2016 - Looking Back

In a few minutes what we commonly define as a year will end, and give way to a new one. After a string of more upbeat years prior, 2016 began under grey clouds.

Volcanic clouds of Mt. Merapi, Indonesia

It wasn't long before the sun began to eke its way past the clouds, and shower us with glimpses of light.

Batu Caves on Thaipusam. A monkey sits perched upon a street lamp as it watches the sunset. 

As the dire days continued, it was perhaps a good idea to spare a thought for the less fortunate and remind ourselves that we truly are blessed, and things could be far worse.

My first street-feeding experience with Street Feeders KL

Slowly the year began to build a rhythm of its own, as it March-ed past condensed moments of joy.

My home-made birthday cake courtesy of my cousin Yamuna

Some of my own simple resolutions made at the beginning of the year began to come to fruition, as I picked myself up and set about getting a better grasp of my own fate.

Blast from the past: Meetup with Joe & Michelle after long.

Blast from the past part deux: Caught up with the elusive Guruparan. Also managed to schedule a meetup with Khairun (who I hadn't seen since 2004.. that's VI days!) 

There was also the effort to not lose sight of all that is green. The trails we traversed this year were wetter than before, yet less strenuous on our ailing knees.

Hike with Ison's church mates to a waterfall at Hulu Langat

Spotted a swarm of Rajah Brooke's birdswings by the river at Selangor State Park

The main goal though was to move on to different pastures, and pray that they'll be greener (for I lost all hope that there would ever be any semblance of grass where I was). As the country celebrated the anniversary of its independence (albeit rather muted in nature), I scored a little triumph of my own as I managed to exonerate myself of the painful chores at Aker Solutions..

My new second home

While the joys of the year began to grow, so did the bottled spirits in my collection, and their subsequent potation. This year I finally managed to build on my collection to the point where I'm comfortable hosting cocktail nights - and host I did, some of those wonderful people I met during my time at Aker Solutions a week after Deepavali.

Drink cards for the cocktails I prepared that evening

The PSV (Pimms, Sugar, Vodka)

A few other events worth mentioning: Ran a half-marathon at the KL Marathon this year; Attended Cheng Khang's wedding in October, Samantha & Jason's wedding in December; Took a trip with Alvin to Singapore to meet Kwong Hann in during my short break between the jobs. There weren't much, but I truly cherished those little moments of joy in 2016. 2017 does sound a lot more exciting though, and I guess it's nice to start on that upbeat note. :)

Goodbye 2016. Hello 2017!

Merdeka

Hari Merdeka.. a day when we have celebrated what it means to be Malaysian every year. A day that remembers the euphoria that engulfed the nation once as its independence from British rule was announced, culminating in Tunku Abdul Rahman's shouts of "Merdeka" echoing around Dataran Merdeka.

The perceived importance of the day has certainly changed over the last decade, as Hari Malaysia (September 16) has taken on a more prominent role.. a day that wasn't even a holiday 7 years ago. This year's celebration especially seems to be marred by talk of why Sarawakians and Sabahans should celebrate the day given they weren't part of the nation that gained independence on Hari Merdeka back in 1957.

Troubling thoughts.. divisive thoughts. I still dream of a day when we all identify as Malaysians.. not Malays, not Chinese, not Indians, not Bumiputras, not Johorians, not Sarawakians. We may take pride in our roots and ethnic heritage, but that doesn't give us the right to be bigots.

Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysia. May we break these man-made barriers that divide us, and celebrate our similarities and differences. Here's to unity, in diversity.

On a mildly related note, I have finally liberated myself from the clutches of the krAKERn. What is difficult is leaving the amazing people I've been privileged to work with. 6 years.. it feels like a graduation of sorts. Now I'm off to what I hope are greener pastures. Time will tell. Ta!

Of A Birthday..

So another birthday has passed.. leaving me with a head full of reminiscence and a broken bout of reticence. Despite how hard I try to see it as just another day, my mood is lifted on and around my birthday - betraying the placid demeanor I endeavor to exhibit on a daily basis. Which got me thinking; what is it about a birthday that excites me?

Perhaps it is the waves of joyful recollections from the yesteryears. Perhaps it is the well wishes from the many wonderful people I've come to know over the course of my life? Perhaps the humbling realization of how blessed I am to have truly lived another year of my life. Then again... perhaps it is a bit of all - joyful recollections triggered by thoughts of the wonderful people in my life to remind me of how blessed I really am in this life.

Another day it may be.. but one that never fails to bring to mind all that is truly important in life.

Week of Much And Many

The week began with Aker Solutions' second wave of mass terminations. It has been that sort of year in the oil and gas industry where such things have become somewhat commonplace. Some of them looked nonchalant, happy to receive compensation as they departed for greener pastures. Some though.. weren't expecting it and it wasn't easy to watch them. It was perhaps the most unproductive Monday I've seen during my work life so far. I also occupied myself at times with GCHQ's Christmas puzzles.

Dinner though was a nice departure from the sombre tones at the office, as I met up with Xin Yi, Chyrene, Jing Yi and Chee How at Ben's@Pavilion. As always, it was nice to reminisce on the good ol' times, and delve a little into the exciting prospects that lie ahead for some of us.

Come Tuesday and things appeared back to normal at work... but the many empty seats around me told me it just wasn't. I kept getting bogged down by this feeling of helplessness and a lack of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Julian's arrival in Malaysia for the holidays that night was perhaps a cue for better things ahead during the week. Perhaps it is becoming a bit of a habit now, as I once again drove over to Julian's place immediately upon his arrival as we talked and laughed through the night (his mom though was so sweet to keep bringing us food and drinks).

Wednesday morning began with aplomb, courtesy of Google's Lightsaber Escape plug-and-play game. Nothing like wielding a lightsaber and slashing past stormtroopers to start the day. Oh.. and of course it was a fitting prelude to the movie itself opening at the cinemas the next day. Getting past my work hours led me to Petaling Jaya, where I was invited for dinner with Alvin, Kwong Hann, Julian and his parents. Here we also managed to squeeze in a little birthday celebration for Kwong Hann and Alvin.

Thursday was a day I was looking forward to for some time. I took the latter half of the day off, so I could catch Star Wars Episode VII on opening day. It was a shame Jon couldn't snake his way out of work commitments, but I'm glad Julian was on hand to take his place and share the experience. It was 10 years ago that I watched Revenge of the Sith with Ben at Times Square's IMAX cinema; this time we decided to return to the same cinema which has since lost its IMAX partnership (although it still is Malaysia's biggest cinema). Oh and what an experience it was! From the moment I heard about Disney's plans to further the saga, I was skeptical at first but I vested my faith in J.J. Abrams. From the excellent X-wing/Tie-fighter battles to the witty lines delivered by an incredible cast (I immediately became a fan of Daisy Ridley and John Boyega), there was very little in the movie that could disappoint. At the end of the movie (and the entire credits sequence), Julian asked me the question to sum it all up - I answered with an '8.9.' Author's note: I figured it's only fitting that I dedicated more words to the Star Wars experience.

The movie was followed by a brief rendezvous with Alvin at KL Sentral, before I went on my way to PJ - specifically MyBurgerLab - where Kwong Hann, Harry, Li Ching, Sarah and I caught up with each other's lives over gourmet burgers. Seeing Sarah after more than 5 years was especially heartening (the last time I saw her, we hugged near the Armour Building at IIT a few hours before I left Chicago), and it was nice to catch up on the years in between that simply flew by.

My Friday at work (a half-day.. heh) was spent in a presentation with the Technical Safety department who were kind to invite me for their knowledge sharing session. Apart from the additional knowledge I gained on the things our Safety Department works on, I found one of the things Zaid (Safety department's HOD) said quite poignant - "We are facing a difficult market scenario. To those who are left with the company in this 'low-project conditions,' this is our best chance to broaden our knowledge and sharpen our skills; after all we never know when it'll be our turn to go and at that time this additional knowledge acquired would come in handy." Zaid plans on hosting these sessions on a regular basis, and I for one am glad that I can look forward to an incline in my learning curve.

Such was the week, which perhaps anti-climatically was followed by one of the most uneventful weekends in recent times. On a sidenote, grandma was admitted to IJN (National Heart Institute) for a few days, and I'm glad she's now discharged and back home with us.

In retrospect, this year has seen more than what is implied in this blog so far. For starters, there was a good dose of travel - a trip to South India with Ben & Gang, a trip to Lombok with colleagues and a return trip to Japan's Kansai region for fall. Perhaps I could get to filling this blog with tales from these trips soon... perhaps.

Subtle Divergence

Perhaps I traverse an endless trail;
Perhaps my mind wanders through past and present;
Perhaps my heart yearns for a slope ahead;
Perhaps my limbs hope it's a downward one;
Perhaps I stop, to turn and look back;
Perhaps all I can see then are flat paths;
Perhaps I shrug my shoulders and continue along;
Perhaps I see a fork in the path ahead;
Perhaps one trail looks no different from the current one;
Perhaps my gut tells me to take the other;
Perhaps I listen to my clairvoyant belly;
Perhaps I find that elusive slope;
Perhaps I find it to be an upward one;
Perhaps I smile, and stroll on.

Perhaps it is time I rid myself of the uncertainties;
Perhaps I should simply expunge the beginnings.

The Precipice

Here I stand, by the daunting precipice;
Thoughts to flee, a mounting artifice;
Thoughts to climb, a crumbling edifice;
Deep within me, a haunting orifice.

Fret not, dear soul. There is much left in this heart.

Doors

Tough these times are. While half my head struggles to grasp the reality of this economic downturn and what may lie ahead; the other half is riddled with a daily dose of political drama. So many words lay spoken, yet most don't have the substance to stand on their own and are somehow still audible as they are carried along and amplified by substantial congregations of imprudence.

Shall I simply accept that it is only natural that times like this bring out the worst in men? That even those entrusted with the management of our present and future can err at such times, and not be held liable for their shortcomings? Is it okay if I refuse to jump onto any of the ragged bandwagons on offer thus far? That I have reached a point where I cannot place blind faith on any individuals that masquerade as leaders today, or had so yesterday? That I am sick and tired of political ventures being associated with economic investments, and yearn for statesmen who recognize that politics is a service, and one that the elected few are privileged to carry out?

Perhaps I can take solace in the fact that in the middle and muddle of all this drama, there are still a good number of doors many of us can still ponder upon; if we are willing to seek their respective doorsteps. Although.. I can only pray that the doors we do end up taking lead to many more, and our future generations are not left with a lack of such options.. at least, not too soon.