Monday 2 September 2013

New Job

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah


Hurm... I do not know where to begin with. I went for an interview in an intergovernmental organization in Kuala Lumpur around July and I expected nothing, hehe. I just went there to try my luck and you know this ancient Indian phrase which means "moving the machine" is actually related to the actions. I am just translating everything into English rather than using Pali or Sanskrit words so everyone could see what we understood from our previous experience being a student of Buddhism, Brahmanism and other ancient Indian philosophies.

I applied for an entree position in the organization as I had a missing line in my resume related to the years of working experience. I went to further my studies because of various thoughts. Basically, I understood the rules in seeking the job where famous companies or organizations would basically looking at our experience of working in certain field of job because they do not want to waste their time and capitals in training new employees. Talents and others would be screened later. For that, I would have to apply for an entry position and planning my career again. I actually wanted to study Islam and returning to the unfinished task which I had to pursue last time. That was my highest responsibility or what is known as the fardh al-kifayah for me. But, it seems like this is just a dream that is far from the reach. It is kicking me far from itself and it was my fault. I cried and always blaming my wretched self for this.    

I did not go for the test in the Malaysian Books' Translation Institute in Wangsa Maju. I know that we are not valued anywhere in the country other than what can we do with Malay? We cannot survive as Malay translators because nobody respect the language. I had read about what happened to Abdullah Munsyi from Malacca. That guy is a Yemenite from a Tamil mother. He translated New Testament: Matthew into Classical Malay and was stamped as a Christian priest by locals. I had seen his other translations in our university library last time. He also translated the Panchatantram into Classical Malay as well as other books. Some of his notes such as about Kelantan perhaps were quite bias because he was not traveling so much nor mingling with the Eastern Coast people much but I think we should do researches with clear mind before throwing out our perceptions. Anyway, my father though a Yemenite by descent but he is a staunch Malay language supporter. He wrote poems, expressing his feelings and articles in Malay. It is the only mother tongue that he knows. Arabic only serve as our liturgical language like what happened to other Arab or even Jewish diasporas across the world. It is still vaguely spoken by our elders but becoming an alien language once they passed away.

I also have large corpus of materials related to Judeo-Christian literature and Christian apocrypha. I translated them into Malay just after I read them few times together with Islamic and other philosophical readings either from English or Arabic while I did nothing. However, they are not for public release and I will never release them to people. They simply serve as exercises for mind and personal references for me. Sometimes I released them by accident and I always regret myself and trying to erase them before others could read them. Now, because of this I would like brothers and sisters who know me out there to know. I did not mingle so much with you as I love you. I do not want you to misunderstood anything which comes out of my mouth or my mind. Especially, when you are just mingling with people of the same group or way of thinking. I am not a person who conform to normal social norm. I have my own standard.

By the way, I am going to be a contract staff again for another six months beginning next Monday. I quit from the post of Public Relations Trainee in the Corporate Communications Unit in the Prime Minister's Department. My payment there was on daily basis at the rank of N17 clerk though I had to also do the jobs of my superiors. I am not quitting from the post because of the low payment. I am thankful to them for the opportunities given to prove myself and for offering me the letter to continue my contract. Especially to my boss and my supervisor. They were late to announce that I would be promoted into the M41 rank with two years contract as I received the call from the new work place asking my confirmation to accept the post earlier than that.

I am just curious about the the new job and men always have to get involved with risky things and challenges, right? My new office would be in the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Well, it is only a contract based job but I could apply for other posts in the system once I am an internal person. What concerns me now is that I live far from my work place. I would have to plan my driving route and time.... How could I perform my obligations such as salat services when I am working there.... My responsibility as a son to a bed-ridden father... 

I end my working hour early today without attending the farewell party which was held together with Eid al-Fitri feast for the office because I simply do not know what else to say. I said everything to my boss just before I quit today. And I wrote another note on my station (desk) saying thanks to everyone besides apologizing on my shortcomings before leaving. It was in English and I feel sorry for not respecting the national language but I use to think and write in English. I still have four remaining days as according to the previous contract. But I had given the resignation and handing-tasks letters to the boss since last week. I have no one to train so lucky me, haha... I would have to hand in my documents to the new office at their human resource on this Friday, 6th September 2013.

Oh, yeah just after I walked out from my office I took a bus to the shopping mall. I went to the temporary musalla and performing the Dzuhr service. Then I went to have some noodles. After that, I went down and randomly bought a ticket in the cinema. I watched a movie titled Mortal Instruments: the City of Bones alone. It was not so much impressive but I could say that it is just a nice movie with some Gothic elements in the settings. The movie ends around 17:00 something and I went to the musalla performing 'Asr service. I bought some rice and ate them before returning home. 

I performed Maghrib and 'Isya prayer services at the musalla near home. Not walking up the hill like always. I am not sure whether I could regularly go there when I am going to start with my new job. I am going to miss the mosque up there : (

Sealed with prayer for mercy, peace and love, amin!      

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