Road Trip To Penang

Last Saturday, I went on a road trip to Penang with my closest girlfriends. It was a day trip which involved less than 24 hours. And I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.

It all started when Zuec was having a bit of a depression. She was working and staying in Penang. But she had wanted to move back to the Klang Valley since the day she got her baby. And her baby is now 8 months old. But yet, she still couldn’t get a job in the Klang Valley. She was upset. She was sad. She missed her parents, sister and us, her friends. So I threw in an idea to Pah and Yamm, “Why don’t we go and visit Zuec in Penang? We could go there for a weekend. Take leave on the Friday before and stay in a hotel in Penang”. But none of us could agree on a suitable date, what being busy with other personal commitments or so. And suddenly Pah came out with this brilliant idea, “This may sound crazy but I want to propose it anyway. I’ve done this many times and I think we should do it too. Why don’t we make it a day trip? We go early in the morning, and leave in the early evening. It’d be fun and we don’t have to wait for a few more weeks to do it. We could just do it this weekend”. The idea was so fun and tempting that we decided to go on with it.

I told Bie about it (I still needed to get my hubby’s consent. After all, I was going to have to leave them in KL. This road trip involves just us girls), and Alhamdulillah, Bie gave his consent (phhieeww..). I was all set and excited. So were Pah and Yamm. So last Friday, they came over and slept at my house. And at 4.15am on Saturday morning, we woke up, ever so excited, to get ready for the travel to Penang. At 5.15am, we left the house.

Though it was still very early in the morning, you’d be surprised at the number of cars on the road. And to make matters worse, just before we reached Batu Caves, we had to slow down a bit because an accident just happened, involving two cars. One was at the side of the road whereas the other one was overturned in the middle of the road. It was scary and I really hoped that there were no casualties. But that sight did give me a shudder. So we sort of reminded ourselves not to drive too fast or be reckless.

The road trip started well. The radio was faulty, but we didn’t mind. We were talking and talking, laughing and laughing, slapping at each other, giggling like school girls… it was fun. We talked about a lot of things. Things that are happening in our lives, talked about other dear friends who couldn’t make it to this trip, got ourselves worked up over some other friends, and we just talked about everything and anything and it was wonderful. I love these girls. Pah and Yamm.. we go a long way. We were doing our A-Levels in Shah Alam together, we went to the UK together (same course, same university), and we were neighbours during the first year there. And I was always over at their house. So yeah, we’re like sisters (I love saying that because I have none). And though we have aged a bit (just a bit, not a lot), we still felt like those silly girls 10 years ago. And Zuec shares this special bond. So that’s why when we heard the call for help, we dropped everything and tried to be there for Zuec.

We reached the Penang bridge at 9.30am. Pah couldn’t stop smiling. We were singing an Ella song which we listened from my phone, and laughing because we were excited to be on the bridge. As we made our way towards Jelutong, I caught the same smile on Pah’s face. God, this girl – was she like smiling all the way from the bridge? It was funny. We called Zuec’s husband to tell him that we were already there. And in the lift, whilst going to the 18th floor, Pah was still smiling! Imagine that.

I knocked on the window. No answer. I knocked again. Zuec’s husband opened the door. We were disappointed. We wanted Zuec to open the door. But as we tried to say something to Lan, Zuec rushed over to the door and slammed it in our faces. What the..?? Is this what we get for trying to give a surprise to her? Within less than a minute, Lan opened the door while holding baby Huda in his arms and said, “Zuec is getting dressed”, and opened the door for us to come in. A short while after that, Zuec walked out of her room, obviously surprised that we were actually there, sitting in her living room. She told us to sit down for a while, as she wanted to take a shower. And 10 minutes after that, she was sitting down with us still trying to understand how we got to be in her living room. It was hilarious. She thought we were going to stay overnight and when she learnt that we were not and that we were going to return to KL later that evening, she wasn’t very happy. Even Lan tried to coax us into staying the night. But we couldn’t. I couldn’t leave my kids and Bie. So we told her that we would keep her company and not be upset. We told her to just have fun and make the best of it.

We only left her house around noon. Lan took us to Line Clear Nasi Kandar. I was really worried about the guy that was going to get our rice for us. He was just using his hands. Luckily mine used a spoon (although he just grabbed a piece of chicken using his hands). Let’s just say that I love Penang. I love the food. After the rice, I had a cendol. Not as equally nice as the one in Kuala Pilah. But, it was alright.

Next Zuec took us to the market because I wanted to buy jeruk. I love the jeruk there. Especially these green seedless cherries. I bought quite a few jeruk. Even though I know that by the end of the day, I will be the only one eating them. But who cares. We were in Penang. It isn’t right to not buy any jeruk at the market there.

Then we went to Hard Rock Penang. Bie wanted a shot glass to add to his collections of Hard Rock and Planet Hollywood shot glasses. I love the hotel. And I vowed to return so that I can stay there. The pool was huge and I know that my children would love it.

Then we went for ABC at Batu Feringgi and returned to town to buy pasembor. We didn’t eat there. We brought it home with us because it was time to return to Kuala Lumpur. It was already past 5pm and we didn’t want to return too late. But Zuec had this plan to go to Green Bay for a drive and a laksa. We didn’t get any laksa, but had barbeque chicken wings instead. Gosh.. the foods I ate. I think I have to start fasting next week.

We went back to Zuec’s place, freshen up a bit so that it wouldn’t be so tiring to travel back and said our goodbyes. Zuec was clearly upset. We were upset. The day had ended. It was time to go back. So we hugged Zuec, kissed her baby Huda and waved goodbyes. It was 7pm.

The trip back wasn’t as cheerful as the trip going to Penang. And I suppose, with all the excitement reduced to something calmer, we noticed that the Penang bridge was actually longer. Well, we didn’t realize it when we entered Penang that morning. We talked about a lot of things still. Yeah, we talked a lot. Reminiscing about the past was something that we liked to do as well. Out came the names of past boyfriends and admirers. Those guys that gave you flowers during college, or those that sent you home after a dinner in town, the long distance relationship that didn’t work out, the love that some of us may or not may find, the things that we regretted but we know we can never go back to, and the list goes on and on. So yeah, the trip back was full of serious matters – involving love, hope and loss.

We reached Jalan Duta at 11pm. And get this, I have to salute Yamm because she drove all the way to Penang and back. About 700km.. her alone. We told her that we could drive if she was tired, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on driving and Alhamdulillah, we got back safely. I bet she was tired. Kudos, Yamm..!!

I got home at 11.30pm or so. The kids were asleep. Bie was still up. I missed him. I really did. He was nice enough to let me go away with my friends for the day and I am truly grateful for that. I changed my clothes into my night dress and went and sit on the sofa with him. He was watching TV. I sat next to him and hugged him, my lips at the back of his shirt. It was such a warm and familiar feeling. Though the trip to Penang was a good one, it was also good to be home.

I noticed that I received messages. I opened them. They were from Yamm and Pah. Both relaying words of love, hugs and kisses. I smiled. As I was about to reply to the messages, I fell asleep.

Eventful Day Yesterday

Work never ends. Even if you finish one task, there’ll always be another task waiting for you. And yesterday involved a lot of juggling in between tasks. From having to finish the AC and Board papers because the papers needed to be circulated to the committee members yesterday evening to having to finish the circular and be an emcee for a signing ceremony in the afternoon.

Yes, we had a signing ceremony yesterday. There was this company owned by Dato’ Seri Effendi Norwawi which wanted to acquire this piece of land we have. And I was the emcee. I tell you, I should be getting paid for doing this. I think I should be in this line. Anyone knows who I can contact for any emcee freelance work? Ooppss.. ‘iklan’, just received an email from a gorgeous lawyer who said that I can buy him lunch… how sweet…!! Hehehehe.. well, this is related to the many tasks I was doing yesterday. I needed his written confirmation on something to appease my boss, otherwise my boss wouldn’t sign the paper and the paper wouldn’t have been circulated yesterday evening. So yeah, the lawyer did me a favour, and naturally, I thanked him, so he asked me to buy him lunch [I’m smiling now..]. He is one VERY good-looking lawyer. Always in his blazer with matching pants. Hhmm.. what should I reply.. something witty. Well, I’ll think about it.

Anyway, about the signing ceremony, yes, Dato’ Seri Effendi was there. In fact, he was one of the signatories. And to my surprise, he is a very short man. And very sweet. Soft-spoken, calm, not like he was going to war or something. And when I was doing the emcee-ing job, he paid his attention to me fully. And smiled once in a while when I said something funny (well, I thought I did say something witty yesterday.. hehehe.. perasan), and I like him. He doesn’t look that old. No wonder Tiara could actually fall for him. He’s a sweetheart. Of course he’s probably like my father’s age, but who cares.. he’s adorable. And I was all ears when he delivered his address yesterday.

The event I think was a success. I got many thumbs up for doing a great job. The company’s head Corporate Communication (CC) thought I was part of the CC department, but I told her that I’m not. And that I was in Corporate Planning, but I sometimes help out our CC department. And she was impressed with me. I didn’t fluster, didn’t look nervous and handled the task quite well. The head of my CC department added that I was identified to be in the Group’s pool of emcees and that I had a natural pace. Of course I like all the compliments and was beaming from ear to ear. In fact, I couldn’t get enough of them. On top of that, the afternoon refreshments were quite nice. There were dim sum (really nice selection), sate, chicken box (to me it just looks like fried chicken), sandwiches an assortment of salmon, cheese and tuna sandwiches, mini pizzas, salad, mini murtabak, and fruits.

So yeah, the day turned out to be alright. Yes I was neck-to-neck with my boss and Co Sec to ensure that the papers were signed and finalized, but in the end, the day turned out to be great. So, I just thought of sharing it with everyone here.

Morning Routine

As usual, as I got off the LRT to go to work this morning and rushed down towards the escalator. I know I’m going to be late this morning. Not THAT late, maybe about 5 minutes late. But it is late nonetheless. I hate that. It means I have to contribute RM2 towards the Late Fund that my department is maintaining. In view of the rising number of latecomers in the department at the moment, my boss thought a contribution of RM2 per late would perhaps motivate us to come early. We can’t help it. Blame it on the days of working late. Well, that’s the only possible reason I could give, on top of the fact that I wake up late. But then, the boss shouldn’t have to know that. I didn’t really mind giving up RM2 per day, but I do mind getting a memo from HR and getting a warning for being late. It seems that you can’t be late for more than 3 times a month. I mean, come on.. I have been working like mad for a couple of months, going back late, give us a face will ya. Of course they don’t really bother at the time you leave, but they have to make a HUGE spectacle if you come late, even for 5 minutes. Talk about stupidity. Anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about.

As I crossed the road towards my building, I noticed a familiar figure waiting at the traffic light. There he was, looking very casual in his blue t-shirt, jeans and black shoes, whilst carrying a laptop bag. He was wearing his office pass. I tried to take a look at the strip of ribbon (I call it ribbon coz I don’t really know what to call it, but it’s that thing that holds a pass – most companies have them) wanting to know which company he’s working for. But alas, I couldn’t make out the logo. We crossed the road and I tried to walk behind him (I know.. it’s a bit silly isn’t it), but he walked to the other side; not his usual route. I guess because his friend (a girl who is always walking with him) wasn’t around. And I smiled to myself. I like looking at him.

I have always noticed him. We seem to always get on the same LRT. But he was always with a girl. Equally attractive as him, clad in a tudung. But I don’t care. It’s not like as if I was going to ask him out or anything. I just wanted to look at him, that’s all. Very harmless. It makes the morning journey to work a bit more exciting. But I have never seem him looking casual before. And yeah, he looked good. It’s so nice to see good looking blokes around. Pleasing to the eyes. ‘Cuci mata’ like my friends use to say. I’m sure I’m not the only girl who does this, married or not. I think it’s a perfectly normal thing to do. It doesn’t mean that we love our husbands less. Of course not.

Anyway, going on the LRT to work and back is my routine everyday, unless a dear friend wants to drop me at my in-laws’ house and Bie fetch me from there, then that’s another thing. But having people push you or squeeze at you coz they insist on wanting to get into the LRT (even if the LRT is packed like mad) at whatever cost, and the fact that they have a ‘selamba’ face after that never fails to amaze me. But yeah, I face that nearly every morning. It is very irritating and I hated it. Then our bodies would be moulded against each other like jigsaw puzzles. I really hate that. And the fact that the guys seem to be enjoying it, pisses me off even more. Luckily these days, there are more trains. So no more pushing or moulding with complete strangers who have certain odours to them. So you can imagine why I look forward to seeing the guy. The guy who always manage to make me smile and he doesn’t even know I exist.

Major Obstacle Over

We’re currently doing a rights issue, and by Allah.. it is so much hard work. I didn’t expect it to be this hard. The process is a bit ‘leceh’ with many compliances and documentations be done. First there were the parameters. Did we want to fix the proceeds upfront, and how do we utilize the proceeds. And then there was the issue of fixing the issue price. Not to mention the approval papers, as well as the circular to shareholders and the prospectus. A lot of late nights, and phone calls over the weekend, from the adviser, the boss, and practically everyone who was anyone. It was madness. And on top of that, I also had to do my current tasks; those which will contribute to my year-end KPI. Not an easy task. But one has to do it.

And I am glad to announce to the rest of the world that we are issuing the prospectus to the shareholders in two days time. So that means, the majority of the works have been done. And I can’t wait for the listing of the rights issue. But of course, after that, it’ll be the AGM. Presentation to shareholders, Q&As to be updated, and briefings to be held for the analysts. All interesting, and challenging, but all also very tiring. But I don’t care. I don’t want to dig into that just as yet. I just feel like updating my blog. Not a good time to do it, but I think I owe it to myself. I need to be sane.

A lot of things have happened in the past few months. The most recent one being the passing of my Wan Along. I’m not really close to her considering that she was only my ‘nenek saudara’, err.. how do I define it in English, err.. my grandmother’s cousin, but I have grown to be very fond of her of late. She was among the very few that is linked to my own late grandmother, my Uwan. They stayed in the kampong. And whenever there is ‘kenduri’ at Uwan’s house, Wan Along would always be there. So yeah, somehow when I saw her, she reminded me of Uwan. When Uwan passed away in 2005, I was devastated. I was very close to Uwan. She took care of me and my brother, Ayin when we were little. In fact, we were very close to both my grandparents. And when both passed away, it was among the saddest events in my life. Gosh.. just by the mere of mentioning it, I have tears welled up in my eyes. It’s just so difficult you know. They were special people in my life. And I loved them to the max. And the sad part was that, for both events, I was not there to be with them. I didn’t even know Atok passed away until the third day of his passing. So yeah, I wasn’t even there when they buried him. And to think that on the day he passed on, I was having fun with my room-mates because we were studying for our A-Levels trial exam. Fun because all stayed up to sort of study (not actually study, but talking, gossiping and having a laugh). And the next night when I called home to know how he was (I know he had been sick. I had been visiting him at the hospital, even on the weekend before he passed away), I found out that he had passed on. I was devastated. I broke down at the public phone and had to be consoled by my warden. My friends came to visit me in my room because I was so depressed. The next morning, I packed my bag and went straight back to Kuala Pilah. The sight of his clothes hanging in his room was so depressing. His smell still lingered in the air. And that was in early 1997. Uwan passed away on a Saturday. I was at home. Ayin called me early in the morning to tell me that Uwan had passed on. I was already married then, and Marsya was only 7 months. It was also a sad thing for me. But I was thankful that I got to bathe her and see her off. All my brothers and my parents did too.

Hhmm.. what else have been happening? I mentioned a lot right, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to put them in words. So yeah, not many happy updates in the past few months, eh? Oh well, I promise to update more exciting stuff next time. Meanwhile, I need to ‘pen-off’. Will update more stuff next time.