Thursdays with batik

Thursdays are batik days for male civil servants. We are encouraged to wear the wax-and-dye attire, whose origins - like the Rasa Sayang song - have sparked heated debate between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Since joining the civil service, I've grown to love batik, although I only own two pairs (the third one has since been discarded). Good batik is pricey. I can get two decent long-sleeved working shirts during sales for the price of one batik (which is hardly discounted, even during the sales period).

But the comfort of not wearing a tie and not having to tuck in your shirt make it all worth it. And somehow, it's more "cooling" too. I can also wear batik when working on weekends - when jeans, khakis or tees can come across as somewhat informal for certain events. And whether you need to attend a Malay, Chinese or Indian wedding reception, you can almost never go wrong with batik.

And speaking of Malay attire, I put on a songkok last Thursday. That's because I followed the boss to a briefing which involves a Sultan on some Ministry-related matters. As royal protocol dictates, one must wear a songkok and a dark suit (not batik) on such occasions. (By the way, the songkok originated from India, but unlike the batik, so far there is no diplomatic row over the headgear.)

Anyway, my 3½-year-old son who saw me with the songkok a day earlier, said I "look like a boss". I have no inkling where he formed such ideas.

A brush with the "rival" (not mine)... (2)

The MP and State assemblyman for the area where I live hosted a CNY open-house the other nite. There were posters and banners put up around the housing estate days before the event, held in a community centre.

I went there with the family, chiefly because my eldest loves to watch the lion dance. The turnout was pretty good, although I sensed some disappointment from the crowd who had to wait quite a bit before food was finally served.

I didn't feel out of place although the two wakil rakyat came from the other side of the political fence as that of my boss. After all, I wasn't there in my official capacity. Heck, I am not even a member of any political parties. I was there as a registered voter in the taman and for the fun of it.

Well, ok, if I did feel a bit uncomfortable, it was because I wasn't quite dressed for the occasion. Dressed in tees and shorts, I could see quite a number took the effort to look as if they were going for some wedding dinner reception.

The aunty selling drinks near the low-cost flats had shed her regular tees and jeans for what appeared to be office attire. The party workers wore a corsage as if it were some badge of honour. I was quite surprised to see the hardware shop owner pinned with one. I thought I had seen him in a Rela outfit before. But I knew my newspaperman had always been a party activist even before he inserted propaganda-laced free calendars last year with the dailies he delivered. He was dressed in batik.

Well, that was my first time attending a CNY do for my housing area and I must say it was quite fun, although we were there only for a short while and did not have a chance to savour the food. Would go there again, if they still have it next year. My kids collected ang pow from the assemblyman. Am sure they look forward to doing the same next year. And oh yeah, for the lion dance too.

Happy New Year!

This must be my longest break from blogging since I started. The truth is I have been on "leave", but kept getting distracted by work-related matters. And when I am not, I well, do other stuff I had initially wanted to during the so-called break.

The year 2008 will end in a few minutes, and looking back, I must say that it has been one helluva year. I remember around this time last year, I updated my Facebook's status message, fervently hoping that 2008 would be a personal watershed year.

Indeed it has. I moved from the only field I ever knew into a fairly new one. This could not have happened if not for the watershed March 8 general election, without which, ironic as it sounds, I would not have been an aide in Putrajaya.

And the past few months have been great - warts and all. It was hard to give up on an opportunity to peek into the inner workings of the government. And it is satisfying to be able to provide whatever little input I can muster. No regrets so far.

In 2008, I started blogging, realising something I had always wanted to do for some time. And I just found out that I was also named Malaysiakini's Newsmaker of 2008.

I do not know what to expect in 2009, but hopefully it will also be great. On a personal level, the first-born is going to kindie on Monday. It must be a rite of passage, not only for the kid, but also the parents.

The economy is a cause for concern next year, but hopefully we will all be able to weather it. And here's to a blessed 2009. Happy New Year everybody!

Happy birthday to you, happy...

As I type this, it's still Dec 13 here in London, although it's already Sunday back home. And it's my second son's first birthday!

Should have posted this blog earlier, but well, "Happy Birthday, kiddo". Would have been better if I am back home to mark the occasion (we had a small do before I left). Well, work is work.

Will be seeing the family soon...

:-) father-son talk on a Tuesday morning

What a start to a Tuesday. Unlike the day before, today I feel like I can take on the world. It's amazing how a kid who just turned 3 last month can brighten up your day.

Me: Ok, daddy going up(stairs) to bathe already.

Son: Why?

Me: I need to go work mah...

Son: (sighs and complains) Why?

Me: So got money mah...

Son: But whyyyy?

Me: So that I can buy toy-toys for you and go piang piang (the kiddie amusement centres in shopping malls).

Son: Why?

Me: Because you happy (when I do those things).

Son: Ok.

Yessssss, I am so ready to take on the world.

Aidespeak is now online!

Today, I have decided to put my blog online. I have always wanted to blog, especially since I left journalism some five months back.

For one, I miss writing, the only trade I ever knew before taking up my present posting. Secondly, I do not want to lose this skill.

I wrote my first posting, Tingkat 4 , months ago and only put in up last week. Prior to this, this blog is password-protected (I wanted to feel comfortable first before making it available to all).

Aidespeak will NOT be a SOPO blog . We already have many of those. This will just be my little playground which I hope can generate some interests from family, friends and those curious about government aides.

Why do I put it up today? I was looking for an auspicious date. And coinciding it with my son's third birthday today sounds like a great idea. So there guys, happy surfing!