watching

i don't particularly enjoy events. Will always find a way / reason not to join in.

let's see... jamuan tahunan? fever... jamuan raye? have to take mother to hospital....
jamuan hari ****? owh..cannot. have to pick up somebody at the airport...

i would spare myself from looking at colleagues rushing for the buffet table like there-wont-be-food-if-you-dont-hurry-up. So, obviously i NEVER attend any majlis berbuka puasa in my entire life...Well, maybe once. And what a huge lesson that was.

But a retirement majlis is an exception. This may sound a little cliché but retirement is a one time thing for some people. Its a big thing. A birthday is a birthday, but the final birthday at a workplace is a BIG thing. A farewell is a farewell, a goodbye is a goodbye, but when an employee retires - he is leaving something that he is accustomed to. His routine, his coffee breaks, little chats in between work... My boss retired a few months ago. Yup, no excuse. I was there. The unofficial photographer with a hand-me-down D40 tried hard to make myself looking busy through out the event. Not exactly a memorable one. I just remembered the rest of us had to dress up alike. Shutter clicking all the way from morning till noon. Got him a book - Ustaz Zahazan's Hadis 40 Imam Nawawi. I was pretty sure it was a good choice; pocket sized, clear font, beautifully illustrated. So that's that.

Today, a colleague retires. A dear, dear lady who sits a few tables away from me.

The unofficial photographer again because no one else brought a camera (really?). It was supposedly just another event - speeches, gifts & etc (oh, i got her a lovely customised crystal tasbih & two Ustaz Zahazan's books - clad nicely in a small little decorative trunk). The uneasiness started when i was ready for some shots before her send-off. When she was signing the attendance book for one last time, tears ran down her face...And at that moment, mine were too. And i dont enjoy the rest of the day anymore.

I gave her two good hugs!! Real good & tight ones! i hate goodbyes & farewells! Gosh! I'm gonna miss her. Watching someone else taking over her table soon will be awful.

Budak-budak! I'm going to make you watch Hachiko after the exam. Goodbye is also the hardest word to say jugak, you know.