Hazia’s Reflections

I’m so lazy to write about our management retreat, it was a complete waste of time. Not to mention, the water chalet was disappointing, 3-star only, for that kind of price? I cancelled my extended stay, I wouldn’t pay RM300 for that kind of crap.

Anyway, I found myself having to emcee the evening session, man, the whole purpose of having retreats is to break ice and interact. Once you have a podium, formal speech by Deputy Minister and all.. merely dressing down doesn’t make the event informal. Also, when you’re the emcee, people assumed that you were the organiser. And I didn’t want to be associated with something IS planned - I question the intellectual rationale behind it and especially since he made it very clear that I wasn’t in-charge.

The service was slow and before I could have my after-dinner coffee, I saw the VIP table guests getting up and  adjourning. As I was walking up the staircase, a man spoke to me, introducing himself. Such a refreshing approach, you know the type you faced during social events, rather than corporate’s. He seemed like a decent clean cut, good looking guy, just came straight from the private sector right into the heat of politics. Untarnished. Yeah, he was the new Deputy Minister’s personal secretary.

He has a unique name, sounds like the name of a bird. We chatted a bit and unfortunately, I had to step in through the front door and go behind the podium, he seemed surprised. He stopped and went to sit at a round table at the back of the room. Obviously, he wasn’t done talking yet. Man… I was stuck, I cursed and cursed all night.

After the formalities, I caught him during the very late coffee break. We chatted. He is 3 years younger than I. We even talked about my book, I gave him my personal card. Suddenly, a senior manager crashed beside him and started interviewing him. He said he was doing on it on behalf of our single female colleague seated at the same table. Gosh, was he blind? What made him think that I wasn’t interested in that guy? And what the hell did he think I was doing? Filling time? Anyway, the pace that he moved proved that I wasn’t imagining things. That guy was damn attractive in a clean kind of way.

After that, we all walked back to our chalets. While I was talking to him again, an old man ‘menyibuk’. Apparently, he was just being gatal asking whether I was cold in the function room and saying that I should have sat next to him. Eeee… I quickly walked off. He has already irritated my colleagues and I during dinner with his crude manner.

No 1 later on joked with the young man. Since all the married women were walking off, having a good time thinking they were still single, why didn’t he join them. Out it came - tak boleh hadir - his wife couldn’t make it. Trust no 1 to burst the bubbles. LOL!

I said goodnight and returned to my water chalet. Thank God the contractors on the site opposite my private balcony was gone, so was the noise, sounded like a port when I arrived. Dusty too. It was cruel of the hotel to give us a complimentary upgrade facing the construction site. The bathroom was great. But with the bathtub being the main highlight, it lacked finishing touch. Just a transparent tiny plastic consisting of blue bath salt, no bath foam, fancy-named items, etc. No soft music too, just TV, no radio.

Sitting at deck chair on the balcony looking at the sea was nice, but at midnight, I think it was low tide again, just like in the afternoon. All I saw was only flat sand, no water, like a tennis court.

The next day I found out that the dirty old man was in the same group as me. He started making squimmish remarks about me being cold like a bird while emceeing, presenting his drawing to me, etc. Group discussion was also hellish, he was domineering, stubborn and shallow in his opinions, the typical Melayu mentality. He even blastered no 1 for giving his presentation in English. To top it all, the consultant stunk. People didn’t want to listen to long theoritical classroom lecture on a retreat. They were also late, didn’t test equipment beforehand, etc. I didn’t see the purpose of them bringing 3 staffs, they didn’t even managed to get the output of the session typed on the same day.

We were each given a hamper of toilettries, a gift since we weren’t allowed to claim leave to replace the working weekend. Mann!!!