Farewells for the Chinese New Year

Recently, among colleagues, Chinese New Year greetings were exchanged. For some of us, it was "Gong Xi Fa Chai" and "Goodbye" too....

Some of you may notice, the steady stream of people moving OUT of the company. I've resorted to pausing for awhile to consolidate the list of friends that have gone (the fact that I can do this shows the alarming reality of the situation!).

Among the notable figures that left is Jeffry Chan. He's a member of the Emergency Response team, and a very sporting guy. You'll definitely see him going up on stage to participate in either a sketch by the production shift, or to play one of the MC-organized games. Here you see him in costume as "County Joe Crab", for last year's annual dinner. Together with Richard Sta Maria (unfortunately no photo) who is famous too as an entertainer for his keyboard skills (and his renditions of Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart), our annual dinner and other functions will never be the same without them!

Next up is "Auntie" Low Siew Tiew (seen here on the right of Lo Chea Thin, who left earlier last year). Known for her feisty attitude and "Auntie"-ness, those who simply ask her for something without checking correctly will get a scolding that can be heard throughout the entire office (possibly the 2nd most resonating voice ever - the 1st I will not say who.... )

Joining the ranks of the happy retirees is Edgar Fredericks, seen here in an older photo on the right of Lo Chea Thin (she was quite a prominant figure here before she left). Having worked for many years (exact figure unknown to me), I'm sure Edgar, together with Norliah Md Sah and Gan Siok Ching (photos unavailable at the moment) can now kick back and enjoy their well deserved retirement.

Not everyone is ready for retirement. Such is the case of our friend, Zulkifli Ismail, who has opted for a change of pace. Leaving the company to tend to his own family business, I wish him well in his endeavors (hopefully, life there is better off than our industry in its current state).

Now, with so many people moving in this direction, my department too has a "share" of this statistics. Here's who has or are leaving our team, starting with:

Iskandar, my engineer, who just got married late last year. Now he's leaving to become a lecturer somewhere up North. Here he is between his bride and Zulfadhli (my tech who was kind enough to assist as an escort for the wedding entourage).

This is Firdhous. Not to be outmaneuvered, Firdhous left 1 day before Iskandar, I hear he's going to further his studies, same place where Iskandar is going to teach. Hmm, a conspiracy...?

Then there is Hasnol, who just joined the team permanently last year. Shows a lot of potential, but sadly, his future lies with the government service. Sigh....

Well, with so many people leaving and no one coming in yet, the workload is naturally distributed among the remaining staff. Including myself, which is why I hardly have time to update my blog....

In any case, my best wishes to all who have left for a happy retirement or to seek their fortune in another environment. Hope all to see you all again someday...!