Sunday, June 3, 2012

Uninspired....

It has been a long time since I made any entry. That was clearly pointed out by a friend from Holland who wrote it in his email message a few days ago. I am just not inspired to write of late despite many things happening and my rather busy working and also social life. I am not sure if anyone is reading what I write anyway. Also Facebook seem to be the order of the day lately, so more efforts are being put in Facebook instead.

I have a relatively 'quiet' weekend  for a change, no work-related activity except for an invitation to the Istana Negara (Royal Palace) this afternoon for a tea party to celebrate DYMM Agong's (the King) official birthday to which I am not inclined to go. I can just imagine the scenario, lots of people under an open tent in formal clothes and the heat and humidity will be most taxing. Besides, I don't think anyone will miss me!

Adur, the gardener is late today so I have been pottering in the garden on my own earlier on doing a lot of pruning. I will have to visit my Putrajaya house as well since I have not been there for two weeks now. I had earlier called Mehboob to mow the lawn. There was a huge pineapple fruit in the garden the last time I went there, hopefully it is still there and already ripe and not eaten by some creature.

Last weekend, with my loyal travelling companion Hoong Po I went to Kuantan for an overnight stay at a beach hotel in Beserah. It was most pleasant despite the crowded full hotel, being the start of the school holiday. We drove around the villages, bought batiks and ate seafood. I have always loved the East Coast and had in fact spent five days there with Hoong Po in April, but this short trip was more an excuse to visit my dear cucu (granddaughter) Kuca on the way and on the way back. The sweet thing has grown up so lovely and clever and all too soon she will be three years old in August. It is a wonderful feeling to be unconditionally loved by a child and this was how I felt every time Kuca and I were together. Bless her!

All too soon my two year term with my current job comes to an end on 6 June but Alhamdullilah the contract is now extended for another year. Funny, looking back how difficult it was in the first year and how often I contemplated resigning. Thank God I have managed to put things AND my staff in perspective and we are stable now. I have done a lot to the institution and bigger things are now being implemented. I am now getting the support from the powers-that-be though in the beginning I was rather groping in the dark and felt left very much on my own. Being left on my own was actually not bad and a polite way to interpret 'no interference' and I could go about doing things in the way I thought best  for the institution. Well I can now look back and claim a good degree of success and hopefully will achieve bigger success in the new term. Insha Allah.