Sabah-negeri di bawah bayu

Yes here I am in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Been here for third day.
Journey here, 2 and a half hour flight...someone recognised me, the air steward who is the husband of my former school's teacher. Wow, small world.

Its cool here, been raining in the afternoons, somehow, being in the meeting room all day and night, we certainly apprecaite the sun...yesterday, managed to go into town in the evening for a couple of hours, transport courtesy of the branch office. Was taken to Jamilah's and the Filipino market. Helped to 'menjana ekonomi' there as they say.

KK has grown from the last time I was here in 2007. This year I was in Kundasang and Sandakan. Still the hospitality is great from the hosts, our branch office and the meeting has progressed well.

Thank goodness for wifi and the internet. Able to check on the office, and be ol with my kids.
What would we do without it.? What would we all do without it?

So far from home, yet near cos' we can get news from home anywhere...Permatang Pauh election...yes we got the news just as it came on...so Datuk Anwar won, so what next? More upheavals...more politiking...more slanders...more sensational news...we are tired of it...lets get some work done. The BPR seems to be busy, good job. The AG-office seems busy too. Our police force, constantly on the go...life goes on, as we should. Life is just too short for us to keep on harping on the same old things, we need to work together now for the sake of our younger generations, the political scenario has changed, so what... so be it... the only constant thing in life is change...move forward else we'll be swept under the winds of change...

Keep moving...

LOVE-CHANCE-WORK-CHOICE

No one falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE..
No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK.


So aptly put and so meaningful.

Yes, when we were young, we fall in and out of love so often we didn’t what to make of it..call it love at first ke…crush…infactuation ke…whatever.. then lo and behold, we meet someone who displays exceptional ‘husband material’ in our eyes and decide ‘that’s the guy I want to marry, that’s the guy I want to be father of my babies, that’s the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with…’
Yes, who knows who we meet along the journey of life.

“No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance”.

Yes they say, love knows no barriers, young, old, ugly, beautiful, fat, thin people whatever, all have fallen in and out of love before…given the chance. We happen to meet and we happen to click…simple as that. Some say, we didn’t choose to, but we happen to meet and by chance we fell in love…
Ah love…its such a wonderful word…a wonderful feeling…chances are when one is in love, everything else is blurred, you see nothing you don’t want to see, you forget all else around you and your whole life is centred on that one person you are in love with…or think you are. It is not by choice, the feelings are so strong, it is there…it is by chance you meet, God has planned it this way, so be it.

“No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK”

Yes, boy does it need good work to keep the love going.
Yes, you had your chance to fall in love, now work to keep it together, warts and all, flaws and all…don’t look at the negatives…look for the positives, how did you meet…what made him ‘husband material/father material’ earlier? Look at how much you’ve shared, how far you’ve come together, the kids have come along…cant be that bad…yes, there are times you wished for other things to happen, but hey, nothing comes easy…you got to work at it to keep it together. Who says work is easy, ‘hard work never killed anyone’, someone said. So work on keeping the loving relationship going.

I do admit, sometimes, you don’t want it to work anymore, as you think you have met someone else by chance and you are in love with this new person, you are tired of all the mundane living day by day, you want to break out, try something different, do something for yourself…leave the daily rumdrums of life behind, all the problems that creep up…kids, family…hey who said life was easy! And yes, you do have to work to keep the love there…its hard but at the end of the day, it’s worth it.

“And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE”

Yes, life is difficult if you see it one way, but it depends on you. I have spoken on choices before. “The grass is always greener on the other side”. “The road not taken…” Can’t speak for all the partnerships that break up, again yes it is by choice. I am sure when a relationship doesn’t work out, be in girlfriend-boyfriend or husband-wife, a lot of thought has gone into it, consultations, meetings, negotiations, fights, make-up, counseling, …a choice has to be made, to keep it together or go separate ways. No easy matter but sadly has to be done to keep everyone sane and limit the heart-rendering cry-outs and emotional upheavals.
Yes, choices of keeping the love together or falling out of love…the choice is yours. Don’t spend too much time on your choice, time waits for no man, cos as surely as I am writing this, people are falling in and out of love at this very moment.

Fall in love by chance- great
Work to keep the love together-good luck.
Fall out of love – choice is yours.

Cest la vie.
24.8.2008

30,000 feet above sea-level

14 August 2008
Yes, I am writing this high up among the clouds. You guessed it, I’m on way to yet another one of my meetings around the country. Only this week has been rather hectic. Monday evening I was in Kuantan, Pahang to address and open a course for management representatives, quality managers and Lead auditors of our state branch officers. I also managed attending a full day of the course with the participants before I went back to the KL office for a couple of meetings on Wednesday. Then I was off in the evening to Port Dickson to officiate and meet new auditors of the state branch offices. I also spent the night there. Today, I am off and and on a flight to Alor Setar to attend a HQ meeting for sector heads. I will be in Kedah till Saturday. Yes indeed, I envisage a few more days of discussion and decisions being made and the its back to what’s left of the weekend.

Down to earth…so where goes the family this week. Well, I will not be able to visit my parents at my brother’s place. Last time I saw them was Saturday. Normally if I was in HQ, I could drop by after work. That will have to wait till Saturday or Sunday. Then there’s my daughter in NUS Singapore. Well, we do keep in touch through sms, phone, online chats… That will have to do till we meet up again either in JB or Spore or if she decides to come to to KL. Then there are the other two younger kids, they have their own plans for the coming holidays next week with their friends that do not include their ‘old parents’. But then again from Thursday to Sunday, I will be away again to Jempol, Negeri Sembilan for the Karnival Pembestarian Sekolah organized by BTP on behalf of the Ministry of Education. Yes another weekend given to the organization, so wherein lies commitment to the family, well guess I have to juggle my weekdays next week and jive in with my husband’s schedule….
The week ending August is already committed. Have a meeting on Monday 25, BTP’s Perhimpunan Bulan Ogos on Tuesday with the Deputy Director General of Education, then in the evening off to BTPN Sabah for a meeting with all Management Representatives (Wakil Pengurusan) dan Quality Managers till the 29th before their respective internal audits in their own states.
Great.. the month will end with the Merdeka weekend.
Yes friends will gather as we do yearly at our dear friend Sabri’s house for yet another Merdeka celebration on the 31 of August. It’s a Sunday so Monday as day off will be well-received by all especially me!
Thank God its Sunday.
Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Cheers.

Appalled by lack of security at KLIA!

On Saturday, 26 July, I sent my daughter to KLIA to catch the 4.35pm plane (Jetstar) to Singapore.
It was about 3.30pm when I saw her go through the immigration counter and waved goodbye.
Later I was to learn of her horrifying experience. As she went through the metal detector and x-ray machines before going into the departure hall, she put her handbag and laptop/document bag through the machines. The bell sounded as she wore a metallic belt. There were security around and she was given a body check. Once done, couldn’t been more than a couple of minutes, she turned to get her things and they were gone! Yes her handbag and laptop bag. She panicked and asked the security for her things. Nobody seemed to know where her things were or who took them. Mind you, her wallet, hand phone and personal items were in her bag and her precious documents and laptop in the other.
The poor girl was so horrified and yet security could not help. Her presence of mind told her that an Arab family before her could have taken her things. She quickly searched for the family with a security in tow. And lo and behold, she found the family and yes, you guessed it, they had her things. A quick check and her things were still safe in her bags, the family said sorry and that was it. The security just stood by and did not say a word. I should have thought the proper thing would be to haul the family up, and detain them for questioning. Is it so simple as mistakenly taking my daughter’s bags or were they stealing them from under the noses of security.
My daughter was so glad she got her things back and happy to be able to board the plane to Singapore. I wonder if security reported this incident to their bosses. KLIA should review the CCTV recording and view what happened and make sure that when our things go through the x-ray machines or metal detector, they are safe and returned to the correct owners. When we are stopped and given a body check, we have to turn our backs and leave our things out of sight for a few minutes. If security cannot safeguard our things for those few minutes what is the point of putting so many people there. At least 5-6 officers are on duty there. I myself have gone through the similar machines so many times but I guess I was lucky. I wonder if this has happened to others. I am sure this is not the first case, neither will it be the last by the look of things.
Please investigate how it could have happened because I shudder to think what could have happened to my daughter had she lost all her precious belongings. Many of my friends and relatives are appalled at this lack of security when I told them our story. The ‘tak tahu’ attitude has to change and lack of taking charge of the problem has to be addressed. The family should have been hauled in for questioning to plead their innocence. Even if I wanted to give them the benefit of a doubt, my sixth sense tells me how can anyone take two bags which do not belong to them by mistake!
Perhaps KLIA should not only check for metallic objects, drugs and kinds of liquid, you should also look out for “dangerous humans” and potential thieves!
My intention of bringing this to your attention is to request that you to beef up your security personnel to be more alert, know what to do and do the right thing but mostly to warn others of this experience so others can be aware that it happens. I am glad my daughter got her things back. She was so lucky, what if the family had boarded their plane, so many what ifs… and I thought taking a plane was safer than taking a bus!

(An edited version appeared in The Star on 31 Julai 2008.)

50 at last on July 19

It's been a while... so much water has gone under the bridge as they say...its been more than a month, what happened, wah, plenty I say.

Let's see...went through a big oral exam, my eldest daughter got into NUS and has since registered at the School of Medicine, my birthday came and went albeit none too quietly.

Lots of big events in my life...time flies.
I would like to remember some of the occasions that took place the past month or so...
- my mum has got better, enough to return to her hometown for two weeks, she got back today.
- we celebrated her 77 birthday on July 15, in karaoke style, it was fun!
- I didnt do well in my oral QE, have to resubmit my proposal... that would take me another 6 months or so I think to get ready, stay focus and remian positive
- I felt the empty nest syndrome as my daughter left for NUS, I still have two more at home to roost...
- my work duties and schedules remain unsettled though there's peace for the time being, there's talk I would be moving sectors, I remain the ever obedient servant...
- my staff , ever so dear and supporting, moving mountains so to speak, instead of the molehills that one is used to,
- my birthday celebrations with my relative who turned 58 years but still looks great. It was fun having closed ones to celebrate your birthday with, I would have loved to have more friends in but the numbers and venue just didnt permit...

Yes, folks, 50 at last.
My colleaque said to me, "Age is just a number, you are actually 18 plus 32 years of experience in it', yet another preferred to call it 32 years of wisdom, call it what you like, but 18 sounds great, the rest of the years sound wonderful too, experience, wisdom, remember the joys, happiness, the sorrows as well, the disappointments, the positives, we have to move on .
I am getting used to the fact that 'there is no more change left' (Chinese saying), that I need to remain healthy to look and feel good, I need to maintain a strict diet and not let myself go beserk over certain foods (like kueh chap, mee rebus...), that I need to plan ahead and put some organisation in my busy world thus far, that I can do things my way if I set my mind to it.

Till the next time...