will i am's delayed diary

A client of mine in Brunei was very pissed with a bug in their mission-critical system. The problem was related to bad code on a poorly-maintained database that was shared by many others. My CEO got so pissed with the overall architecture that he convinced the client to let him carve it out. Once we got the green light, I was at the forefront of the internal resistance to the change. Since the owners of the problem were reluctant to do it, we had to drive it. I kept documenting all that was needed to be done, and circulated the proposed design for discussion. Most of the time, I was greeted with silence. I pushed on anyway. In the end, we got the owners to endorse the solution and implement it. We pushed it all the way to the UAT cycle where our client took their sweet time to test. They had already missed two so-called unmovable dates to sign-off, so when the third date came, it was firm. On the day I arrived in Brunei, even the items that could have been done weeks before were no...

Mum was back at the dentist for her follow up appointment. He declared that her gums would take another two weeks to heal following the tooth extraction from her last visit. He just did the usual scaling and polishing. We would probably visit Datuk Dr. Wong (rare to see a dentist with a Datukship) again in the coming weeks because mum wants to get some dentures in. My sister arranged a birthday breakfast with me at Bacon and Balls at Happy Garden. According to BIL, the kids had been there weeks in a row! Food reviews on Foursquare were pretty mixed with many complaining that they were overpriced and lousy. Luckily for me, my breakfast experience was pretty good. Big Monster knew exactly what he wanted-- Pork Lasagna. After tasting it, I wasn't surprised why. His brother's requirements were pretty simple too. Just get him scrambled eggs and lots of streaky bacon. On top of that, we got the Flamingo Egg, a yummy baked egg with red sauce. Also Avacado Toast and Smoked Salmo...

What to do after you turn 37....? Go for a medical check up. Been postponing my regular health check for a while now, so I took leave on a Wednesday to visit Life Care Diagnostics with mum. Thankfully the drive to Bangsar South only took 35 minutes. With the road works completed on Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil - Puchong, traffic out of my neighbourhood is now longer drives one crazy. We were greeted by their staff as we walked in, and they confirmed my appointment. But I found it funny that a walk-in customer actually got registered faster than mum and I. At the counter, they took down our details. While waiting for them to punch in everything, I overheard something very interesting from customer beside me: Staff: Mr XXX, what would you like to do today? Perhaps a head MRI? Mr. XXX: Head MRI? Didn't I just do that last year. Can you please check my record? Staff: Ohhhh yeah. Hmmm, what else... How about a heart scan? It's very good! Mr. XXX: OK la. Goodness. People ...

In an attempt to copy the success of the Marian Exhibition at Air Salak , my parish set up their own version at the church roof top. Compared to the Church of St. Mary, we had more floor space, but I think they did a better job. Wanted to let mum try the Mee Kolok at 7th Mile Kitchen, but by the time we arrived, they had already closed. Just hopped over to Restoran New Yew Sang to find something to eat. KH met us there and passed me some lovely chai kueh  from Chemor. When we left the kopitiam , I thought I left my car keys on the table. Ran up and down to find them, Turns out that the keys were in my shirt pocket. On the eve of my birthday, I was reminded that I was getting old! As one ages, birthdays seem to lose their significance. For instance, my 37th birthday was quite a low key affair. SK told me to decide on the venue, and make the reservation myself. Even the guest list was up to me. KH had an early flight to Tokyo the next morning, so spared him from attending th...

Once in a while, Nalanda Buddhist Society would organize a pindacāra event at the OUG morning market. Several monks would be making their rounds collecting alms-food. As the alms bowl can only hold so much, volunteers trail the monks with carts. Bumped into an elderly couple from church, and they told us that they were waiting for their son to fetch them home. Since they had to wait for another couple of hours, we offered to send them home instead. A great opportunity to visit their new home in 16Sierra. Previously, they lived at Paragon Heights, and made the move to 16Sierra because their grandchildren were now studying at Rafflesia International School ( $$$ ). Quite a funny story really because when we arrived at their gorgeous semi-detached home, the old couple were unable to open the door! It used an electronic key, and even with all the beeps and whistles, we were unable to gain access. Loitered outside for about an hour before their son arrived to save the day. Actually t...

It's been increasingly hard to meet KH these days although we are no longer in an LDR. But that doesn't stop us from putting in extra effort to make things happen. In a few days, he would be taking a flight to San Francisco for the Nu Skin Global Convention in Utah, so he took me out for an early birthday dinner. At first he suggested an Italian restaurant near my office but I felt that it was too expensive. In the end, we went to Komura in Corus Hotel ( an option for a post-dinner check-in? ). Neither of us dined there before, so it would be a surprise. Komura looks like a small Japanese village with cobble stone walkways and thatched roofs. There are no tables in an open area. Every table is enclosed in a tiny 'house' ( tatami room ). Such a concept gives privacy to everyone ( smooch all you like, but keep an ear out for a rap on the screen door ), but if you're claustrophobic, then its not the place for you. Food quality was pretty good, and the waitresses did...

On a whim, mum and I went shopping at One Utama after Sunday mass. Lunch was an Espetada Carnival at Nando's which surprisingly mum couldn't finish on her own. There was also a free cup of galão and a piece of brownies in my Peri-vilege account, so I attempted to redeem that. Believe or not, they ran out of coffee and brownies. But the nice waitress offered me some replacement items-- Elderflower Cooler and a medium side. So totally different right? I took the offer anyway. At the center court, there was a mid-autumn festival sale going on. All the reputable bakeries were trying their best to sell their mooncakes amidst an atmosphere that reminded me of the Lunar Chinese New Year. The mall management probably recycled the decorations from CNY. While wandering around the mall, we noticed an interesting kiosk that created a marriage between coffee and cookies, aptly named C&C Cookies and Coffee . I saw someone raiding the cookie counter with a large bag, and the Co...