Monday 30 September 2013

Greenwich

Often when I say Greenwich, people would instantly associate it to the Greenwich Mean Time. GMT.

Only today, we did not wake up early to go stand on that Greenwich line and correct our watches. I'd like to believe that I have the most accurate time in the house, working on the trading floor. I mean, once you start working on the trading floor, every minute matters right? Imagine 2 minutes before market close, looking for a buyer, but your watch shows 3 minutes to closing time instead of 2. Die. Bahaha! Ok la, not so drama ok.


More importantly, Mira, Su and I decided to wake up early and have our usual random housemate weekend outings and decided on Greenwich Market. Oh my god, please do not leave London if you have not step foot there. It's the BOMB! One word: VARIETY. From painting to clothes, desserts, accessories, food, more food, awesome food, delicious food. Excuse me, I was hungry, the food attracted me the most.
Of course, whilst we were there, we went on to explore the Cutty Sark as well. My goodness, the British ship is just so beautiful! Have a visit to Cutty Sark on a random weekend, I promise you, it won't disappoint. 

Friday 27 September 2013

That F word - #caughtatwork

Sometime last week, we had a major facepalm moment:
 
"This trade is so lollipopped up!"
 
*Colleague looks at me puzzled*
 
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
 
"It's your...F word equivalent?" I said, a little embarassed I was caught swearing in a, what they say 'cute' way.
 
When I was a little girl once upon a time, I used to love all kinds of lollipops. The bigger it is, the better! The more colourful, even happier. They were pretty things that became my enemy when I wore braces.
 
Welcome to my Disney world, where everything and anything is possible in a cute way. aiya! On a plus note, at least I will always be remembered for swearing that way when I go back to the KL office!
 
:D

Thursday 26 September 2013

Guilty

I read this
 
...and the first thing I saw was "...retailer H&M a big gainer on robust earnings"
 
OBVIOUSLY! Today is ONLY a day after their 50% sale drive!
 
H&M can start thanking me now for helping them make newspaper headlines
*flips hair with a guilty face*

Monday 23 September 2013

10k For Crohns

We made it into the official page! 
All those sweat paid off! And we were caught smiling (I swear I was smiling because I was thinking about lunch), that's most important!
Ran my first charity run at Hyde Park London with Aisyah over the weekend and homaigod, I finished it
*beams and hugs myself*
…and suffered a busted knee today, limping myself to work. I really thought I was going to give up halfway, 10k and I’ve not trained. The only training I had was walking to and from tube station and drinking an additional cup of green tea at night. Bahaha!

Two things that get me all excited about charity runs are one, running and meeting a lot of new people and secondly, getting free t shirts. For some weird reasons, I love collecting them! Not that I wear it anywhere else afterwards, I usually just wear it to sleep. Now running in Hyde Park was a big added bonus, because I love parks and it was a good weather in London who wouldn’t want to run for charity! :))

The run I did this weekend was extra special because I was running for crohns and was also dedicating this run specially to Baby Noah. To be honest, I never knew of crohn disease until this charity came up! It’s a kind of bowel disease that causes sickness like diarrhea, weight loss etc. So a day before the run, Shura and I were working on a print out to be pinned up onto that free t shirt of mine and Mummy Shura came up with this for me to wear :)
This one’s for you baby Noah. Aunty Alia will always love you 
Always and forever :')

Saturday 21 September 2013

C is for courtesy

zen. I need.

No handling ad hoc plans
Nothing like unplanned stuff
No thank you to small talks

and seriously....no handling people who do not know how to respect other people's time.
NO. NO. NO.
PANTANG ok?

I have very low tolerance level for people who say 8, but make it at 8.30. Let's not even think about 11 shall we? I'll kill someone. Literally.

Seriously, why would you not think that you'd make one furious when you say 1.30 but don't bother to inform when you cannot come on time. I'm sure I'd understand if it was an important thing that came up, but a no show? Or why would you even bother making an appointment when you cannot say "No" to another appointment that suddenly comes in halfway through attending to mine? I reckon, courtesy was probably not emphasized much when growing up.

Oh God, I have a lot of patience for other things, but not timing and I've had to deal with a lot of these this week. So much so that when I gave it a second chance I said "7. Not 7.01, not 7 and 1 second"

Guess what time this person turned up? 6.30. Bless that expensive watch of yours.

-______-

Suraya: "Hahahhaa! Never mess with Alia and time" whilst trying to cheer me up

Well that said, weekend's here! Whoopeee! And apart from the timing thingy majiggy, I had a really great working week :))

Friday 20 September 2013

New York Aku Datang?

Ok, everyone has been teasing me about my every other day posts about work. Sorry about that! I'm just so in love with work you know.

Anyway, I've had this random thoughts lately about going for Musical and a stroll at the park or somewhere high where I can watch the lights and buildings from where I stand. It gives me this sort of magical, happy on-cloud-nine feeling, it's amazing!

For now, I really just day dream about these two
  1.  To watch Broadway musical in New York - For a person who is very much dependant on her monthly salary, it's about time I start drinking tap water and eat cucumbers everyday to save up. Bring on that over time at work? Or maybe I should be working two jobs. I love working anyway :D
  2. To take a stroll at New York's High Line - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/ny-high-line/goldberger-text
So in love!

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Lil Mochi

She's here, Alhamdulillah!
So precious, so pretty and kinda looks like daddy on her first day in this world. Congratulations Mummy Sha and Daddy Yan! She's a beauty, MasyaAllah :)

It was a funny moment, everything happened so fast. I was at work and was talking to Shasa, when she suddenly said "My water bag just broke. Lalala"

Erm...for a first time mom, that was too calm even for me. Almost immediately I went a lil panicky, "Where's Yan?" "Are you ok?" "Baby arriving already? No righhhhhtttt?!"

Next thing I know she was fully dilated and ready to push! This baby is eager to see the world alright.

All I remembered was holding on to my phone and getting updates:
"I'm at the hospital dah"
"Sha tengah tahan sakit Alia"
"Kesian gile tengok Sha"
"omg its so sakit u have no idea"
"10 cm dilated already!!!"
"Mochi is here"
"That was scary"
"Not so thrilling"
"She's so cute! Mummy's lil fashionista"
"No, daddy's face"

Ok, so I have this problem of feeling pain psychologically when told about the whole labour and birth stories and it breaks my heart thinking of the pain she fought through that I can cry together with her. Bahaha! Maybe I'll adopt cats instead next time. I won't have to deliver them. But I'm allergic to cats, who am I kidding?! Fine. Babies then. I'll have the laughing gas, the tens machine (I always thought this machine is a genius as it disallows pain to go to your brain and works well with backaches which I already suffer from during that time of the month. A good distraction the whole electric buzz!) and the epidural, thank you very much. Even mama feels that I won't be able to tahan the pain, thanks for scaring potential husbands away -_____-  #Lowtolerancelevelforpain #Scaredycat

Whatever it is, I am just so very happy for them!! Grateful that I managed to spend 3 whole months with Shasa and Yan before lil mochi arrive - to shop for baby stuff and play name games. And now she's here and she has an amazing set of parents, I know that! :)

Picture courtesy of Fiena

Sunday 15 September 2013

Watch and learn a new market

Middle East market was all red last I checked on Friday.

With all the updates on Syria crisis, the world is watching out very closely. Market volatility just shoots at the slightest news but yet, I always thought that this is the world's economy. Everyone runs on assumptions, rumours, 'approved' resources but at the end of the day no banker, trader, analyst, super intelligent predictor, doctor, architect, lawyer, religious scholars... can predict the future. No one. No matter how much or how best you try.

That said, I've got a whole new load to absorb this week. I never knew the detailed (possible) links between politics and price to book value, not until last week when I was taught to read into the charts and graphs on Bloomberg! Interesting!!

Gonna be my first meeting, and Mr CEO is coming along. I've got a lot to learn from the bosses and my more senior colleagues :)

Friday 13 September 2013

I LOVE LONDON

Time to get excited because tomorrow is the start of...


The style spotlight has shifted from New York baby! So, really? You think I've been following and counting down days to LFW? Nah-uh! I'm probably the last girl to do that. I got to find out its details after reading about the 100 million pounds boost for the UK economy that the fashion week is expected to bring :D
...and then the girl inside of me got the better of the banker in me. 

So following up to the LFW, the newspapers around town have been having interesting snippets like a 'Shop London' section where it shows you what's the fashion/item out there at the moment and this was the best piece of news, Longchamp (I love it!!) will be opening its largest-ever European store on Regent Street this weekend!! Did I mention LARGEST? EVER? and it will house its entire collection of bags, clothing and everything nice under ONE ROOF for the first time! *excited giler*
Flipped through Shop London today and omg, I AM IN LOVE with this Pink Selma!!
Sooo pretty I want please!

Ok, before I start drooling over everything that I don't actually need, here's another event I am ecstatic about.


"It gives a unique opportunity to get out and under the skin of London’s amazing architecture, with over 700 buildings of all kinds opening their doors to everyone – all for free."

What is more awesome than having access to London's buildings that are usually off-limits. I'm just in love with the idea of buildings-and-lights watching, it makes me feel all warm, fuzzy and happy all at the same time! Even more so if I'm watching them from a very tall building :))) I hate history, but trust me, when its pretty architecture, I suddenly become super interested!

I have my eyes set on a few:
  1. The Gherkin - Only THE building that catches my eyes when I used to study in East London. It once won Britain's highest architecture accolade! How can you not fall in love with tall gorgeous buildings. It motivates me, somehow. I see them and I feel all motivated inside! It has even featured in Harry Potter and the glass Dome at the top has a FREAKING 360 degree view of London! I can cry now.
  2. Battersea Power Station - How can I ever say no to this?! We have our own 'Little Malaysia' coming up there it's only right to go into the power station because it's everybody's last chance to soak up its beauty before work starts on its redevelopment end of this year. We just had the launch of the Battersea project a couple of months ago, led by our very own Malaysian companies, SP Setia, Sime Darby and EPF. Was used as a coal fired power plant and the most impressive thing about it is the overgrown space of Turbine Hall.
  3. Highpoint One - One of London's highest hills
Hahhh...Just getting excited about these two events is already making me all pumped up! So can't wait!!
I love you London!

Tuesday 10 September 2013

A Princess at home

Was talking to the SIL last night before we both headed to bed and we had the most random conversation with some picture exchange on what we were doing at that point in time. She just got back from a day's shopping at Primark and was still jetlagged after flying in to Frankfurt for work and had an awesome day since weather was well above 20, close to 30. I was officially jealous. The conversation obviouslt led on to some market data conversation and news on Primark. Their sales went up 5% and 16 new stores in the expansion plan baby! I love Primark!
 
I, on the other was caught and drenched in rainy cold cold London. It was literally raining cats and dogs, something that rarely happens here. But whilst I was talking to here, I was in the midst of this
Feet in warm lavender water
Accompanied by refreshing reading materials (Since I don't have text books to read now)
 
These are times when I miss having her around - when she would creep up to my bed and go "Good morning Princess" and then gives me a kiss on the forehead.
I miss being at home :)

Monday 9 September 2013

Walauwei

It's so cold in london today! The temperature just dropped 10 degrees and hello rain!

I'm in 3 layers of baju and I'm still cold. I'm contemplating to wear that oversize coat my colleague has hung on out coat rack.

I've been called penguin now for the 'big on top, small at the bottom' body shape due to the layer of clothes!

Sunday 8 September 2013

Crazy bout honey

I've always loved the sweet taste that you get from eating honey. My housemate travels and get me honey as a souvenir now!

But lately, the craziness has gone up a level to psychotic. I put it into EVERYTHING that I eat or drink. Psychologically, it helps me think that it will make me stronger considering that I don't eat any sort of vitamins or supplements.

So into the tea. The coffee. The grilled and baked fish. The oven-ed chicken. The salad. My morning dose of pancakes. Bread. Now even sushi. Bahaha! It's really sedap ok. Don't judge.

Yesterday, we decided to go for tea at Granger and OMG, they have the best set of Pisang Goreng with Ice Cream,, I'm not even joking! Even the Malaysian restaurants in London cannot beat that, believe me. But the best part to that was, I kept on asking for more and more honey for a small pot of tea. I think the waiter even thought I was overdosed on honey.


Friday 6 September 2013

Culture

Fridays. They're a reminder to why I love it working here in London.

Don't get me wrong, I love home. I love Malaysia and I will definitely pack up and go home to serve the country in whatever way I can. As it is, I'm working for a Malaysian Bank, so I definitely did not 'leave' the country entirely.

After 2 months of working, I've somehow managed to find a few significant differences between work forces in Malaysia and here in London:
  1. The way you dress or what you drive probably signals how much you earn back at home. Differently over here, majority of the population get to work by train and some even wear snickers with a back pack to work. You can even find a CEO cycling to work! Practical they say. I wear a back pack in KL and everyone tease me about being this no-sense-of-fashion-school-girl lookalike.  
  2. In Malaysia, there seem to be more 'break times' than here. Differently though however, they are cheerful and often you'll see them having 'break times' together whilst doing work.
  3. They come in so much earlier over here with no complains. My boss wakes up at 4.43am everyday to catch a 5.08am train to work. Additional plus point here is that, we don't get stuck in friday night traffic jams. It's easier to plan that dinner with your loved ones and be there on time
  4. FAMILY TIME is crazy important over here! Weekends, you'd see them planning a family getaway and what I love most is that the culture here is no matter how busy you are, if you've got kids at home, they'd make sure to be home to spend some time with the children before putting them to sleep.
  5. Over here, you are in charge of your time. All bogs down to honesty; how long a lunch break you're gonna take and plan around your time to be able to cover for your fellow acolleague if they're out. In my nature of work, the trading floor cannot be empty at any one time.
Technically, I do not speak for every industry and job available here, but one thing I know is I'm gonna miss all these that I am experiencing when I go home, I'm so sure of it.

Well that said, weekend is here! :)

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Pondering away

When I was little, I clearly remembered telling every parent/mum and dad's friends that when I grow up, I want to be a scientist. Why? Because I wanted to fly to the moon. BAHAHA! I bet they were all just being nice not to laugh at me at that time. Got to pat this lil girl on the back for having such ambitious dreams huh.

And then I graduated in 2009 and laughed at myself. I'm so gonna train my kids in the future to answer "Doctor" when my friends ask them. In fact instead of "Mummy" or "Daddy", thier first word would be "Doctor".

When I stepped out of uni, I had no idea what I wanted to do! Oil and Gas? Banking? Corporate Comm? Who would want to hire a Maths graduate? I specialize in nothing! I could play with a couple of numbers but I cannot 'read' for nuts. Lol. Financial markets were doing bad at that time and I recalled every other ambitious friends of mine who wanted to join the Banking world used the line "I want to join because it's only THE best time to be learning a lot".

I wondered how could we join the Banking world when so many people are being fired. And how is that a chance to learn a lot when everyone's working their butt off (and has no time to teach I'm sure) to make sure they're not the next one to be released from the company? I heard it used to scare the hell out of any Bankers in Europe when their phone rings. They could be fired any second, or so I was told. Harsh.

As we watch another wave of market volatility from afar, you wonder what market will look like in a couple of weeks, months, years. Had a catch up with a colleague (and cake!!!) over lunch and we agreed that it's only certain parts of the Bank that is exposed to this sort of environment, not the entire Bank. Ultimately, in a high-risk-high-reward environment most of the time.


Tuesday 3 September 2013

Football season

My Boss: "Are you planning to go for QPR tryouts?"...on a casual dress down Friday.
You know it's the football season y'all! Especially when everything is tied back to football.
On that note, EPL just spent a massive 630 pounds on transfers which ended last night at 12! Gareth Bale was worth 85 million pounds! Walau he is so mahal!
So what else is mahal? Fuel in Malaysia went up by 20 sen in an effort to bring down Malaysia's debt level. Instead of an increase in fuel price, let's probably look at it as a lower subsidy and that we're doing our part to help our beloved Malaysia at the same time shall we? :)
 That done, I'd say, a follow up on ptptn repayments would be a good idea too. That would make up a big sum and could probably expedite Government's effort in lowering the debt and do away with sudden hikes.

Monday 2 September 2013

Behind The Scenes

I never understood the whole shouting, rush and explosive expressions I used to witness on the trading floor before.

Until I got onto one myself. Suddenly everything makes sense.

Someone (or actually more than one) once told me that trading is a guy's world. Do you agree? I've always tried to understand if it's the nature of the job that is more suitable for guys, or the language or the stress?

I never got the answer. Every minute, wait... in fact every second matters when market is awake. And you know what they say, market never sleeps. Interestingly, I do get some.

Earlier, I was counting my blessings, how did I get so lucky MasyaAllah! For the amazing team and most importantly the opportunity I have been given being based in our rep office in London. I have just the most amazing colleagues believe me. Way senior than I am to begin with in terms of skill and knowledge but ever so patient to teach. Generous with their compliments when I know I've only done a very small task and ever so loving in their own 'trader' way, if you know what I mean.

Last week was crazy with a swing in profit and loss, unfavourable market outlook and situation in Syria. On one of the days, interesting just got onto a whole new level. We were scheduled for a conferenc call first thing in the morning, and so an hour before, everyone was making sure that everything from participants to technology were in place.

Whilst we were confirming everything, we were told, the CEO just resigned.

Can't get anymore interesting than this alright!I surely have one of the more interesting jobs in this world :)