Working weekend at PD - Day 3

I slept at around 4 a.m. before waking up about 6.30 a.m. It wasn't that I couldn't sleep, but rather I was finalising my slides for my talk at 8 o'clock.

My talk started about 15 minutes late, as some of the staff thought that the session would begin at 8.30 a.m. Anyway, the talk went pretty well, methinks.

As soon as I finished my talk, I checked out and drove back to Kuala Lumpur. I didn't spend much time on the beach, much less dipping in the waters of Port Dickson throughout my 3 days here. After all, this WAS a working weekend. And I managed to get quite a bit done...

...not that it'd make any difference if I were to be in Kuala Lumpur.

So, farewell Port Dickson. Till next time (whenever that will be).

Working weekend at PD - Day 2

The second day in Port Dickson is a full day for the staff. I don't think there's actually any chance for anyone to savour the sight, smell and sound of the (in)famous and popular beach of Port Dickson.

While the staff was attending the course, a group of us - the executive chairman, the two executive directors, the programme manager and the administrative and financial director - had a separate meeting discussing on the way forward for the organisation. I would say it was a fruitful meeting and hopefully this endeavour would bear its fruits in the coming months.

After the meeting of the "council of elders", I spent the afternoon preparing for the talk I'm giving tomorrow morning to the staff, while the evening was spent together with the staff in the course.

As a side note, during the course, we had to do a personality test to identify our strengths and weaknesses. I have done a lot of personality tests before, and the result from this latest one very much confirmed the results from previous tests. To summarise, I am introverted and unique; able to read what is in between the lines; logical; and, systematic and careful. I'd say these descriptions are pretty much accurate.

I hope that my talk tomorrow will go well. Come to think of it, this will be the first time that I am speaking to every staff member since they came on board earlier this year. Let's hope my message gets across loud and clear.

Working weekend at PD - Day 1

I think it must have been 4 or 5 years since I last came to Port Dickson. While Port Dickson may still be very popular with tourists, it's not really a place I like to spend my weekend at.

Nonetheless, here I am at Port Dickson beginning today till Sunday. We're conducting a course for the staff here.

Port Dickson is very much like what I remember it to be. Not much has changed since my last visit. Hopefully the sound of the waves could rejuvenate my otherwise exhausted self.

Omedetou gozaimasu

Omedetou gozaimasu - that's Japanese for congratulations.

This congratulatory posting is somewhat overdue.

Firstly, to my PhD supervisor who is also my mentor and sensei, Professor Datin Dr Azizan Baharuddin on the occasion of her inaugural lecture at the Universiti Malaya last Friday. I was there in attendance to lend my support as well as to learn and pick up a thing or two from her lecture entitled "Empiricising Spirituality and Spiritualising Science: Harmonising Science and Religion for Sustainability". The lecture was captivating and awe-inspiring. And indeed, I learnt many things from the lecture.

Last but not least, my heartiest congratulations to newlyweds, Azdi and Farah, who tied the knot last week. I attended the kenduri hosted by Farah's family in Ipoh last Sunday. I wish them both all the happiness and very best in their lives as husband and wife. You can read about their wedding story on their own wedding website here.

My kryptonite

Everyone has a weakness.

Superman has kryptonite.

Me? One of my weaknesses is books. I can't stop myself if I see books on display on shelves. I sometimes lose control when I go to book fairs. If I pass a bookshop, I will have to stop. And more often than not, I'll buy one or two titles at least. I can spend hours at Kinokuniya or MPH Mid Valley or the library of Universiti Malaya.

My shelves at the office could no longer house all the books I have. My workstation at home is also running out of space for the books I bought as well as those I borrowed from the library.

At least, my consolation is, my weakness is actually something beneficial. Sometimes I feel my brain is like a sponge trying to absorb all the things I read. If Superman becomes weak after exposure to kryptonite, I feel "stronger" after reading books.

Perhaps, it's not a weakness after all.

Source of the problems

I know I have been silent for quite a while. During this period, quite a bit has happened. One of which, we finally nailed down the "culprit" behind the problems that we have been facing at the office.

And the source of most of the woes is the roof.

The inaccessible entrance was due to rainwater from the roof sipping into the electronic chip of the entrance system.

The Level 3 blackout took place because of rainwater from the roof sipping into the electrical wiring.

The flooded floor was - you guessed it - because water from the tank on the roof overflooded and caused flooding on the building.

The shattered glass incident was due to the way the roof of the building was designed. The weight of the roof was in actual effect forced on the walls of the building inside. This resulted in increased pressure on the glass wall. It was a matter of time before any of the glass shattered.

The leaking ceiling in the Executive Chairman's office was just another testament of the shoddy workmanship of the building in particular the roof.

We have appointed a professional engineer to assess and come up with a report of the shoddy roof. Once we obtain the full report, we will forward a formal complaint to the developer. Should our complaint falls on deaf ears, we will resort to other means to ensure that the roof is repaired.

I spoke to some of the other tenants here. And some of them too are facing problems with the roof. I guess the problem is not unique only to our building. Nonetheless, I feel that the developer should not brush off the problem, as it is their responsibility to ensure that the building was built as it should be according to the plans.

With regards to the so-called "mysteries", as Tigger always say at the end of each episode of "My Friends Tigger and Pooh", "This mystery is history."

Gabanesque busy

I remember back during my school days, whenever someone was extremely busy, the phrase that would be used was "busy tahap Gaban" which literally means "Gaban-level or Gabanesque busy". For those not in the know, Gaban is a Japanese character introduced in the 1980s. More on Gaban - or Gavan - here.

Lately, whenever someone asked about my lack of blogging or absence from the cyberworld, I would casually reply, "I am very busy - even more than Gaban."

Frankly, that is how I feel these days. But at the end of the day, I am thankful that I still have a lot of things to do.

First in last out

It has been increasingly difficult for me to find the time to blog these past few weeks. My workload has increased extraponentially. I would be the first in the office, usually just before sunrise, and most times, I am the last one to leave, some time between 8 and 9 p.m. Back at home, after my children are asleep, I would continue my work till about 3 a.m.

It is tiring, I admit, for I really miss my sleep and rest. And to a certain extent, stressful. But the weird thing is, I find all this satisfying and rewarding.

Most of the things that I have to do involve writing and reading. And to write and read, I require the right kind of environment. Writing and reading may sound trivial to some, but I can assure you, not everyone can do these as a living.

Money story

I apologise for the long silence. My excuse is, as usual, predictable. The last couple of months of the year looks set to be hectic with a lot of things happening and need to be taken care of.

Anyway, I'd like to share a story I heard earlier this morning, which brought a smile to my face.

A husband was driving his wife to a place for her to attend an official function. Usually the wife would drive to her workplace, but since she was unfamiliar with the place that she had to go to that morning, her husband offered to send her (and would pick her up later that afternoon). This, by the way, was not the first time that the husband sent the wife to work.

In the car, the wife reminded the husband to take note of the mileage. The husband asked, "Can you claim mileage when you're not using your own car?"

The wife retorted, "It'd be a waste not to claim. After all, you're driving me to the place where I have to perform an official duty. So, it's only fair that I claim the mileage."

The husband kept quiet, but thought to himself, "How come I never see the money that was claimed before whenever I send her for official duty outside the office?"

Good question.

Expensive help

Maids or domestic helpers are virtually a must these days for Malaysians, especially in big cities where both husband and wife work. Unfortunately, it is difficult nay, impossible, for us to find local helpers. Most locals prefer to work in factories where the pay is better - and really, this is only logical.

As such, we have to resort to foreign helpers especially from Indonesia. I was surprised therefore, when I was told this morning that the cost of hiring a maid has sky-rocketed if we use agencies. Of course, the alternative is to source for the helpers ourselves, and take care of all the bureaucratic procedures on our own. That way, we can reduce the cost.

For me, I prefer agencies for two reasons. Firstly, I find the process of sourcing for maids and applying for their permits a bit tedious. I know this is a sorry excuse, but I just don't have the patience for this sort of thing. Secondly, and more importantly, most agencies train their maids for two months before they are hired. The training involves a lot of things such as familiarising themselves with Bahasa Malaysia, hands-on training in taking care after babies and infants, using electrical appliances common in Malaysia, etc.

From my personal experience, the training is a lot of help when the helpers come to work for their employers. Miscommunication and the time taken for them to settle down into their jobs are greatly reduced.

However, because of perceived bad treatment that the Indonesian helpers receive in Malaysia, and because of the lure of higher wages in other countries such as Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia, most Indonesians prefer to work in these countries. This resulted in lack of manpower supply for domestic helpers to Malaysia. Even when they want to come to this country, they prefer to work as restaurant helpers, cleaners, factory workers and construction workers - where the freedom is greater.

I was told this morning that it now costs RM8,000 to get a helper through an agency, and their monthly wage is now RM600. So, for a two-year contract, an employer would have to fork out nearly RM20,000 for one domestic helper.

If we were to spread this over two years, that would come to about RM833. Wouldn't an SPM holder want to work with this wage (accomodation and meals included)?

Long Tuesday

With so many things happening around the same time, I feel like I'm coming down with something. Hopefully, it's just exhaustion. At this point in time, I can't afford to be ill. The year's end seems to be the busiest so far.

Today has been a long day (and it's not over yet). It's nearly a quarter to six in the afternoon as I write this. We had just finished an in-house course for our staff here. And somehow I feel so tired. I have another discussion at 6 o'clock.

The good thing about being kept busy is that you're always on your feet. The only thing is that you'll have to ensure that you get enough rest and that your health is not affected.

I am so tired and sleepy at the moment, and can't wait to go home.