I am a year "younger" today

Okay, so today is my birthday. I’m officially 24 years old. I am a year younger today. 

I started my day by treating my aunty a quick breakfast at McD. Yes, you read it right. I treat her not the other way round. She doesn't know that today is my big day. Muahaha!

I received two birthday greetings last night from my best friends. Thank you Farah and May. And this morning I received a MMS from my brother. "Wanna wish my beloved sis very Happy Birthday". Owh so cute. Since when he learned to use such a lovely word for his sister? I guess he copy it from various sources.

I received such a lovely present from my colleague and followed by a birthday song and birthday greetings from my bosses. And and and my dear big boss kissed me on my cheeks! Gulp! God, please forgive me. It was an incident that I was trying to avoid but you know it's just happened.

Through FB and SKYPE, I received wonderful greetings from all my dear friends. Thank you very very much.

Since it is my BIG day today, if I could request one thing from you readers, could you tell God to please answer to all my prayers? Seems like God has been abandoned me these few weeks. In my prayers, I'm not only asking the best for me but for all people around me. It would be nice if I could see them smile everyday, have a good health, enjoying what they are doing and knowing that God has answered all of our prayers.

Okay, there’ll be a surprise birthday party late afternoon. Haha! I spoilt the mood. I was about to get drinks in the fridge and there’s a box that I’m so familiar with. It’s a birthday cake box! I don’t need all this. Really. Just pray for me, it means a lot.

Email Etiquette: Courtesy No. 1 - Get to know the basics!

How do you feel when you received an email like this:

THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH NADIA!

(Font Type: Verdana; Font Size: 36pt)

*wink* *wink*

I don't want to rush make an assumption so I randomly seek opinion from two lovely friends.

Friend A: Nampak macam marah je. Dengan tulisan besar, font kaler merah and ada tanda seruan.

Friend B: Nampak macam nak mare aje. Words in capital and red color pulak tu.

You see? Both responses are same. So, I agreed with them. I don't know if this is something that out of the box that the sender might trying to be different.

When I opened my email, I nearly got heart attack. I was surprised. I'm not acting to be a drama queen; got surprised and fainted and slowly lying on the ground. Wishing someone could held me up and *sigh!*

This is what I called:

KEBIJAKSANAAN YANG TIDAK BERTEMPAT

Excuse me. Are you mad at me? Just because I didn't answered your request as you wish? Or you were trying to be different or unique? Bored with old traditional email and trying hard to be creative? Or to show your appreciation in different ways? This is unacceptable and unprofessional email that I ever received. Even my boss taught me not to insert smiley faces/icons when typing an email that related to work.

OVERSIZED FONT, CAPITAL LETTER, RED COLOUR AND EXCLAMATION MARK!

So, taken from the netmanners.com, I copied one online basic/rule you need to minimally become familiar with in order to be taken seriously in your online communications.

Do not type in all caps. Typing in all caps is considered yelling, screaming or at the very least adding emphasis to the word you type.

NOTE: It should go without saying, however, since I was chastised for not saying so, this rule certainly doesn’t apply to the vision impaired or to those who are disabled or handicapped and cannot use the shift key.

I don't think you are handicapped or disable person. So, no excuse for not doing the right thing!
Google Images

However, since typing in all caps is considered yelling online, it would behoove those who do so because of these reasons to take the time to include a brief note why they are typing in caps so that their emails and intent are not misinterpreted.

P/S: Yes, I’m offended. So, just send your email in plain text!

...Untitled...

I've been busy with my boss after his return from business trip hometown. And we are yet to do my appraisal. And hotel inspection. And buying me lunch. Until this date I don't know where washrooms, prayer’s room, staff cafeteria and the garden are. My last trip to the hotel was few months back and from the car park walked pass over the Front Desk and straight to the office. I didn't look around. Pathetic huh? But but but couple of times I went to the restaurants. Had Chinese food for lunch and Nyonya dishes for dinner. Well, I’m INVITED. I can't just turn down the invitation without a good reason rite?

Last weekend, I went shopping to buy items for office pantry. So, I determined to use usable bag instead of using plastic. Oh yeah, trying to make huge changes. With my two bodyguards, I took coffee mates, tissues, biscuits and a lot more (I can't remember!). When at the payment counter, as I proudly took my usable bag I looked back in the trolley, wow! There’s a lot and one bag is not enuff. Sigh! Never give up so I intended to buy usable bag at the counter. But the bag was so SMALL. Not TINY. It was just small. Come on! How I'm gonna fit in all the things in those small bags. Do I have to buy 9 or 10 bags? These obviously will cost me more. So, I gave up using the recycle bag and let the cashier packing my things using plastics. So, my mission was FAILED.

I always failed in doing a good job. Maybe I wasn't efficient enuff. Maybe I was not trying harder and I easily gave up. Maybe maybe and maybe. The list can go on until I didn't realize I’m wasting my time and letting the negativity energy come into my mind. This is not good. This is totally not cool. So every time this happen, I always remembered my boss used to say, “Think positive and positive thing will happen." So, as a good assistant, your advice is my command. ^_~

I seriously need to charge up my energy. *Shopping* *Manicure* *Pedicure* *Facial* and indulge myself at the spa. Do they have a special service to polish my cerebrum and cerebellum as well? Because my brain urgently need one.

Monday Story

Like any other Monday morning, I rushed for work and trying to keep myself positive and energetic and FOCUS. Smile at my PC and hoping that the Outlook will work out fine today. Funny tips from my IT Director. The phone rang and heard the soft voice from a women that I familiar with. Oh, my new colleague! I totally forgot to ask how her weekend was and etcetera. So, I get up to her as she wanted to show me the email from one of her friend.

What is so special about her friend? You ask. Nothing much for you but such a great joke for me. Really make my day. Don’t expect funny story, it is just interesting story for me. The other day, my colleague told me how her friend is good in predicting people's future. Out of the blue, my colleague told her about me – the new colleague. Her intention was to updating her friend about her life in Malaysia. And this is the quotes from the email.

"...please say hi to Nadia in the office and maybe she will get engaged soon..."

As I read this, GULP! No wonder my colleague was so eager to show her friend's email to me. She told me how this woman predicted about her boss, her daughter, her future, so and so.

I explained to her that I have no serious male friend right now as am still trying to heal my broken heart of losing someone. She and my mom shared the same thought. "Just believe in God. Keep praying. Everything is in God's hand." Erk! How does my mom got in this story by the way? Well, I texting my mom on this - just to share with her my crazy morning.

I smiled the entire day. Not like I am looking forward to that, it is just one of mother's wishes to make sure I am happy and having someone to share my happiness. How sweet :) I feel blessed! I wish to have a man who could guide and walk with me on the road to Jannat (paradise). InsyaAllah.

As of now, I need to deal with my Perfectionist Syndrome. Feeling upset again. Was trying to make Spicy Crunch but the result was not so satisfied.

P/S: My mom asked me to asked my colleague who is that man, where is he comes from, yadda yadda. Am not bother to know!

Perfectionist Syndrome

Nowadays, I realize that I easily get distracted and frustrated over small and tiny matters. I bought Ananas comosus last weekend. I tried to remove the skin nicely but have some divits left. Cut off too much of the peel at once will take a lot of good fruit with it. To cut the story short, the fruit was crushed. I looked at my mom and expressing my disappointment, “See, I can never do things right at the first time or any other time!”

“Takpe cuba lagi lain kali.” She replied.

“I don’t know how to use chopstick even though I’ve practiced many years. I’ve always delayed to do important things like bla bla… (and the list goes on).” Feeling depressed.

*************

No idea when I started to think like this. Is this what they call perfectionist syndrome? I made some research and started to analyze it. Credit to managing perfectionism.

What Is Perfectionism?

Perfectionists aspire to be top achievers and do not allow themselves to make even a single mistake. They are always on the alert for imperfections and weaknesses in themselves and others. They tend to be rigid thinkers who are on the lookout for deviations from the rules or the norm. Perfectionism is not the same as striving for excellence. People who pursue excellence in a healthy way take genuine pleasure in working to meet high standards. Perfectionists are motivated by self-doubt and fears of disapproval, ridicule, and rejection. The high producer has drive, while the perfectionist is driven.

Causes and Characteristics

Fear of failure and rejection. The perfectionist believes that she will be rejected or fail if she is not always perfect, so she becomes paralyzed and unable to produce or perform at all.

Fear of success. The perfectionist believes that if he is successful in what he undertakes, he will have to keep it up. This becomes a heavy burden—who wants to operate at such a high level all of the time?

Low self-esteem. A perfectionist’s needs for love and approval tend to blind her to the needs and wishes of others. This makes it difficult or impossible to have healthy relationships with others.

Black-and-white thinking. Perfectionists see most experiences as good or bad, perfect or imperfect. There is nothing in between. The perfectionist believes that the flawless product or superb performance must be produced every time. Perfectionists believe if it can’t be done perfectly, it’s not worth doing.

Extreme determination. Perfectionists are determined to overcome all obstacles to achieving success. This is also true of high achievers, but the perfectionist focuses only on the result of his efforts. He is unable to enjoy the process of producing the achievement. His relentless pursuit of the goal becomes his downfall because it often results in overwhelming anxiety, sabotaging his heroic efforts.

The result; I have ALL of these above. Sigh!