Aberdeen...O Aberdeen

My last piece was...yes...me neither. I too can't remember when I last wrote on my blog. Anyway, since my last piece, many things have happened. A lot of things have changed.

To begin with, my job was at stake due to company re-organization. Then there was Eid Mubarak, which I managed to celebrate for only one day with my family. My wife and I flew to Aberdeen the 2nd day of Eid. Had to leave Coconut (my cat) with our cat-sitter for a month. Today I just had a call from my boss saying that my job is there for me to keep, if I choose to. Good news indeed.

So, like I said, a lot took place since the last time I wrote on my blog. Those are probably just half of the things that took place over the last few months or so.

So now I'm in Aberdeen. On a very long leave...approximately 1 month. For me that's a very very long leave. I'm here to help my wife get settled in Aberdeen, before I have to return to my job in Miri; in 2 weeks time. Basically, I've been in Aberdeen for almost 2 weeks now. I love this place. More than anything, I love the weather. Things are generally cheap here in Aberdeen. However, since I'm a "tourist", I can't help myself converting Pound Sterling back to Ringgit Malaysia everytime I make a purchase. That's when things become expensive. People here are not as warm as the people in...hmmm....well, can't think of any :-) Although, there are some nice people that I've met. Some are locals...some are Malaysians who are permanently residing here in Aberdeen...while some are students, just like my wife.

The cab driver that took us from the airport to the Uni is a very nice man. Spent time talking to us about Aberdeen. Basically giving us introduction on Aberdeen. Some of the bus drivers are nice. Alix is nice...she's my wife's new friend here in Aberdeen. Abg Din and Kak Kamariah have been here in Aberdeen for approximately 26 years. They have a son and 2 daughters. They are all very very nice people. Not to mention, Akmal, Muna, and Aunty (Muna's mom)...they too are nice and enjoyable people to hangout with. Muna and Akmal are both here to pursue their Masters degree. The 5 of us (my wife including) spent last weekend road-tripping from Aberdeen all the way to St. Andrews. Along the way, we visited Stonehaven, Dunnotar Castle, and Dundee.

I wouldn't mind relocating myself to Aberdeen. In fact, I've spoken to a few people here about the job prospects in Aberdeen, although the current economic condition does not return me any good news. The time will come when I will be here again. I just have to be patient and continue to look for opportunities.

That's my first update on Aberdeen. I hope to write again, at least one more time before I leave Aberdeen. I would miss this place. That's for sure.

Friends: Honest "And"/"Or" Supportive

I'm at work...it's half past 2...and I'm sleepy. Hence this piece.

When we thought about friends, do we really know what "friends" means or how to behave like one?

Most of us think that we are good friends with someone...heck, I always thought that I'm a good friend to a lot of people and I also consider quite a few people as my good friends. That is until I tried to understand the real meaning of "friends"...and no, I'm not talking about "friendship".

Do we expect honest friends? Or do we prefer friends who are supportive? Well, I guess most would say they like a combination of both. Along the way, I realized, finding friends who are both honest and supportive is not a walk in the park..to a certain extent, it can be futile.

Let's make up an example. I've made a decision (yeah..I'm sure you're expecting the sentence to go on with "....decision to bla..bla..bla". That need not be the case. I've made a decision. Full-stop). I got 2 friends (equally close friends...just to make things simple). Despite knowing the fact that I've been wanting to make this decision, Friend A told me straight to my face that my decision wasn't a very intelligent one and he backed it up with HIS reasons. He upset me a bit (for the fact that he made me somewhat regret my decision). On the other hand, Friend B supported my decision (he also knew that I've been wanting to make this decision), pat me on the back, and said "Good for you!". Little that I know, Friend B too, doesn't really think that I made the right decision. He just wanted to be a supportive friend, but he told everybody else (except me!) that I didn't make the right decision.

Of course, this was just a made up example to get you thinking....which friend would you rather have? Friend A or Friend B?

Personally, I'd rather have Friend A as my friend. Yeah, he upsets me by being truthful to me. At least Friend A will make you re-think of your decision and you get to choose to say back to him either "You are absolutely right, I should've thought about that" or "Rubbish, you have no idea what you're talking about". Friend B on the other hand, will not make you think further. He'll just make you smile and think that you've made the best possible decision (even when you haven't!).

So to my friends whom I may have offended, my apologies....I'm just trying to be a Friend A to you.

Unfortunately for me, many of my friends are Friend B.

I think I'm refreshed now. Back to work!

Till my next piece! (Don't hold your breath!)

Darkest Day of My Life...13th April 2009

I have a strong feeling that today could be the beginning of the darkest days for Malaysia....particularly for the regular citizens of Malaysia i.e. non-UMNO and non-BN beneficiaries.

People may take Najis' appointment lightly, mainly because of the power distance; where he sits at the PM we are are regular citizens. We are happy as long we get our paychecks on a monthly basis.

But, make no mistake. There's a reason why "history" exists, why we are told to learn from the past, and why the pasts were recorded in the first place. Corrupt leaders ruin not just countries, but empires. These countries and empires vanished from the face of the earth, leaving history behind.

Are we not learning from histories?

Dreading the Day

I knew this day will come....and I dreaded it. I fear for the future of our next generation. What will be left for them.

The United States is a big country, "wealthy" in its own definition. Came in Bush, he ruined not just the United States, but the world.

Never underestimate Najis' ability to ruin our country. Although he may not have the ability to ruin the world (thankfully).

Sigh.