A different corner (1)…

Whenever I went to the area behind the Rejang Medical Centre here in Sibu, I would usually go to Mitsu Tea House for the dim sum or the coffee shop across the road for the beef noodles or the char kway teow or even Sushi Tie for Japanese food whenever my daughter was back in town. But there is another coffee shop, the Sing Long Cafe, at a different corner in one of the blocks of shophouses in the area. I had gone there once before a long time ago when I heard from people that they had very nice homemade fish balls (mackerel/ikan tenggiri) and I remember having had some nice char siew noodles there…but I have not been there since. For one thing, it is usually very crowded and I do not fancy having to wait for a long time.

However, I saw Huai Bin’s recent post on it, and today being a Sunday, I decided to drop by the shop again to check it out. So there we were, my missus and I, after the church service this morning and we had this bowl of yong tofu for RM6.00…

It was very nice and I particularly loved the fish balls but I wished they had not put the seaweed in the soup as I did not really fancy the taste despite the fact that people say it is good for health. My missus had this plate of char siew noodles…

…while I had roast duck noodles, at RM4.00 per plate…

(Nice plates! Unfortunately, they’re melamine!) The noodles were nice…but I do not recall them using those huge Hokkien-mee noodles in the past. I think I would prefer the smaller wanton-mee or kampua/kolo mee variety. For one thing, despite the crowd, our orders came in a jiffy…so that was not a problem at all.

On the home front, not much has been going on. My missus cooked a huge bowl of steamed minced pork custard with soy sauce, so we had to have that for 3 to 4 days. I keep reminding her that there are only two of us in the house but she has fixed recipes and does not know how to adjust according to the number of people eating. But on no-meat Friday last week, I cooked this dish of steamed fish in Foochow ang chiew (red wine)…

…and prepared this ladies’ fingers’ ulam belacan…

I know! I know! The two dishes were not quite compatible…but I was too lazy to fry the veg…and I love blanched ladies’ fingers eaten with sambal belacan (prawn paste dip) and we finished all of that! I guess you can just call it the blending of the cultures.

Well, I bet those of you who have not taken the whole week off and are still going back to work tomorrow, would be quite happy that it’s not going to be a long, dreary one as you will be getting a few days off for Hari Raya!!! Whatever it is, do have a nice week, everybody! 

9 to 5…

Many people moan and groan about their jobs. I bet many of you have heard the parody of James Blunt’s “You’re beautiful”. Well, if you haven’t, then you can click this link and see how much actually applies to you…especially that bit about surfing the internet! LOL!!!

Those of you who are familiar with Max Ehrmann’s poem, DESIDERATA, would probably remember this line, “Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.” (Those of you who somehow, have NEVER heard of the poem can click this link and listen to it being recited by a US talk-show host, Les Crane. It was very popular on the airwaves in the early 70s.)

Be grateful that you have a job; many do not. Be happy that your job is a lot easier than many others. And be thankful that you will not find this on your desk when you get back to work on Monday morning…

MEMO: New Office Policy

Effective 1 October 2008

DRESS CODE

You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.

If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.

If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.

If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

 

SICK DAYS

We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

 

PERSONAL DAYS

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays and Sundays.

 

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for your dead friends, relatives or co-workers.  Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour so that you may be allowed to leave one hour earlier.

 

BATHROOM BREAKS

Too much time is spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the “Chronic Offenders” category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company’s mental health policy.

 

LUNCH BREAK

Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch as they need to eat more so that they can look healthy.

Normal size people get 15 minutes to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.

Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch because that is all the time needed to drink a glass of Tummy Trim!

 

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience.  Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

 

THE MANAGEMENT

 

…ROTFLMAO!!!

 

 

(Memo received via email. Original source unknown)