Lawatan ke kilang Denso

Yesterday I had an appointment to visit an MFI student who was doing her industrial training in Denso at 10am. By 9.30 I had already driven into the factory compound and parked near the security booth to register myself. Sambil merasa kagum dengan diri sendiri kerana sampai begitu awal sekali.

At the pondok pak guard I told the man that I was there to see my student and gave him her name. He called in to check dan beberapa saat kemudian muka dia berkerut. Then he asked me if I knew anyone working there in the factory. So I gave him the name of the HR person. Lagi dia buat muka pelik. I started to feel annoyed. Kenapa pakcik ni semua orang dia tak kenal. Cubalah update sikit senarai staf beserta nombor extension tu boleh tak? Daripada duduk-duduk melenggang perut tak buat apa-apa.

And then he looked at me again and asked me one more time, "Akak sebenarnya nak jumpa siapa?"

Dan saya terpaksa menjawab sekali lagi, "Saya ni datang nak melawat pelajar MFI yang buat latihan industri kat kilang Denso ni."

Kemudian terdengar suara seorang pekerja kilang tersebut yang lalu di belakang saya berkata, "Kak Long ni kilang Sony."

Oh. Kilang Denso terletak bersebelahan rupanya.

Lawatan ke kilang Hitachi

Last Friday I went to Hitachi Electronics here in Bangi for the first time. I had to go there to visit a student who's currently doing his industrial training in that company. At the security booth, I had to register myself and surrender my driving license. I was given a vendor pass and showed the way to the visitor parking. Then I had to use the supplier entrance, which is rupa-rupanya not the proper main entrance. Since I had the vendor tag on me, that's the entrance that I had to take. They didn't have any Cikgu Bahasa Perancis yang menyamar sebagai vendor entrance.

As I entered, I was surprised to see so many people coming and going into the three corridors that divided the ground floor. Ramai sangat gadis-gadis muda. And they all looked at me and smiled. Then I realized something.

They were all five feet tall or less.

Do you all realize how tiny all these foreign female workers are? I was literally swarmed by them. Imagine a birthday cake with one tall candle sticking out of it. That was how I felt. I was lost in a sea of Indonesian midgets.

And to put the cherry on the top of the proverbial cake, upon leaving, when the security guard handed me back my driving license, he actually gave me a pantun dua kerat.

"Terima kasih daun keladi
Kalau senang datang lagi"

Part of their KPI perhaps? I'm impressed. And highly amused. :-)

How do you mend a broken heart?

I am now experiencing severe withdrawal of the chemicals dopamine and oxytocin, short circuiting my brains, resulting in high amounts of cortisol in my body. I am running low on happy hormones. My trust hormone is at sub-zero level. As such, I am constantly feeling fatigued and sleepy. I am guessing this is my body's defense mechanism against heartbreak. Maybe if I went to sleep, all my worry will go away.

Alas that is never the case. I wake up at odd hours during the night, always feeling a tightness in my chest. Sometimes it is hard for me to breathe. I just want to lie in bed all day. And sleep. But I can't. My evil buddy insomnia is throwing my sleep cycle off.

And my tear ducts work overtime.

But I am patiently waiting for this depressing cycle to end. And bounce back to my normal self. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by friends and family who are understanding enough to let me be without asking too many questions, offer advice when needed, and be there for me. It's heartwarming to know that there are still some people who love you.

The trick is to stay occupied. And always have faith in the Almighty that when something happens, it is always for a reason. He knows what's best for you. Right now I might just feel like kicking his ass for giving up so easily, but I'm sure in the long run, in perspective, I might just begin to fathom the scheme of things. How maybe I was not meant to be in this kind of life. Or simply that if a person ditches you at the slightest obstacle and not want to find other means and ways, well then maybe he was just not so into you after all.

Do I have the face that says ''The fun starts here. Please wash hands after use. Thank you and have a nice day''?

Do I not deserve some love and happiness as well? And some degree of respect?

Freud has long suggested writing about any deep traumatizing episode you might have experienced for the cathartic effect. Ceh gila bombastic punya ayat padahal it just means writing crap about some shitty thing to let off some steam. So here I am trying to let go of some of my ''deep negative emotions that I might ignore or repress'' through expressive writing. Bluek.

Well for whatever that has happened, when all else fails, I still have my faith, my family, my friends, my cats and my wacky sense of humor.

And to the person responsible for all this extreme sadness and unhappiness, would it be possible for me to claim damages? If you think a broken heart is just some foolish romantic notion, well think again. I have to live with all this physical pains and aches in my body and it is taking a toll on my health and sanity. Kalau kita demam, kita boleh pergi klinik dan minta panadol (kalau tak nak bayar kena cari klinik panel), tapi kalau kita patah hati, ada tak hospital yang buat injection anti-kecewa?

I know you are reading this. Yes. You. So tell me, where is the nearest hospital I can go to check myself in and ask for dopamin and oxytocin I.Vs? That would help clear this blur in my head. And ease the pain a little.

But so would an unlimited spending budget.