Humbled

Scene 1
I visited a peer in one of the offices in KL. His office is located in a shabby building - cracked walls and peeling paints and pot holes in the yard and well - just plain old. His desk is not much better - cluttered with forms to be approved, reports, and stacks and stacks of papers.

I thought the visit would last about 30 minutes or so - he only need to verify like 15 rows of information with about the same number of columns.. or so I thought - he verified every cell on the sheet. Any column that he is not sure about he referred to the papers that are on his desk. He even went to his car to get a manual (which coincidently dated 2001) to cross-ref the columns he is not sure about - and also made a looong phone call to validate his assumptions.

I left his office after spending 3 hours in there. I also left humbled. I discovered the guy who doesnt seem to fit in the corporate-savvy image worked really hard and seriously and honestly for the corporate.

Scene 2
A couple of us were sitting in a small and cramped office on a visit to see the users the other day - they had some problems with their transactions. There is no way anyone can move from their tables to the PC and file cabinet without passing in front of us. There was a TA who is older than all of us who moves to and fro the PC and his table - and everytime he passed he would bent a bit like we would do if we walked in front of our mum or makciks.

I was touched, I thought I should do that - not him. And humbled I was.

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Today.. tomorrow

I played truant at work today. The weekend was so short - with the wedding and its preparation on both Sat and Sun. So come Mon i am just out of steam and need to repucerate (is that correct spelling?), catch my breath and just be myself without a care for a while.

But work just cant escape us, can it? I went to sleep thinking about data and came awake to the horror of interfaces being incomplete.. Leaving kekusutan ofis di ofis is so easier said than done.

Ilyas asked me why I am not in the office (on his way out to the movies). Malas was my reply. But the word caught me - I never hear my mum saying malas about going to work all those years ago. And she worked till she was 55 anyway..

Eirfan was surprised to see me at home when he came back from school. He asked why i am not in the office - and I said mama tak sihat hari ni. Better I thought, when I heard my own reply. When the others asked the same question, I said tak sihat...

That is today - it is dusk already.. which means the end of a nice day at home. Tomorrow is a new day, it must be better than today. Have a lot of issues to settle in the office, may Allah help me and make things easy please.

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When Lights Go On

Went for a wedding the other day - it rained just when the happy couple got out of the car on their arrival.. murah rezeki kut la. But the bunga rampai got drenched in the crystal bowl - so did yours truly while attempting to sambut the pengantin and whilst melayan pengantin makan.. After the hustle and bustle of the kenduri died down, we left for Penang at almost 7pm.

On previous trips to the island for so many years, we always visited Padang Kota and have pasembor and rojak sotong and kerang bakar and sotong bakar etc etc by the sea. And played kite at the nearby field at mid-nite - Eirfan was four then I think and he loved it (so did I).

But on our most recent trip we found out the eating place was upgraded. Instead of shady trees and impromptu stalls and tables, proper gerai are bulit there. Gone is the quaint eating place with its own unique character (cool trees and crows and crow droppings nevertheless) and now the place just look like any other gerai (except for the sea of course). So on that last trip I said I dont think I want to visit Padang Kota anymore.

But on this trip we return to Penang because we found a new appeal in the pearl island.. the lights. If you are ever in the island, try taking the ferry to / from there instead the bridge and make the trip at dusk or at night. You'll love seeing the day turns into night as the sun sets and lights are gradually turned on the liners, cruise ships, boats, bridge and on the mainland and island. It is beautiful. It is even more beautiful at dusk compared to night time.

On our last trip the traffic was horrendous - maybe due to the school holidays but it was worth the trip with the ferry ride.

Believe me, you must try the ferry at dusk.

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Not So Blue Monday After All..

I am contented - managed to get home not too late today. Had dinner - at home on a working day for once! - & helped Eirfan with his revision (without losing my patience..)

Also managed to get onto the internet and do this post. Had time for Anuar Zain's Mungkin also, to boot (my newest fave). Which reminds me I never did blog out the oh-so-memorable mother's day dinner with Anuar Zain's performance.. Maybe I will one of these not-so-fine days..

Oops.. the laundry's done - what can I say, I am a very busy working mum..

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Mixed Feelings

I notice my update to the blog is getting less frequent by the day. This evening I am waiting for a friend to share the ride home - left my car at home today.

I am blessed - had managed to take a couple days off this school break to attend my nephew's wedding and on the way managed to stop at mum's.

She looks older by the day especially after the scare of a stroke recently. Cant stand so much, cook or tend to her beloved plants as much these days. & prefers to sit and just rest her weary old bones she said. Sedih la..

But she still has her itik nila and angsa (that makes the loudest noise ever!) and ayam serama and ayam belanda, ayam mutiara, ayam kampung and ayam telur. & she still takes care of her house like she has years more to live. Recently she changed the bidai at the open dining area and planted red palms over the pagar. Never say never - that's mum.

I will miss her.

*****