ETCETERA: June 2009

Monday, June 29, 2009

THE UNDERDOG

"Papa, what does an underdog mean?"enquired the little one.

"Tasha, in the story of the Hare and the Tortoise, who do you expect to win the race?" Franco asked.

"The hare, of course." Tasha replied.

"The tortoise therefore is the underdog. The one who is least likely to win any competition is the underdog." Franco answered.

So, you will always be an underdog when you play against Mom, right? Tasha confirmed.

Ouch...

Thursday, June 25, 2009

SKM Shell team is big on team buidling. We have this session almost every other month at varying degree. The one in Bangkok in March only involved PMO and the Country Program Managers as it coincided with our Leadership conference. The activities were more extensive and it blew our budget for the whole year. So, last month, we organised one for the PMO and Malaysia Shell team closer to home - at FRIM.

Well done team for being the CHAMPION and thank you FRIM for being so organised and making the activities fun.

BADMINTON MATCH

SKM has been beaten up by Shell in futsal game a few times in a row - not becasue we have a weaker team but we normally do not have enough player turning up for the game!

So, we asked around for a popular choice of game and decided on badminton to ensure we have the number to play against Shell team. They took on our challenge.

The place was Ara Courts and the date was 24th June 2009. We had more than 15 players from SKM and almost the same number from Shell. Indeed it was a good turnout. The question remained whether we were able to prove that we are the KING of the Court.

After we bagged the ladies' doubles, men's doubles and mixed doubles, we knew that dinner that night would be on the Client!

Monday, June 22, 2009

VI

Tasha came up with a game.

She would be hosting a talk show and that I would be her guest.

I asked her, what I should talk about.

And her answer was "VI"!

BOWLING

Saturday is a full day for mom and daughter. Tasha has ballet in the morning, abacus in the afternoon and tennis in the evening, while mom plays tennis in the morning and spend the whole afternoon at the gym. So, come Saturday night, our routine usually involves light activities - such as dinner with some friends, followed by home entertainment, be it WII against the kids, karaoke or chats around the dinner table about everything under the sun.

Tatee called me up a few days ago and invited the whole family for bowling. Since I have not bowled for years, I thought it would be fun for all of us to join her and a few other ex-TKC friends whom I have not seen for years. Plus, it would be a nice diversion from our usual Saturday evening routine.

Turned out, firstly, it was actually a bowling tournament, secondly, I was the only one who didn't know it was going to be a tournament! Thirdly, most of them are hard core bowlers with their own balls and hand guards and eveybody is so serious about reading the grains and strategising their game!

I braved on and played my game - not exactly my best performance but what mattered was that I had so much fun surrounded by people who shaped me into who I am today.

Thank you friends for a wonderful time.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity;

An optimist sees an opportunity in any difficulty.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FINNA GOLF & COUNTRY RESORT

The reception perched on top of the hill

Suci....the only person you need to know in the whole complex.
She arranged for everything to our satisfaction.

My favourite par 3.

If you are a golf addict,
If you are a nature lover,
If you love good food,
If you have kids and need great baby sitting service,
If you love spacious villa with jacuzzi and outdoor shower,
If you love massages that do not cost you an arm and a leg,
If you would like to experience playing at Wimbledon,
(well...this would probably be the closest we would ever get to)
If you love friendly staff who attends to you ever so politely,
If you are looking to relax in a serene environment,
Look no further.