A hundred people
Locked up in this hall all day
Empty pageantry.
On Having Fun at Work
“A fun place to work?
Just treat us with dignity!”
Loud applause erupts.
Tentang Sumbu Diri dan Kehidupan Bekerja
Hari hari menatang kerja
Tanpa lelah siap tugasan
Sumbu diri berkobar nyala
Sakit sengal masing rahsiakan.
On Sungkai
Early morning
And I am on the road again
Not quite sure
For whom
And for what
Life is full of such
Moments of incomprehension
We often do what we must
Even if we are not quite sure
For whom
And for what
And when and how and why.
Tentang Tokoh-Tokoh Berjiwa Tikus
Watak kerdil bercakap besar
Otak pejal berlagak pintar
Kerja malas beralas gambus
Begitulah sang tokoh tikus!
On Staying Calm
Calm down. Relax. No one is looking. Everyone else is busy Fretting over their own lives, Their own dreams and conceits and vanities To notice what you just said, Or the existential angst That burns like midnight fire Through each line Of that LinkedIn post that you just wrote.
On Powerpoint
They pay me to draw
Fancy boxes and squiggles
With “mouse” and “paper”.
Tentang Pencarian di Sebalik Baris-Baris Excel
Aku mencarimu, Tuhanku
Di antara baris-baris aksara ini
Yang menggumpalkan merah hitam nikmatMu
Yang menghitungkan segala ciptaanMu
Selembar demi selembar
Aku menzikirkan semua kurniaan ini
Setiap selirat sungaian rahmat
Setiap tandan buahan lazat
Deru luruhnya menggunung ranum
Manis nikmat menguntum senyum
Nah, ternyatalah
Setiap baris dan lajur
Yang terbentang luas ini
Tiada tercukup untuk mengira setiap rezeki
Tiada terangkum acap syukur kami.
On the Shittiest Boss in Kuala Lumpur
I was in my favourite bookshop in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, sitting in my usual spot at the staircase and browsing for books. (I eventually got myself a copy of Boccaccio’s Decameron, thanks for asking hehe.) As I was browsing, I spied at the corner of my eye, someone who used to be the boss of a friend of mine. My friend had related his travails of working for this man – the shenanigans, the tantrums, the late salary payments. I pretended not to see him, which was not that difficult, since I didn’t really know this man – only that he was a terrible boss.
Not long after, I got up and made my way to the cash register, paid for my book, and walked upstairs to the cafe where my wife was sitting, drinking water while going through her own reading.
I saw down and immediately said, “Hey, guess who I saw!”
“Who??” Kat looked at me quizzically.
“I just saw the shittiest boss in KL, just browsing for books!”
“Wow! So **** is here looking for books??” Kat asked, her brows furrowed.
“Err, nope. Not him. Guess lah. I’ll give you another guess!” I said, enjoying this little game.
“Hmm. Ah, I know! You saw ****!!” Kat made her declaration with gusto, utterly convinced that she was right this time around.
I frowned for a while and said, “Wow! Hmm you are right, that person really is a shitty boss!! Wah this is rather stiff competition! You might be right, she might be the shittiest boss in all of Kuala Lumpur! But no, it wasn’t her that I saw.” I shook my head in denial, even as I was marveling over the fact that it really was stiff competition.
“Oh, I don’t know! Who is it???” By this time, Kat’s curiosity was really piqued. She needed to know.
“Haha it’s **** lah! Remember??” It was Kat, after all, who was regaling me with stories of this man’s horrific treatment of our friend.
Kat laughed out loud and said, “Oh yes, haha yes he really is a terrible boss! But you must admit though, **** really is a terrible boss herself! In fact, I think the margin is pretty thin between the two!”
I laughed along, nodding my head in agreement with my wife. I suppose there are quite a number of shitty bosses out there!
On Avoidance
I don't want to see you for coffee,
or lunch,
or whenever.
I find you tiresome,
clichéd,
forced.
But I admire your persistence,
though.
Looking forward to your next text message,
which will sadly remain
unread,
unanswered,
unloved.