Significant Events of Our Lives

Sorry I haven't been blogging for so long. It was really flattering to know that at least one reader missed the blog (thanks OuiOui). There was so much going on this month (which actually had started since last month); significant events that changed the lives of some of the people around me, and thus maybe had indirectly changed my life, too.

I have been meaning to write about two of my close friends. One, I have written about previously, that is my Assistant Director - RZA - the one who introduced me to Virtua Cop. The other is Nini, my housemate.

It started with Nini first. Her father had a stroke one afternoon. He collapsed at a coffee shop in Sabak Bernam, thankfully in front of his friends, one a paramedic. They sent him to the hospital nearby immediately, and was told that he had to be admitted to the CICU as soon as possible. The nearest available was in Kelang, but unfortunately the ward was full. So they had to rush him to Ipoh instead.

Nini got to know about the incident that evening, and sadly, I was away on a seminar in Gombak. I could not imagine how she felt then, as it was too late to take a bus or even a flight back to KL.

Later she would learn that her dad will suffer from paraplegia, and had to be fed milk through a tube. The doctors allowed him to go home after spending a few days at the Ipoh hospital.

Then another bad news came up.

Last month, RZA's fiancee was diagnosed with leukemia. It started with her having stomachaches. I still remember the weekend the stomachaches got worse; RZA and I were due to drive back to Kuantan that Sunday night. RZA told me he was going to be late. When we finally met at the Burger King joint just before the Karak Highway, he told me that his fiancee Y had gotten worse so he had to send her to her aunt's house. A few days after that, RZA was told that Y was admitted to the hospital. He went to visit her the next day, and that evening he texted me that the doctors suspected leukemia. The diagnosis came on a Thursday - he came to my room crying. We (RZA, my HOD (yes, that HOD, OuiOui ;) ) and I) drove straight away to KL. She started chemotherapy almost immediately, and RZA visited and stayed with her without fail and as much as possible whenever he could. They were due to get married on the 22 of May, and even after the diagnosis, they stuck with the plan.

But who are we to meddle with God's plans? Malays have a saying "jodoh dan ajal di tangan tuhan", Nini's dad passed away just before she made a move to drive back to kuantan (and picking me and another colleague up on the way). The colleague and I went to visit her that night, and although she was in grief, she seemed to have accepted the loss.

That was on the second Sunday of May. On the following Wednesday morning, I received a call from RZA's twin, asking me where I, and RZA were. I said I had just arrived at the office, and I hadn't seen RZA yet; why? He told me that Y passed away that morning. I did not believe him at first, with his detached tone of voice. But he was not joking; he told me to seek RZA, and tell him that he'd be picking RZA up from Kuantan. I rushed to RZA's house, to see him sitting next to the drain, already in tears. So we (RZA, HOD, RZA's housemate and I) drove again to KL. He was crying all the way. Went to the morgue in HKL, and her body was already prepared for the burial.

It was truly a sad experience for me. Two deaths in less in one week. But I'm sure what my two friends felt were much more profound than mine. My condolence to my friends and Al-Fatihah to both Allahyarham.

Maternity leave, zits and handsome men

Sorry for the absence of updates (as if people are dying for them! hahahahah...). Am in the middle of an induction-like course right now. Get to learn about how many days of paid and unpaid maternity leave I'm entitled to (60 paid, 90 unpaid), and how many absences my students are "entitled" to until they get barred from sitting for the exams (20% of the class). The Gombak part of the course ended today; will continue in Melaka tomorrow afternoon. So I took the opportunity to laze about in the comfort and warmth of my own home...
OK-lah, need to shower, and then eat dinner. Zits are beginning to appear as I have been quite negligent in adhering to my sort-of-beauty-regime lately.

And before I forget, here's another piece of useless information - through my observation, there is a higher concentration of good-looking Malay men in the compound of a particular university in Gombak compared to any other area of the same extent in KL ;)...

The day I made a girl cry

Am in KL now. Managed to drive from Kuantan to TTDI in exactly 2 1/2 hours yesterday morning hahaha...I wonder if I (or my mom, as the car is registered under her name) will get a "love letter" aka summons soon. Reached home at 1.30, had a lunch of Mak's daging rusa masak kicap (venison with soy sauce) and rice (really sorry for this, OuiOui...nanti you sampai KL I masakkan untuk you okay?). After feeding MSG-laden gerai food for nearly a month, it was like a meal from paradise.

Then I went off to chaperone 9 audiologists-in-training who went for a visit to Sunway Medical Center. There was a funny (at least retrospectively) story behind me accompanying the students for the visit.

I was not supposed to escort the students; it was another person's task. But she had to go to some course in Gombak, and at the last minute the students were left to find a replacement. I, being one of the very few who were available (read: single, readily mobile, no pressing commitments, can drop nearly everything quite instantly), became a target. As soon as I heard "Sis Petai (not that they really call me that), are you free tomorrow?", I knew....

Hmm...Can't give in too easily, have to make them toil and sweat to get me, said my inner demon. "Why?" I asked.

They explained that they need an escort and they couldn't find anyone else as nearly everybody is going for the course tomorrow and Sis X was not suitable as she has a family and Brother Y had to attend to some personal matters bla bla bla.... "Boleh tak, sister?" they pleaded.

My inner demon become more evil. I lectured them for not preparing well and not telling me earlier. My own student, Syida (the others are the students of other programmes under the faculty), went on to beg and plead. I told them that I, too, had to go to a course in Gombak (true, but it starts on Monday), and I have other things to do here in Kuantan (quite true), and I can't just drop everything and leave (hmmmmm....well...).

I said "why don't you go by yourselves, be independent bla bla bla...". Brother Y and my housemate N, who were also there, kept quiet. Syida begged again. I said OK, but if something comes up tomorrow, I'll let you know, and you may have to go by yourselves. Don't do this again, okay? *mock-/faux-displeased expression*...

She nodded and stared at the floor. Then she said thank you without looking up and immediately headed for the door. I sensed that something was wrong, so I followed her. There she was, squatting with her hands covering her face.

"So sorry sister, it's my fault. So sorry for all this trouble", she said with a cracked voice. And then she broke into a cry; sobs, red eyes and all....

I panicked and I tried to console her. Said sorry over and over again whilst hugging her. Even that did not soothe her. So I took her to an empty room and asked her what's wrong.

It turned out that she had other problems. She hadn't enough time to settle them due to the final exams. And then she was told to find a chaperone for the Audiology student. She felt that it needed the most attention, but it took longer than she anticipated for it to settle. Oh no...what have I done? I felt terrible and guilty as hell.

She cried and poured her heart out for a good 15 minutes. By the time I left her to calm herself, she was still sobbing quietly.

Met her again on the day of the visit, and she looked brighter than the day before. At the end of the visit she informed me that her sister is picking her up from Sunway, and she may not see me till the semester opens in another 3 months. She hugged me and apologised for all the trouble, and said thanks again. With a lump in my throat, I said sorry, have a happy holiday, and take care. Ah well...There's always a first time for everything.