The Reward for Resting Well

Please click the photo above to play the daily videoBack to work, then — but I returned to it the way you return to anything after a proper rest: a little reluctant, a little restored, and quietly grateful that yesterday happened at all. There's a particular contentment in having spent a day off well. It pays out the next morning like interest.

The first business of the day was, admittedly, conducted at four in the morning. England played Croatia at that ungodly hour, and against my better judgement I was awake for it. They won, which made the lost sleep feel like a sound investment rather than a foolish one — though I'll confess the line between the two is dangerously thin at that time of night. By the second half I was less a supporter than a man simply too far in to turn back. It paid off. It doesn't always.

The ward round came and went with the usual rhythm, and then it was off to Sentul for teaching — that part of the work I genuinely look forward to, the chance to hand something on, to watch a concept land behind someone else's eyes. There's a quiet pleasure in it that the rest of the day rarely matches. You spend so much of your time solving problems that the act of simply explaining one feels almost restful by comparison.

Back to Subang for lunch, and then another meeting with the pharma people — the kind of appointment that arranges itself into your afternoon whether you've made room for it or not. These meetings have their own choreography by now, familiar enough that I could probably conduct one in my sleep, which after the four a.m. start was nearly a literal possibility.

But the day, kindly, was a short one. Done early, home by half five — an hour so civilised I scarcely knew what to do with it. There's something faintly disorienting about arriving home while the light is still generous, the evening still ahead of you and entirely unspent. We had an early dinner, the unhurried sort, and the whole thing felt like a small act of rebellion against the usual order of things.

Anita, meanwhile, had spent her day at the KL International Motor Show with Razak, returning full of it. The new Prelude had caught her eye — Honda's old coupe, back after the better part of two decades away, reborn as something sleeker and quieter and electrified. I find there's a particular pleasure in watching a name you'd half forgotten reappear, dusted off and reimagined for a different age. She described it with the enthusiasm of someone who has decided, without quite saying so, that she'd rather like to sit in one.

So the week resumed without protest. A short day, an early dinner, a head still half-full of football and lecture notes and Anita's revived motoring ambitions. Not every working day needs to be a long campaign. Some, mercifully, just let you home in time to enjoy the evening — and you take those gladly, without asking why.

Return to d7

I had another extra few hours to burn yesterday morning while hanging around at the company’s office while an assessment was going on.

Compared to last few years, the place seemed deserted. It was a building complex with a difference, the kind which would have attracted internet start-ups to make them into offices. Nice green open space, seems right the right environment. But maybe the combination of economic slowdown and the wrong locale made sure that the place did not take off as it should.

Having a look aroundThat's my floorNice long tall corridors ...Personally, if I were to run a start-up, I may have a hub there since it was secluded enough but at the same time accessible through the road. Public transport maybe an issue but you could always use Uber.

Many of the old tenant had left. I remembered that there used to be a chic home appliances outlet on the ground floor where I used to ogle at the Smeg fridges - which I knew I could not afford. Most of the units on the ground floor were empty. Occupancy I would put at around 30% overall. Which was a shame ... And we were down to just a single cafe - the Three Little Birds Cafe. The mocha there could be better but the sandwiches were still OK.

The cafe was still openThe car park downstairs ... smaller than it shouldMaybe the place would turn around once the other offices around the area were also opened and the economy get better.

Pre-Puasa Treat

Although I arranged to be off for the first couple of days of Puasa, I still decided to do the morning rounds and sort out the Day Care patients. It ended up being a light round, with plenty of time to chill.

And with it, I took the time to have some roti canal for breakfast. Savouring every moment of it.

A quick stop at d7I then spent some time at another office in town doing some paperwork before joining Anita and Irfan in Gombak, in time for the Friday Prayers. After a quick lunch, we went across to fetch Idlan up from school. He had a frisbee session after class today, stopping at McDonald’s on the way home.

Quick a nice way before the start of Ramadan. Not to mention an early dinner with Anita at the tom yam stall. Dynamite! Happy Ramadan everybody!

Extra Couple of Hours

Instead of heading straight for the ward round this morning, I had to attend to a meeting at my lab in town. The meeting was to start at 9.30, meaning that should I start with my morning rounds first, there would be no way that I would be able to make it across town in time. Ramadan morning traffic had been madness, and I decided to do the sensible thing - I thought - of going into town early, avoiding the massive jam and just enjoy the couple of hours of extra time by myself.

It worked out fine so far, at least until the phone calls from the ward start coming in. Since Thursday meant that there would be no clinic for me, I might as well just take my time. There would be a couple of procedures lined up by lunch however, so hopefully things would wrap up here pronto.

The Three Little Bird Cafe

From the lab entranceThe weather this morning was also right gorgeous. Since my lab is located at d7 in Sentul, once you get in, things were quiet and serene. d7 is one of those high concept construction which was different to most building in KL. Very green and shielded. They also housed a nice cafe downstairs but I would skip that for Ramadan.

The quiet me time would do me fine.

d7

In the past years, I have always been fascinated by the YTL initiatives timer brand Sentul. It used to be a predominantly Indian community as the railway workshops and hangers used to be stationed there. In the years gone by, the community there thrived but their sense of identity had been lost since the railway terminals no longer operate there.

To a certain extend, the area was under developed until YTL came into the picture rebranding the area and developing it into an urban commercial hub. That had been going on for the last decade and it had been slow to take off.

Slowly but surely, there had been new buildings sprouting up from this area, which were architecturally spectacular. And d7 was definitely one of them.

I had been a consultant for a company based at d7 since the beginning of the year and I often go there for meetings and what not. And today, I brought my camera along to snap pictures as the building was certainly unique. Sadly, the occupancy was rather low due to combination of location and undoubtably cost. Those who could afford to set up shop there would definitely appreciate how aesthetically pleasing the building is.

The tenants there were trendy, mainly architecture and design firms. My favourite shop there was definitely Smeg. I've been admiring their fridges for a while now. Shame that they had to cost a bomb. There were a few art galleries as well, which I have yet had the time to explore.

Security was tight. To get into the offices, you would need to carry a key card - which luckily I had - or register at the security desk. A pain to be perfectly honest. Luckily parking was free - covered slots at the basement.

Maybe in the future I would venture at the surrounding area as well. A photo walk maybe.