence his expertise in coming up ways to kill people without being there).

And of course,in the end, as always, good wins over evil.

But in this case, one can't help but wonder what is good and what is evil?

In a way, this movie made me think - it's one of those deep thought provoking movies. The world is indeed unfair. Systems are flawed. There are always loopholes that allows the bad guy to get away with what he or she does. And that is why there are many people who are not accountable for their own actions.

But then again, we do not play God by taking it into our own hands. Afterall, these people may not be accountable for their actions now, but God is ALWAYS watching every single move we make. And shouldn't we be more fearful of that?

Anyways, the 1 hours 45 minutes movie was worth every single penny (not that I paid for it - many thanks again Nuffnang!) and I would recommend everyone to watch this!

.: Tuesday's Special :.

I have been sharing my carrot walnut cake with cream cheese topping with my church members and a few of my colleagues at work. And after a few feedbacks, and also suggestions/methods that may improve the texture of the carrot cake, I must say I am pretty satisfied with the whole outcome!

It was a lil scary for me, as, for the first time, I am letting other people (and some who has years and years of baking experience) try my humble lil carrot cake. As oppose to sharing with very close friends and relatives – that’s coz if I food-poison them, it’s not so embarrassing to apologize! (So Bridget, now you know why I let you try *hehe*)

And yes, the next time I try this recipe, I will take into consideration the few tips and technique that the veteran kitchen moms have shared!

Oh, and the Oreo cheesecake overshadowed my carrot cake and was a big hit among my colleagues! Will share the recipes later for those who are interested to try.

As for today, I am going to watch Law Abiding Citizen with JC later tonight at Midavalley, for free! Thanks once again Nuffnang!

See you fellow Nuffnangers later! :)