Ughh.... this crazy place!

remember last post what i said about this country? people are only active during night time. and since it is fasting month, the locals are passive during day time when the sun is up. They tend to sleep until noon during this time. Then they will wait for a few more hours for the sun to set, break fast... send in their prayers, and start behaving very actively after 10pm. And they will be remain hyper until 4am, then sleep. the cycle will repeat itself thoughout the whole fasting month.

and the story goes like this...

i was sleeping in the site cabin since last week. yea and they look like this (this can be considered a high class cabin for a Construction Site!)

the thing i'm gonna tell u, nobody will believe what i said, but... it is really true story, kisah benar!!!

i will dedicate this special incident to my blog, it happened on the

"7th September 2008 at GMT +02:00, 02:42am!"

as usual, i was sleeping (who doesn't sleep at 2am? for normal people) being all tired and exhausted for all the late night non stop working since August 25th (and i mean not a single weekend / day off) not to mention the craziest transit waiting for 13 hours at Doha air-port.

sleeping on my hard rock bed in the cabin, i was awaken by very noisy engine sounds, and it was so loud that i thought it was EarthQuake!! (the buildings we are designing here are for Earthquake Zone)... so i thought so.

the noise was so clear because it was happening just OUTSIDE my cabin... i am sure, it was definitely someone cutting grass, using a Lawnmower!! and when i checked the time, it was 2:42AM!! my friend, who bothers to CUT GRASS AT 2:42AM IN THE MORNING?? what is so important to MOW YOUR LAWN AT 2:42AM??

this is totally crazy! people over here! i just cant wait any longer to get away from this country!!!

Snippet of where i am now

just in case anyone is wondering where i am now, these are some of the hints...

Rules and Regulation in this country

1. Men cannot stare at women on the street, else u will be sent to jail. - (stare in the office but not on the street can or not?? meaning women can stare at men here, legally?)

2. High heels are not allowed, for women. (but i saw a lot of heels on sales, multicolour one)

3. NO women shall wear skirts on the street, nor revealing attire. (but why are these on sales everywhere??)

4. During bulan puasa (coincidently it is fasting month for Muslim now), u CANNOT eat / drink / chew gums in public, to show ur respect to Muslim in their Holy Fasting month. (memo was issued by the company to reinforce this rule)

5. Working hours for local Muslims are 10:00am - 3:00pm (5 hours)

Working hours for non Muslims are 7:30am - 5:30pm (10 hours)

(this is a construction site, so working 10 hours is a norm here. In fact, every construction site is about the same. but why the locals' working hour....)

7. People here are only Active during night, since it is rather hot and dry during daytime (summer) But what i mean is REALLY ACTIVE... will reveal in my next article...

so anyone know where i am now?

So much Hassle... all the way!

i've been away for quite some time... just in case u are not aware... i've disappear from Malaysia and gone to somewhere else (still part of earth) to resolve some job issues. this trip is really disaster!! will slowly tell. but now i'm quite happy cos the job is done and issues have been resolved. that's the reason why i can have the leisure to blog here!!!~

long before i've finished blogging about my Europe trip (here n here), now i somewhere else, trapped!!

but first... the best flight meal, ever! (who will know how bad is my condition later)

by the Qatar Airways, from KL - Doha - (somewhere i'm stucked now)

the meal is served from KL - Doha. see what food they are serving for just economy flights?!

Kueh Teow with fishball + crabstick, with a bun (tactic to make u full, fast), fruits with salad and vanilla cake as dessert! what else can u complain? and not to mention i asked for red wine and they gave me a small bottle, look at the left corner (but of course it taste like @#@# of course)

they have another rice + curry chicken option but i am just curious why Qatar airline can serve KuehTeow (a local malaysian food!?) not to mention it really taste nice!

MAS u totally need to improve what u are serving for your customers. being the Malaysia official airline, u need not to just get best service awards 1 2 (which i don see much), but also to provide good food. (what people demand on a plane) i rather pay some money to buy food on a Airasia plane than suffering from the souless food MAS served on plane. (not to forget Airasia's tasty hotdogs n nasi lemak)

to be continued... ...

The Bundestag - Berlin

Berlin is the city i will never forget even though it has been long since i visited. Besides the lovely places i blog about it earlier (here), Berlin has much much more to offer.

One of the must go place is the parliament house of Germany, the Bundestag.

look and the queue and u will see how much effort others will pay to go into Bundestag and have a look. we spent for more than an hour to get into Bundestag. not to mention those tourist in teams cutting the queue.

anyway, forget about the pain, trust me, it is definitely worth the effort to visit Bundestag!

when u are in Berlin, if u have never been to the Reichstag dome, u can never consider urself to have visited Berlin. Reichstag dome is the the iconic glass dome located on top of the parliament house. Look at how amazing the Reichstag dome is.


Up here at the dome, u can view 360 degrees of Berlin city! see the top of Potsdamer Platz. and some of the views of Berlin city, notice the Brandenburger gate?























Inside, you will be amazed by the structure itself. How mankind can actually built this thing, without any columns at the center to support the dome. (the umbrella handle kind of thing is not holding the floor above). so u wonder, how the dome stands up itself? this is when engineers should feel proud of themselves!












see, when u reach the top of Reichstag dome, nothing is supporting the floor), just the fairy's aperture on top of my head!!

more views of the Reichstag dome.

such a relief after queuing for such a long time, but the experience we had inside the Reichstag dome is simply unforgettable. the picture is taken after i exit the parliament house. observe the queue behind... still so much people waiting to get in! under this red hot sun!

Reichstag dome is open to public without prior registration, also without any administration fee. That makes another reason why ppl congest that place all time!

Opens daily from 0800 - 2400 (last admission is 2200)

for more details, refer to this address:
http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/parliament/index.html

From v8.4.7 to v9.2.0

a huge big jump from ETABS v8.4.7 to v9.2.0. yes, some mad scientist are trying to make a change, upgrading comprehensive software and trying to achieve his wild dreams!

i know your vision is great. Complete earthquake analysis, time history function, response spectrum analysis, staged construction, column shortening... etc etc. who on earth does all this in Malaysia?

i know i know, do not look down in engineers in Malaysia. the moon is not always rounder on the other side, it is the same moon we see everyday! If Lee Chong Wei can get silver medal in Olympics, why cant we do a complete Earthquake Analysis in Malaysia? (i know they are totally unrelated! :P )

it is just that, i need time recently. to reschedule myself, to get enough rest and have a clearer mind to move forward, and to move further. i can't cope with the stress recently. All the work load, the troubles, the pressure, the jealousy from others, the disappointment and the people who sits there and expect to be spoon fed are just eating up my space.

"A Good Engineer is someone who can Eliminate Stresses"

you have once taught me that, but currently i am not doing a good job.

i have once read an article. one shall not bring home work. it is advised to have an empty basket right at your doorstep. prior entering to the place u called home, you should dump everything into the basket, forgetting everything, and i mean EVERYTHING at your workplace. do not bring files, papers, e-mails, proposals, reports, problems, and loads and loads of unforeseen problems back home. because this will kill you!

by doing so, it will change your life. and a better quality time with your family and yourself. By not letting go, it will make your life tougher.

So much craps about work tonight!! Just for relax, a photo to make all kids happy! At least it relaxes me awhile just seeing it!

Just give me some time... i will do better!

Berlin BerlinA!

Berlin is the capital of Germany! a place u will not regret to travel to. i have already fallen in love with the city when i reach there. their buildings are so magnificent! (mind me, i'm a structural engineer, of course i will fall in love with great buildings/structure) ^^

Introducing the Potsdamer Platz, right at heart of Berlin. you will never miss these symbolic icon in Berlin. Surrounded by numerous glass framed structure, with a spaced truss at the centre of the surrounded buildings. feel amazed when u are there!

Popular tourist attraction, consist of malls, restaurant, hotels and casinos. English speaking cinema, plus a film academy and a film museum. Even IMAX, and the Sony Center is here! dont forget to drop by Potsdamer Platz when u are in Berlin!

Next, lets look at The Berliner Dom, largest cathedral in the city. It looks exactly like those imaginary buildings u can only see in games, like Final Fantasy!!

I just feel so relaxed and happy when i'm here. lawns to sleep on...

(Just ignore the tower cranes above!!!)

All the flowers are so decorative and lovely until i cant resist taking photo with them.

One thing i like about European countries is they pay a lot of attention to small details, like this one. If u don't look closer, u wouldn't know that it is a building under construction. Look carefully!

They just cover up the facade of the building with the "curtain" imitating the exterior appearance of the building after completion. Don't you just feel amazed how they make things more beautiful!?

Another thing is the authenticity of the local attraction. If it is a tricycle, it is really a tricycle generated by bio energy.


Also, not to mention their food too.... hahahaha!! does anyone know that the Germans love MEAT. and i mean PIG MEAT PORK!!! almost everywhere u can see pork meals. even the hotdogs are mixed with porks, if you are not aware.



























And of course how can u forget the famous German beer!!! tell you, they really taste different! the aroma is simply indescribable. and the kick is always there.

So, now... have u fall in love with Berlin, yet?

Look at my messy Table!!

some time ago when i blogged about my new seat in the office.

look at this mess!!

it is not like i don't want to keep my place tidy... but u should have seen worse... (at least it is colourful!!)

A typical engineer's table (see the bottle? supplements to keep the person who is sick to work harder!! so that he/she doesn't collapse)

but one thing for sure, i keep a lot of toys at my place. making it a "fun" dangerous place to be.


i am just having my Monday Blues today!