It's Out!

Yes, the PKFZ report is out. And I am glad. What a relief. Phew!

I think this is one of those things that will come to define boss' leadership. I don't care if you think that's an exaggeration. I don't care if you can summon the winds and the rain or can walk on water. I don't because the Report is out. Woooohooooo!!

But, it's been a cliffhanger over the past few weeks. The drama, the anticipation, the disappointment and finally a few hours ago, the release. All that does not matter now. The release is not the be-all end-all and the boss is in it for the long haul. But still...

Lemme pinch myself again. Ok, I am not dreaming. The Report IS out.

One year on

Today, it has been exactly one year since I left journalism, and about two weeks to a year since I joined the government. It's been a roller-coaster since Day 1.

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I took up my current posting starting June 1 last year. It was a fairly different ball game from the one I ever knew. Some aspects of the job met my expectations, others fell far short. But what's really troubling now is that I am serving a government, increasingly under siege, not least by developments in Perak.

The idealist in me is upset, the realist in me knows there is only so much that can be done. One part in me wanna shout: dissolve the Perak assembly, play the underdog, cut losses and try to claw back in the next round - if at all. The other part in me says it ain't gonna happen and may not even be a good thing.

Ok, so much for politics. Do I miss journalism? Yes and no. Yes, I miss the adrenaline rush. I miss asking cheeky questions to newsmakers. But most of all, I miss the writing bit. But no, I can do without the crazy-hectic lifestyle which revolves around the political uncertainty post-March 8. No, I do not want to be woken up in the middle of the night only to be informed that Mas Selamat was caught by our more-efficient-than-Singapore authorities. And NO, getting tear-gassed when you already have to walk miles to cover an illegal rally under the scorching heat is not my idea of fun anymore.

Nowadays, I blog to ease my urge to write. And as I told some friends, I am far too tainted to return to journalism now. And even if I do, I have to steer clear of news reporting, much less write about politics - an area I used to focus on in the past. Although I have never been a member of any political parties, I have been thrust far too deep into the political spectrum to come across as a credible political writer for now.

Perhaps a stint doing movie reviews may help. Although since I became a dad in 2005, I have been to the cinema less than 5 times, the last show being "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" which I left some 40 minutes into the screening because that's how long my toddler's attention span could take (it was his first movie outing!).

Regrets? Not really. Sure, there were rough patches. Sometimes, you experience certain things which drains the living daylight out of you. Sure, power and greed bring out the best and worst in humanity. Sure,when the chips are down and the stakes are high, you just feel like hanging up your boots and say bye. But it's been one helluva experience so far, one which journalism would never have been able to offer. Yes, I would have gone through it all over again - only this time much wiser than before.

So, there you have it. One year on and life goes on. I wonder what I will blog about this time next year or whether I will still be an aide (my contract is for two years only). But really, I have no time to think about the unknown. There is a job to be done and I need to do it.

PS - Oh yeah, one more thing, I want to wish a dear colleague a happy birthday today. The person's been a great help. Thanks again!

Syok betul!

Hari ini, saya nak blog dalam Bahasa Melayu. Bukanlah BM saya terror sangat, walaupun saya belajar di sekolah Melayu (atau lebih dikenali sebagai Sekolah Kebangsaan). Meskipun saya kerja dengan gomen dan ramai orang Melayu di sana, saya masih tidak boleh berbangga sangat dengan penguasaan Bahasa Kebangsaan saya.

Sesungguhnya, saya menggunakan Bahasa Melayu sekarang kerana sejak kebelakangan ini, saya lebih prihatin akan akhbar-akhbar Bahasa Melayu. Maklumlah, saya ni bekerja dengan seorang pemimpin yang dikatakan mewakili kaum Tionghua dalam kerajaan Persekutuan. Isu-isu yang dibangkitkan dalam akhbar Bahasa Melayu perlu saya halusi dengan lebih teliti.

Kadang-kadang spin di akhbar seperti Utusan Malaysia lain. Isu kekalahan BN di Bukit Gantang, umpamanya. Lepas itu, isu konnonnya parti bos saya mendesak kerajaan untuk jawatan TPM II. Baru-baru ini pula, isu liberalisasi sektor perkhidmatan serta kewangan dimainkan. Isu demam demam babi pun boleh disensasikan (saya masih ingat tidak berapa lama dahulu "khinzir" lebih kerap digunakan dari "babi").

Terpulang kepada siapa yang anda tanya, spin dalam sesetengah artikel itu boleh berbaur perkauman ataupun bersifat "nasionalistik" (eh, ada perkataan Melayu tulen untuk perkataan ini tak?). Takpe, sini bukannya forum untuk membincangkan spin dalam media massa.

Membaca akhbar Bahasa Melayu ada baiknya. Bukan sahaja nak sokong konsep 1Malaysia (eh, takde nada sinis di sini, ok?). Kadang-kadang berita dalam Bahasa Melayu ini cukup sensasi. Saya begitu terkilan mengikuti berita tentang "Chulan Pondan" di Kosmo tempoh hari. Kadang-kadang, selepas overload dengan berita-berita serius, cerita berbentuk tabloid boleh hilangkan stress.

Baru semalam saya sedar perkataan seperti "syok" digunakan juga di akhbar arus perdana seperti Berita Harian . Walaupun - berdasarkan vocab BM saya yang amat terhad - "ghairah" mungkin lebih sesuai, tapi "syok" juga melihat BH gunakan perkataan sedemikian.

Saya pernah terbaca tidak lama dahulu bahawa kolumn yang paling popular dalam setiap akhbar BM ialah Forum Agama dan "Tanya Tuan / Puan". Saya memang setuju dengan pandangan tersebut!