About turn in my career

Last month, some departments within the company I work with went into a reorganisation exercise. The organisation was a massive one covering all countries where the company operates. Among the positions affected was my position that was merged into another position. The other positions though not affected, were also opened for other applicants.

Everyone affected by the reorganisation was allowed to apply to a maximum of six positions. One would imagine the number of application going through this period and indeed throughout the period of application, the system hosting the application process was down several times due to heavy traffic. The massive application exercise was the first ever happening in the company history within a short period of time and with the highest overall impact.

In the end, withstanding the system downtime, several extended timelines and some delay in communication; I must say the process went very well compared to the stretching demand of the exercise. Those who were successful and unsuccessful were equally given the same priority in communication and treatment.

Unlike most others, I applied to only three positions out of six possible positions. The three positions comprise of

1. The newly created position where my position and another position were merged. - Regional Transactional Services Manager
2. A position that I have not hold before but have some working experience due to some of the roles I held previously – Employee/Industrial Relations Advisor
3. A position that I have hold previously – Contracts/Vendor Manager

The strategy I utilised in applying for the position was to apply for three different possible scenarios (the sequence shows the order of my preference) i.e.

1. Regional Transactional Services Manager – a position that I know how to handle half of the role.
2. Employee/Industrial Relations Advisor – a position that would allow me to venture into a new area for my career development
3. Contracts/Vendor Manager – a position I am familiar with

The unnumbered option that is not listed above is; I will be out of job and I will be made redundant.

All praise to Him, though I have applied only for three positions, I managed to secure the Contracts/Vendor Manager role. I accepted the offer with some mixed feeling as of course I would have been happier to secure either the first or second preference. However the Contracts/Vendor Manager position is as good though it may not be as visible at the forefront of operations as my previous role. We will see how it goes.

Instant and convenient culture

While I was driving through my housing area a week ago, I noticed an advertisement printed on an A4 paper, laminated and hung at a lamp-post which says "Work from home. Earn RM2,XXX to RM4,XXX per month, call...". Then yesterday I read in a newspaper, "Bang Wok (I have changed the name) cannot promise that you will earn RM1 Million, but you can start earning more than RM5,000 per month by ..."

All seems to be easy enough. The notion is simple and attractive, just follow what the advert suggested, and one can earn four digits income. There are also schemes that offer those who join it becoming millionaire within a short period of time by either investing in something that sounds so unbelievable or just recruiting certain number of downlines.

Most of the people whom I know well, had been in one of these schemes, in fact too many of these schemes. After one failed, they will join another, then another if that failed too. Seems that money is not everything to them, it is the dream to earn big money or becoming a millionaire that seems to be much stronger than anything else.

Is it true? Well I don't know because I have not met a Millionaire who had joined these schemes. So far I have only met people who are on a relentless pursuit to become Millionaire or earn big money instantly with a little effort.

For me, this is the product of an instant and convenient culture. Just think, most of the people of this generation had been brought up with the fastest car, the fastest broadband, the easiest remote control, the easiest internet banking, the lightest hand phone, and the list goes on and on. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper can be taken along the street or delivered to the house as well. How instant and convenient.

With this culture, working hard and long is so unattractive to us Malaysian. Everything should be instant and convenient, the money should be big as well, nothing worth it other than big, instant and convenient money. So who then will work hard and long? The foreign workers of course! Cleaners and Domestic helpers are from Indonesia or the Phillipines, Contractors and labourers are from Indonesia or Nepal.

However the reality is not quite instant and convenient. The challenge in life is to attain, maintain and sustain whatever that we do, be it in business or employment. This requires working hard and long. Likewise, I believe all those schemes are true if one is able to attain, maintain and sustain, but I believe it is not instant and convenient, as nothing is so easy.

The "Balik Kampung" myth during Hari Raya

When I started working more than twenty years ago, people know me as someone who has no kampung (hometown) as my mother and I lived in Gombak i.e. KL. So applying leave during Hari Raya (Eid) was a challenge then as I was first a bachelor and second, I have no kampung to go back to.

When I got married, I married a nice Gombak girl. Hence my kampung status then did not improve as I am married but both my wife and I have no kampung. My wife is better off as her school where she teaches normally closes during Hari Raya for a week.

As time went by, I insisted to take leave during Hari Raya. My colleagues who have kampungs teased me saying that I should sacrifice for them, so give them a chance to balik kampung as I am already a local. So one time (this was probably 15 years ago) after Hari Raya, I asked one of my colleagues who took leave to Balik Kampung, where did he go during Hari Raya.. he told me he went back to his parent's house, prayed the Eid prayer in the morning and then stayed at his parent's house until he came back to KL. Then he asked me where did I go during my Raya leave, I told him on my First day Raya, I visited 15 houses including my Mother's and Parent-in-law's house. Second day Raya, I visited 7-8 houses and I related him similarly every day of Raya until I returned to work.

This Raya is my first Raya where I update my FB hj malek with my Raya visits (prior to that I have been a long dormant FB user). I shared photos and short snippets of my 7-day Raya celebration on FB. When I came back to the office, many at the office commented that I really had my Raya as they were following my FB postings. Well I told them, that has been how I celebrated my Raya, not only visiting parents and siblings, but uncles, unties, second uncles and unties, cousins, second cousins, neighbours.

So Raya for me is not about taking the journey of Balik Kampung, which is the beginning. Once you Balik Kampung, then the next step would be to visit your relatives whom you had not had a chance to meet them because everybody are busy nowadays and stay far apart. This is the true meaning of Raya and Balik Kampung.

Eid Fitr Shopping at Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Lagoon.

Click here for more Eid Fitr Shopping at Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Lagoon.

2nd Year family outing at Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam

This year my family and I went to Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam once again for our Eidul Fitri shopping. Unlike last year (see my posting Family outing at Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam Sunday, 31 August 2008) when we were there before the fasting month, this year we purposely chose a fasting day i.e. yesterday, Saturday 8th Ramadhan to do our shopping. Also unlike last year, only my daughter followed my wife and I, as my two sons had other plans. We went there very early in the morning and reached Kompleks PKNS just a few minutes after 10.00 am.

By the time we reached the ground floor foyer of the complex, we could see a lot of people. There were about 100 booths selling baju kurung (a traditional female attire), jubah (robes) for males and females, tudung and selendang (female head scarves), brooches, songkok and kopiah (a traditional male head gear), capal (a traditional male sandal) and many other things related to Eidul Fitr. These exclude the permanent shops on the ground and first floor of the complex.

Our purchases were a lot less than last year as I only bought a kopiah, my wife bought two pair and my daughter a pair of baju kurung. Today the three of us accompanied by my second son went to our usual shopping place, Alpha Angle at Wangsa Maju. My wife commented that the baju kurung at Alpha Angle is much cheaper than Shah Alam. We both agreed probably this year would be the last time we will do our shopping at Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam.

The more than 100 temporary booths set up at the foyer of the Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam (top)
Metres of cloth hanging from high above creates the atmosphere of shopping (top).

"Gelap mata" or "pejam mata", both show how intense is the shopping (top)
The packed people on the Ground Floor forced us to go to the 1st floor where there were a lot more space for shopping in comfort. Warisan Hawa Collection (top and the following photos) is a boutique selling batik. My wife bought a pair of baju kurung here.

Farewell to Alex, all the best

When I became the HR Expatriate Services Manager in January last year, Alex was one of the Services Advisors in the team. He constantly consults me on his work and performance. Due to the manpower rationalisation of my team and the impending transitioning into an inferior terms and conditions of employment covering the team, he had decided to apply for a transfer. He recently got a job as a Marketing Executive in Johor, but still working at the same company. Farewell to Alex and all the best in his future endeavours.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mahda, Alex Pega
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 8:22 PM
To: Mohd-Nor, Abd-Malek
Subject: Farewell & Thank you Boss

Boss

I had put the results hardcopy into a white envelope and put it under your keyboard. Your Merdeka stuff had been placed under your workstation.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your full support and encouragement as my team manager. You will always be among the Best Boss @ Tok Guru I ever have.

Sincere apologize if I had offend you in a way or another. Again..THANKS Boss.

p/s sama Bendera Hijau kita boss...."Hijau" FOR ALL!...sama-sama Hijau ne jgn lupa boss...1.2 ;-) TGNA suka tu..hehe

Thank you and have a nice day.
Best Regards
Alex

The most expensive shoes I have ever bought

Ever since I returned from performing my umrah, my knee pain had become unbearable. I started experiencing the pain while exercising at the office gymnasium (refer to my post Leg~sercises on Saturday, 23 May 2009). At that point, I just dismissed it as just fatigue.

The pain disrupted my normal life much to my disappointment, I could not go to the gym and walking about at home and office became so painful. My doctor then sent me for a knee x-ray and the diagnose was minor Osterioathritis (see below for the test result and click here http://www.footsolutions.com/arthritis.htm for more information on athritis).

I then had to use a walking cane to support my knee, take some pain killers and supplement, last but not least, go for weight reduction. One of my colleagues then recommended me to Foot Solution, a store specialising in customized shoe solutions to improve comfort and body alignment and help achieve better health through the feet.

At the store, Steven the Footcare Consultant interviewed me and ran some tests on two sophisticated machines and here are the results.

He then proposed a very comfortable pair of shoes suitable for my foot shape with a customised footbeds with a price of RM1,400 per pair. Wow!! I said to myself. Nonetheless I went ahead and bought the pair as I am desperate. It would be fully ready by Monday. I will share more on my experience wearing the shoe later.

For more information on Foot Solutions in Malaysia, see below.