The year, so far..

At the point of typing this, I'm still unsure if I'd like to blog in BM or in English. I've just read a blog post that reminds me how much I think in English, even when doing tasks in the Malay Language.

Now, to start of this posting, I shall have to take the year to begin some time near Christmas for that part of the year has just a little something extra, not in spirit but in event.

When I first went to the office, the boss, Joe, immediately invited me over to his house for a Christmas lunch. Back then, I wasn't even sure if I would be in Malaysia for the event seeing how driven the rest of us were (well, there's only three - Joe, Hamdan and I) on moving to Doha. The project seemed almost ready for delivery that we had to prepare our proposal post-haste (thank you dictionary for the spell and translation check!).

As it turned out, I managed to last the month without packing my stuff for the long-term overseas trip as we had to make adjustments for the later-than-intended delivery of the project. So go I did to Melaka's Taman Tasik something, located next to Bukit Beruang housing area for the lunch. This has to be only the second time in 30++ years of my life that I went to a Christian's house on Christmas Day. The only other would be over 20 years ago, to my neighbour's in Bangsar. They were the Sabaratnams with Mister, Missus, Miss Jane and their sausage dog whose name I forgot. Except for Jane, I don't really know their names but I bet my parents do.

The house that we lived in while in Bangsar was said to have a guardian in it, the truth I know not about but frequently have vibes that there's something or someone else there. That house was also once the neighbour to Datin Sri Tiara's dancing class/school/house. Khalisah was a cute little 1 year old (maybe less) when Tiara conducted her classes there.

So, Christmas lunch consisted of three types of gravy for the turkey and mutton, white rice, more mutton and some other Malaccan dishes. Joe's American but he married into a Portuguese family, thus the decision to live in Melaka.

The end of the year is as usual filled with holidays and (as an excuse :P) that resulted in me being rather immobile. We've concluded our proposal and financial reports and were just waiting to get it printed, bounded and sent to the other party.

I also had the opportunity to be with the alumni of Adni (where I *cough*cough* occasionally serve as an unofficial advisor) during their get-to-know-the-new-alumni-members session in Janda Baik. Photos are in Khalisah's Facebook account. She's the cam savvy, my time has passed. I didn't do much apart from being the usual unofficial official driver and for that day, barbequer of uncooked meats.

Went out with AJ, Ridza, Abeb on the eve of new year and managed to see the fireworks fire from four different locations while driving on MRR2. It was a pretty sight that wasn't captured on camera. MRR2 became an instant parking lot that night.

I started the gregorean new year with nausea after the long night that started with a mixed grill at Westerns Cafe (I kid you not, that's how they spell it) in Cheras. There was also some slight fever and some sense of being unwell but after many water bottles of water and lots of rest, I recovered.

I was unable to see Abeb off that Friday because my boss called for a meeting. Fridays are usually our day off because Joe doesn't work on Friday. I managed to reach Abeb's cell and spoke for a while. That Friday, we printed and bound our proposals, getting it ready for Joe's trip to Dubai on the 8th. As it turned out, Joe fell sick and wasn't able to go. It's now postponed to the 20th.

We'll be having a barbeque at home today. I am, again, in charge of the grilling :) Tu sebab tunggu hunter balik bawak kambing.. kalau hunter balik bawak ikan, makan ikan bakar je la, hehe.. :)

Oh, are you on facebook? If you are, do add me.

Until an updated future posting, do take care and have a wonderful weekend!

A happy happy new Hijrah year, everyone!

Be a nobody in Malaysia OR be a somebody elsewhere?

The post that Dina Zaman wrote was forwarded to me by a Malaysian living and working in the UAE. I don't really know the person but we could have met in one occasion or another. We have a mailing list for Malaysians in UAE but that's another story.

I wondered, after reading Dina's posting: Why do I want to work abroad? I felt people who has it alright here but still decide to uproot their families abroad for whatever reasons are rather selfish but hey, am I not one of them as well? I guess I am. That's why I wondered, why?

In conversations I have with friends, I put it down to simple "it's a fairer world out there" because of the concept of meritocracy. Well yeah, being expatriates, the locals have nothing else to compare with apart from merit and credentials. In my own country, there'd be "Which political party do you support", "You're with company XYZ so you shouldn't be caught mingling with people who are of the opposite camp", "Sorry, but the other guy is backed by such and such a person (who of course is a 'someone' in politics)" and the worst I've known (for a fact) is "Hey, this other guy submitted a proposal priced at RM such and such with strong technical submission. You might want to edit your submission."

Life's very unfair in this place I call my country. "But you're Bumi, how can that be?" Asked a friend. Like it or not, there may be MANY opportunities for the Son of the Land or Bumiputras, not all are among the privileged few who would benefit simply because they are not connected.

Now Why, still?

I've worked with some Americans, Phillipinoes, Indians, Arabs, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Chinese and not to forget Malays in the past. I see that no matter where you work you'll still be ranked on a certain social ladder due to your country of origin, education, colour of skin to name a few. Malaysians are the more favoured Asians in the Mid East primarily due to our former PM's status in the Arab world, his policies and marketing prowess. Some earlier Arabs who had the opportunity of working with Malaysians also had good things to say because Malaysians in general are a hardworking bunch of people. Given good academic background, good perception by the locals, it's no surprise that Malaysians are ranked higher than their Asian neighbours who has higher population. Why rest on being lowly 'casted' in my own country when I can be more appreciated in a foreign place?

And then?

My first long-term employment in the MidEast introduced me to the "All You Can" concept only this time it does not involve food nor is it chargeable. The people there were very open to discussions and advises and will let you into just about anything you want yourself to be involved in. There's trust and confidence. They are not afraid of having 'challengers' to their next promotion because merit is all it's about. "We're starting a new department to manage xxx for xxx. We're short of engineers and we're wondering if you're interested in the job." I was already an engineer then and declining their offer has no adverse effects on me but the thought that they actually feel I'm able and capable of assuming the additional responsibility made me say yes. Once I did, they didn't save a single Dirham on my training.

The All You Can concept does not end there. There's also all-you-can-procure (as long as it's budgeted). You don't have to limit your budget to show a saving of XYZ Dirham at the end of the year. It's just logical. If you have an approved budget Dh2M for sustainence and maintenance, why should you cut down any of them? It's not about wasting, it's about buying those things you really need with savings you made from other purchases. It may be as simple as face masks for field workers and tiny screws for light units but when you take care of the people you're responsible after, these people will in turn take care of your interests and deliver high quality work. And you can occasionally push them a little further for ad-hoc tasks. My favourite tagline then was "If I have it, you'll have it."

Is that all?

These are just the simple few experiences I had which seems to be very alien in Malaysia. My two employers after the MidEast were unable to match the extent of confidence given to me by my MidEast employer. I tried to push for a more direct and transparent communication but it's just too clear that they enjoy having this Boss-Subordinate boundary with low accountability on them but high expectations from me. That's not how the ball rolls in my court and although I did enjoy Radicare to a certain extent (hey, I have my own office and workforce!), I knew I just had to leave in order to remain dynamic.

The saddest of all, they are both Malay-owned companies.

It's not that I don't love Malaysia. I'm loving life here but the limitations are just too much. I am not into greasing palms or sucking arses but the current scenario would make me a nobody if I don't do them.

Be a nobody in Malaysia OR be a somebody elsewhere?

Believe it or not, throughout the 2.5 years in UAE, I've never been to Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi or Kuwait. I've spent all my holidays in Malaysia, bringing those UAE Dirhams to Malaysia to be spent in Malaysia. By being abroad, I think I've made Malaysia richer rather than poorer and as little as it may be, that's a contribution I'm proud of. The amount I spent then on a single visit was even more than the amount I paid for income tax for the 12 months of 2006!

When I do go out, it's not because I hate the country but because I love the challenge and exposure outside. I may have to spend a long time away but should I live to experience old age, I will certainly want to spend my last days here, to be rested on Malaysian soil.

For I am only Malaysian.

I Am Muslim

I read a post by Dina Zaman that led to "I Am Muslim".

One sore pointer..

I asked myself this question: How do you know if you've spent a lot of time behind some sort of a keyboard? My answer: You'd not only be able to type not looking at it AND substitute an ailing finger with another.

I had a small cut on my left pointer while being an unofficial butcher along with some 20 other people yesterday. It just couldn't stop dripping even after I dried it up causing me to go look for a first aid kit. Good thing the organisers had a box ready and I patched it up with the ol' skool yellow solution, cotton bud and a new skool 3M tape. It worked, or so I thought. When I removed the wrapping and started using the finger again, the bleeding resumed. Leceh la gini..

I like to use the pointer for typing. It's the most used finger, reaching anywhere from the control, shift, caps lock, tab, escape buttons to Y, G, B. QWERTY keyboard, people. With the pointer healing, I had to make use of the other less used fingers but I realised that it wasn't as difficult that I thought it'd be. I do still occasionally use the pointer which would send some pain signals to my head but that's about all.

All things are created in a team. Lose one and you'll feel the lost almost immediately.

Esok hari raya!

Esok Hari Raya Aidil Adha. Untuk warga di London dan sebahagian dunia yang lain, hari ni dah masuk Aidil Adha. Somehow, there's no celebratory spirit for this Eid. It's not just at our house but I suppose throughout the country. Then again, it's justified, seeing how many parts of the country is submerged with water being more prominent and as if natural 'disaster' is not enough, there's the ongoing restlessness amongst certain parties (not of the political kind) seeking one justice after another. With all that happening, how can one be celebrating?

Our family doesn't have a standard to-do list for Aidil Adha but we have a template for Aidil Fitri. For me, once the prayers are over, I'd go back home for my breakfast/brunch then change then return to the masjid for the korban. I had my first experience last year when Mali invited me. As I got to the masjid then, I just froze, not knowing where to begin, how to start and what to do. By 1pm, I was perspiring, smelling of slaughtered meat, holding a plastic bag full of daging korban and feeling fulfilled. One more experience experienced. Tomorrow, I intend to do the same. Texted Mali earlier tonight and made arrangements for him to fetch me on his was to the masjid.

A herd of 13 cows is a sight to behold.