Annual dinner & a trip back home

My company was having its Annual Dinner cum Family Day gatherings at Nexus Resort Karambunai in November last year. A warm evening of meeting up and socializing with co-workers and their spouses and children. It must have been an exciting outings for my co-workers especially those working in the plant, for being able to savour the taste of spending a night at the luxurious resort and enjoying sumptuouMy company s meals with their families, and having a relaxing day the day after participating in games and other activities.

I attended the dinner however did not stay at the resort and left early at about 8.45pm , trailing closely behind my colleague under heavy drizzles and flickering street lights. This was actually my first time coming to the resort and I worried about not being able to find the way out as it was drizzling and the guiding street lights were too dimmed. My colleague kindly led me until she turned to another junction thereafter I was left high and dry having to navigate on my own and I did get lost but managed to find my way out then continued a 2 hours’ journey back to the village. Something came up and instead of going back to my own apartment, I decided to make the long trip back to the village, at about 10.00pm when it had started pouring. It was the most nerve-wracking journey for me, I would have never imagined that the road could be this quiet this time of night, every once in a while a flickering light from afar indicating an oncoming vehicle brought a sigh of relief to me knowing that I was not alone but the rest of the trip I had to keep praying that danger would keep a safe distance from me. I am afraid of the dark and being in that situation had inevitably stirred my imagination as if in any instance beings with form and formless would come into my imaginary view and threaten my existence.

In darkness very often, I lose my ability to rationalize.

The fear however did not dent my resolve for I managed to reach the safe haven that is home two hours later. At exactly midnight.

The following day my sister brought me to Beaufort town to buy some fishes for `fang seng’ . Again hoping to save more lives with the same amount of money, I have to tawar-menawar with the fish mongers, one of whom is a a former schoolmate.

As I drove back to KK in the afternoon, I thought about how it had been such a worthwhile trip, albeit having to drive at night under heavy rain with hardly a single soul on the road, and having to chant `Namo kuan se yin pusa’ along the way to calm the nerves, it had been all worthwhile nevertheless to think that I managed to spend some quality time in the village with people matter to me most.

Travelling at broad day light on the same road, fear was now a stranger but happy thoughts were the dear friends of a contented soul nestling in an oasis of tranquility, peacefully and light-heartedly humming away happy tunes…





Some photos:

Lovely colleagues at the reception desk : Mordiana,Fenny & Karen
The team responsible for organising the function.
Standing fr. left : Jessie, Christnie, Fenny; sitting:Stephanie,Lorita,me

The cheeky trio : Henry,Nazrul and Wellie Siong

Me with the ever playful IT executive Fazillah Awang
A blurred picture of me and Sharifah Aini look-alike Jessie

Adorable kid of a colleague

Dotting fathers: co-workers with their families.

Production manager Mr.Law


Award presentation on stage
Karaoke session : Paulinus in action
Johannes Jimmy belting out a melodious number
A presentation of poco-poco dance
Family day activities on the following day





Photos in the village:
Papa and koko in an engaging talk with a neighbour
Fang seng
Ikan keli
Ikan karuk