Farewell to Shazlie

Sigh. Yet another entry in my "Farewell to...." series, it seems!

Shazlie and I weren't directly involved at work (which probably explains why we could get along without fighting over yield, output, etc..). However, I did have the opportunity to work together with him in several of the committees in the company, notably, related to Environment, Health and Safety, as well as our Recreation Club.

I was notified of the farewell dinner somewhat earlier, and, though I marked the date and time on my calendar, a last minute rescheduling of my almost weekly teleconference with Germany resulted in me arriving nearly 1.5 hours after the starting time. This was by all means late, even by our fabled Malaysian standards...! :)

Some of us had chipped in and put together a farewell dinner for Shazlie, at the Dragon Deluxe Restaurant in Batu Berendam. Unknown still to many, this "Chinese" restaurant actually has a halal certificate, so it is Muslim-friendly (thus the ideal spot for our dinner). We booked a large room upstairs, which was large enough for a couple of tables, and comes with a karaoke set, so you could sing the night away.

Met up with a couple of ex-colleagues there too, which is a good thing to keep in touch with true friends. As opposed to, say, those who "bakar jambatan" (burn bridges) the moment they leave.

Shazlie's last day wasn't until sometime later in the month. However, due to my unexpected business trip in the following week, I shook hands with him for the very last time as an employee of the company that night. It's not yet known to me where his endeavours will take him, but nonetheless best wishes to my good friend. And thus do I brace myself for more resignations in the weeks to come (keep checking here for updates as they become official)!