Family Day, and no more weekends

I joined my staff for a family day at a water park. It was a shady morning and they were enjoying themselves when I finally left after 2 and half hours. It was just too humid for me! Hardly two months into my new job I got to meet family members of my staff. I used to have 13 staff in Switzerland, and now it's 149! So far they have been very responsive and welcoming. I had warned them that my working style would be something they might not be used to, so it would be a question of adjustment and accommodation from both sides. Let's see how it works, so far so good.

I don't seem to have any more weekend to myself these days, always occupied with work engagement or otherwise. Last Saturday along trip to a village in Pahang to launch a restoration project of an ancient surau (small mosque) followed by one of the best lunch I've had in a long time, of simple kampung food (with patin fish fresh from the river no less, sambal tumis ikan bilis and petai from the jungle and the best durian I have had though I am really no fan of durian).

Then a short trip to an elephant reserve where I was appalled to see that all visitors including busloads of foreign visitors made to take off their shoes just to get passes to enter the sanctuary at the ticket/information centre. What on earth for, imposing such inconvenience, we were not entering a house for heaven's sake. I found it totally stupid and unnecessary to impose such a rule!

After that a long drive back to Putrajaya for "Floria" the annual flower show where our outfit had a stand too. It was to run for ten days, and I wondered how the flowers were going to last!

The next day I attended my good friend's first granddaughter 'cukur jambul' ceremony (when a baby's hair/head is completely shaved - God knows why, I can never understand it!) followed by lunch. My dear friend HP who was visiting me from JB joined us and it was sweet and in a way touching to see a Chinese sitting on the floor among the rest of us while we were performing the marhaban and tahlil (spiritual recitations and prayers), but he said he was least uncomfortable about it. Late afternoon I had to launch an exhibition in a gallery in Ampang. On the way home a stop at the pasar malam to get my week's supply of fresh fruits, and my Sunday was gone!

Yesterday four events in a day, a wedding luncheon reception near my house, a birthday lunch at Cafe Lui in Ulu Langat, a cultural launch at Batu Caves (I asked my deputy to attend, no way I could squeeze that in) and an award dinner ceremony at a hotel in KL, you see some really glamourous, dolled-up people there! I left before dessert! I must be getting old as I found it all so tedious!

Home at last now and I have a good rest of the afternoon and evening to myself! Thank God.