Now I'm pretty sure I'm not eligible for income tax, but this year (for 2004 that is) everyone has to submit an income tax self-assessment form to the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Inland Revenue Board), and our HR department had a 2 hour training session for us on tax, so I was so excited, I went online and downloaded the "reference only" copies of the self-assessment forms to practice. Yeah, I love filling up forms or surveys. But this is the first time I've ever done any income tax calculations, and they were telling me that by the end of it, since my gaji is so low, I'd get a negative figure (meaning that I owe no taxes), so you know, I was keen to see how this negative figure looked like, but I'm having trouble just finding it cos I realised my employer never gave me the Form EA.
So I pretty much am not able to move on with my calculations cos I don't even have a Form EA. The form that breaks your salary down for you. Your employer is meant to provide it. Funny, even when I worked at the bank they never showed me my Form EA. Oh well.
But our HR dept was saying that this year, everyone has to declare their income, because it will be done on a self-assessment basis. And that the LHDN is starting a new database, and it's good to declare your income no matter how untaxable it is. So I was like gearing and ready to go, after having worked for one year. Hehehe. Only one year. So pathetic. I'm so ready to be a good citizen and all... but now I can't even fill up the forms cos I don't have my Form EA. Or whatever. Oh well... some other time then.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Bersyukurlah
I was driving back from Damansara Heights at around 5 pm, and as I reached that bend in front of Uniten to go back to Putrajaya, I said to myself, "Mmm this is home," and the thought just made me smile. I had my usual Peterpan mix tape on, and the feeling of arriving home was just so soothing, it made me feel happy all over.
It's been a long time since I've been happy to call some place my home. To really feel happy about a place being my home. I think the last time I really felt happy and senang hati in a place--happy enough to love lounging around at home and not go out even though the night life was so bustling and happening--was in Singapore. We lived in a house on a secluded hill and it was the nicest house I've ever lived in. But too bad, when we moved out, they tore the house down and built apartments in its place. That was a truly beautiful house. Beautiful landscaping, layout, etc. I truly felt at ease with that house.
When I drive home now, I'm really glad that I live in such a peaceful place. It's so scenic. And the broad avenues really make a difference. It really makes you feel calm. All those trees. I'm so glad that the government had this idea to provide housing, good housing, for government workers. It's such a plus. To be able to own a home in such a good location. And the houses are really nice for government quarters. It's nice to come home here. I think it's worth it, to get away from it all, the hustle and bustle of the crowded city where I work. It's soooo worth it.
I'm always asking my sayang, "It's nice right, to live here? It's okay right?" You know, hinting to him that if we ever get married that I'd want to live here and not anywhere else. I'm hoping that my parents will give me the house that they bought here. Hehehe. As if they'll be around in the country to live in it anyway... knowing them, they'd be stationed somewhere else in the world.
I'm very family or home oriented. I was quite surprised myself that I ended up this way, since I was kinda a wild child when I was younger. Always out of the house. But now I'm a homebody. And I was telling the panel that I was with earlier today that family life was important to me. And I was quite surprised to find myself meaning it when I said it. I think I told my boss the very same thing during my interview. And it is important. I sort of dread the time when my family will leave me behind. They're moving somewhere and I don't even know the details of it yet.
But the whole point of my journey today, I think, in God's point of view, was to show me that I have a very good life, and I should be very thankful for it. And I think today was the first time I'm really ready to admit that to myself. That I have a good life, and that I'm happy with it, and that I am thankful for it. Because most of the time I'm battling with my depression that I never really get to see how beautiful life is. And today, I sort of can see better. Like as if someone pushed the curtains apart wider to let the light in, giving me a better perspective. I don't know how long this happy and "aware" state will last. But I'm hoping it will last a whole lot longer than today.
It's been a long time since I've been happy to call some place my home. To really feel happy about a place being my home. I think the last time I really felt happy and senang hati in a place--happy enough to love lounging around at home and not go out even though the night life was so bustling and happening--was in Singapore. We lived in a house on a secluded hill and it was the nicest house I've ever lived in. But too bad, when we moved out, they tore the house down and built apartments in its place. That was a truly beautiful house. Beautiful landscaping, layout, etc. I truly felt at ease with that house.
When I drive home now, I'm really glad that I live in such a peaceful place. It's so scenic. And the broad avenues really make a difference. It really makes you feel calm. All those trees. I'm so glad that the government had this idea to provide housing, good housing, for government workers. It's such a plus. To be able to own a home in such a good location. And the houses are really nice for government quarters. It's nice to come home here. I think it's worth it, to get away from it all, the hustle and bustle of the crowded city where I work. It's soooo worth it.
I'm always asking my sayang, "It's nice right, to live here? It's okay right?" You know, hinting to him that if we ever get married that I'd want to live here and not anywhere else. I'm hoping that my parents will give me the house that they bought here. Hehehe. As if they'll be around in the country to live in it anyway... knowing them, they'd be stationed somewhere else in the world.
I'm very family or home oriented. I was quite surprised myself that I ended up this way, since I was kinda a wild child when I was younger. Always out of the house. But now I'm a homebody. And I was telling the panel that I was with earlier today that family life was important to me. And I was quite surprised to find myself meaning it when I said it. I think I told my boss the very same thing during my interview. And it is important. I sort of dread the time when my family will leave me behind. They're moving somewhere and I don't even know the details of it yet.
But the whole point of my journey today, I think, in God's point of view, was to show me that I have a very good life, and I should be very thankful for it. And I think today was the first time I'm really ready to admit that to myself. That I have a good life, and that I'm happy with it, and that I am thankful for it. Because most of the time I'm battling with my depression that I never really get to see how beautiful life is. And today, I sort of can see better. Like as if someone pushed the curtains apart wider to let the light in, giving me a better perspective. I don't know how long this happy and "aware" state will last. But I'm hoping it will last a whole lot longer than today.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Mood swings
Changes in mood are so strange. I was just telling myself this morning how happy I was because I suddenly felt like I fell in love with my sayang all over again. It must have been the nice warm shower. Actually, I don't know the reason why I felt like I loved him more this morning. Maybe it was the song playing on the radio. Or maybe it was just the way we said goodbye the night before. It was really comforting.
Whatever it was, all of a sudden, my happy mood changed to one where I was just sick and tired and my head felt all cluttered. It was 3 pm by then I think. Maybe even 4 pm. I felt like I was rushed, and yet my work wasn't finished. Then by 6 pm I thought, what the hell, let me just leave it for tomorrow. And that's what I did. Now that I've arrived home, I've got other things to think about. Other nagging things. Now my mood is sour. I just want to relax.
Still, I am looking forward to hearing his voice. How sappy. Maybe he will cheer me up. Eesh. Maybe I should get a massage. Yes. I shall ask my lil brother to karate my back.
Whatever it was, all of a sudden, my happy mood changed to one where I was just sick and tired and my head felt all cluttered. It was 3 pm by then I think. Maybe even 4 pm. I felt like I was rushed, and yet my work wasn't finished. Then by 6 pm I thought, what the hell, let me just leave it for tomorrow. And that's what I did. Now that I've arrived home, I've got other things to think about. Other nagging things. Now my mood is sour. I just want to relax.
Still, I am looking forward to hearing his voice. How sappy. Maybe he will cheer me up. Eesh. Maybe I should get a massage. Yes. I shall ask my lil brother to karate my back.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
It's the beauty of the game
One of the things I liked about my schooling life was the football (soccer) matches. I always went to the field to watch the football games. It didn't matter if I was alone or with friends, it was just nice to watch the guys playing their game. Sometimes I even sat on the hill overlooking the pitch to watch them train. I guess it was the atmosphere that I liked, and the fact that when guys play football, they are oblivious to the world. They're just playing the game they love for the sake of playing and they won't even know you're there watching. So their true colors show. Especially in team sports. You get to see which of the players really have skill, which ones really want to stand out, which ones like to show off, which ones think they're awesome but they're really not. Which ones keep their cool while playing, which ones let their emotions take control of the game. It's really interesting. Basically, when guys are playing ball (be it soccer, football, basketball), I noticed that their personalities really show in the game. And that's the thing I like to observe. I really respect those really calm, skillful players, they're a pleasure to watch. There's something sort of exciting yet calming in watching a match, when you understand what's at stake for the players. And at the same time, you learn a lot about a man's pride when you watch a game from start to finish.
A woman can learn lots of things if she watches a man's football game. If a team really understands one another, and the trust is there, it's beautiful to watch cos each person can anticipate the other's moves, and everything just falls into place. But it's rare to get that type of thing unless you've been playing for years together. Even the big teams, like the English Premier clubs or even a country's national team may not have that type of gel holding a team together. It depends on how well each player can adapt to his teammates' individual skill and personality. It's nice to watch a team that understands each other. But I haven't seen that sort of team play for a long time now.
I used to know a girl whose bf was on the same football team as my bestfriend, but she never went to watch him play. That was a shame really cos she missed out on that part of his life that was very important to him. She missed out on an opportunity to understand him better. Cos the way a person plays on the pitch tells a lot about their personality, and I think if you can see that, then you'd be able to understand that person better off the pitch. Anyway, I remember her bf saying to me that he wished she'd come to watch him play cos it would make him feel proud to have her watch. So the next day, I met her in class and I asked her to come watch. She said she wasn't interested in football, and even if she went she wouldn't understand what was going on. I said it's okay, just come and watch. She said she'd get bored. Alright, so I tried, I thought.
Well, those two broke up due to other reasons, and many, many months later, like maybe 2 years later, she finally came to the stadium to watch her ex-bf play in the finals. And I think when she watched him play, she finally understood what he was playing for. Why they needed to win. Why he had to play well. Why he had to get his teammate's respect. Why he didn't have his teammates' respect, etc. I think if she had understood all of this better before, she would have been a much more supportive gf, and they would have been a happier couple.
A man's pride is an important thing. Cos it's a lot like a woman's pride. You know, playing a game well will make you proud no matter if you lost the game. Just knowing that you played really well and your team played well, and that your opponent deserved to win because they were better will make you feel proud of yourself. Now if you had a partner (as in gf/bf/wife/husband) that would feel proud of you because he/she knew you played well, then it's really good. If that person knew you played really lousy, and wasn't so proud of you for that, but encouraged you to play better next time, then that's even better.
A woman can learn lots of things if she watches a man's football game. If a team really understands one another, and the trust is there, it's beautiful to watch cos each person can anticipate the other's moves, and everything just falls into place. But it's rare to get that type of thing unless you've been playing for years together. Even the big teams, like the English Premier clubs or even a country's national team may not have that type of gel holding a team together. It depends on how well each player can adapt to his teammates' individual skill and personality. It's nice to watch a team that understands each other. But I haven't seen that sort of team play for a long time now.
I used to know a girl whose bf was on the same football team as my bestfriend, but she never went to watch him play. That was a shame really cos she missed out on that part of his life that was very important to him. She missed out on an opportunity to understand him better. Cos the way a person plays on the pitch tells a lot about their personality, and I think if you can see that, then you'd be able to understand that person better off the pitch. Anyway, I remember her bf saying to me that he wished she'd come to watch him play cos it would make him feel proud to have her watch. So the next day, I met her in class and I asked her to come watch. She said she wasn't interested in football, and even if she went she wouldn't understand what was going on. I said it's okay, just come and watch. She said she'd get bored. Alright, so I tried, I thought.
Well, those two broke up due to other reasons, and many, many months later, like maybe 2 years later, she finally came to the stadium to watch her ex-bf play in the finals. And I think when she watched him play, she finally understood what he was playing for. Why they needed to win. Why he had to play well. Why he had to get his teammate's respect. Why he didn't have his teammates' respect, etc. I think if she had understood all of this better before, she would have been a much more supportive gf, and they would have been a happier couple.
A man's pride is an important thing. Cos it's a lot like a woman's pride. You know, playing a game well will make you proud no matter if you lost the game. Just knowing that you played really well and your team played well, and that your opponent deserved to win because they were better will make you feel proud of yourself. Now if you had a partner (as in gf/bf/wife/husband) that would feel proud of you because he/she knew you played well, then it's really good. If that person knew you played really lousy, and wasn't so proud of you for that, but encouraged you to play better next time, then that's even better.
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