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!

Heard along the corridors... (1)

I plan to start collecting quotable quotes I pick up in the course of my job. They can be awesome, gems of wisdom, sarcastic, or like this one, downright vomit-inducing:

"You cannot offend him. He is one of the richest man in Malaysia."
- Overheard at a place I rather not disclose, uttered by a person whose identity is best left unknown.

I still cringe whenever I think of it now.

I.O.U.

Ok, this is not a work-related posting. I received a letter in the mailbox the other day which I just gotta share.

Cool huh?

Aide today, gone tomorrow

Like it or not, yesterday was historic. Malaysia witnessed the swearing in of a new PM - the sixth since Independence.

It also marked the end of an - for lack of better word - "era". The country's latest Tun is gone, together with his officers, aides and what-nots. I bade farewell to two of his aides using what seems to be the in-thing now - via Facebook. One of them was an ex-colleague and we used to cover each other's backs then.

Somehow, the change-of-guards on top served as a reminder just how precarious and transient my post is. I am here as long as the boss is around and wants me. If, through some bizarre freak fate, my boss is left out of the Cabinet in the upcoming reshuffle, I'll be jobless even before I can say "what the....".

Incidentally, a friend, also a Ministerial aide, who was instrumental in getting me this job, quit recently. One day, he is chauffeured-driven with hordes of opportunists swooning over him, and the next, he is just a regular Joe having to drive his own kids to school.

But in some perverse ways, I look forward to the day when I am no longer in this circle. Besides the end to the hectic-crazy lifestyle, I want to know who my true friends are, or if I have any at all.

But then again, I would have to think of a new name for my blog.

Health check, reality-check

Yesterday, I was with boss at a health-screening programme at his constituency. He was invited to officiate at the event, which was, well, what you can expect from such functions. There were kiosks for visitors to check their blood pressure, health information booths and even a place where dental checks were done. I also noticed some doctors on standby dispensing advice. True to being a bersama rakyat programme, everything was free.

The official opening even had clown act to keep the kids entertained and silat performances. Children could also take part in a colouring contest. The response was rather good. I mean who wouldn't want to get a free health-check - rudimentary as it may be - and a chance to beramah mesra?

After my job was done, I headed for my car, ready for my next assignment, hoping to reach the venue before the boss did. As I was crossing a road, a car drove past me and stopped. The aunty driver, who must be in her 40s and sporting a huge white hat, wound down her window.

"Is this the place where you get your blood pressure examined?" she asked in Cantonese, pointing to the tents set up for the function. Her tone was rather anxious and she couldn't seem to care that she could be blocking traffic flow.

"Errr... yes, it is," I responded and must be subconsciously looking at my watch, hoping she could sense I was already running late.

"Crazy woman!" she said with huge relief. And before the irony sank in on me, she went on to explain: "One woman just now told me that this is where the elderly get their blood pressure checked. After that, they will chip in money for their own funeral expenses when they die."

"No, no, it's not," was all I could summon, still in a daze and before I knew it, she had sped off.

Ah... just another day of fire-fighting (of a different kind!) and a better understanding of the depth of human gullibility.