Risau

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh....

If yesterday I wrote about my dreams should I be able to land a job in KL, today I will share what my plan is, if that did not happen.

This is my final year here, and although I have not spoken to the GM yet, I have a feeling that my service here is not going to be extended. Reason is, my boss gave me a non-hesitant approval to start looking for jobs, now that I am reaching the end of assignment. That is indirectly saying, we no longer need you, please go ahead and make the necessary plan towards the end of your time here.

For the past 2-3 years, Shell has been cutting jobs all around the world, Malaysia is not excluded. Been looking for job since May and I have yet to find anything. I don't even see many job in my field that are being advertised, at least not within Shell.

So, if I fail to get a job in Malaysia, by end of this year, what will happen? Big question....and indeed I have been thinking a lot about this as well. For the first time in my life, I am worried that I will not be able to provide for my family. Back in 2006, when I resigned from MP without having even 1 offer in my hand, it was less terrifying. Maybe because I don't have much commitment back then. Now all are on me.

Having that in mind, I came up with back up plans.

Plan A:
Take a break from working, and maybe pursue full time Masters Degree course. I've been wanting to do this for quite sometime. I have no discipline to commit to part time study. So a full year course should be fine and I have confidence that I can complete it. The only problem is $$ or should I say £££? Hehehe. Well, I did my diploma and bach degree in UiTM, so rasanya tak salah kalau nak berangan buat Masters kat oversea kan..

For this plan to work, I need to save up ~ RM 240K, that will roughly cover my tuition fee, cost of living in UK, cost of living mak in SP and some basic overheads for SJ apartment.

The semester in UK starts in September, but I will be free January onwards (depending on employment T&C with Shell is, so during the gap time, I have to think of something, my sister actually suggested doing Uber..hahaha. not bad, boleh la kot dipertimbangkan.

Plan B:
Venture into business, cake business maybe but I have to save some start up cost. So anyhow I still need to save money. For this one, I need to attend classes, take proper training and have some target customer. Maybe balik dok Kedah pun ok. Spoken to a friend that works with Mardi, she suggested bisnes cendawan tiram, menarik jugakla kalau pikiaq balik. So yes, this one definitely an option.

Plan C:
Find job with other O&G company. To be honest, I am kind of tired of working in the corporate world. Selagi ada rezeki with Shell, OK, but to apply to another company....boleh, tapi... banyakla tapi..hehehe. We'll see how. Rezeki ada kat mana-mana kan..?

So anyhow, life has to go on, and rezeki Allah ada di mana-mana. We will see how this will turns out.

Till next time, wassalam.

Haaalllllluuuuu....

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh...

Phhewww...no post at all in June. Sibuk nau puasa dan beraya kot..hehehe. Maybe. Its been a week since I came back to work. Puasa ganti baru sehari and doesn't look like I can finish all the puasa ganti, let alone puasa 6 this Syawal. Dua minggu beraya di tanah Malaya, enjoy sakan, mana nak posa. Konon nak posa bila balik sini, less distraction kononnya...

The first few days, layan jetlag, posa? gone..After that I was down with flu, sampaikan kena work from home as I could not stand the office aircond, its a centralized system, therefore we could not manipulate it. Now I am still recovering. Syawal tinggal lagi kurang lebih seminggu, and my cough is still lingering, so not likely I will clock any puasa days anytime soon. Tu la..waktu sihat kat Malaya tak nak buat, bertangguh... padan muka. Try better next year OK?

Speaking of raya, the normal topics that comes with it is open house. I've been holding mini makan-makan session here for the past three years and this year the tradition will continue insyaAllah, and this time around I have the extra help from my new neighbour. Hari ni nak plan detail on who does what. But based on our earlier discussion, most likely the menu would be:

1. Nasi impit
2. Kuah lodeh
3. Sambal kacang
4. Sambal ikan bilis
5. Rendang ayam
6. Lemang instant? - am not keen, but she insisted it
7. Biskut raya - specially imported from Malaya. Nak buat kat sini memang tak la..dengan butter mahai nak mampss
8. Kerepek - also specially imported from Malaya. Penuh my hand carry ngan biskut raya and kerepek..hahaha. 
9. Special appearance of kek lapis - this is a surprise for my neighbour. Dia tak berkesempatan balik raya lagi, raya haji baru balik to Miri, so I took the liberty of belikan kek lapis and bawak balik sini :) would love to see her face when she gets it!
10. Toffee date pudding - ni sebab nak pakai stok kurma yang bertahun-tahun dah kejung dalam my pantry. Hopefully it will turn out fine. 

I think by normal open house standard, we still lack of one main dish...but I maybe wrong. The mat saleh doesn't eat much. So we'll see how the discussion today turns out. 

On the same note but different token, I've been thinking a lot of getting another house in BJ. The apartment that I bought in 2013 was completed in 2015, and I've been furnishing it bit by bit. Its a small 2 bedroom apartment, so there is not a lot to be done. Lagipun most of my stuffs are either in SP or here with me.

It is a small apartment and last year I hosted the DIC girls and their family for buka puasa and it was crammed.. So imagine if I want to have open house, confirm la sempit kan. Besides, it is quite small to fit my family when they came for a visit. So that is why I am heavily considering buying a landed home. Now that I have the luxury to live here, I suddenly becomes pampered...huhuhuhu...

Now I am in the midst of applying for a new job. Shell Malaysia does not allow back-to-back overseas posting (even though ramai je trotting the globe one expat job after another :P) and I have to find a job in Malaysia. The job market is really tough for the past 2 years and not many jobs are available. Spotted one potential job, but still things are a little bit shady. So if ada rezeki dapat kerja in KL, my plan is to save up deposit money for a landed property in BJ. I love the area, so its a no brainer. I am not looking for a new development, a second hand house would do. A link house is fine as long as landed, nak banglo besaq2 sapa nak duduk? nak maintain lagi..banyak la pulak kerja. So based on what I want, the asking price right now is between RM 800-900k. Freaking expensive! Ko tengok la area mana..haha. So easily 30% deposit will come to RM 240k. Why 30%? Sebab that would be the 3rd house under my name..hehehe. Bunyi macam kaya sangat la kan.. but actually not. 1st house in SP is for the family, am not making any profit of that property. Kalau takdak rumah tu memang kami masih menyewa kat Flat DBKL.

Second house is this one in BJ. So if the link house plan comes through, I will most probably rent out the apartment. Nak kata buat duit sangat pun, maybe tak kot.. takat rent out satu pintu, barely cover the maintenance and monthly commitment to the bank.

So insyaAllah, kalau ada rezeki, here is my plan:

2018: stay in the apartment - save up deposits
2019: purchase the landed house in BJ. Hopefully the market is still slow. Been monitoring the price since last year, not much movement, economy kan still slow.. korek la duit mana-mana to make up to the deposits. InsyaAllah hopefully can move in the same year and start furnish sikit2..
2020: have my first open house kat rumah baru! yeay! InsyaAllah, semoga dipermudahkan. That now has become my very own 'Wawasan 2020' hehehe..

Why do I share all the details here? I noticed that many things that I have today, are a result of once a dream. When I dream of things, I visualize it and somehow Allah make it easy for me to work towards it. Talk about power of visualization! Betul ni, tak tipu...

First example that I can relate to is back in 2005, I was job hunting, fresh after graduation. Masa kat career fair, I passed my resume to Sony Malaysia, waktu tu dah berangan nanti email aku ada nama @sony.com.my ...gituuu.... hahaha.. Walaupun tak dapat Sony, look where I ends up now. Alhamdulillah!

And this expat posting, was something I visualized as well, years before I get the chance to actually apply for it. So tak ke pemurah Allah SWT tu?

Satu lagi ja visualization that has yet to come true.. that is to get married..hahaha. Well, rezeki yang ada ni pun dah syukur sangat dah. If I can find someone to be married to in this lifetime, its going to be a big bonanza bonus :D.

Panjang sangat la pulak kali ni despite not having any readers around..hahaha. Takpa. Bukan selalu pun update. Till next time, wassalam.

Kehendak Perkhidmatan

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

The phrase above always comes up when I was serving as cadet back during ROTU days. We sometimes need to do things that we don't really want to do, but because the it comes with the job, we just have to do it.  I guess it happens everywhere, regardless what position we are being put in. Yesterday, I started another lesson. After much deliberation, talking to people, giving so much thoughts and going against my initial stand, I finally did it.

I am taking up Golf! Seriously. I have thought about it before, but that was just me trying to get my hands to anything, nothing serious. The game itself requires a lot of investment. You can't simply play golf anywhere, you need to belong to a club, and those membership a simply preposterous. The golf set will burn a hole in your pocket and not to mentioned, you need a pro to teach you. Its not something that you can pick up by watching YouTube.

So why did I decided to go against my stand? Well...... Its for my future actually.Golf is a universal networking tool. Golf enthusiast would really play for the game itself, but for most of the people (me included) its mainly a platform to expand your network. I realized right from the very beginning networking is not my forte. I can easily clicked with colleagues, but when it comes to people outside of the department, most of the time I failed miserably. At this day and age, jobs availability is so scarce, you need to have connections in order to secure one. Being a female in a male dominated industry can works both ways, depending on how I play my card. So I really need to draw this one card now, the golf card. I would rather keep the football card to myself, as I really don't like the way some guys discussed football and that is one of the things that I am passionate in, so I will address it my way.

As for golf, I'll go with the flow. To be honest, I am not that ambitious, I am not aiming for those high level jobs. I am just trying to survive my day to day job. I need this for my own survival. I can't loose this career, as I have no fallback. I don't have a husband to take care of me, so I need to take care of myself. This is a strategic move. I wish I have a simpler life, but then again, its not my choice. I've been put in this position, and I have to deal with it.

I know this is the right move, but I just hope I can follow through. InsyaAllah. 

I did it!!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh..

After reading the book in the previous post, now I know a thing or two about getting a property (at least a little bit more than before.) So yes, I did not settle on chenta hati (oh pool...). I did looked after few more units after that, and I concluded that I am only going to buy from a developer. The unit that I looked at Koi Kinrara was on sub-sale (chewah..dah tau pakai term ni..) hehehe...Hence the price is way much more expensive. There are so many other things that I need to learn and consider if I want to buy a sub-sale unit.
Alhamdulillah hari tu tak ikut hati sangat.

I finally settled on something that was off my spec, per square feet wise and little bit off on the price as well. I hope it will work well for me. Once I get my loan approved, I'll share more on which unit that I finally decided on. About the strategies in the book, the writer did extensive research before buying a unit, and he worked hard on making sure that he gets the unit rented, he monitors all that very closely. For now I could not afford to do that. Hidup masih agak tunggang langgang, not at least until I get my final date for transfer. Therefore, I might opt to do 'flipping' instead. In order to that, I have to make sure the developer is someone that is reliable with a proven track record. InsyaAllah this one that I picked is alright.

This few weeks of experience, house hunting, learning about the game, how people invest in property, potential issues in buying houses has broaden my horizon. It feels new to me. I have bought a house, the one in SP, but at that time I took everything lightly and I think Allah helps me a lot. The developer was some big company in the north and they did not do hanky panky business. At that time I did not even do any research about them, let alone checking the track record. What was on my mind at that time, is to buy a house, that's it. I could have easily been tricked, but I didn't.

But seeing the market these days, how many construction gets halted, I have to be careful. For now, satu ni dulu la...tak berani nak ambik risiko lagi :) Till next time, daa..

Wassalam...

p/s: project status at 16.5%..bolehlah..syok sendiri kan...it took me two weeks to get from 10% to 16.5%..hahaha.... :D

How Leh...?

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh...
This got delivered to me today..ni lah padahnya shopping online..I thought I've selected two different books, but it turns out I bought the same book, just different version. Now I can read both in BM and English :p.
Since I am looking out to buy a property, is it obvious that I need to do lil bit of research..this book actually reminded me of some of my dreams.

1. I want to build a masjid (bukan kahwin..ok kahwin pun nak jugak..tapi ni literally build a masjid) together with a self funded orphanage.
2. I want to start a business by 40 (target nak ternak lembu, confirm market utk korban,akikah, & kenduri kahwin).
3. Have financial freedom (angan2 mau tinggi ye..almaklumlah..baru settle bayaq ptptn...tapi tak sedaq diri bnyk lagi hutang dok beratoq kat belakang...)

Basically I have many more dreams that involves loads of big bucks, but never once I have plans on how to get the capital for all those dreams. This book has got me thinking of going serious about this (hebat hang..baca satu buku, angan dah tinggi..) Bukan camtu, when there is a will, there is a way. If I can get myself to at least practise few of the author's strategies, then maybe I'll be able to generate enough capital for my dreams.

The content is inspiring, the author's years of hardwork was summarized to a book that of less than 200 pages. No pain no gain. I am taking the strategies with a pinch of salt, bearing in mind most of the financial products are still not riba' free. If I really want to go this road, I have to make sure all my dealings are shariah compliant. Cukup-cukuplah menyumbang ke riba' selama ini.
Wassalam..

p/s: I did not gave any final say on chenta hati #1. After halfway through reading this book, I hope I am making the right decision by not jumping to a decision on a fly.
p/p/s: those properties in Kajang that are well within my budget are SOLD OUT!! . Depa ni beli rumah macam beli kuih kat pasar..sat sangat dah habih..dasat..dasat..

Sakit Kepala~~!!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh..

Transfer progress has been extremely slow, mungkin ada hikmahnya. One of which that it makes me thinking of securing a property in Klang Valley. (Yes, KV, not KL). I gave up hope to buy anything in KL long time ago. Not only the traffic is bad, the price is way over the roof. I have to secure it now, more than ever. At the rate the prices is going up, I doubt if I ever would buy anything next year. My requirement is simple, freehold, serviced condo with tight security, and new unit (I am not prepared to deal with legacy issue, anything can still blame the developer..hehehe..). I don't plan to rent it, so accessibility is not a big issue to me. Budget wise...let say I think I can do max RM 500K, space >1000 sqft.

So there I was, browsing through iproperty page last week, trying to find anything that suites my requirement. Only one that meets all my requirement. The property is located in Puchong, Koi Kinrara. Had a view this afternoon, dan saya sudah jatuh chenta pandang pertama..with the whole complex (particularly the gym and pool). Not so much with the unit. The phase 1 are fully occupied, while phase 2 was just completed and key handed over to buyers last July. So I will be buying from another owner, not from the developer. Price range started at RM 200K when it was launched in 2007 and now the only units left started at RM 430K!!! And from what the agent told me, only 3 units left that suits my budget. They need my final say by cob Tuesday. According to them, the unit is selling fast (sales people talk, but am afraid, I have to agree with them, super love the pool, walaupun tak pandai berenang..)

Disebabkan banyak fikir sangat, balik PD buka lagi iproperty, this time cari new development pulak. (Hari tu tak cari awal-awal kan..bijaaakkk sangat!!). This one Anyaman was just posted this month. Whether or not there are still available unit, I don't know, esok kena call ni. Awatla tak tengok awal-awal..kalau tak dah boleh pi sales office dia tadi..haish...!!

And there is this another one, Saville in Bangsar that would be a little bit over my budget (unit paling kecik ok). Nak squeeze mana the extra budget, I don't know, most probably I have to get over this one.

Also another one that I have yet to consider is Jadite Suites in Kajang. May suite my price range. All these places are easily accessible by all sorts of highway, so obviously its not an issue. Bila dah masuk Kajang, I've discovered few other prospects that are well within my budget...so in the end memang sakit kepala :P

Rasanya kena solat istikharah sebulan berturut-turut baru boleh buat keputusan ni... (Well that means I'll risk to let go Koi Kinrara?? uuwwaaaaa.....!!!) ooh..chenta hatiku..tak ada rezeki rasanya kita kali ini...I'll just have to find another chenta hati then.

Olympic size pool nak habaq kat hang...!! - Koi Kinrara, Puchong

About work and all

So here's the thing. My window was opened, and for now it closes back...

I did submitted my job application, and even got an interview for one of the job, but somehow I have decided to stay here longer. The department is in a big mess right now. Few are scheduled to leave including yours truly. One already accepted an external (outside PD) job offer, one has left to another department, Dept X and another one is being poached by Dept X (we begin to wonder why they need so many people whereas their workload is pretty much the same) ....and guess what? Our new hire is only coming in June-July, soonest!!

I was approached to stay longer. They did asked before, when my window was still shut. I am doing two main work scope. Scope A, I have been doing for the past 5+ years, just on different unit. Scope B has been on  my plate for the past 2+ years, and I am finding myself enjoying scope B more. So when they asked, I was willing to stay, my condition is simple, 100% full time scope B. I've had enough of scope A :P

However, when I made my intentions clear, they (i.e the managers) could not commit to my wish. It was a transition period for them, there was one acting senior manager, and he wasn't bold enough to make any decision. He was leaving all the decision to new incoming senior manager. He didn't even scout for new hire for the people that is about to leave. So when the time comes, people are leaving but none is coming to replace them properly (am talking about proper handover here).

The new manager came in Feb, and waves of new job application did happened in Feb, it was too quick of a timeline for him to work out a miracle.

When I was applying for a new job, they (my scope B SV and the new senior manager) were in a way hoping that I will not get it (I could not blame them). They have indeed agreed to put me into doing scope B 100%, but the decision was made after I have submitted my applications. To-date, I have not received any welcoming feedback. I actually applied for scope B job outside PD, despite not having enough experience...hehehehe.. I was pushing my luck :P

In case none of the applications came through, I still can apply for the next transfer window in May, but after talking to the two gents, I have decided to take on their offer. I have made a conscious decision not to pursue any new job application come May, at least for the next 2 years.

Been talking to a few ex-colleagues, while it is not advisable to stay here longer, I must say, that its actually an opportunity for me to grow further. Today,I had a chat with this person. We came in the same batch, and despite having some external job offers last year, he decided to stay, and talking to him validate my decision to stay. And I came to realize, that I am not ready to let all this go. Not yet. He is among the few that I can confide in work-related stuffs. I am not willing to pass by this camaraderie, with him and few others. Maybe its a blessing, I can develop myself further, and by the time I am ready, and insyaAllah, if its meant for me, I'll move. But for now, I am here to stay :D

Doakan saya...

Assalamualaikum...

I have been meaning to post on the Middle Earth adventure, but for the past one week, I have been nervous (seem to be using the word a lot lately).

The reason is, my window is up :D Its normal, after 5 years + here, the window will be opened, and we are allowed to apply for any other job opportunity, within the same company, of course. My mind was filled with job application.

And finally yesterday, I've finalized my applications. If I did not make it this time around, there will be another round of application in May, and another in September.

Jadi saya mohon ya mbak...doain saya ya... :) Makasih.....

Is it too soon?

Its a bit too far fetch for me, but things that happens lately sort of ticks me to think about this. If you have a child, when would you start to save for his/her furture? My sister just got pregnant and she is the cautious type. She has already started to plan on opening an account for the baby.

But then again, how many of us think of that. Those who are well educated probably have thought about it from day 1. But what happen to those young parents who lack of awareness in this kind of things, or worse those who 'claimed' that they don't have enough to save yet?

Cost of raising a kid nowadays is on increasing trend, let alone the education cost. When people got married and start having kids, are they prepared to bite the bullet when it comes to future planning? Have seen too many bad examples in my family (own and extended) when it comes to the children education and rights for a good life.

For a start, open a saving account. Many choices nowadays, you can opt for private finance body (numerous choices for investment planning). There will be limitations for low income parents to set aside certain amount for the premium. And that is why government set up bodies such as SSPN and ASNB to help low income Malaysian (especially Bumiputera) to start saving/investing for future needs. Many people know this but not many act to what they knew (I am talking about Malay in general). I have friends and family who already have 2-3 kids and none of the kids have any kind of saving or whatsoever. Its sad though...how much they prioritise on what they need today (fancy gadget, clothes..etc..) over their child's need for future and proper education. Its not like they don't know, just some of them have no discipline to start and dedicated to save their money.

I did a rough calculation, if you save RM50 for a child in a month from he/she is born, without fail and never once withdraw the money, by the end of 18th year, estimated total amount of saving would be ~RM16,000. That is as much as what PTPTN loan for Diploma level student. (Am not even considering an oversea degree here). So the bare minimum a parent should do is at least be prepared to provide some kind of fund for the kids education.

This is all assuming a well balanced family, with both parents present. What happened when one is absent (divorced,died,sick...etc). Is another parent prepared for these kind of situation? Worth pondering....you think?