Faculty's Family Day

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

For the past two days, I stayed at a resort about an hour away from my house for our faculty's family day. I didn't expect that much from this event because I thought that it really is a waste of time, energy and money. All I can see from an event like this is just to strengthen the bonds between the members of the faculty. We work at the same place everyday and probably see each other like nearly everyday. Although there are more than 150 of us in a faculty, both academic and administrative staffs, it's not like I don't know them. Of course, not that close, that's why I thought that the ultimate goal for a family day like this is to make the relationships between us closer.

Anyway, it was a packed event. We started on Saturday morning with telematch. Before that, I have arranged a few other female staffs to go there in my car to save money and environment! It was a pleasant journey. After the fun of telematch, we went for bowling. This was my second time and my first time was like 8 years ago. I have never been a good bowler and I obviously sent the ball into the gutter a few times and hit a strike randomly, I think that has nothing to do with my skill.

We checked in a big villa together with another 10 bacheloresses (or more precise, single ladies). It was fun staying with just girls because in other 14 villas, each room was occupied by a family, so it's like 5 families in a villa, not that fun. Anyway, in the afternoon, it's the Quality Day of the faculty - a formal function to celebrate the success of the faculty in various fields of academia and non-academic matters. In the evening, it's the Eid Dinner (though it's the end of Shawal, people still are celebrating Eid in Malaysia - it's a month of celebration here, funny Malaysians. Also, Saturday was Deepavali Day or Diwali). I really enjoyed the night cause those in my table were a bunch of happy young tutors and lecturers. We had a big roasted whole sheep! This is the first time I saw a big roast sheep on the table.

The next morning, we played futsal while the guys played netball. My team won the match and now my body is aching and soar all over, after like a few good month not having any proper exercise. On the way back, we dropped by a fishing village to buy fresh crabs. When we arrived, the fisherman just brought in two baskets of freshly-off-the-boat sea crabs. Later, we dropped by Nando's for lunch before we headed back.

This Wednesday until next Monday, I'll be at Sungai Petani, Kedah for a boring and purposeless (or for useless purpose) training - BTN - basically to make you more patriotic to the country by going for a week of camping. It's really a stupid idea, a product of the governing party who think that people can be brain-washed and fixed in just a few days of camping, who think that people will not vote for them if they don't play racial issues, who think that by not voting them means that they don't love the country, who think that they are the only legitimate party to govern this country and plunge the money of the people of this land. Really, I think I just want to fail this camp (yes, they test you at the end) and they can tell my employer about my performance there, so they will never want to send me to this kind of camp anymore. See, by sending me means that I represent this institution. If I failed, and this camp has nothing to do with my job as a lecturer, they will not want the name of UTM shamed. Why not just fail it?

ALLAHU'alam.

Wassalam.