it's been a month since the last time i blogged. it's been a busy month until the end of the month. major work completed. it's the new year and i can kick back and breathe again.

but firstly, Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.

i was planning to go on holiday during the christmas weekend till the end of the year. candidates were padang (sumatra), phuket, langkawi, penang, or pangkor laut. it was last minute planning; i couldn't get any room that was affordable. instead, i came to the office for a few days in the last week of the year.

had i been to any of those places, i would have been very close to the tsunami-stricken spots.

in 2004 i learnt a lesson not to curse too quickly when there seems to be a "misfortune." there's always a blessing in disguise when an event takes place. i missed my vacation, and i missed the tsunami.

for those stricken by the tsunami, my sympathies go to them. some lost their lives, some their families, their homes, their belongings. at this moment, it is all sorrow and pain. what is in store for the survivors in the years to come? no one knows, but i want to believe that God, the Planner who plans ahead of all other planners, has something good for all affected.

which reminds me of a story i read in a book about being happy. i've forgotten the author to whom i'd like to give the credit. once, a farmer lost his horse. his neighbours told him that's bad luck. but he said, "well, i don't know really."

one day, his horse came back with ten other wild horses. his neighbours said that's good luck. but he said, "well, i don't know really."

his son rode one of the horses, fell off and broke his leg. his neighbours said that's bad luck. but he said, "well, i don't know really."

the country was in a state of war. the king's men came to enlist all the strong, healthy men. the farmer's son with the broken leg was left with the parents. the neighbours said that's good luck.

we really don't know, do we?

have another pleasant year.

when the think tank reshapes itself ...

the corporation is readying itself for the global championship. the think tank unit in which i'm a part of is reshaping itself to navigate the change. i'm one of the guys in the team to reshape this unit.

part of the reshaping effort is re-designing its organisation structure and staffing it with the right people. the structure is smaller. the people we want are the best of the best. meaning, i may not be a part of this think tank unit anymore.

i started out here reshaping other units, and the reshaping of my own unit may be the last assignment for me here.

eid mubarak to all, albeit belated.

here's a list of FAQs or Frequently Answered Questions i gave about my raya (a lot of questions were frequently asked but i didn't bother to answer).

q: where did you spend your raya?
a: south. go figure.

q: when did you leave kl?
a: thursday 11.30 pm from kl. the traffic was light and i could drive 130 - 140 km/h under the cover of darkness.

q: how was the raya?
a: it was fun. i got to see the incredibles!

q: how's the movie?
a: it's fun. it's my movie of the year. i recommend you go see it. it's a feel good movie. it's fast paced, has got good story line and fantastic animation. by the way, at the end the family lives happily. and jack jack, the youngest in the family, has superpower too. he can metamorph. did i spoil it for you? i'm sorry *snigger snigger*

q: when did you get back in kl?
a: tuesday 12.30 noon. the traffic was still smooth when i was on the road. the drive was boring as i could do only 110 km/h.

q: when did you start working?
a: i work all the time. i was in the office from wednesday.

q: you started work early. have you run out of your leave days?
a: no. i have plenty more. i'm gonna use them in december.

q: where are you going for your leave?
a: either phuket, medan, or borneo. haven't decided. weather-wise, phuket is the best bet.

q: oh ... that's nice.
a: any other questions? no? ok. selamat hari raya to you then. maaf zahir batin.

my all-time favourite song came out on the air the other day. i've been admiring this song ever since i knew how to listen to songs. here goes ...

Alangkah sedihnya hati ku
Duka meliputi kalbu ku
Kekasih di hati sudah jemu pada ku
Tapi tetap ku tunggu

Kekasih yang lain di temu
Hati ku berdarah dan pilu
Namun tetap ku merayu pada mu kasih ku
Kembalilah pada ku

Duhai kekasih ku rindu pada mu
Jangan kau niaya aku
Cinta ku kasihanlah

Tapi tak mengapa ku derita
Nanti tiba masa kan kau rasa
Betapa hebatnya hati luka kecewa
Gagal dalam bercinta ...

~ Tak Mengapa by A Rahman Hassan

friday nite 11.30 pm i started driving up north. driving at that time, off-festivities, was a bliss. cars were sparse. the weather was great - no rain that nite.

stopped by a rest area by the river to have mee rebus for 30 minutes. doing 130 - 140 km/h, i arrived at my parents' 4.15am saturday.

mom and her maid was busy preparing sahur. dad looked ok. i was glad to see that he's doing much better. saw some medications on the kitchen cabinet which looked like the ones i'm taking.

like father, like son.