Life Lesson from a Little Birdie

 

#1 – Not everyone that poops on you is your enemy …

#2 – But, not everyone who digs you out is your friend.

Mingling 101

I should think I have gone through all the worst days of my corporate life; after having been in corporate front for more than 10 years that is. There were times when I stumbled on words, scratching my head for a few seconds looking for words to say in front of delegates of our sister company from the neighboring country and when I was at the center stage’s podium in an auditorium. There were a few occasions when I couldn’t figure out how to answer in a very politically correct tone when some BOD members raised questions which may not be that relevant to topic being discussed without sounding condescending. There were also testing times when I had to maintain my coolness emotionally although it was very clear that those meeting delegates were trying to gang up on me pushing all the blames onto me while it was clear that it was everybody’s faults.

I should think after years of accumulating the tips and tricks of growing thick skin and maintaining poker face in all kinds of bad situations, I have learnt them all. Yes, give me all shapes and sizes of corporate demons and lemons, and somehow I will find my way to make lemonades out of them.

Except one. Send me to after work parties with instructions to mingle, to build better network with your counterparts, then I will fail. Fail miserably I must further qualify. I don’t know how to mingle, I don’t know how to make small talks. I just don’t know.

Just like the other night, where I had to represent Big Kahuna at the Corporate Raya Gathering of one of our sister companies. It’s bad enough that I have yet to really get to know the names of all these people. You see them almost every other day at the cafes, in the lifts, in the surau; and most of the time it was ok to just smile to each other without really having to utter or exchange words. But not when you were on your own walked into a room full of people whom although you might have bumped into them in one occasion or another, and you had to mingle and make small talks to them. And worse still, you were still in your ruffled office attire (I just didn’t bother to change to casual dress) while these people were in their glamorous & glittering Bernard Chandran-like outfits with their most sparkling bling-bling on.

So I just did what Betty would have done in parties filled up with Whilmenas, Alexis, the Mode models, and the likes. I was fortunate to finally be able to locate CP, a fellow number/project cruncher, at a cornering table. So we just quietly and discreetly filled our plates with the barbequed lamb, grilled salmons, sates, and what not and started stuffing our face with the delicacies, paying little attentions to those glamorous counterparts.

Yes, people did drop by our tables to thank us, to acknowledge us, to make rather awkward small talks, but we suspect it was because they had to and that they had no choice. We are the devils who they have to depend on and of which without us their corporate life can potentially cripple, so-to-speak. Hmm… come to think about it, I just love playing this combination of Ugly Betty and Whilmena’s devilish character. Muahahaha!!!!

P.S. I Love You

The benches at KLIA international departure gate were as usual fully occupied with people of all ages and walks of life wanting to say byes to the loved ones who were flying off to various destinations all over the world.

There was one young man in his 20s, surrounded by what looked like his mum, sisters or aunties, who was passionately eating his last home-cooked meal before the journey and who was oblivious to his surroundings and loving glares from his throng of female relatives. Next to his group was slightly an older girl who was swamped by her family members and whose photos were lovingly snapped by her nieces and nephews. And then there was one middle-age gentleman who I presumed had to be away for business trip as he was haggling with at least 2 briefcases which from the look of them might be containing very important documents. He too was unmindful of what was happening around him since he was solely focusing his attention to his young beautiful and immaculately dressed spouse (I presume) and giving some kind of instructions and guidance on what to do when he was away.

There were a few other groups of fellow travelers who unlike me were savoring the final moments with the loved ones before flying off. They were all surrounded by their respective family members who were eagerly bidding farewell for their bon-voyages. Enviously fascinated by these groups’ various antics while enjoying my dinner of McDonalds before boarding MAS enroute to my destination almost made me forget that I was there all alone at the departure terminal. Himself was not there to send me off, to bid me bon-voyage.

I was quick to start blaming him before I reminded myself that it was me who had insisted that I would just swipe my passcard out of office at 6:00pm, headed to Sentral Station and checked in from there, instead of having him sending me to KLIA just like the numerous previous travels. For the first time, I just wanted to spare him all the hassles and emotional farewells at the departure terminals. “Bye Yang, see you in X days time, I love you”. It has always been the standard farewell bid by both of us depending on who is leaving on the jet plane and who is staying behind with the cats.

I handed over the boarding pass to the security, and after reaching the ground floor I automatically looked up and somewhat hoping that Himself was there watching my steps towards the immigration, usually with his forlorn look (if it is me who is staying behind, likewise I would also be expecting him to stop and look back at me whose eyes are filled with tears, before he proceeds his way passing through the immigration checkpoint).

People always ask whether I am happy with the way I led my life, together with Himself, surrounded by the cats. Of course I am, it is always my answer to all of them. But I don’t know whether that answer is convincing enough to my heart, right here right now. I just don’t know. I may seem and may sound like a very independent level-headed career-minded person, but at the end of the day I am just a woman wanting to be showered with loves, to be swamped with gifts of loves. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me… Gosh! How in the world did I turn into such an insecure and clingy person?

Wedding Toast to Lil Bro

Dear lil bro,

Congratulations on your wedding on the 4th day of Raya. The whole thing went pretty smooth I must say.

Your BIL and I kinda enjoyed our solitary Raya moment in this big city this year, when we made the sacrifice not to balik kampung (you so owe us big time lil bro), so we could all have a better preparation over your hantaran and all. It was joyful event for both sides of the families when both sides met face to face finally; all the wedding arrangements were made just over the phone for the past few months.

It was indeed a memorable event to our little family despite having to endure the long and tiring journey heading north, from JB (for Kak Ngah & her family), BP (for Mak/Bapak) and KL (myself and your BIL) to Sik, and not to mention the massive head-banging bumper-to-bumper traffic crawls heading back to KL.

Still, deep down I couldn’t help but repeat this question. Again, do enlighten us lil bro, why your chosen blushing bride has to be from far faraway state when you had the choice of sweeping off the feet of another fair maiden whose home is just sebelah kampung to where our family home is? Moreover, this lady’s parents have been close friends with Mak/Bapak over the years; they are all also in the same ahli jawatan kuasa masjid as Mak/Bapak.

Anyway we acknowledge that it is you, not us, who is getting married, thus it was your prerogative to decide who your better half should be. And for that we respect your decision.

I hope she treats you well, that she doesn’t break your heart. Same goes to you. You are now the first SIL on her side of the family, you have to throw away your spoilt brat attitude, and be a good example to her younger siblings.

All in all, just remember that happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married.

Congratulations again lil bro.

Love,

Kak Long