I decided to move my rantings to this new location, alongside with new beginnings (although some might say four months is quite a delay!)

Mama just left us a couple days ago, and I have been waking up VERY late the past two days. I somehow got used to the sounds of her bedroom door being opened and shut for two weeks. I must have programmed my body/head to wake up to the sounds of the master bedroom door, but uh oh..she’s gone back to attend to my unwell sisters, and of course her beloved husband.

We (hubby, abang, pa, ma & I, that is) had conversations about joining the government or at least perhaps, GLCs. I recall Dato H’s comments about the workforce in public vs. private institutions, “People join the governemnt with the intention of nation building – you are stable, obtain good benefits but you’re not rich. People go into the private sector mostly for wealth creation and so lead better (?) lifestyles.” Dato himself served the government for abt 17 years before he left for the consulting industry. Some people said he’s crazy to leave at that point in time; he responded that he had planned it all along, that it is important to understand the ins and outs of the public sector before delving into the business of telling them what to do. (Just as a sidenote, I was amused by Dr. N recently when he said, “This is what consultants do: we are being paid to ask you (namely stakeholders) to tell us what our clients needs to do.”) But working in the private sector, especially in Malaysia usually means you become a slave to your job. Does long hours = success? But being in the public industry does not necessarily mean you can kick back and relax. I’ve seen it with my own eyes for about 20 yrs. I barely saw both my parents when I was in young; they came home late and tired. but Pa made sure we had dinner as a family despite our constant begging to watch the cantonese series. And they also compensated with frequent vacations throughout the country especially utilising mom’s extraordinary benefits with her employer. i.e. vacation houses, employee rates in hotels..

At this point of my life, how do I (we) get to the right formula? Miss DZ asked hubby recently to weigh the options he had: “If you want to get more $$ then go for S, if you’re looking for long term benefits but would settle for less $$, come to us.” But then it’s not only about $$ vs. benefits, is it? it is a much longer debate than that..

To those celebrating Christmas, have a Merry Christmas.
Katie, Jill and Eliza, a special shout to you. You are greatly missed!!