Rejuvenated in KL

I haven't been sleeping much the last two night. I came down to KL on Thursday evening to attend a cousin's wedding on Friday & Saturday. As I've mentioned before, I feel as though I don't need sleep because it's just refreshing and energetic to be here in my hometown city. I suppose it is true when people say, absence makes the heart grows fonder. I left KL when I was barely out of high school, headed to the UK for A-levels and university. I came back every year during the summer break but I guess it's not the same when you're working compared to when you're studying. There's more opportunity to do things and experience stuff here if you've started working. Lately, I've been contemplating to come back to KL for good. I think it's the best option even though Awi likes to be in Kerteh as she's been comfortable lliving in the house I bought. There are some good things about being in a quiet place like Kerteh but if we have to travel down to KL and Bidor every other month, it kinds of wearies the body and mind. The couple of accidents I encountered recently sort of heightened this line of thinking in my head. Awi advised me to sembahyang istikharah, to seek guidance from Allah, which I will of course. It is a big move and I need to think about Awi as well, as she needs to be get a transfer to KL together with me. There are a thousand things to be done but I believe it is something which we have to do because in the end, I just don't see myself settling down anywhere else.

Of main priority is to find a job in KL. And then for Awi's transfer as well. Then, a place to live, moving stuff down here (which I truly dread!!) but if I don't declare it someplace, then I won't have the commitment to achieve it. So, Insyallah and Good willing, we will try to find a way to get to KL within the next year or so.

Celebrate, good times....come on!!

Let us all sing to the tune of a song I believe to be by Lionel Richie. Hehehe, not that we're partying our socks of in 'Islamic state' of Terengganu but the weather is fairly good and we had our Jamuan Hari Raya at the company today. Seriously, the weather is so like good old London in the past few days except that the rain makes you wet. I'm not kidding you, the rain in London doesn't wet you. I've walked in the rain from my apartment to college which is a good 45 minutes walk and I won't get drenched like I would over here if exposed for just one minute. Someone should do a study of this peculiar phenomenon.

Anyway, it was a rather good affair. I had to become the 'bidan terjun' MC for the event but I suppose I managed to pull it off rather well except that I wasn't properly dressed for the event. Should've worn my baju melayu but it was a last minute thing and I couldn't be bothered to drive all the way to the house to get it. Food was nice, of course. A variety of food which fits the occassion; nasi minyak, lemang, satay and rendang. I'm sure everyone had a good time stuffing themselves to the max. I know a few people at our table who did!!

The whole gang in the department is in today with Am back from his looooooong break. He has so much leave and I'm left with none, nothing, zippy doo dah. Usually, I can carry forward a few days to next year but not this time. You see, I took a lot of leave when Awi was giving birth to Haziq. It's not that I'm complaining but I'm a teeny weeny bit jealous of Am because he has so much leave!!!

Nevertheless, it's good that everyone's (except for this one Sarawakian!!) back here. all safe and sound, raring to work and hopefully at the same time, have fun. We need to enjoy our work and in this God-foresaken place, what else is there to do?

A better maintained nation

It finally stopped raining yesterday evening after an almost continuous downpour since the weekend. If I'm not mistaken, these downpour which occured for days and causing floods in several areas happened every year around this time. It's the monsoon, if I remember correctly from my Geography days, is Monsoon Timur Laut (North-East). Each year we'll hear of houses being flooded and mud-filled, of people getting stranded on the road because certain sections had water level coming up. It's all the same stories and you'd wonder why is it that with all the technology and knowledge that we have, we couldn't do something to avoid or prevent such occurrences from happening. Yesterday during the heavy rain, I heard the authorities in Paka was digging up a pathway for the excess water to flow back into the sea or something like that. By right, we don't have to take up corrective actions like this while the problem is happening. It should be done during the hot season when it is easier to work rather than while water was splashing all over the place.

I really, really hope that we can learn from all these. The new leadership of Malaysia, well the head anyway, has been promoting better maintenance, integrity in our life and improved services. His foot soldiers (the ministers) were recently talking the same talk as the new boss is, understandably. Well, talking is easy and it will take more than hot air to change the mindset of a whole nation. Hell, to change a mindset of a department and company would take years and it's uncertain whether it will be successful or not after putting in millions of ringgit.

I'm totally for the new direction that the leadership is heading. I just hope that there would be longer lasting effects than just visits to government agencies and showing up at disaster areas. But politicians being politicians.......well, time will tell.

Monsoon season is here!!

Brrr, it's so cold here in the office today. Am and Wan haven't come back from Raya break yet. The boss is here, by the way. Whatever it is, I'm glad to be safely back in Kerteh after the long drive yesterday. I was quite anxious before the drive because firstly, I was thinking about the heavy traffic. Secondly, heavy rain had struck the East Coast non-stop and in some places flooding has started. It was quite a weird drive actually. We pushed off from Bidor around 10.30 in the morning. There were many cars on the highway but no traffic jams. Reached KL within 1.5 hours. Really wished we're living in KL, driving back and fro to Bidor will be such a walk in the park. But noo, we have to pushed eastwards towards Gombak and Karak highway. The weather was still good and sunny and we made good time. There were a lot of cars on the other lane, coming towards KL from the East Coast states. I tried to be extra careful and be on the lookout for people making illegal 'potong'.

Once reaching Kuantan, only then it all began. Dark clouds, rain pelting down by the buckets. But still there wasn't at any time that we came to a standstill, unlike those on the other lane. Pity them. My sister's fiancee was driving down from KT with his family at that time. Wondered what time they reached KL last night?

Anyway, we were back home safe and sound. A bit wet and tired but safe, nevertheless. Safety has become such a major thing for me now, especially road safety. It is the one thing that you spend most time in a day doing and of which is the riskiest. It's a dangerous thing, do take note of it. You can be the most careful driver in the world but someone can still drive his/her vehicle into yours. I need to limit these long distance driving because I have a family to look after now and I never, never want to be responsible for causing hurt to them in any way.

So, the plan is put into motion now, hopefully, there'll be some progress to ensure of it's implementation. Can't say much yet, I'll update them here whenever possible.