Farewell to Tiew HT

I found that having to stay back late in the office for work on one particular day was actually a blessing. Last Friday, as I set about clearing some work before heading home, my long time colleague and friend Tiew Hin Teong stopped by my office and shook my hand, as it was apparently his last working day. I was a little surprised, as I had asked him the night before if I would be able to see him next week. When he said yes, he did not mention that he meant "yes, of course you can see me next week - outside the company"....

So in a way, I was fortunate to be able to bid farewell to my friend in person. We've worked together for nearly ten years now, since the owner of my company bought it over from the previous owner, who still has some manufacturing presence in Batu Berendam, not far away from here. Tiew was a hardened veteran in his field, and was a great contributor to the Maintenance Team where he had worked. We rarely needed to approach him to help out on problems, however, when the occasional "impossible mission" brought us to a grinding halt, Tiew more often than not manages to help us pull through.
I missed several farewell events organized by some of our colleagues, so I had nothing more on the spur of the moment save a warm handshake and some words to offer. Didn't even have time to snap a parting photo together.... :(

As I understand from Tiew, he was moving on to pursue his career elsewhere, but he'd remain in Melaka still, with the occasional business trip overseas. As this part of town was such a small place, chances are that we'd meet again someday, perhaps while shopping at Jusco or maybe during dinner one of the many restaurants?

Regardless, I'm happy to have made the acquaintance with Tiew, and I wish him well in his journey onwards!