My Way

Yes, "My Way" sung by the late Frank Sinatra. " And now the end is near...". How I love this song! Every word in it means a lot to me. And so I design my blog in a way that it pleases me. I believe the reader has the right to know a little bit about me in the first place before reading what I have to say thereon.

Life has been a yo-yo for me. I have no regret though. Learn something from my past experience if you wish to but never, never ever emulate what I have done! If you are not tough enough, don't even dream of trying to do that. Listen to "My Way" first before you want to waste your time trying to understand why I have to shift from one job to another over a period of 38 years.

I started as a clerical officer in a high court in a state in North Malaysia. Barely 4 months after that I was offered a higher post in the state civil service. After serving for 2 years as a cadet officer, I went to a university to study architecture. I landed up as a manager in a government led property development company after graduation. Two years after that I went to read for my master in construction management at a university in Scotland. Armed with the post-graduate degree, I joined a university in Malaysia as an academic. I then left the university after 4 years of working there to join first, an Australian prefabricated housing company and then an architect firm. I worked in the firm for three years. However, due to the economic downturn in 1985 I had to leave the firm and went back into the world of the academia as an academic all over again. I read for my PhD in Wales and came back to Malaysia to continue with my teaching career.

I left the university in 1997 to accept an offer as a managing director of a public listed company involved in property development. I left the company after 2 years to join a semi-government organization as a general manager. Three years thereon I left for London to be a diplomat in charge of education. After almost 4 years in London I came back to Malaysia to be an executive chairman of a company. The business was not doing well and so I left the company to join a relatively new university to be an academic for the third time. It is almost 2 years now and the itch to explore into a new territory once again keeps me restless.

I do not understand why these things happened to me. Why? Perhaps I am just traveling along the highway that has been designed for me- just keep on traveling and don't ask why. Second, I have a great family that supports me- my loving and patient wife [I love you very very much] and my supporting children [they are beautiful - love you all very very much too!]. My family will always be there for me - not too many questions asked. Just pack their things and trudge along.

Someone told me that I am the real rolling stone. Yes I accept it without regret. I like to move on from one job to another to challenge my capability and sanity. Of late I have been offered a teaching job at a prominent university in Saudi Arabia. I may decide to go once I have done my homework - I am not familiar at all with this country and I need to understand a lot of things first. There is yet another offer to be a senior project manager at a well known organization in London. London? Having lived there before, I am familiar with this city. I may decide to go back there. The job seems to be more challenging for it requires me to travel all over the UK and Eire and develop properties. Great risk. Yes. But it will be fun!

I don't expect anyone to understand me for now. Perhaps, one day someone out there who may well share the same sort of fate will appreciate what I have been and am going through. Anyway my daughters have encouraged me to write a book on the story of my life. I have already have a title - " Me - a nobody". I will do it for their sake, I mean for their convenience to explain to their friends and loved ones what kind of a daddy that they have.

Enough about this eccentric Mr Nobody. My next composition will be devoted to the issues on sustainability and community empowerment. Bye for now.