Refreshing Dungun

It’s always good to be back in Dungun. The place where my family and I once called it home. The freshness of the air makes you feel good to be alive and the breeze that just sweeps your stress away. For me it claims a special place in my heart like a treasure chest, where all the good memories reside. The beach along the coast line isn’t fancy; but naturally beautiful. The waves and the sand give the same picture and the same sound as they used to twenty years ago. The natural beauty of Pantai Sura is diminishing by the erosion and the maintenance work, but I am glad to have this small opportunity to experience what is left. It was before 6 am when I stopped by the beach and had a sudden urge to feel the  wind and the cold breeze. The pine trees made a wheezing sound as if to welcome a long lost friend.  I crossed my arms as the wind chills my chest. I had a few minutes before the fajr prayers and it felt  so sad to leave the beach. I used to sit on the sand, sometime in the middle of the night, and looked out into the sea. Just stare into the horizon where the earth and the sky meet. When the azan for fajr prayers broke into the misty morning sky , the quiet kampong Sura Hujung came to life. After the prayers I met with Asri, he was just appointed when I left this place. We sat down and talked about everything.  I was a bit disappointed as I am no longer part of his story. That’s life , I guess, where people come and go.

 

The fact that I came back to Dungun for a faculty’s workshop didn’t stop me from making a few visits and meeting old friends. The sleepy town that Dungun once was, has become busy and lively. It was a good day when I drove back and forth along the main road like I used to and apparently for no good reason just for the old time’s sake. Why did I leave this place? The question that kept coming to my mind during this short going around Dungun. I guess how you live your life would have more impact than the place you’ve been living . The thing is that the place would remind  you how good your life was; or how bad it had been. In Dungun, I had an awesome life. Met Saiful and EZ for an afternoon tea by the Jalan Pantai. Having afternoon tea in Dungun is like a daily ritual; the atmosphere is phenomenal like an open air café in Paris. Besides, my two friends will update me with recent info of things and events in and around Dungun. I wouldn’t miss a thing. Thank you guys. And the keropok lekor and fried sotong were crispy as always.

The news that some of my friends in Dungun will be moved is brewing warmly.  The fact  that they will be moved is terrible. The ripple effects are beyond imagination. They have been here for most of their working life with big bungalows and beautiful gardens. Moving is the last thing on their minds. So sad. I wish the Rector could be more sensible with all these and offer a soothing comfort in the form of perpetual effort not to allow the move. Or at least giving some acceptable alternatives to cushion the crushing impact. None has been offered and no explanation whatsoever. Not a good move I reckon. I guess the admins are in terrible circumstances where nothing seems to be the right thing to do. So the easiest way out is not to do anything. Just ride on the brewing storm and hope for the best.

So in the end I had a refreshing visit, a good workshop and a new hope to come back and do this again. Awesome.

So did you balik kampung on CNY break?

Wednesday. End of CNY break. Didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t plan to. The car broke down as a punishment for being too lazy to plan anything for the break. The misty Wednesday morning turned drizzling as the morning traffics ‘stop and go’ like a clockwork. Somebody got smashed down in an accident along the way as the morning rush came to a crawl. I didn’t look or try to figure out why or who….the morning blues seemed to make everything silent like you turn the sound off your TV. A drive to  work felt like a long drive to nowhere. Work is always burdensome no matter how you look at it. Maybe for a few days we can pretend  that the work is our passion, our hobby or whatever  but sooner or later it will come down to just “Darn! Am I stuck here or what!”.  The gloomy sky and the sound of raindrops make the day more  depressing.  I really want to go back and enjoy a cupper with wifey ,chit chat with my daughter and son, pat my cat and just look at my wild garden……and see the day goes by and me growing old with my family at the side. Now I know the reason why grandpa and grandma used to avoid travelling afar, at this age we treasure things closer to home.

I left early for home. Leaving a lot of work unfinished; the report, staff evaluation, the PFI planning etc. The heap of things to sign and approve just piling up. Never-ending chores that have started to annoy me. But it’s okay because that’s how I work, when things get tough I would withdraw and do something else. Most of the time it would eventually get done by the time it is due. No problem. The PFI planning is the most challenging task so far. I don’t find it difficult but needs some time to get it going. The number of lecturers to fill up the teaching positions at PFI campus is almost ready. With the help of KPP, we manage to come up with the numbers; now those numbers must be translated into a list of names. I reckon by next week we can finalize the list and get it approved in a meeting.

It’s gonna be difficult for everyone involved, yes, I agree to that. Change is always a challenge. And change also is inevitable wherever you are. When the top management said when mobilizing the lecturers to our new PFI campuses please  not to break a family, take the wife away from her husband or move the mother from her children, I raised my middle finger… a sign of frustration. The sweet talk won’t help at all, it won’t facilitate change but instead makes things very difficult. I paused and took a breath and promised to myself that this won’t create stress in me that will eat my life away. No way, will do it my way with my own pace.

A lady came into the office looking very nervous. O yes please have a seat….it’s about your application to extend your study leave….we would like you to consider another option. Before I finished my sentence she just broke down. Felt very awkward as to why I put this lady in such a terrible situation. All I want to do is to be fair to her as well as to myself and the whole system  of values and beliefs. The talk went on for over an hour with all the drama that you don’t really want to know the detail. In the end she refused my suggestion and insisted to proceed with her application. So I failed to convince her about a better alternative. I guess for me to champion  the art of leadership is still far way off….better luck next time.

 

Goodbye My friend! Have a good life.....

Secebis Memori Indah
(Khas untuk kawanku Dr Harun Budin yang tamat perkhidmatan di UiTM pada hari ini 8 Feb 2013)

 

Hadhir mu hanya seketika

Bak embun dipagi yang dingin
Muncul mu hanya sejenak
Bak mentari  dihujung petang
 
Pun begitu
Senyum mu  adalah warna-warna pagi
salam mu penawar hati-hati terluka
nasihatmu mengisi jiwa-jiwa  kosong
doamu merestui  hajat  dan harapan
 
Namun...
Belum habis kita bercerita
Belum puas kita berseloka
Belum tamat kita berhujah
Belum reda kita bertekak
Masa mu untuk berundur telah tiba         
Pergi....bersama  memori semalam

Kami redha ....

walaupun perpisahan ini
Bagai doa tanpa kata-kata
Bagai tangisan tanpa airmata
Bagai pergaduhan tanpa sengketa
Bagai  kehidupan  tanpa cita-cita

Iya......

Pertemuan kita hanya di sini
Tapi ingat akan  janji-janji kita
Lambailah pada awan....

padanya kita kirim titisan kasih persahabatan

Senyumlah pada sang bayu....

            padanya kita hembus mantera rindu
Dongaklah pada mentari......
darinya kita pancar cahaya mahabbah 
Pandanglah pada purnama.....

Itulah ikatan  antara dua hati

Semoga kita bertemu lagi dilain persimpangan
Kita doakan moga hari-hari mendatang
Dipenuhi barokah dan maghfiroh

.......Terima kasih ,Dr Harun Budin

.......buat secebis memori nan indah

 

 

Nordin Abu Bakar
FSKM, UiTM  6 Feb 2013